Dog Sleeping On The Bed

by Deb
(Lancashire)

Cocker Spaniel Sleeping On The Bed

Cocker Spaniel Sleeping On The Bed

I have a 14-month old cocker spaniel male who sleeps on my bed, how can I get him to sleep in his own bed?

Reply from Pauline (Web Owner)

Hello Deb,

You don't give much information, so I'm assuming you've allowed your cocker spaniel to sleep on your best since he was a young puppy.

If that's the case, you're going to have to train him to sleep on his own, in his own bed. This is going to take a bit of perseverance and lots of patience but if you do the following, you'll have him trained in no time at all:

  • Decide where you want your Cocker Spaniel to sleep. (You may want him to sleep on the floor, at the side of your bed.)

  • If he hasn't got one already, get him a comfortable dog bed and train him to use it.

  • Place his bed in the lounge and drop a few small treats inside it. As your dog goes to get the treats, say 'in your bed' or whatever words you feel comfortable with.

  • Place a toy in the bed or one of your t-shirts that you've worn and not yet washed so that your scent is on it; this will make him feel more comfortable about getting into the bed and staying there.

  • Make his bed fun to be in and always a positive experience, and never put him to bed as a punishment.

  • At every opportunity you get, ask him to get into his bed. When he does, praise him and give him a treat. As dogs sleep quite a lot during the day, he'll probably use it more than you might think.

  • I recommend you put your dog into his bed after you've walked him when he's exhausted. Ask him to lie down and stay and he'll probably fall asleep for an hour or two.

Keep practising getting him into his bed and rewarding him for it - practice at least three or four times each day.

When you've got to the stage where he goes in on request and stays there, I think you can safely take his bed to your bedroom (or buy him another and keep it there) and before you get into bed give him the command to 'get into bed'.

If he jumps onto your bed say 'No' firmly but calmly and ask him to get into his own bed. If he doesn't, gently move him off the bed and place him on his own.

If he moves out of his bed, say 'No' again to let him know he's not doing what you want. Correct him every time he tries to get out and eventually he'll get the message.

I can almost guarantee he'll try to sneak up onto your bed during the night. You will need to be strong and say no each time he tries, otherwise, you'll be back where you started.

Hope this helps and good luck to you both!

Kind regards,
Pauline

PS: You might be interested in this 'controversial' article about Sleeping with your dog.

Comments for Dog Sleeping On The Bed

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starstar 		Get My Dog Out Of The Bedroom
by: Anonymous

Just push him off! Mine has a bed but will often move around in the night. Not much I can do about that. Now what I really want is for him not to sleep in my room. He used to sleep in a crate in the lounge but took to whining.

It was driving us nuts and disturbing the neighbours and after many many many sleep deprived nights we tried him loose in the kitchen. That worked for a couple of weeks till he started scratching and whining and a few times opening the door and getting to my sons toys (the little monkey loves chewing small plastic things like action figures and watches :{ ).

So now he sleeps in our room. We sleep okay and he seems happy. But every now and then I am awoken by him chewing something he's got hold of and the bedroom stinks of dog. Our dog is 8 and a half months old. Ideally, I'd like my sleep to be dog free, am I asking too much?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Cocker Sleeping On The Bed
by: Darren

You'll need to be firm with him, especially if he's been used to sleeping on your bed since he was a young puppy.

I let my puppy sleep on my bed until he became a fully grown adult and ended up taking up half of my bed! He'd lie across it as if he owned the place.

That's when I decided enough was enough. I love my cocker spaniel, but it was time for him to sleep in his own bed.

What I did was this. I put his bed by mine and dropped in a couple of treats and his blanket. Then, when it was bedtime I asked him to go to his bed. He ate the treats and then jumped onto my bed. Not quite the result I was looking for.

However, I was firm and put him back into his own bed. I had to do this several times during the first night. The next night was pretty much the same, although not as bad. I was consistent and over the next week he gradually stopped jumping up onto my bed.

Eventually he stopped.

Now he only gets onto the bed in the morning for a cuddle, and only when he's invited.

Try it, I hope it works for you.

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