# Puppy sleeping in your bedroom - bad idea?



## SageFemme (Jul 30, 2014)

Hello everyone

So, I have a question. I have two crates, one in my bedroom and one downstairs. I was planning on keeping the bedroom crate just for blanket and water bowl at night time and downstairs one for day time where he could have toys, food etc.

I guess I thought it might be a bit strange and lonely for him at first... And when we pick him up by the time we drive home it will probably be early evening- not giving him much time to settle in on his first day.

Also once I'm asleep I know I wouldn't hear him downstairs if he started crying / wanted to go out to the toilet etc.

But my friends and family (except OH) think it's ridiculous - that I'm spoiling him, making a rod for my own back, he'll never sleep unless I'm there etc and then I read a book that said basically the same thing 

But my instincts say to have him in the bedroom - I want him to settle in and be as happy as possible, and make the transition as smooth as I can for him.

Is it _really_ a bad idea to have him in our bedroom at night?


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

You can have him in the bedroom the first few nights until he settles in. He's a baby who's been taken from his mum and siblings so it will make the transition easier. You can then move him downstairs if you want or even keep him in the bedroom


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## fernlady (Feb 27, 2013)

IMO, no. Let him have a couple of weeks in your bedroom & then move his crate to the landing if you are able & leave your bedroom door open. Slowly move his crate further away by which time he'll understand where you are. I've recently read a very good book that says the old fashioned way of leaving them downstairs to cry & ignoring them is just that, old fashioned. Dogs are pack animals & want to be near to you. Remember you will have to get up through the night to let him out for a wee. If you persevere with this you should crack toilet training quickly. Good luck & post some pics x


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

Many people have their pups sleep in a crate beside their bed for the first few nights to settle them in and help wake you up for those late night toilet breaks  and to be honest, I see nothing wrong with it on a permanent level unless you don't want the pup sleeping upstairs in the future? I had Cash sleep in my room for a good month or two after he came home, but he now sleeps in the hallway purely because he keeps disturbing Tyler during the night. So now they all have their own space. The older two in my bedroom as always, Cash in his bed in the hallway.


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## Guest (Oct 10, 2014)

SageFemme said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> So, I have a question. I have two crates, one in my bedroom and one downstairs. I was planning on keeping the bedroom crate just for blanket and water bowl at night time and downstairs one for day time where he could have toys, food etc.
> 
> ...


Just me personally, but I have always thought it was slightly cruel to take a puppy from sleeping piled up on mom and litter mates to sleeping alone in a crate, especially on those first few nights when pup is already discombobulated and disoriented in a new home.

What we have always done is put pup in the bed with us. Yep, craziness, but hear me out.
Pup usually settles right down with fellow breathing bodies, falls asleep no problem. Im a light sleeper, so I usually notice the pup stirring when its time to potty - before he/she has a chance to have an accident in the bed or try to jump off. I take pup out, praise, back to bed. In 3 pups we have not had a single accident.

Once pup is sleeping through the night without needing a potty break is usually around the time theyre ready to graduate to a bed on the floor of the bedroom or crate. Again, that transition has never been a problem, by then there is more of a relationship with the pup so when I say nope, you sleep *here* now the pups take in in stride.

Eventually our dogs graduate to sleeping wherever they want in the house, but only after theyre to be trusted free-roaming the house. (With Breez that took 3 years.)


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## PawsOnMe (Nov 1, 2012)

I've had Izzy in my bedroom since she was brought home. I think it's hard enough for a pup to be away from their littermates without also having to be in a room on their own in a strange place. I had Izzy in a trug by my bed with my hand in, she fell asleep straight away with no fuss and then I moved her into a crate by my bed. She's going to be in my room anyway as an adult so there's no problem.


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

We had Scully in the living room, but we were living in a ground foor flat so with the door open she was actually easy to hear and not that far away from us.


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## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

I've had the last two on my bed. It made life sooooo much easier! They slept right through, I didn't get puppy blues because I was able to sleep, and there's not much better than waking up with a puppy curled up under your chin :001_wub:.

My signal for putting them in their own beds was when they woke me up by nipping my nose, and they didn't moan about the change .


