# Where does your dog sleep?



## J. Hunter Allred (Mar 10, 2008)

I'm just curious... does your dog sleep in a kennel, somewhere free roaming in the house, in your room, on your bed, on your chest?


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Crate .. always in her crate she prefers it.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Sometimes in the crate, sometimes on the bed in the extra bedroom.


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## Mike Schoonbrood (Mar 27, 2006)

Pups in crate in the kennel. Cujo on the bed for all of 10 minutes before he hops off and goes onto his lil cot, Lyka usually somewhere on the bed.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

In their crates


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## J. Hunter Allred (Mar 10, 2008)

I've had people tell me "dogs on the bed lead to dominance issues" and confusion over who is the pack leader... do you think there is truth to that? My dog sleeps on my bed, but I am careful to make sure I sleep where I want first and foremost, and he is welcome to adjust to me. He always sleeps with his head resting on my legs, chest, or some part of my body... he always remains in contact with me. It seems to me that it would only solidify our bond. I highly doubt he has any confusion over who is pack leader, as he typically stops at the door when its wide open to let me exit first even though he's uber-excited to go outside. Its my understanding a dog who thinks he's the leader would never do this. What do you think?


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

J. Hunter Allred said:


> I've had people tell me "dogs on the bed lead to dominance issues" and confusion over who is the pack leader... do you think there is truth to that? My dog sleeps on my bed, but I am careful to make sure I sleep where I want first and foremost, and he is welcome to adjust to me. He always sleeps with his head resting on my legs, chest, or some part of my body... he always remains in contact with me. It seems to me that it would only solidify our bond. I highly doubt he has any confusion over who is pack leader, as he typically stops at the door when its wide open to let me exit first even though he's uber-excited to go outside. Its my understanding a dog who thinks he's the leader would never do this. What do you think?


Dogs will lead or follow and are happy in either role and in sound homes. Mine sleep outside 24/7. I sleep in a bed in the house. Some dogs can challenge humans for the bed, a chair, or sofa. I don't want the battle and remove the possible element from their "thought." Just me!


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## Chris Wild (Jan 30, 2008)

IMO, a proper understanding of social structure within the home comes about through training and interaction with the dog. Being the dog's leader is a lifestyle and an attitude. Not a set of Dos and Don'ts.

The dog who is going to challenge his owner for dominance just because he's allowed to sleep on the bed is rare. Most dogs, even those described as "dominant" are happy to accept human leadership provided they are given leadership that is firm, fair and consistent. Once that relationship is established, letting the dog on the furniture isn't going to screw it up. If the dog suddenly thinks being allowed on the bed or couch is grounds for a challenge, there is something fundamentally wrong elsewhere in the dog/handler relationship.

Our dogs have free run of the house.... not all at once as with 6 dogs, some of whom don't care much for others, we'd end up with WW3. But they take turns rotating 2-3 in the house and 2-3 crated or outdoors. They lounge on the couch with us in the evening and sleep wherever they want at night, including on the bed. The only rules are if we tell them to get off, they do. And while they're allowed on the couch and bed as much as they want when we're not using them, when we go to bed or go to sit down on the couch they have to get off, and then once we're settled in they will be invited back up and if they want to come back up on the bed or couch, they're welcome to. No dominance issues whatsoever because it's still clear in their minds that we're in charge and they understand that it's OUR couch and our bed. But we are willing to share, so long as they respect the rules.


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## Eros Kopliku (Jan 30, 2008)

Mine sleeps on the floor by my side of the bed. He's not allowed on furniture, but that's not because of possible dominance issues; it's to keep hair and odor off.


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## Gary Garner (Jun 30, 2007)

Xena lives outside in the yard.

She has a wooden kennel for shelter..


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

On the floor in the bedroom, even though he has free run of the house. He'll pretty much follow me where ever I go. I don't call him to follow me when I go up to bed, sometimes it'll take him a few minutes to make his way up there. Same goes for the Dane, she'll sleep on the floor in the room but after the alarm goes off and my wife gets up to get ready for work she'll hop up and lean against me. The pug sleeps in his crate, on my recliner, or in my daughter's room.


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## Kori Bigge (Nov 28, 2007)

Right now Kodee sleeps tethered to the bedside stand in my room. He just started sleeping un-crated, and the tether will only be for a couple more days til he gets the idea that the bedroom (which is a brand-new addition to our house) is part of our "territory", and not to be soiled in. He's housebroken, but I'm not taking any chances...

I may even remove the tether tonight, since he's been sleeping in there for about a week now.


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## Al Curbow (Mar 27, 2006)

I assume they roam at night but when i get up they're all in the bedroom usually.


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## leslie cassian (Jun 3, 2007)

I thought I'd be the only one on this forum who lets the dogs sleep on the bed... so glad I'm not.

Nothing sweeter than a snuggly malinois. Best not to yawn though, when he's right there, that tongue can reach my back teeth. blech.


