My dog won't sleep in it's own bed

[landpirate]

My dog is two years old now, I have had her since she was rescued at 6 weeks old. At night time she is driving me crazy. She insists on having full body contact whilst we're sleeping. Essentially she wants to spoon me! When sleeping in a tent in the woods her snuggling up is great but in a house its too much.

When I first got her I was living in a house and she had a dog cage that she slept in, so that she knew that was her space and nobody would bother her in there. the door of the cage was never closed, so she could come and go as she pleased, but she was happy sleeping in there.

My situation changed and I was sofa surfing with my dog for a while so she didn't have her bed cage and therefore started sleeping on whatever I was sleeping on. This is where the problem began, now we have a room with a big bed in it. She has her own dog bed on the floor in my room but every night she ends up in bed with me and I am usually so tired I can't face trying to move her out.

The problem is I am getting a bad back from contorting myself around her as she is able even though not a huge dog to take up so much space. She has to have as much of herself touching me as she can and it gets really hot. Also, I have people come stay with me sometimes. You know, boys! or sometimes my sister or friends and my damned dog will act like a dick and get on the bed to sleep with us.

I love that my dog has such a close bond with me that she wants to keep me warm and protect me and I know I probably only have myself to blame for her behaviour, but does anyone have any ideas how I can retrain my dog to sleep in her own bed. Also, where do your dogs sleep? Am I the only fool that lets their dog take over their bed?

 

[Tude]

I've hip tossed my one cat more than a few times. He now doesn't climb over me and lay on me (yay!!) except he forgets once in a while and meows while he thinks he's sinking in and then he's reminded with a hip toss. But yeah I would not want the animals to take over the bed. I have two cats and the siamese sleeps at the end of the bed, she is good. The big red tabby is a bitch. But we go round about every couple of weeks as he FORGETS. Get off me bitch. And a hip toss. And we're good for a couple of weeks. I mean I love the rescue guy, but I have my limits. Not much retention there I guess

 

[dharma bum]

You need to cage-train that dog again (or for the first time). Separation anxiety is a bitch. I had a catahoula leopard dog for several years who was the same way. She would smother me in bed and back me up against the wall every night. Sometimes they need to be reminded that they are our dogs, and we are their humans. They need to be reminded that they are independent animals, as are we. If you're housed up now, invest in a good sized cage (it'll be a wise investment to get your sleep back along with a stronger, more independent dog) and train your buddy to get used to you not being there 24/7. Don't get me wrong, love your dog. Walk it. Play with it. Hang out with it. But don't let it make you it's bitch...

 

[James Huxley]

Could be that she just fancies the security of a cage? That'd be nice as no retraining would be in order. I used to have a Germie who refused to sleep on a pile of blankets but was perfectly content if said pile was housed in a crate.

 

[landpirate]

I've been slack replying but also only really got an update now as It's taken a few weeks to teach my dog some new stuff. I put her cage up in our room. it's a big cage, big enough for a large dog and she is not large. she can stand up, turn around and lay down fully stretched out even with a big cushion and blankets in there (yes she is spoilt!) I just let her get used to it for the first few days. She would hang out in it in the day and sniff about and mess her bedding up, but at night she refused to sleep in it. After a few days I said bed to her and she just got in her cage, this time it was actually night time. I think she just remembered from being a pup.

A few weeks on and most nights she stays in her cage all the way through until morning. Occasionally I have woken up and found her 'on' the bed, but not 'in' the bed under the covers and sometimes if I've left the door open she goes and sleeps on the sofa in another room. Such a difference. I am also leaving her home alone more or with the other people in my house. Trying to create a more independent dog. it's breaking my heart a little but as you put it dharma bum, I'm not letting my bitch make me her bitch!

thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions.

 

[ghostjohny]

occasionally allowing her to sleep there with you can be bonding, but it is important now that sleeping in the same sleeping bag as it were is not a necessity to allow her to be in her own space, she will become more comfortable and realize that you are stationary, and all will be well

 

[Desperado Deluxe]

My dog just tries to find the dirtiest nasty place to lay if there arent any bushes around.

 

[Menika]

My.dog is allowed to sleep with me but he also gets down at night if he gets to hot or wants a drink of water. He also wants as much body contact as he can get, but rarely if ever lays directly behind or on top of me. It could have been that your dog was insecure after having been on the road for all that time?