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## Smalldogs (Sep 11, 2012)

Agreeing with Ouesi here. We've always had pups in the bed with us, and never had a night-time whimper. When they're older, most of ours have decided of their own accord that they'd rather sleep in a particular dog bed or chair.


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## jo-pop (May 27, 2011)

Great post. I was going to do the crate in bedroom thing too.. With the intention of moving him away gradually in due course.
I am wondering about the running downstairs with a puppy needing a wee thing though, I can see that ending in me covered in piddle. I have 2 kids though so I'm fairly used to that ha


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## spots (Aug 10, 2014)

I started with the crate just inside the bedroom doorway, moved it out to the hall, then the spare bedroom. 

Then I had guests visiting and *stupidly* let her in my bed to avoid nighttime 'I need a wee' whimpers waking the guests up.
Thus commenced weeks of yelping in the crate. 
In the end I resorted to sleeping downstairs on the sofa for several weeks so she settled there (no way was I having a fully grown dog in my bed every night!). 
Thankfully she settles downstairs alone for the night and even waits quietly for me to appear in the morning after she's woken  

I'd never make the mistake of letting a pup in the bed again - it's just too pleasant for them! 

Fluffy blankets, a big cuddly sheep, a ticking clock and a heated snugglesafe pad did a perfect job of helping my settle without her siblings.


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

What breed? (sorry if I've missed this)

It might be fine when he's very little BUT you'd have to carry him up / down the stairs for quite a while (to protect his joints) and if he's going to get big & heavy 

Also, when they get really old, if they're too big to carry up / down the stairs it gets really difficult when they start to struggle with them - esp if they've slept near their human(s) all their life & suddenly have to be left downstairs 


I personally do feel it's good for them to spend some time away from their human(s) so they learn to amuse themselves / settle / sleep etc when there's no one about


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

SageFemme said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> So, I have a question. I have two crates, one in my bedroom and one downstairs. I was planning on keeping the bedroom crate just for blanket and water bowl at night time and downstairs one for day time where he could have toys, food etc.
> 
> ...


Well if it is Mines a bad idea that's lasted for over 20 years
Not only have mine slept in the bedroom as new puppies, they still sleep where I do all the time as adults, unless they get too hot and wander off elsewhere of their own accord.

I do however, make sure the have periods of self amusement, wind down and rest time alone, early on, during the day while I am there as puppies, building the time up a bit at a time, so they get used to being alone so its not a problem when they do have to be left and without me. Seems to have worked OK with all mine.

If it suits you and is right for you and that's what you want to do go for it.

I


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## jonb (Nov 15, 2012)

we tried Milly in the kitchen,problem was the other2 dogs sleep in the bedroom
the first night she howled
the second she howled
the third night she howled then started barking
we have a crate in our bedroom now
well actually we don`t now its in the kitchen for when we`re out/or at work


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

SageFemme said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> So, I have a question. I have two crates, one in my bedroom and one downstairs. I was planning on keeping the bedroom crate just for blanket and water bowl at night time and downstairs one for day time where he could have toys, food etc.
> 
> ...


Shocking.

My 11 week old puppy spent the first two weeks sleeping in my bedroom and then has slept in the bathroom, the spare bedroom, the landing and is now downstairs because she has managed to go the whole night without wanting to empty herself.

So time to move down with her kennel mate.


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## 8tansox (Jan 29, 2010)

My puppies always sleep in my room, right through until they can go all night..... I've never had a problem moving their beds and getting them to sleep outside the bedroom, we do live in a bungalow though so that helps, there's no upstairs/downstairs.....

(I haven't always lived in a bungalow but always had my puppies sleep in my room).


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## ladyisla (Apr 19, 2014)

I don't think it's a bad idea. I persevered with the crate in the living room and then kitchen for a few months until getting up every single night sometimes two or three times to let her out to wee and then settle her again started driving me absolutely potty. About two months ago I let her on the bed and despite thinking I was possibly committing a puppy rearing crime according to books she is so much happier, I am a million times less grouchy and she now sleeps all through the night. In fact for the last couple of weeks she's been falling asleep on the floor and then I'll find her on the bed when I wake up in the morning so she's deciding for herself where to fall asleep. The only time having her in the bedroom has become a problem was last week when she came in season - oh my goodness but that's another story! I know you're not talking about letting them on your bed anyway. The crate training we DID do at night definitely helped her house training anyway, despite turning me into a zombie. 