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## Will Kline (Jan 10, 2008)

leslie cassian said:


> Nothing sweeter than a snuggly malinois. Best not to yawn though, when he's right there, that tongue can reach my back teeth. blech.


LOL, so your not a "magda" from the movie -Something about Mary? #-o

Tiko sleeps on the bed but always waits and asks for permission to do so. Hari is trying to take over the bed so he gets pushed off until he understands that it is MINE and he is a guest! Funny thing is that after he is up there for about 15 mins or so he jumps off and sleeps at the foot of the bed or near the door.

I don't mind letting them sleep in the bed since they are kept in the crate while I am at work. Besides, my Mali is as vocal as a GSD so who would want to listen to him whine all night????


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## Allison Chappell (Mar 6, 2008)

If I am alone then Arwen is asked to wait while I get comfy, and then I release her to hop on the bed and snuggle. If my husband is home then Arwen sleeps in her crate as he doesn't think there is enough room in the king sized bed for 2 people and one little Rottweiler. :lol: We only really tried once but for some reason she decided that all 80lbs of her was going to sleep in the middle and spread out! #-o


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## Alex Corral (Jul 10, 2007)

When my dog was younger, she used to sleep in her crate. Now that she is older, she sleeps in our room on her dog pillow. She has never been allowed on furniture & probably never will. If I ever want to hang out and "snuggle" with her, I just sit on the floor.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Dutch-free roams the house and sleeps next to my side of the bed regardless of where his dog pillow is at. 

Malinois-both in crates as they are still not to be trusted with my furniture alone. 

Bloodhound-he likes it outside and he has a pillow in the house. If hubby is gone, then he sleeps on the bed with me. 

GSD-outdoors in her kennel

Lab-outdoors in his kennel


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## Chris Jones (Jan 26, 2008)

They sleep in crates indoors until they are pretty much proofed as far as potty training and chewing up crap in concerned and about a year old give or take.

After the first year they usually end up sleeping on my bedroom floor. They stink and make a furry mess but I enjoy waking up to a happy dog in the morning. Kinda starts the day off with a smile.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Okay, I'll come clean. Earlier I said my dog sleeps on the bed in the spare bedroom sometimes, well he does, but I pull down the covers for him everynight so he can sleep on the sheets. I can't help it, he just looks so cute the way he snuggles into the sheets.


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## marcy bukkit (Oct 4, 2007)

Mine sleep on the bed or in crates. They aren't allowed free run of the house while I sleep ~ I have an 8 year old dog who almost poisoned himself while I was asleep. The dogs are taught to get on the bed and to stay on the bed. Sometimes I don't feel like having them all on top of me - and the hair - so they sleep in crates. Sometimes I feel like they might be in a mood to sneak off in the middle of the night, so they get crated.


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## Marie Miller (Jan 16, 2008)

The first year my dogs sleep in a crate in my room. This makes it easier for potty training to get them out the door quicker. Once I trust them, I put them on a dog bed with a 6 ft leash attached to the leg of my bed, I remind them to be on their bed and give a treat when they get on their bed. Once they get the idea of staying on the bed, the leash comes off. I have two dogs currently and they know who's bed is who's. They are cute when it is bed time running to their spot and waiting for a treat.


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## Lee Hough (Mar 15, 2008)

The young dogs (Csabre, Fury, Fhazer) sleep in crates. Kougie, Kyra and Basha sleep in the house...Basha - who was a kennel dog in Belgium - is now a velcro dog, sleeps on the bed in the upper corner, Koug on the lower corner and Kyra, while she will nap along side the bed or on the bed on the opposite side, is always on patrol...they ALL know when I open my eyes in the morning though... they rotate in the house in groups as Csabre and Koug are fine together, but I don't let him with other males or Csabre with other females...she has been fine with males - Danger, Wolfie, Falcon, Granit all have gotten to run with her but I don't mix her with the other females, who all (past and present) have been able to be a social group fine.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

The two GSDs are outside in a 6x20 run that is attached to the garage. They can pass through a dog door to their dog houses inside the garage, within a 3x6 pen.
They both spent the first 6-7 months in the house. I want house manners taught on the occasion they do come in for a bit of socializing. 
The JRT sleeps loose in the house or with in bed with my son. That often ends in a "Who gets the pillow" argument and the JRT winds up on the floor next to me then.
The little waste basket thief is crated when no body's home.


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## Lynsey Fuegner (Apr 11, 2007)

Things are rough right now that I'm living with my grandpa (I was taking care of him while he recovered from a stroke and now that he's better we're looking for a house) the dogs used to have a room of their own but now the 5 of us are all crammed into one bedroom...
Aridan sleeps free always (and usually has her head on the pillow next to me)
Fenris sleeps free sometimes and prefers the floor next to my night stand. Jack just turned a year old and sleeps in a crate in my room, as soon as we find a house he'll be learning to sleep free. Mauser is only about 3 months old and is content to sleep in his crate (as long as he has his crate blankie :smile: )for the next year or so.


