[liz28]

My fiancé has a black lab and a pitbull, both rescued. I use to think that the pitbull didn't like me any longer due to my pregnancy but after giving her extra attention she came around. The pitbull is well trained and she is very lovable.

The new problem I have is with the black lab. We are trying to get him out of the sleeping on the bed habit and it's hard. He won't sleep, even in his bed, and will sneak on the bed while your sleeping. He is a big dog and takes up half the bed because he sleeps stretch out. We are trying to find ways to keep him in his bed but so far everything failed. Any ideas are welcomed.

Btw, we tried putting his favorite toy and blanket in his bed but it doesn't work.

[mishelly3]

I also have a pitbull and wasn't happy when my son brought him home, but he is the goofest dog and I absoultly love him. I let him sleep with me and my other dog a terrier, and I was being thrown against the wall or off the bed.. So I bought him a big bed we call it his pillow and he sleeps it during the day, but wouldn't touch it at night so I would bring his bed in my room and tell him pillow over and over again you have to consistent like you would be with a child.. My dogs caught on real quick, just keep on them it will work they just want to be near you I let my dogs also sleep with an old blanket of ours so they can smell us..
Good luck

[white-rose]

Buy a kennel and force him to sleep there every night. He will probably hate it at first, but eventually he wouldn't want to sleep anywhere else. You have to break his bad habits, and it won't be easy.

[SweetDee]

Have you taught this Lab to "get off" the couch? First learn how to teach a dog to "Get off" or "Go down". Perhaps try googling it or buy a training book. It's very easy to teach. It's just a matter of consistency.

Once you've taught "Go down", (or whatever you want to label it... ), then you can say those exact words once the dog jumps onto your bed in the middle of the night. He'll get off... Or you can help him by pushing him off a little.

You can't force a dog to STAY in a bed that isn't enclosed... they get wrestless at night and often need to change places and/or positions... and they move to a different spot or space. The only way you can keep your dog in it's bed is if you turn the bed into a crate. Put his cozy bed in a wire crate, (a wired one because it's so open as opposed to the plastic ones as they have walls and are too "den like"... those are more suited to little breeds. Larger dogs PREFER the largest wire crates). Your dog will love his bed and the best part is that he's "put away" for the evening.

Perhaps teaching this dog to love the crate is in order, depending on his personality. Just make sure the crate is in your bedroom and not put in an area where you both are not sleeping in. They don't like to be crated in a separate room, as packing animals.

Try giving him a small bone before bedtime, either a tiny rawhide or a Nylabone (making sure the Nylabone is only given at night and taken away each morning). This is a reward for his being in the crate and offers him a routine that he looks forward to each night. Make sure he's inside the crate BEFORE you give it to him. Once he's inside first say, "Good boy" then give the bone. Close the door to the crate.

Make sure he has no trouble seeing you while he's enclosed.

If he makes a peep just "Shhhhttt!" him and say "No! No bark!" (or whatever it is that you feel comfortable saying). Keep him quiet... He needs to have the rule that when he's in the crate he needs to be in a calm/quiet.

In the morning when you are ready to let him out... say, "Good boy" and ask him if he wants to go out... Put him out... AND Voilà! You have officially created a ROUTINE and dogs ADORE routines. They learn to expect it and thrive on it. It leads to a well balanced dog with awesome behavior as he's completely STRUCTURED and prepared to succeed. All dogs want is to be a "Good boy", and with routine and structure you are helping him succeed!

I'll shut up now... hope I have help in some way... Take care, and good luck. Hit me up if you need details on "how to...".

[liz28]

We never tried the crate but I can tell my fiancé about it. Scrappy did have a dog bed but since he kept getting back on the bed with us, we went and brought him his own toddler bed. Then Princess got jealous so we bed her one. We tried to praise him and my fiancé even sits by his bed rubbing him and praising him.

My fiancé spoils his dogs and Scrappy been sleeping with him for years. At first him sleeping with us didn't matter but he takes up so much of the bed and I don't like to bother Scrappy when he's sleeping but I'll bother my fiancé. I will tel him about

[starbuck8]

I myself don't believe in crate training in a lot of incidences, but if it works for you then why not. The way I have always trained my animals, is to create packleader status from day one. But it doesn't have to start at day one, it can created at any point, and it doesn't matter how old your dog is. It make take slightly longer than a puppy, but you can become the packleader at any stage. Dogs live in the moment.

My dog is not allowed on my bed unless she is invited to come. At first she would just jump up when she wanted to. That is when you have to take control of the bed and claim it as your space. You give a command, and in a calm manner, take her by her collar, and lead her to her "place". (whether that be her pillow or a crate) It's pretty much acting like the mommy that is not going to let the kids sleep in mommy and daddy's bed, or the coach that is in control of his team. You need to be firm, yet be calm and assertive. I don't think bribing her with treats to get her to go to her "place" is the right thing to do. She needs to know this is bedtime!

