How To Get Dog To Sleep On His Bed?

[Cuko13]

I have a 10-month old German shepherd. He has hip dysplasia so I'm taking measures to improve his comfort and lifestyle. I heard sleeping on hard surfaces is one of the worst things for a dog with HD, unfortunately he has a bad habit of doing just that. Ever since I got him he's slept on our front porch (concrete), eagerly waiting for me to come out at anytime. I have recently bought him blankets and large doggie beds but he doesn't seem to like sleeping in them. He will go in them if I encourage him but as soon as I leave he'll get up and lay on the concrete again. My only solution so far has been to keep him locked in a small room in the garage while he sleeps, which I covered with all sorts of old blankets and pillows so he has no choice but to sleep on them.

Is it possible that he prefers the concrete simply because of the hot weather? The doggie beds and blankets are very warm and padded so I can imagine he'd definitely get hot while sleeping on them. He is likely just going on the concrete because it's a lot cooler for him. I don't want to force him to sleep on the hot beds if he doesn't want to, but will this correct itself when winter comes around and he looks for a warm place to snuggle? What can I do in the meantime?

[CHA]

Can you bring him inside with you? Will be better for him in the winter. The concrete porch may be the closest he can get to you so he chooses that over the bedding?

[persephone]

he is probably warm ....

as an adjunct - how did the latest vet visit go ? Did you get new Xrays /a new diagnosis of what is causing him so much pain?

if dog is outdoors ..maybe get him a sandpit ..dampen it, and it's kinda like 'memory foam ' in that it will curve to suit a dog's body :)

the key point about dog beds :

the HAVE to be Where the dog feels is relaxing .. and suited to the body type/physical shape of a dog . :)

[RuralPug]

Try getting him a raised bed like one of these. Gives good support and the air circulating underneath means it doesn't get too hot. Place it on the concrete where he normally sleeps.|

[persephone]

Try getting him a raised bed like one of these. Gives good support and the air circulating underneath means it doesn't get too hot. Place it on the concrete where he normally sleeps.|

..and if he is still in pain ..he may need a small low step or something to help get into/onto it ? use his favourite treats to show him it's a good spot :)

[Cuko13]

Can you bring him inside with you? Will be better for him in the winter. The concrete porch may be the closest he can get to you so he chooses that over the bedding?

I don't bring him inside because of allergies and the pain of cleaning hair everywhere. He is more than happy outdoors as I have a very large land.

I agree he sleeps on the porch because he likes to be as close as possible to me, but even if I put the bed on the porch hell sleep right next to it instead of on it lol.

[Cuko13]

Try getting him a raised bed like one of these. Gives good support and the air circulating underneath means it doesn't get too hot. Place it on the concrete where he normally sleeps.|

I bought him one of these previously also, he didn't like too much because he couldn't get comfy on it so went back to the concrete arghh

[persephone]

If, as you said before , he is so sore that sometimes he has trouble getting up /walking - perhaps the cool/cold helps the pain? perhaps also , as he is only a youngster , he has had no good experiences of what we think dogs should sleep on ;)

With him always having HD .. and pain/weird movement .. maybe he figures concrete doesn't have bumps, doesn't move, & doesn't hold him in an uncomfortable position ? *shrugs* maybe ....?

Does he lie on his side ..one side in particular ? or does he lie like a Sphinx statue ? :)

Edited January 10, 2017 by persephone

[Scrappi&Monty]

You might need to teach him what a bed is for. You can train to go to a place on command, and teach him "go to bed" or whatever you want to call it.

Search it on YouTube if you can. I believe kikopup has a video that I used.

Basically just have a marker/clicker and some small treats. You can use a proper training clicker or just say "yes" in a consistent tone, if you don't know clicker training you can find how to do that on YouTube too, it's easy.

Here's one video;

Edited January 10, 2017 by Scrappi&Monty

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

have you tried a cool mat or gel mat?

He might sleep on that if it's cool he's looking for. You could put it on top of a hammock bed to get him off the ground a bit.

And also train him that the hammock bed is a good place to be.

I got a super cheap hammock bed and my dog doesn't like it because if you don't get on it just right - it can tip up or move where her older hammock bed doesn't do that and she's fine sleeping on it. Also helps that the older more sturdy one - has foam over the frame of it and hession not plastic shade cloth as the hammock part.

If it's a "chemical" based cool mat - they stop working after a couple of years tho they are still soft to lie on, not so cool. I also put mine in a cover made of an old flanny sheet which helped make it less slippery. Dog liked it. I liked sitting on it too.

[RuralPug]

Try getting him a raised bed like one of these. Gives good support and the air circulating underneath means it doesn't get too hot. Place it on the concrete where he normally sleeps.|

I bought him one of these previously also, he didn't like too much because he couldn't get comfy on it so went back to the concrete arghh

You may have to train him to use it as suggested by Scrappi & Monti above, but I am thinking that if he really found it uncomfortable he might need a larger size?