Homer's bed is in the kitchen but recently he's refused to go to bed and gets quite anxious when we start night time ruteens. As a puppy he slot in his cage for his first year in the corner of the kitchen. We replaced his cage with a dog mattress bed in the same spot and usually up until recently, we would shut him in the kitchen, a large airy room before going upstairs to bed ourselves. From the start of the summer he has begun to fuss and refuse to go into the kitchen last thing at night. During the day and early evening He will go and lie on his bed from time to time quite happily of his own accord or he or finds a spot around the house to settle sometimes off on his own or sometimes seeking company. He is quite happy to be shut in the kitchen during the day if I'm going out for a bit or to work when his dog sitter will come and collect him a bit later or when she drops him off in the evening. He will sit with us in the living room or lie in the kitchen in the evening while we are watching television but as soon as there is any indication that it is coming up to bed time he starts to pace around the room, hide behind the curtains, wagging his tail and flops down rolling onto his back. He won't be enticed with any treat. Sometimes we can get him as far as the hall but then he really dogs his heals in. He is happy to be left downstairs in the living room but suspect he sleeps on the sofa all night which we'd prefer he didn't.
Oh dear. Well, it sounds like he just doesn't like being shut in the kitchen on his own all night. Can't you just put a big throw over the sofa and leave him where he is happy? Or put his bed in your bedroom.....dogs are social animals, they like to sleep with their pack....
I can vouch for that - either Lilly sleeps in our bedroom (ok....on the bed if she is not too wriggly....) or at the bottom of the stairs between our room and the kids upstairs room.
I agree with the others. I started putting Myles in my bathroom which is just a few feet from my bed, since he was 4 months old. He just likes to know I am close by. Now I don't even put the gate up anymore and he sleeps either on the floor next to my bed or on his bed in the bathroom. But I'm pretty sure he never even walks out of my room even though he is free to. All that to say, they do like to be close to you. So if you can find a way to allow him in your room, he may be more content.
Yep, I agree.... On the living room sofa or in your bedroom. You could try a training approach but if the kitchen situation makes him anxious and you already have a solution that doesn't (sofa) then personally I'd go with that. I kinda think that, wherever possible, we have an obligation to go with what our dogs need and find comforting....
