Are you tired of no sleep, being kicked in the head or growled at, but are still putting up with the dog sleeping in bed with you? Isn't this carrying the pack psychology a little too far?
You know the dog has to sleep elsewhere. Are you procrastinating because it's too difficult to get your best friend OUT of the bed and where he belongs - on the floor?
Here's My Short Story About Simon The Kicker
After not sleeping soundly for several weeks because Simon likes to stretch his legs and kick sleeping humans, it was time for action. (If you want to know how they got into the bed in the first place, it's a real long story!)
Try This Method
After consulting the dog training bible (Secrets to Dog Training), this is what worked:
- Get dog beds or pillows for the dog(s) to sleep on.
- At bedtime, tell the dog(s)to go to bed. You can lure them onto the dog beds with treats.
- Get ready for bed as usual except do not let the dogs on your bed.
- Luck has it that my dogs cannot get on the bed because it's too high, so it was protected with towels so they could not scratch the wood. They cried for about half an hour, then went to their pillows. You cannot let the dog onto the bed. If the dog is insistent, he goes into another room. You should try this on a weekend in case you're up a lot.
- Amazingly, they slept until 5:00 AM the next morning when Simon insisted it was time to go out.
A Related Issue
One little glitch - Simon recently got into the habit of getting up at 3:00 AM. Since he is housebroken and can go for 8 hours without going out, he mainly gets up to get attention.
The solution to this problem aired on an episode of It's The Dog Or Me with Victoria Stilwell (It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet).
Ignore him as long as you can. Use your judgment - if he's insistent, take him out. Simon's been moved to another room so he can't wake anyone. But do NOT keep getting up with the dog. He can sleep during the day - you most likely cannot do the same.
Tired of the dog sleeping in bed with you? Do something about it today and stop complaining! There is a solution!
