I recently had one the best night\u2019s sleep of my life with Indy, an 8-week-old Australian Shepherd<\/a> puppy. He is\u00a0a client’s dog and future\u00a0service animal. He slept\u00a0draped across my neck and snuggled under my arm. We stayed\u00a0that way\u00a0all night long, with only the occasional whimper from Indy when he slipped away\u00a0from our shared warmth and had to sleepily find\u00a0his way back. So, why did I let a puppy sleep\u00a0in my bed, when conventional methods recommend crate training from an early age?<\/p>\n Because puppies sleep in a pile with their\u00a0siblings right up until you take them home. They get a sense of security from sleeping on top of each other. This is how it is in the womb: warm, quiet and peaceful. Taking them away from their mother and littermates is traumatic. Even when you see a happy, goofy puppy playfully engaging with their\u00a0new family, keep in mind that they are away\u00a0from the only home they\u00a0have ever known, in a completely new environment.\u00a0When it’s time to sleep, the puppy of course looks for a warm body to snuggle with, and if they are locked in a crate all alone, with no warm littermates and no mother’s heartbeat, it feels cold and quiet and scary.<\/p>\n Sleeping puppies. Photography by Shutterstock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And the timing of this is\u00a0typically during a\u00a0critical period of a puppy\u2019s life: the ages of 8 to 11 weeks<\/a>, when fear can have damaging and long-lasting effects, including\u00a0separation anxiety, barking to get attention, sensitivity to\u00a0noises and confinement and\u00a0house training issues.<\/p>\n As a service dog trainer, I temperament test puppies and keep them with me until they go to their new guardians for bonding, then they return to me at around 4 months old to begin learning specific tasks.\u00a0I sleep with puppies\u00a0at the beginning of their first stay with me while also teaching them to\u00a0love their crate or ex-pen<\/a> during waking hours, eventually transferring them to a\u00a0crate or dog bed right next to mine.<\/p>\n I realize that for some of you, sleeping with a puppy for the first two to three weeks after you bring them home may be completely out of your comfort zone. That\u00a0is okay and understandable. There are still ways to help your new puppy adjust without locking\u00a0them in a crate. You can take the top off the crate, putting cushy blankets in so you can reach the puppy when they\u00a0awaken in the night, touching them\u00a0quietly while soothing them\u00a0back to sleep.\u00a0You can make a bed for you and your puppy on the floor, snuggling together before moving back to your bed\u00a0when it\u2019s time.<\/p>\n Remember, they aren’t really awake, just looking for warmth, comfort, and security. If they really do need to relieve themselves, they won’t settle back down\u00a0but will become fully awake, which rarely happens.<\/p>\n Puppy in bed. Photography by Shutterstock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The point I\u2019m making is that you don\u2019t have to have sleepless nights with yelping\u00a0pups while you are teaching them to hold it through the night. You can keep the puppy close, creating a safe and secure environment that will result in a\u00a0happy puppy and well-balanced dog.<\/p>\n I can hear the questions rolling around in your minds. What if I have a 2-pound Maltese<\/a> pup? I don\u2019t want to roll over and smother her. Of course, you don\u2019t. With tiny pups, opt for the crate next to your bed. And keep in mind, this is just for the first two to three weeks. When your pup knows their new home and that they are loved and feel safe, you can make the transfer to whatever sleeping situation you would like, a crate, a dog bed, whatever works for you.<\/p>\n And don’t worry that you will spoil your dog with the overnight attention. You are making them feel secure, and that is important. My motto is: “You can have a spoiled-rotten, disciplined dog.” Why else do we have them, after all?<\/p>\n Top photograph: <\/em>FluxFactory<\/em><\/a>\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n Read Next: <\/strong>Why Are Some Older Dogs Afraid of Young Puppies?