Hello! I’ve been following the forum for a while - so much useful advice! A bit of context to start... Our puppy, Ellis, is just over five months old and a really chilled out lad. Both my husband and I work full time, so he goes to daycare three days per week and we both work from home one day a week. We took him on his first trip abroad for a long weekend, and he was amazing! No issues at all, really enjoyed where we stayed and his first trip to the beach was SUPER EXCITING. But he was thrilled to be home - almost like he didn’t think we’d ever go back. Over the past week he’s spent a more time in his crate, as his preferred place to be - more so than usual. In the past, he’s loved being on one of the sofas, which he still does, just less. His crate is in the kitchen, left open. We only leave him in his crate with door closed at night (he sleeps through no problem), for 15 mins to an hour when he gets picked up and dropped off for daycare, and the odd hour or two when we’re out (we don’t quite trust him ‘loose’ yet). Should I be concerned that he’s heading into his crate more, on a voluntary basis? Or is it normal for pups to change where they like to spend their time? Thanks!
That's absolutely fine. Puppies (and dogs) sleep a lot, so it's just a matter of deciding where to do that. If he is choosing his crate, brilliant! My girl, Willow, will always choose to sleep in a crate if there's one available - even if it's not hers and is way too small for her! The problem with puppies and dogs spending too much time in crates is when they're locked in for extended periods, and have no option to get up and stretch their legs when they need to. That's not the case here, with the door being left open. Welcome, and I hope to hear more about your adventures with Ellis
Thanks @snowbunny He seems really happy and his usual self, other than where he’s spending his (sleeping) time. But I was starting to take his choices personally...! I know it isn’t about me, really
If he is choosing to sleep in his crate it's absolutely fine. He's just saying 'I like it in my crate' .
It's a brilliant thing to have a dog who is comfortable in a crate, useful for vet visits and if you have situations at home where you need to separate him from things going on, lots of visitors, work in the house, etc. You've clearly done a great job crate training him!
Welcome to you. Ellis is a super name! It’s great that he loves his crate I find they choose sleeping place according to temperature - Tatze abandons me and the sofa when she’s too warm.
Hubby has spent the last 5 years trying to teach Homer the 'up' command to come up onto the sofa, the opposite of 'off'. Whether Homer comes up to sit with us and for how long is entirely his choice and there's no changing his mind.