It might take several times of doing this, but it shouldn't really take long. Don't just do it once everynite. You will be doing it everynite then. Do it all at once. You may need to go to bed half an hr earlier for a few nights, but be patient and consistent with taking her off the bed, and leading her to her place, and getting back into bed. If she comes back, take her down and lead her back. She will soon learn that there are boundaries, and the bed is yours and not hers.

[SweetDee]

Liz28, you say you don't like to bother the dog when he's sleeping? Are you a bit scared of him?

[liz28]

Liz28, you say you don't like to bother the dog when he's sleeping? Are you a bit scared of him?

No, I not afraid of him. Sometimes I let him lay his head on my stomach if I just laying in the bed watching t.v.

I meant that that when he sleeps on the bed he takes up half the bed. I move around in my sleep to different positions but I can't from the way Scrappy be laid out. He looks so peaceful while he's sleeping that I don't bother him, like moving him or nothing to disturb his sleep, so sometimes I just cope with it and be uncomfortable but being that I am pregnant I can't. When this happens I would wake up my fiancé and he would move or sometimes move Scrappy. Also, he's very heavy. I believe at his last vet visit he around 80lbs.

[SweetDee]

Oh, I see... I understand now.

If your fiancé doesn't mind, perhaps you can just begin the process of telling that sweet lug to "go down"... Like Starbuck8 says, you can put him in a "down" on his bed... but just know that he may not stay in the bed all night long.

The action of telling/commanding a dog to get off the bed is directly related to teaching him who is BOSS/alpha. It's time to begin the process... You have a baby on the way... he's GOT to learn that he's at the bottom of the pecking order in your home, (even beneath the baby... ), but he can still feel how much you both adore him at that level... It's healthy for him to have a "place" in the home. All dogs have a belief system that is all about the pecking order. It's YOU who decides where he fits in otherwise HE'LL CHOOSE and you never EVER want a dog to be the one to decide... that would put him in a higher position that you.

Canines are social animals, part of the way they socialize is social "order", or PLACEMENT.. or "pecking order"... never forget that.

I have 5 dogs they have all decided where they "fit in"... however I am pack leader... and I've made sure that my Shepher is not directly under me and in a leadership position over my other 4. It's ME whom get to decide even that! I have made one of my Labs "second in command" to keep the pack softer... If the Shepherd were second in command the house would not be as harmonious.

Just consider how easy it can be to take the lead. All you have to do is tell him to get down or require him to sit before he gets fed... Throughout the day ask him to lay down... (as it's a command and if you demand it of him he'll see you as leader). Do everything in your power to have the dog see you as "above him".

Perhaps buy a dog training book? Training a dog is leadership behavior... It falls into place w/ training... (it also bonds you guys so much!;))

[beebeecee]

What I would do is take the lab for a nice long walk right before bedtime, then when you're ready for bed put up a gate so he doesn't feel closed off from your bedroom like he would with a door. Starting with - command him once to get off the bed, whatever command you want to use then walk into another area of the house, call the dog if he hasn't followed you, give him a treat after asking for a down or a sit, go back into the bedroom ahead of the dog put the gate up - absolultely don't acknowledge the dog, and go to bed. Repeat until the dog sees you getting ready for bed and runs to where you keep the treats. Make it no big deal, dogs, especially labs are smart they can figure out the routine. Good luck!

[SweetDee]

Walking a dog and potty training often can be two different things for a dog. I don't feel like it's a bad alternative for training, but I do feel like it's not so necessary.

Go to your backyard, (I'm assuming you have one... ), and leash the dog. Stand in one spot and just find some words that your dog can get used to as a command to "eliminate". Take treats w/ you... On one spot let your dog walk around you while you say "go potty", or whatever. Do this after a meal, or up to 10 minutes after a meal. Make potty training a designated experience separate from walks. Eventually the dog will eliminate and then you pat the dog and offer a treat. Make sure you have a tone to your voice that is specifically for when he/she listens to a command. This tone adds to the training reward. Never should it be used otherwise. It usually sounds more high pitched and use words like "good boy" and "YES" nice and loud.

I usually (as a dog trainer) recommend that the handler/owner walks their dog prior to a training session, however walking and territory marking (peeing over another animals urination areas) is not an effective way to teach a dog the potty training command.

Lots of people don't teach this command and that's fine too. You can walk your dog before bed if that's what you choose. I just feel that training a dog to eliminate when YOU CHOOSE makes life a breeze.

I walk all 5 dogs at the same time all throughout a neighborhood and not once do I have to take out a baggy to clean up after my dogs because I've asked them to eliminate BEFORE the walk... so we can enjoy our walk.

... just food for thought.:)