Puppy Sleep Arrangements for the Clueless

[whoami]

We are collecting a puppy tomorrow afternoon. As life long cat owners, this is all new.

We’re very excited about our new arrival but are also a tad nervous.

My question is, where is the best place for our new puppy to spend his first few nights?

Many online “experts” recommend that we place his crate in our bedroom, a similar number state that this is the worst place for him.

I is confused.

Any guidance gratefully received.

[NNH]

Congratulations! I'm no expert, but we had our GSD puppies sleep in their room in their crates from the start. Four years later, they still like to go back to their crates to start the night, but by morning they could be sprawled out anywhere downstairs. In moments of stress, their first reaction is to go to their crates to calm down, so from my very limited point of view, crate sleeping has worked like a charm for them.

[whoami]

NNH said:

Congratulations! I'm no expert, but we had our GSD puppies sleep in their room in their crates from the start. Four years later, they still like to go back to their crates to start the night, but by morning they could be sprawled out anywhere downstairs. In moments of stress, their first reaction is to go to their crates to calm down, so from my very limited point of view, crate sleeping has worked like a charm for them.

Thanks.

Just to be clear, you put your GSD puppies in a crate but not in your own bedroom?

[NNH]

whoami said:

NNH said:

Congratulations! I'm no expert, but we had our GSD puppies sleep in their room in their crates from the start. Four years later, they still like to go back to their crates to start the night, but by morning they could be sprawled out anywhere downstairs. In moments of stress, their first reaction is to go to their crates to calm down, so from my very limited point of view, crate sleeping has worked like a charm for them.

Thanks.

Just to be clear, you put your GSD puppies in a crate but not in your own bedroom?

Sorry - I realise I answered about crates but not about which room. We were advised that if we want to keep them out of an area like a bedroom in future, then we shouldn't allow them to enter in the first place, so we've never slept with the dogs except on rare occasions when one of us crashes out on the downstairs sofa. When they were young, we'd put them in their crates in the evening while we watched TV and chatted in the next room. We also started a very structured bedtime process where they got their various medicated treats just before bed, so they got used to a system.

For the first night or two with us at the age of 12ish weeks, we closed them in their crates to sleep. For the next year or so, we opened the crates but put a baby gate between their room and the rest of the house. They know that even when the gate is open, they need to "ask permission" to come inside during the day. Eventually we started leaving the gate open at night so they can roam downstairs while we sleep upstairs. This seems to suit them very well.

[CooperS]

For what it's worth we create trained from night 2 and with 2 weeks her create wa her space.

Now 3 years on ours sleep where she's wants. With us or any of the other bedrooms, her sofa in the lounge or in the create.

This goes for day too where I'll work in the office and she goes to a cozy spot to rest.

[Davel]

We put our pupppy GSD in the kitchen - I slept on the floor in a sleeping bag with him.

Probably overkill but he snuggled up next to me all night for the first three nights.

Of course he slept but I didn’t

Edited by Davel on Wednesday 1st June 00:04

Edited by Davel on Wednesday 1st June 00:05

[Evoluzione]

You start as you mean to go on.
If you want to sleep with animals then do it, if you don't then don't.
It's as simple as that - you're in charge, not them. Just don't change your mind and confuse them.

[renmure]

Over the years I've had 4 Great Danes and 4 German Shepherds as pups. They have a room they sleep in (not anyone else's bedroom) and I've always started them off in a bed in a large crate. Once they know and learn it's their "safe space" they will happily toddle off there to snooze during the day so spending the night there becomes fairly natural for them. It also becomes fairly obvious, as the pup grows and matures, when to do without the crate and just have the basket.

[CooperS]

Evoluzione said:

You start as you mean to go on.
If you want to sleep with animals then do it, if you don't then don't.
It's as simple as that - you're in charge, not them. Just don't change your mind and confuse them.

this is good advice - early door consistency is key and as much as ours can happily go into her crate during the day (I don't like her roaming the downstairs if we pop out) she doesn't like to be put in there at night as much.

[Evoluzione]

Oh something else too given you're from a cat background. Cats like to be high up and looking down, it's only natural for them as predators and they climb. Dogs don't need this, so you don't have to let them.
As already said you train a dog to be what you want to be and live by your rules, you can't do that with a cat very easily.

[chrisgtx]

Last year we bought a dog for the first time as a couple, we crate trained her, the first night she cried all night, it was heartbreaking listening to her, over the next 4 nights she got better slowly, by the 5th she was fine, she had a treat when she got in it for bed. it then became her space and shed go in it naturally.
After a few months once she'd reduced the chewing phase, we stated letting her have the run of the house of we went out, then we let the door open at night and eventually she ended up on the couch, now thats her space and we' ve got rid of the crate. She's as good as gold and i can't believe how much love i've found for her.

[RDMcG]

Big fan of crate training. It is transitional. The first night or so will have lots of crying. However, once they are used to it and the create is comfortable to sleep in , the first few months are good, as you leave the door open and the dog sees it as a lair. Then you can gradually let the crate go .Have down this with poodle, Boxers and Great Danes.

[fttm]

Kennel/Crate from day one , we've done other ways before but this works the best . Currently have a 10mth GS rescue , arrived at 3 mth , loves his crate . Every night it's last wee in the yard then makes a bolt for his crate where he happily sleeps until morning , in the laundry room off our kitchen . If I leave for work at stupid o'clock , not a sound from him until my wife gets up and lets him out later . Leave the door open so he can crash during the evening if really tired , which he does occasionally rather than slobbing out on the sofas with us .
As said by a previous poster it's their safe place , never put them in there through any form of punishment/restraint however tempting it might be at the time .

Edited by fttm on Wednesday 1st June 05:44

[whoami]

Thanks for all the advice.

@davel - lovely GSD.

Picking him up at 1pm and getting excited/nervous now.

[Davel]

Thank you.

I suspect the first three nights were mostly for my benefit.

He’s almost four now and sleeps in the kitchen / utility room, mostly because he wants to kill our cat

He’s a brilliant dog

[Monkeylegend]

Ours sleep in the lounge with the cats, the dogs have their own beds and the cats sleep on the chairs or settee but also have another dog bed to sleep on.

They are never in the same places in the morning and often they share the beds together, ie one cat and one dog on the same settee or bed.

I have never used a crate in a lifetime of having dogs.

[Byker28i]

Stairgate downstairs and Asha had the run of the whole of downstairs. We don't allow dogs upstairs at any time. It does however mean we had to accept she would sleep on the sofa (usually where I sit) rather than on her bed, where she sleeps mostly during the day

[RDMcG]

Just be aware that young dogs have a mischievous streak. My dog is old now and well-behaved but it was not always thus:

[Digger]

Awaiting new puppy pics . . .

[22]

Treat in the crate on first visit - positive experience. Never put the dog in there as a punishment and don't give in over the first night of howling.