Sleep. Or lack thereof.

It's funny you should say that, but I actually did the opposite of what I said above. We had a crate and pen arrangement which for toilet training wasn't that bad at all( Monty didn't do a Squidge), but I'd read some books on just ignoring all crying at all times and that's what we did for more than 2 weeks.
I mean, this is exactly what Mags does with her guide dog pups so I wouldn't feel guilty.

Ultimately, Leanne, there's no right answer. You've just got to do what's right for you and your family. If you've got no intention of him ever being in your bedroom then that's one less thing to worry about - the bedroom is off limits, so work with your other options. Just think of him as a stroppy 2 year old - he wants what he wants (to be with you) but he doesn't get to decide what he wants - you, the parent, do. He pushed and pushed last night but you didn't give in, so he went to sleep. PERFECT. Just keep at it and don't give in, otherwise he'll go even longer next time :D
 

Boogie

Moderator
Location
Manchester UK
Some pups will toddle off back to bed and snooze after a wee break, some won't.

I keep breakfast to the same time every morning so they don't expect food. With a wide awake pup at 4am I try my darnedest to get him/her to sleep again. If it's 5am I get them up and let them snooze on me. If they want to play I make myself as boring as possible until a decent hour (6am) But I can't see Keir letting any of that happen when Oliver/Spencer arrives. Keir never wakes me up but once he sees me that's it - the day has begun, and he's a MORNING person with bells on. Tatze isn't, she'll stay in bed until any time.

:)
 
Am I literally the only person who doesn’t want dog hair on the bed? I’m fine with being covered in it on a daily basis.. but beds are... for sleep! What do you do with them when you want a *cuddle* ??!!
Plum doesn't sleep with me, I need my space and although I love snuggling with her, I don't want to do it at night on my bed, I know she'd squash up so close to me that I'd be hot and uncomfortable.
 
We really didn't struggle with Harley with regards to crying through the night. I think it helps that DH and I are very much night owls, so we will more times than not go to bed at 23h00. What was difficult was when she developed a runny and sore tummy at about 11 weeks. We went for nights with DH on the grass outside with her. She is also a telepathic communicator, so she doesn't indicate that she wants a wee or poo. Now as an adult she will sit at the door...and wait. We get it now, but I am sure she was sending mind messages to the neighhbours three houses down, because we sure as bells weren't getting them. DH wanted to teach her to ring a bell and there was NO WAY I was giving our clever labrador a bell! I am already a slave to two cats.
What she did start doing was "needing a wee" earlier and earlier because after her morning wee she was allowed to come snuggle on the bed. We noticed that the 05h00 wee progressively became the 03h30 wee. And she would either squeeze out a few drops or not wee at all but then run back to the door with her "Yay! Lets go snuggle!" look on her face. So we changed snuggle time to after the first morning alarm. After a few days the wee times returned to about 05h00ish. Imagine if we had given her a bell!!! Now that she is older she sleeps all the way through and often she will only creep out of bed at 09h00.
We always knew we would have our dog on the bed so it is something we are fine with, and we have always had both the cats sleep with us anyway.
I am so glad you had a good sleep. I really cant function after a few nights of poor sleep. DH always jokes that if anyone abducts me and uses sleep deprivation and starvation on me they will BRING ME BACK, if they survive it:)
 
Am I literally the only person who doesn’t want dog hair on the bed? I’m fine with being covered in it on a daily basis.. but beds are... for sleep! What do you do with them when you want a *cuddle* ??!!
No! I loathe dog hairs and couldn't contemplate them on my bed; the Labs never tried to jump on the bed. However, when they were tiny puppies I did have them in a cardboard box next to my bed and could dangle my hand into them to help them feel secure. Once they got used to the crate and it was a lovely place for them, then they slept in there.
 

Atemas

UK Tour Guide
Pleased you are getting more sleep @Leanne - sleep deprivation is really horrible. Our dogs aren’t allowed upstairs so very definitely not in our bed. We don’t let them on the furniture either. Sounds a bit mean but actually it isn’t - we get on the floor to cuddle them or they sit/lie at our feet. I am pleased that Red has followed Sky’s lead - Sky knows she can sit on the stairs but not go onto the landing - Red does the same - generally they don’t go above the fourth step - they can sit there and look out the little window.
 

Lab_adore

Moderator
Staff member
we get on the floor to cuddle them or they sit/lie at our feet.
We do the same :). Maxx has jumped on the couch a couple of times, but not for a while so we are a bit lucky there. We also block the stairs for two reasons - one as they are steep and we don't want him to fall but also because our bedroom is downstairs and we don't want him in it! There are only two rooms down there - our bedroom and a big open study so he isn't missing out on much.
 
Am I literally the only person who doesn’t want dog hair on the bed? I’m fine with being covered in it on a daily basis.. but beds are... for sleep! What do you do with them when you want a *cuddle* ??!!
No you are not alone :). Juno has never slept on the bed or been allowed to sit on the sofa. Have to admit her bed has a much better mattress than mine anyway :)
 
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