Old 05-09-2011, 06:16 PM
  #11  
Annie Oakley
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Dark Corner
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I'm not a fan of dogs in the bed or even the bedroom. Dogs rely partly on physical position to determine rank in the pack. A dog off the floor and physically on the same level as his master can result in dominance problems. Think about how dogs play "king of the hill". It is clearly a dominance game.

Crate training Hoody is the best option. A nice, roomy crate that will play on his canine instincts to find a nice, safe, secret den. All nice things should happen in the crate. He should be fed, given treats, etc inside the crate. No bad things should ever happen when he is in the crate. When Hoody goes to his crate on his own, no one should mess with him no matter how mad they are at him. It is to be his very own safe place. The crate can even be placed on the floor right next to your son's bed so Hoody still has the closeness he craves. Hoody will be down on floor level, your son will be up high on the bed.....your son wins the "king of the hill" game in his sleep.

Second choice: put a smell on the bed that Hoody hates but would not deter human use. There are dog repellant sprays at pet stores.

Third choice: Provide Hoody with a nice, comfortable DOG BED and encourage him to use it. Then consult with a vet before setting a bunch of mouse traps (not rat traps) on top of the human bed and covering them lightly with sheets of newspaper. When Hoody tries to get on the human bed, mouse traps get set off, lots of noise happens, sheets of newspaper go flying up in the air, there is HUGE drama and mild scariness (dogs respect huge drama and mild scariness). Hoody reaches the conclusion that his dog bed is a much nicer, calmer place than the human bed. Note: mouse traps don't normally snap with enough force to injure big dogs especially with a sheet or two of newspaper on top, but arthritis in the feet might rule this tactic out. That is why the veterinarian should be consulted first. Rat traps might break toes or even amputate them!

Third choice: tie the dog outside your son's bedroom door and your son sleeps in his room with the door shut. Ignore all the whining. Consider talking to the vet about appropriate sedation for Hoody until he adjusts to his new position. Maybe sedate the human roomates, too, LOL!

In truth, I don't think dogs should sleep in the bedroom, much less in the bed with the humans. The exception would be a dog who is ill or injured and needs frequent attention during the night. (Even then, I prefer to put a sleeping mat next to the sick dog's crate and I will sleep on the floor next to it.) One of the jobs of a dog is to protect his owner and alert him to possible danger. A dog can do that much more effectively if it's closer to entry points for intruders. Besides, things happen in human adult beds that dogs might misinterpret or want to participate in.

I guess I'm lucky that I prefer a mattress that is only slightly softer than a concrete floor, so my dogs generally only get on the bed once and then rapidly abandon it for a more comfortable spot. I think if I put my dogs on my bed and told them to stay there, they might think they were being punished for something.
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