Sleeping Outside the Crate?

[sunkissedpr1ncs]

Hi Everyone! So Barkley will be 2 next month and ever since we got him at 4 months old, he's used a crate. We keep him in the crate when we aren't home and at night when we're sleeping. He LOVES his crate! He goes in there to nap all the time even when we're home and will sometimes put himself to bed in there if we're up past his bedtime

My husband and I recently moved and now live in a 2 story house, where our bedroom is on the 2nd floor and his crate is on the 1st floor. I feel bad putting him to bed in his crate downstairs and then us going to bed upstairs....I feel like is lonely down there all by himself haha.

So I've been thinking maybe we should try letting him sleep outside of his crate now and upstairs with us on a bed on the floor. I still want to be able to crate him when we're gone, so I didn't know if that could mess that up at all? Does anyone else let their dogs sleep out of the crate at night but still crate them while you're away?

I don't even know if he would like not sleeping in his crate or if it would just confuse him now since he's been sleeping in there so long! Has anyone else done this when their pups were older like Barkley??

Thanks for any advice!

 

[2BullyMama]

Yes, we do this. banks and Cheli are crated when we are not home, but their crate doors are left open when we are home. Cheli is not a fan of the crate, but Banks LOVES her crate... we call it her 'safety-safe'. When she is in there we do not bother her in anyway, we take it that she does not want attention or to be messed with so we just let her be. At night, they both sleep in bed with us.

What you could do... move the crate to your bedroom (that is where we keep our crates too), leave the crate door open and place a doggie bed on the floor and let him choose where he wants to sleep

 

[Davidh]

You can try it, but he may just want to sleep in his crate. Some just love their crates.

 

[sunkissedpr1ncs]

Yes, we do this. banks and Cheli are crated when we are not home, but their crate doors are left open when we are home. Cheli is not a fan of the crate, but Banks LOVES her crate... we call it her 'safety-safe'. When she is in there we do not bother her in anyway, we take it that she does not want attention or to be messed with so we just let her be. At night, they both sleep in bed with us.

What you could do... move the crate to your bedroom (that is where we keep our crates too), leave the crate door open and place a doggie bed on the floor and let him choose where he wants to sleep

Thanks! We thought about having his crate upstairs with us at first but then figured it would be too much of a hassle to put him in there when we leave, if someone comes to the door, if he's annoying when we have company, etc. haha.

I guess we can just try not making him go in the crate at night and see what he does. I think he will probably put himself in there but maybe eventually he will figure out he doesn't have to!


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[ddnene]

When my dogs are fully potty trained, we let them sleep on the floor in our bedroom but they understand that they are crated while we are gone. You could probably just put a doggie bed in your bedroom so he could sleep there at night...