STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Maat · Kenneth Cole

Where does your pet sleep at night?

Kelly · Hermes

Maybe you could get him a crate to have next to the bed? Then if you want him out of the bedroom later you could slowly distance him by shutting doors or putting up a baby gate.

Elle · Hermes

If you're fine with having him in bed, he doesn't try to fight you for space, and doesn't have accidents at night, there's no reason not to let him sleep on your bed

.

But if it's a habit you'd like to be able to break if you choose, then I'd go with a kennel. You can keep it right by your bed so he doesn't feel lonely, but you'll both have your own spaces. Most dogs looooove their kennels after they've been trained to them, because they feel like it's their own special, safe den.

Marley sleeps in her kennel. When we first brought her home I talked/shushed her to sleep in it, and we left the kennel right by the bed. After she started sleeping through the night, we moved it progressively farther from the bed each night. Now she sleeps out in the living room. We chose not to let her sleep on the bed for a few reasons - Because I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing a puppy was loose, accidents, because we wanted to let the bed be the cat's sleeping place still, and because sometimes it can cause some dominance issues. Letting someone else sleep with you in your 'den' space is a big deal for a dog, and sometimes it can make them feel like they can challenge your place as the leader. We might let Marley sleep with us, or on a fluffy bed nearby, when she's 3 or 4 and not as much of a puppy

. Until then though, kennel it is!

tri_sarah_tops · Marc Jacobs

Ditto Elle. At first we kept the kennel next to our bed and then gradually moved it. Gabby is almost two now and she's allowed to roam freely though the house, but she always goes to her kennel to sleep, even though she doesn't have to. It's her place and she feels safe there.

luckylily · Gucci

For dogs w/ behavior or dominance issues, sleeping on the bed can unfortunately elevate those behaviors. But, if your dog doesn't have those problems, I think it is fine.

Mitch sleeps on our bed about 3 or 4 nights per week, it just depends on how much sleep and room DH and I think we need. He has a dog bed next to our bed and his crate is in our room too. On the nights that he doesn't get to sleep in our bed, he usually settles into one of those options within a minute or two.

HeatherLynn · Gucci

tri_sarah_tops wrote:

Ditto Elle. At first we kept the kennel next to our bed and then gradually moved it. Gabby is almost two now and she's allowed to roam freely though the house, but she always goes to her kennel to sleep, even though she doesn't have to. It's her place and she feels safe there.

Tritto. Emery always goes to her crate because she likes it, but now that she is older we let her roam free. Occasionally I will let her on the bed (nap time or if I go to bed early) and she always gets off to go to her crate.

MissMee · Kate Spade

Their crates in their own room. We used to give the older one freedom at night until he started a peeing spree. Not fun to step in when you wake up.

cahabo · Kate Spade

The family dog sleeps under my bed. She would probably rather sleep on my bed if I let her.

AllieGurl · Marc Jacobs

luckylily wrote:

For dogs w/ behavior or dominance issues, sleeping on the bed can unfortunately elevate those behaviors. But, if your dog doesn't have those problems, I think it is fine.

Mitch sleeps on our bed about 3 or 4 nights per week, it just depends on how much sleep and room DH and I think we need. He has a dog bed next to our bed and his crate is in our room too. On the nights that he doesn't get to sleep in our bed, he usually settles into one of those options within a minute or two.

Same here.

kenzie · Chanel

In our bed. We have a king sized bed, but it's still not big enough for the two of us and the dog. She's a 65 lb lab/pitbull mix and she's the sweetest thing, so we feel bad kicking her out. Stella is a total bed hog, though, because she sleeps on her side and even though she's usually at the foot of the bed in the corner, she still takes up a lot of space.

Here's a pic of her swimming in a lake this past weekend (after which she got a bath because there was no way she was sleeping in our bed smelling like a lake):

Maat, your dog is adorable!!!

-- Edited by kenzie at 18:44, 2007-06-27

-- Edited by kenzie at 19:20, 2007-06-27

Maat · Kenneth Cole

Kenzie, I can't see your baby.

kenzie · Chanel

Maat wrote:

Kenzie, I can't see your baby.

Okay, I fixed it. It should work now.

boobaby · Kate Spade

luckylily wrote:

For dogs w/ behavior or dominance issues, sleeping on the bed can unfortunately elevate those behaviors.

Oops! Maybe that is one reason why Boo acts like he's my owner. I started letting him sleep with me because he insisted and I got tired of the fighting and six years later, he at least spends part of the night in my bed, burrowed under the covers.

Now I have a Mr. Bossy-Pants dog. He even barks at me when I fall asleep on the couch. When I get up, he tries to herd me into bed. Luckily, he's little enough that I can deal with it.

member · Hermes

Simon sleeps in our bed w/us and I couldn't see it any other way. He's such a little snuggler and loves to spoon w/me - how could I pass that up? aww

Honestly though, we have no reason not to let him...he behaves, and if he has to go potty, he literally wakes one of us and we take him..it just hasn't been a problem.

halleybird · Hermes

Maat, your dog is ADORABLE!

Halley sleeps with us. We used to not allow her on the bed, but after we got Sully, we started letting her, and she hasn't left since! I like having her on the bed. She hates to cuddle and mostly sleeps by my feet. If she feels squished, she gets down.

My dogs are almost 100% indoor pets, and they're very clean, so it doesn't bother me. Sully sleeps on the floor or in a doggy bed. As soon as my husband gets up (he's up first on the weekends and in the summer), he jumps in.

Maat · Kenneth Cole

Thanks! My dog was already trained when I got him so no potty issues. He actually just sleeps by my feet. Apparently, he gets up during the night and does random things in the living room like finish his food or a bone that was lying in the middle of the floor, but it doesn't wake me up. I just wondered if I was strange for letting a dog sleep in my bed!

dangergirl · Kate Spade

kenzie - stella is gorgeous!!

our dog lucy sleeps on a dog blanket on the landing. she would sleep in my parents room if they would let her, and she occasionally wanders into my room at night but eventually goes back to her bed

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

Vinny is a 100% sleep in our bed kind of pooch. We have a big bed and plenty of room for him. He looooves to snuggle so it is like having a live teddy bear in the bed

.

Like Halleybird's dogs, he is an indoor guy (he even goes to the bathroom indoors most of the time) so I don't have issues with his cleanliness. I think he is cleaner than some people that I know.

halleybird · Hermes

I forgot to add that dog(s) in the bed=no cold feet, ever. I tell Halley that she can sleep on the bed only if I get to put my feet on her warm belly.

cinderella4282 · BCBG

Madeleine has her own puppy bed with blankets and pillows by the side of our bed. At about 10 she goes in the bedroom and falls asleep, with or without us.

We used to let her sleep in bed with us but she snored too loud and we couldn't sleep!! She's a very clean, indoor dog so I don't worry about her having free reign of the house. I don't think she ever leaves the bedroom.