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

Allison Chappell said:


> If I am alone then Arwen is asked to wait while I get comfy, and then I release her to hop on the bed and snuggle. If my husband is home then Arwen sleeps in her crate as he doesn't think there is enough room in the king sized bed for 2 people and one little Rottweiler. :lol: We only really tried once but for some reason she decided that all 80lbs of her was going to sleep in the middle and spread out! #-o


Try that with a 115lb Dane who is 7' long when she stretches out, with 2 people in a queen size bed! Needless to say we've been making her sleep on the floor until one of us gets up, but she's persistent!


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## J. Hunter Allred (Mar 10, 2008)

Dan Long said:


> Try that with a 115lb Dane who is 7' long when she stretches out, with 2 people in a queen size bed! Needless to say we've been making her sleep on the floor until one of us gets up, but she's persistent!


My buddy lets his 180lb dane sleep in his bed lol.


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## Alegria Cebreco (Jul 25, 2007)

Rade sleeps in my room. I close my door so he doesnt have free roam of the entire house. I allow him to get on the bed, but he jumps off eventually throughout the night. He like to lay in front of the door.


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## Katie Schifferli (Oct 17, 2007)

Crates. Argos cannot be trusted in the house with the cat without supervision.


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## J. Hunter Allred (Mar 10, 2008)

my dog has an unfortunate habit of shifting in the night so he his sleeping along side me, with his head at my feet and his butt near my chest. He sleeps on his back all spread eagle, and inevitably I end up getting a handful of testes when I got to pet him in the middle of the night. I think he does it on purpose


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## Gary Garner (Jun 30, 2007)

I must admit, I don't miss the smell of wet dog in my house.

Xena lives outside. As did Max previously.

I choose this for a variety of reasons. Some are for cleanliness (the ticks/fleas/parasites that dogs carry on them, I wouldn't want on my carpet, let alone my bed !!! )...

Then there's the early warning system outside regarding prowlers/intruders.

Finally, there's the safety aspect. Although my children are 11 and 16, I don't trust any dog around my children unsupervised... Of course I was even more paranoid when they were younger...


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Wait...your dogs sleep??!;-) 

My dog slept in a crate in my bedroom (he is crated all day at work, but free at home), he has outgrown it now so I took the door off it and he still uses it a fair bit at night until he gets too hot and needs to stretch out.

Unfortunatley he does not sleep well, paces at night, moves from floor to crate...room to room.... He can hear the cats and the coyotes at night and it drives him nuts and the clicking of his nails on my wood floors drives me nuts!!!!!! If he is going to barf...you know it will always be between 2 and 4 am!

He can wake me up by staring at me too...and does all too often....

I recognize I need to work on this, a big crate in another room perhaps so I can't hear him whining and shifting....

I would love for him to sleep on my bed, but he is not really interested, not snuggly.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

my dogs don't have bugs!


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## Mark Horne (Oct 12, 2006)

I have yet to meet any child that could be trusted around a dog. Children are notoriously cruel to each other let alone animals.

Mine all sleep in the hall, the little bitch I do Schutzhund with has to be crated. I grew up on a farm, in a poor family, dogs were essential yet disposable, they lived outside and perhaps got 70% of there food supplied. Dogs are pack animals and thrive on the family, there are two ways to get the maximum benefit and enjoyment from owning a dog, have it it live with 
you and your family, and give it it a purpose through work or sport.

Not matter hours I have to work, and stresses I face, they always crack me up and keep me grounded. 

Mark


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## Gary Garner (Jun 30, 2007)

Mark Horne said:


> I have yet to meet any child that could be trusted around a dog.


Good point.


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## Gary Garner (Jun 30, 2007)

susan tuck said:


> my dogs don't have bugs!


Keep repeating that...I'm sure you'll convince yourself..

:lol:


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## Angelique Cadogan (Jan 3, 2008)

Well Gary, I think you might be a great guy BUT I do not want to come back in my next life(if their is one) and be your dog...LOL
Mine are like Susan, NO BUGS, and they sleep on each side of my bed, after all what good purpose would they serve me at night if they were in a crate...


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Yeah, also I think they smell all right, they smell GOOD!!!!! It may come as a surprise but there is actually dust and dirt in my house whether there are dogs in it or not - and I keep a clean house, but I don't live in a vacuum. You should also check out what sheets look like under a microscope if you really want to shudder. Lots of sloughed off skin cells and microscopic critters of our very own, makes dogs look positively fastidious! None of us ever sleeps alone........


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

J. Hunter Allred said:


> my dog has an unfortunate habit of shifting in the night so he his sleeping along side me, with his head at my feet and his butt near my chest. He sleeps on his back all spread eagle, and inevitably I end up getting a handful of testes when I got to pet him in the middle of the night. I think he does it on purpose


Even worse is the possibility of odoriferous eminations! