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Maddies · May 5, 2006, 03:07 PM

Hi everyone my pup wakes up at 5:30am barking letting me know she needs to go out of course l let her out to do her stuff than when l bring her in she doesn't want to go back into her crate to sleep but if l lay her on me laying on the couch she will sleep a couple more hours. I know if l bring her to bed with me she would sleep but my wife isn't crazy about having her join us just yet. If l have her on the bed with us l know she wouldn't have an accident but if l try letting her stay on floor beside our bed than l don't know what she would get in too. Any suggestions?

fredg · May 6, 2006, 04:45 AM

HI,
Getting enough exercise that causes her to be tired, solves a lot of problems.
Does she get a brisk 45 min. walk every day? Turned out into the back yard, getting exercise?
It will take persistence to exercise her before turning in for the night.
Here is a link with some good info on crate training:

Dog Owner's Guide: Dog Crate Q & A's

Scroll down to "How do I get my puppy used to a crate?"
"In the beginning, he should only be expected to stay in the crate for 2 hours at a time and overnight. During his periods out of the crate, your puppy needs plenty of playtime and attention. I like to give puppies at least an hour between crating periods where they're played with, loved, allowed to explore and romp. This burns off their boundless puppy energy and helps them understand that crating is only a temporary thing."

If you get the National Geographic TV channel, there is a program that comes on, mostly Friday nights, called The Dog Whisperer. Ceaser Millan is a Professional, who works with dogs. It's awesome!
I do wish you the best, and good luck. Remember; exercise, tiring out the puppy, will eventually have it sleeping through the night.

valinors_sorrow · May 6, 2006, 08:17 AM

The reason she wants to sleep with you is based in her instincts - dogs sleep in packs touching each other as a security measure; when one wakes up they all wake up. It is a big enough deal in dog training that we chose to have our dog sleep in the bed with us, which now amounts to her (she is a "daddy's dog", I think!) and my hubby hogging the bed but I don't care, I love them both! The best book I have read on dogs is called The Hidden Life of Dogs by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.. . Very enlightenting and easily translatable into do's and don't with your dog. I hope this was helpful. Amazon.com: The Hidden Life Of Dogs: Books: Elizabeth Marshall Thomas