Dog training advice needed please

I went out and bought these beautiful comfy new dog beds for my two dogs (they match, burgundy plaid!) and the dogs show no interest. I really want them to sleep in my room on their beds, not on my bed. How do I get that idea over to them?

I don't know if this will work for you or not, but I'll tell you what we did with ours.

When we left ours for the first time in a kennel (overnight), I left a t-shirt of mine with each of them. As long as they had my scent, they slept fine.

Now, since I didn't want to travel the world with my shirts all over the place, I invested in 2 of those cheap little fleece throws, and slept with them as my blanket for about a week. Next time we took the dogs, we took the throws. It worked.

Now when we travel with them and they are required to sleep somewhere unfamiliar, we simply put the blankets where we want them to bed down, and they know that's their spot.

ms_terese said:

When we left ours for the first time in a kennel (overnight), I left a t-shirt of mine with each of them. As long as they had my scent, they slept fine.

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My dog is the same way. She's usually content as long as she has a sock of mine--sometimes a t-shirt or pair of shorts. So Lucille, all you have to do now is wear the dog bed covers for a while, and they'll smell like you! lol j/k. Actually, I suspect you could just stuff an older piece of clothing inside of their beds. If I don't let Jersey sleep on the bed with me, she'll usually climb into a laundry basket of dirty clothes, that or find a pile of them on the floor. Another idea would be to put one of your used pillow cases over their beds.

I'd guess that after Winston settles in more he will be more comfortable and consequently not feel the need to be right at your side 24/7. Now is definitely the time to try to break him of the habit though. (IMO)

lucille said:

I went out and bought these beautiful comfy new dog beds for my two dogs (they match, burgundy plaid!) and the dogs show no interest. I really want them to sleep in my room on their beds, not on my bed. How do I get that idea over to them?

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Good Luck with that Lucille!

Seriously, part one of the battle: can they get on your bed by themselves?

If not, problem solved. Don't pick them up and put them in bed with you no matter how much they beg.
But old habits die hard.

If they can jump on the bed, my suggestion is to start crating them at night time with their beds in the crate. (Someone else did mention crates)...The crate becomes their "little safe place"...and they actually will like it after getting used to it. Try feeding them in the crates also so they associate the crate with something "good". My dogs know that going in the crate means either they are going to eat, going to a show, or going to bed. (Althought 2 do sleep in bed with me)
A lot of times they just like to hang out in their crates for no reason..

This is also a great way to housebreak also.

I'm a firm believer in crate training too.....and like Michele said, you have to make it a "positive" place for them to be.

THat said......my Crested voluntarily goes in his crate when he's feeling nervous, scared, or we are going to be gone for a length of time, he feels at home there...but otherwise, they sleep in bed with me. LOL.

Molly has never been crated since the day we got her....well, I think we did it once or twice when we first got her, knowing nothing of her history....but to her, assuming she was never crate trained as a pup, being put in a crate is akin to a slow and painful death for her. But she has NEVER had an accident, chewed on anything, or caused any trouble. I could put a plate on the floor with a TBone steak on it, walk away, and if I had been eating from that plate......she wouldn't touch it. Never.

Thankfully, my dog just lies where I tell him to. I like him in bed with me. He will sleep on his own bed during the day if I keep it within my eyesight. He has to keep an eye on me at all times. It's nice too when I drop something I just tell him to go pick it up for me, and he does so happily. Sometimes he just goes and finds something to pick up. When the little dog shreds a toy, he cleans up the fuzz for me. Sometimes when we play fetch I may knock something over, he goes and gets the toy, then goes and gets what I knocked over. He taught himself to get the mail back when we lived somewhere that the mail came through the slot in our door. I can also leave a plate of food right in his face and he won't touch it. One time I did let him touch it and it was really amusing. I was having lunch and had some pretzels that he was eyeballing while standing next to my plate which was on my mom's coffee table. I told him he could take one, and he did exactly that. He came back a few minutes later and I waited a while then told him he could have another, and he did it again. I don't know what I would do without my dog, I'd actually have to clean up after myself and finish my own lunch!

I've discovered a complicating issue. Winston has apparently been, in the past before I had him, trained...well...to relieve himself on pads inside his crate. I bought him a wonderful comfy sheepskin type pad so his crate would be soft and nice and every time I put it in there he voids on it.
Recently, I have just put a towel in the crate, and also taken him outside at 9PM. This requires some care, as he will not venture out into the back without me going with him, and the old man who lives behind the fence is a gun enthusiast like many of us here in Texas, and it is very dark outside at 9PM.
Last night the old man's light went on, he must have heard me and the dog walking near his fence which I never do after dark,(I am on 1/4 acre and normally there would be no reason for a person to be way out in the back after dark) I thought for sure he was fixing to shoot first and ask questions later so I started talking to Winston *real* loud, lol......
Anyway, when I did that he stopped voiding in his crate but I do not want to put his big comfy bed in there if he has been trained to go on pads in crates.
Any suggestions?