You have to do a bit of trial and error I think and find what works for you. In retrospect I do perhaps wish I had brought the crate into my bedroom right from the outset as when I tried this it was just too late and she'd already slept on the bed - no way was she going back in her crate at night. If I have a puppy again I'd have no issue bringing the crate straight in my bedroom as I agree with others it seemed very unfair to move them away suddenly and then expect them to be ok. Maybe some dogs are better at this than others, I don't know. Heidi is a Westie and I have definitely learned from having her and speaking to other owners that they like to know they are near you. 

Good luck!


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## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

My Dog sleeps on her bed which is on the Floor at the end of My Bed. When she gets old and can't climb the Stairs anymore she will have to sleep downstairs on the Sofa.

This was an arrangement that worked perfectly well with all the Dogs I have had up to now over the last 30 odd years.


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## Little P (Jun 10, 2014)

My old boy always slept down stairs until we moved and he became very unsettled. He has a bed on the floor in our room now. I can't see any problem with it? 

He's an old boy who is very deaf and losing his sight so it's reassuring to know where he is, should anything happen in the night.


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## Debs0162 (May 28, 2014)

We got our pup in May and for the first few weeks he slept snuggled on our bed. We all got some sleep and he started to settle in. After a few weeks we moved him into his crate in the bedroom and that's where he sleeps every night. After a last wee and a cuddle he's into his crate for the night.


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## SageFemme (Jul 30, 2014)

Thanks all for the great advice!

I don't know why I'm doubting myself  I guess that's what other peoples opinions can do to you lol! 

My old dog used to sleep on the end of my bed (never heard of crate training when we got him) as he got older he stopped coming upstairs due to struggling to walk up the stairs so we bought him a bed for downstairs and he happily slept there.

As well as him on the end of our bed we bedshared with our kids when they were little, and again they were more than happy to go in their own beds when older and ready.

We're also pretty luck we have a big balcony off of our bedroom, I'm going to make a little garden area for him for night time or when we're upstairs to make house training easier :lol:


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## Fly dog (Sep 3, 2012)

I had the same, crate in my room just for night an crate for daytime downstairs and it worked perfectly. My intention was to keep that routine though and not change, eventually leaving the door open.
Pup had other plans. He still can't be left out while I'm asleep as he chews and will scrap with one of my others if he goes near her bed. But at a year old he decided he didn't want to sleep upstairs, and now has just one crate downstairs.


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## Sarah H (Jan 18, 2014)

Now I feel like a big meanie! 

My dogs have always slept downstairs in the kitchen in their own beds. They all seem to cope fine 

When I brought Nooka home last year she had her own bed in the kitchen, but snuggled up with Muffin (who ignored her completely but is a big softy so let her snuggle) when she needed reassurance. She was pretty much house trained when I got her at 9 weeks so very few night time puddles when she was little. Plus as it was on tiles it was easy to clean up if there was any.

BUT I had other dogs to keep her company. If she was an only pup I'd start off in the bedroom, then move her out gradually if I wanted.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

When I brought Kite home, she slept in a crate in the living room for the first couple of weeks. She was fine and didn't cry, but I wasn't timing her toilet trips well enough. So I had her sleep on the bed with me and as soon as she moved, I took her out. It really speeded up the house training. Now, with 2 of her pups, they have crates downstairs as there's not room on my bed for 4 dogs and I couldn't carry both on the stairs at once; they have each other for company. The alarm is set for 3.15 and that's working well.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

We always had blade upstairs in our bedroom with us right from a pup till the day he died! 
What's the point of having a dog to go and shut it out downstairs (well that's what I think anyway) they are part of the family. 
Nothing better than hearing your dog at the foot of the bed snoring away.

Our recent shepherd ruby was never allowed upstairs with her last owner, but she now sleeps upstairs on her own bed in our room.
Sometimes she likes to have 10 mins on the bed with us before settling down.
And when I've been on a night shift she sleeps with hubby on the bed and then again with me in the day when I get home from work.

:thumbup:


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