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Keeping The Dog Off The Bed

        
          

1002379_1420236298214361_335344012_nDoes your dog sleep in your bed or take your spot when you get up in the middle of the night? Some people do not mind their dog sleeping in bed with them, others hate it but can’t keep them off. In our case, we do not mind Rosco sleeping with us but like him down by our feet. A 100+ pound dog doesn’t belong between us! No matter if you mind it or not, I suggest training your dog so that he knows that your bed is not always his bed.

When not trained, a dog looks at your bed as your den, the place you all cuddle and sleep. For my wife and I, it is also the place where our dog thought he had the right to take anyplace on the bed he wanted which usually ended up being the warm spot we got up from to use the bathroom, or on our nice comfy pillow. Being a large dog, it was a fight in the middle of the night.

So how do you train a dog  to know when and where he can lay on your bed? It is not as hard as you would think. It just takes constant enforcing of the rules. First, you should make sure your dog has a doggy bed. You want to make sure they know that bed is theirs and only theirs. You can do this by keeping a couple toys on it. Here is an article I wrote on good chew proof dog beds that you might like.

As for your bed, every time your dog gets on your bed, make him get off. If he jumps right back up, make him get right back down. It  will take a couple times but he will end catching on and just stand there and look at you. Once he does that, get into the bed and get comfortable. If he jumps back up, get up and make him get right back down again. Once your dog is off the bed and you are ready for him, call him up. If you use a command like “with me”, I would use that command. He might look at you funny and might take a minute but he will come up. If you do not want him by your head, hold your hand out and huide him towards your feet.

For this to work, you have to be consistent. If you do not make your dog wait until you are ready for him every time, they will get confused. They need to know that it is your bed, not theirs and they are a guest. You will call them up wen and if you want them.

Things you should not do:

  • Yell at them to get down. Try to use commands you use on a regular basis (down, off, come, with me, etc)
  • Give up, it will take some time but they will get it
  • Ever let them jump up without calling them. Even if you were about to. If they do, make them get down, then call them back up

Do you let your dog in bed with you? Let me know in the comments below.

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