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Question about moving crate out of our bedroom


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Cricket has been sleeping in his crate next to my side of the bed since we brought him home at 8 weeks. He's now 14 weeks, and has been sleeping through the night reliably for about two weeks (11 or 12 at night until my alarm goes off at 5:30). I think he was able to sleep through the night earlier, but a few mishaps with the cats jumping onto his crate at 3:00 or 4:00 am disrupted the process. He also has a crate downstairs in the dining room where he sleeps when alone at home, or when he needs to nap and won't settle down. :)

 

We would like to move him to his downstairs crate at night. One main reason is that it's becoming very difficult to figure out what to do with him when my alarm goes off at 5:30. I have 30 minutes to shower, get dressed for work, and head downstairs to get my kids' breakfast together before they wake up for school (6:00 am). My husband and I each take a kid to school and head to work from there, so I really need to get ready in that 30 minute window between 5:30 and 6:00. I used to take Cricket out of the crate, take him downstairs to pee, then back upstairs, where I closed him in the bathroom with me while I showered. Now that he's getting bigger, it's becoming so hard to carry a wriggling, excited puppy downstairs while my eyes are still practically shut, and he's no longer that keen on being closed into the bathroom with me while I shower. - no matter how many toys I put in there with us. If he were downstairs, I could leave him in there until after I shower and am ready to focus on him.

 

I've also noticed that he's become wise to the routine and he wants to putz around in the kitchen and outside without eating his kibble because he wants to prolong the process.

 

Does anyone have any tips for making the transition less painful (or WILL it be painful? Isn't there a chance he'll take it in stride?)? He's good as gold at night and when husband brings him up to bed (I go to bed first and husband comes up later and deposits him into the crate) he settles down to sleep without a peep. I hate to stress him out by switching his sleep location. It's not the end of the world to keep going like this for a few more weeks since husband and I are both college professors and the 5:30 am-must-shower routine will go on hold for the summer months, but it sure would make mornings less hectic.

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Since only a few more weeks of your current routine, maybe you could get up earlier in the mornings so you're not as rushed and you don't have to move him downstairs? Or could your husband or kids watch over the puppy during that time? Or maybe your husband or kids could make the lunches, to give you more time? Just throwing out some ideas. :)

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If he can sleep through the night and already has a crate downstairs, I would just use it. When your husband goes to bed, have him put the dog in the dining room crate.

 

He may fuss a bit when he hears you get up to shower but I can't imagine the transition being that hard. Though each dog is different.

 

We had our young pup crated and from the get go had her wait until we were ready to let her out. That way, waking up wasn't an automatic que for the puppy to get out of the crate. Puppies are more adaptable than one may think.

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I transitioned Ripley from inside to outside in his crate when he was 6 months old. But if he is doing quite well i assum there is no harm in trying it out. How long has he stayed in the other crate for? You could even maybe swap the crates so he will be used to the smell more. I would suggest maybe leaving him there with a stuffed Kong for an extended time and see how he goes. Since he is young you could maybe even take a piece of your clothing and put it in with him? I hope this helps. Good luck with it!

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Dear Aliki12017,

 

The least painful transition is to just leave the door open at night, and when a little border collie makes his way onto the bed - say nothing. This is a rather unanimous opinion among us.

 

Sincerely yours,

Darinka, the border collie.

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Dear Aliki12017,

 

The least painful transition is to just leave the door open at night, and when a little border collie makes his way onto the bed - say nothing. This is a rather unanimous opinion among us.

 

Sincerely yours,

Darinka, the border collie.

 

Once again, we need a like button! :lol:

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Thanks, all! Since he is content in the downstairs crate during the day I hope the transition to spending the night in there will be smooth. We will try at some point - maybe this weekend.

 

I wish we could sleep with a little border collie body in bed with us -- some day sooner rather than later, I hope. Another problem is we have two cats who are bed hogs and unfortunately we are still working on Cricket leaving them alone, which is a whole separate issue. He loves to play with other dogs, and can't back off and respect that the cats do not want to play with him the way dogs do. :(

 

I really hope with persistent redirection and click-and-reward practice he will settle down in this respect so that he can sleep wherever he wants to sleep when he gets older.

 

Alissa

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Sometimes a well-timed holler when a dog pesters another creature works wonders. He need guidance on what to do and also on what not to do.

 

 

[Please note that Darinka's plans to sleep in the bed with us - in spite of her unceasing efforts - is an unrealized dream. Now this is her new strategy - to popularize the idea so that her unbending owners start feeling the peer pressure :D ]

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  • 2 weeks later...

Have you tried just leaving him in his crate while you shower and get dressed? He might be okay staying in there until you're ready to focus on him, even without moving him downstairs.

 

Lots of dogs sleep in other rooms with no ill-effects. But I feel like having a shared bedroom is pleasant for a dog and helps him feel like he's part of the family? That said, our very snuggly dog has been occasionally choosing to sleep in the kitchen since its cooler than our bedroom. I might need to see a trainer about my separation anxiety...

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Well, he's still in his crate in our bedroom!

 

If I manage to wake up before my alarm goes off, I creep out of bed and can squeeze my shower in. If my alarm goes off first, he gets too excited by the alarm and barks. Since my alarm rings early (5:30), it's hit or miss that I wake up before then. I've been setting it for ten minutes sooner so I can have a little cushion to offset the time it takes to get ready while dealing with him.

 

I actually really like having him sleep in our room, and he seems very secure and comfortable with it. The plan was always to move him downstairs when he got older -- a plan my husband does want to stick to, but I think we'll wait until he's a few months older.

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