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The post Letting Your Puppy Sleep in Your Bed? Here’s How to Do It Safely<\/a> by Jill Breitner<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post Letting Your Puppy Sleep in Your Bed? Here’s How to Do It Safely<\/a> by Jill Breitner<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n I recently had one the best night\u2019s sleep of my life with Indy, an 8-week-old Australian Shepherd<\/a> puppy. He is\u00a0a client’s dog and future\u00a0service animal. He slept\u00a0draped across my neck and snuggled under my arm. We stayed\u00a0that way\u00a0all night long, with only the occasional whimper from Indy when he slipped away\u00a0from our shared warmth and had to sleepily find\u00a0his way back. So, why did I let a puppy sleep\u00a0in my bed, when conventional methods recommend crate training from an early age?<\/p>\n Because puppies sleep in a pile with their\u00a0siblings right up until you take them home. They get a sense of security from sleeping on top of each other. This is how it is in the womb: warm, quiet and peaceful. Taking them away from their mother and littermates is traumatic. Even when you see a happy, goofy puppy playfully engaging with their\u00a0new family, keep in mind that they are away\u00a0from the only home they\u00a0have ever known, in a completely new environment.\u00a0When it’s time to sleep, the puppy of course looks for a warm body to snuggle with, and if they are locked in a crate all alone, with no warm littermates and no mother’s heartbeat, it feels cold and quiet and scary.<\/p>\n Sleeping puppies. Photography by Shutterstock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And the timing of this is\u00a0typically during a\u00a0critical period of a puppy\u2019s life: the ages of 8 to 11 weeks<\/a>, when fear can have damaging and long-lasting effects, including\u00a0separation anxiety, barking to get attention, sensitivity to\u00a0noises and confinement and\u00a0house training issues.<\/p>\n As a service dog trainer, I temperament test puppies and keep them with me until they go to their new guardians for bonding, then they return to me at around 4 months old to begin learning specific tasks.\u00a0I sleep with puppies\u00a0at the beginning of their first stay with me while also teaching them to\u00a0love their crate or ex-pen<\/a> during waking hours, eventually transferring them to a\u00a0crate or dog bed right next to mine.<\/p>\n I realize that for some of you, sleeping with a puppy for the first two to three weeks after you bring them home may be completely out of your comfort zone. That\u00a0is okay and understandable. There are still ways to help your new puppy adjust without locking\u00a0them in a crate. You can take the top off the crate, putting cushy blankets in so you can reach the puppy when they\u00a0awaken in the night, touching them\u00a0quietly while soothing them\u00a0back to sleep.\u00a0You can make a bed for you and your puppy on the floor, snuggling together before moving back to your bed\u00a0when it\u2019s time.<\/p>\n Remember, they aren’t really awake, just looking for warmth, comfort, and security. If they really do need to relieve themselves, they won’t settle back down\u00a0but will become fully awake, which rarely happens.<\/p>\n Puppy in bed. Photography by Shutterstock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The point I\u2019m making is that you don\u2019t have to have sleepless nights with yelping\u00a0pups while you are teaching them to hold it through the night. You can keep the puppy close, creating a safe and secure environment that will result in a\u00a0happy puppy and well-balanced dog.<\/p>\n I can hear the questions rolling around in your minds. What if I have a 2-pound Maltese<\/a> pup? I don\u2019t want to roll over and smother her. Of course, you don\u2019t. With tiny pups, opt for the crate next to your bed. And keep in mind, this is just for the first two to three weeks. When your pup knows their new home and that they are loved and feel safe, you can make the transfer to whatever sleeping situation you would like, a crate, a dog bed, whatever works for you.<\/p>\n And don’t worry that you will spoil your dog with the overnight attention. You are making them feel secure, and that is important. My motto is: “You can have a spoiled-rotten, disciplined dog.” Why else do we have them, after all?<\/p>\n Top photograph: <\/em>FluxFactory<\/em><\/a>\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n Read Next: <\/strong>Why Are Some Older Dogs Afraid of Young Puppies?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The post Letting Your Puppy Sleep in Your Bed? Here’s How to Do It Safely<\/a> by Jill Breitner<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Puppies](\"https:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/shutterstock_328532525-600x401.jpg\")
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