Sleeping Arrangements

[Jasslyn]

Hi All

I have a border collie puppy who is currently sleeping in my bedroom at night. I'd like for him to be an inside dog at night and an outside dog during the day when I'm at work. He seems to be happy sleeping inside with me and I figure, even if we are both sleeping, it is still time spent together.

The problem is, when we go on holidays to visit my family, he will come with me but won't be allowed to sleep inside with me. When we are on holidays he will have to be outside all the time. My mother owns a caravan park so I can't have my pup howling and crying all night when we go there (as it would disturb the paying customers). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get Flynn to be okay with sleeping outside occasionally.

We won't be going to visit my mum until Christmas, so maybe he'll be old enough (he'll be close to 7 months old then) to just accept the change when we do go there but at the moment he's a very vocal little fella so I'm worried how he'll react. After 2.5 weeks, he's only just (I think) stopped howling through the day when I'm not there. I say "I think" because I can only base this assumption on the fact that he doesn't cry when I leave, he's not crying when I get home and the neighbours have stopped complaining about his noise.

I was thinking about making him sleep outside in his kennel one night a week but I'm not confident that would work (once a week I think would be too far apart to have any training benefits but please tell me if I'm wrong).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Kavik]

What about crate training him? That way you can have him in his crate at night when you visit family, it is something he is used to, and he is unlikely to be noisy or cause any problems.

I have done this, and taken my dogs to my parents and extended family over Christmas, and it works really well. With extended family I have had to have the crates on a covered balcony as they were not allowed in the house, but at my place and my parents, the dogs are crated in the house. You don't have to always crate him at your place, but it might be a good idea to get him used to it (there are lots of threads on how to crate train) and have him sleep in it for a while so he feels comfortable in there.

[Jasslyn]

Hi Kavic. Thanks for the reply. Do you think a play pen would work the same as a crate? He currently has a playpen at home, so he's already familiar with it. I'm reluctant to pay for a crate that will only need to be used at most twice a year. He will definitely not be allowed inside the house at my mum's (food safety/hygiene reasons) so will have to sleep outside. Will being in a crate/pen make any difference if he is not accustomed to sleeping outside?

[Kavik]

As long as he is not likely to break out of or jump out of the pen it should be similar to a crate I would think. I have had my dogs in crates outside for training seminars, and they are fine. I would suggest though that if you are going to crate or pen the dog outside, that you only do so in good weather and where the dog has shelter as he cannot get to another spot. My dogs were on a covered balcony when with relatives as they were not allowed in the house. I also covered the crate with a tarp to prevent wind from coming in.

[The Mack]

do what i do and refuse to go anywhere that your dog is not welcome.

lol

does not always make you friends.

but dogs are the best friends anyway...and they would never ask you to leave your family outside when they visit.

[Jasslyn]

do what i do and refuse to go anywhere that your dog is not welcome.

lol

does not always make you friends.

but dogs are the best friends anyway...and they would never ask you to leave your family outside when they visit.

lol but the dog is welcome - in the backyard.

[pebbles]

Crates are useful for all sorts of times. If you can crate train your pup to sleep in it beside your bed and travel in the car in it then he will most probably be happy to sleep in the crate in the car when you are away and he'll be very safe. All of mine will settle anywhere if in their own beds. Worth a thought?

[Ons]

Hi Colleen

I'm in the same situation as you. Dogs are welcome to go to parents beach house (no longer their sydney home, well dad used blood and bones then wonders why they dig up his garden ) but they are not allowed to sleep inside. So far it has been only when I had just Onslow and he has just accepted that and stayed out at night. I put his bed for him in a sheltered spot on the back deck and he lies on it and goes to sleep. He does get more exercise and time spent with his mummy so he is pretty tired by the time night comes.

It will be summer time anyway when you go and he may prefer sleeping outside. I think they accept different environments quite readily particularly when they are used to spending time outside, mine are the same as yours, inside at night time, outside during the day when I'm at work.

[Dogsfevr]

My dogs sleep on the bed all year but there also showdogs & we spend many times away at caravan parks,motels etc.Generally they sleep in the dog floats & the odd places that will allow the dogs inside they stay in there crates & they accept this very well.The crates are like a second home & when travelling or visiting especially in the very hot weather a crate trained dog is a blessing.

I also fly east & stay with rellies for shows & as there elderly my dogs can stay in there crates when its required & all is well

For example with the massive bushfires or extreme heatwaves being able to safely house a dog in a crate when these occasions happen is a godsend

We where involved in evacutating showdogs this year due to fires & as they where all use to crates (it was very hot & smokey ) the dogs where safely evacuted to peoples home but where crated when needed & the dogs where very relaxed during this traumatic time.

Edited August 29, 2007 by showdog

[Jasslyn]

Thanks all for the advice. Like I said, I'm really not interested in getting a crate for him at this time. He won't be going to shows and it's extremely unlikely he'll ever be in a bushfire. I only go away for 2-3 weeks a year so I don't think it's worth getting a crate. I guess I'll just try making him sleep outside at home occasionally so it's not too much of a shock to him when we do go away.

I also thought it might help that it will be summer when I have holidays. Already he's unhappy in the house if the heating goes higher than 19 degrees so he might be more comfortable sleeping outside once summer comes.

[kymbo]

Colleen I was just like you ( and my dog still isn't crate trained;) ) but when my dog hurt himself, it would have been so much better for him to have been crate trained, to aid his recovery. And it was too late once he was injured, as he was doing himself more damage trying to get out. Also when at the vets for different stuff, and he had to be in a cage for a period before hand, it was horrible, as he wasn't used to being locked up.

Even if you only crate him once a week just to keep him used to it, it might be a good thing.