# HELP! Changing sleeping arrangements



## lablover2013 (Feb 28, 2013)

Hi I'm new here....this is a little long but I really do need some help.....

I have 2 black labradors who are cherished and adored. 1 is a 7 year old male and the other is a 3 year old female, both neutered/spayed. They have been spoiled and were allowed to sleep upstairs with us and usually ended up sharing the bed come a certain time in the morning!

I'm now 33 weeks pregnant and am struggling to share a bed with my Fiance and 2 large dogs! We introduced a stair gate gradually to encourage them to sleep downstairs, we even bought comfy new sofas which they sleep on. The female accepted this straight away as she loves sleeping on the sofa but the male still sits at the bottom of the stairs whineing and barking (any time from 3am!) until he is allowed upstairs and insists on sleeping on the bed.

We've tried ignoring him, we've tried showing him back to bed and we've tried letting him upstairs to sleep on a duvet next to the bed, but he just sits next to the bed whineing until he's allowed up.

I realise we've made a huge rod for our own backs and it's our own fault that he behaves this way, but if anyone has any thoughts, suggestions or ideas on how we can stop this behaviour, I would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

lablover2013 said:


> Hi I'm new here....this is a little long but I really do need some help.....
> 
> I have 2 black labradors who are cherished and adored. 1 is a 7 year old male and the other is a 3 year old female, both neutered/spayed. They have been spoiled and were allowed to sleep upstairs with us and usually ended up sharing the bed come a certain time in the morning!
> 
> ...


Personally I think as long as you cave in and he gets what he wants then you are never going to get him off the bed to sleep. As long as you let him on its going to reward the whingeing and whining and he will know eventually it can and does work so he is going to try it.

If you dont mind him on a duvet by the bed then that could be a half way compromise or start to wean him off the bed in stages.

You could try an adaptil dog appeasing pheromone defuser that can help settle dogs in stressfull or changing situations by calming them. Works like a plug in airfreshener, if you want to read more on them.
Adaptil helps dogs and puppys learn settle travel and in kennels

Also putting on the duvet an old t-shirt or jumper you have worn may help as sometimes they will settle if they have your smell close at hand.

Other then that, its just a matter of persistance, if he gets on the bed take him back to the duvet which is by the bed, say sleep, get back in bed and turn your back on him and sigh, its a calming signal to dogs too. Keep repeating it until he gets the message. If he persists then take him down stairs and use the baby gate to stop him coming up, ignore him for awhile and if he goes quiet, then bring him back up and put him on the duvet again and repeat that process. If he whinges and wont stop, then back downstairs again and leave him down there. Quiet again he comes up and is taken too the duvet, wont stop whingeing downstairs again. If you are persistent, he should work out that if its a choice between the duvet and sleeping in the same room, or being downstairs alone, then the duvet and sleep is the better option. You must though not have him on the actual bed. His options are downstairs alone or by the bed on a duvet and sleep no whingeing.
Its going to likely mean a few nights of no sleep, but he should hopefully get the message. If it works, then you can start to move the duvet a bit at a time nearer and nearer the door and away from the bed, until its maybe out on the landing and thats where he sleeps.

You need to teach him that quiet and sleep only gets him in the bedroom and on the duvet. You cant let him up there either until he isnt whingeing as it will defeat the object. Another thing you could try providing the two of them dont compete over treats and food is to maybe give him a stuffed Kong. While he is envolved with that it should cause enforced quiet if you need it. As if he falls for it he cant be whingeing while he is eating his Kong. It may also make a good association with being left.
Recipes - Kong You may even find that will quiet and relax him and he will settle anyway after taking his fraustration out on that and just wind down and settle downstairs after all.


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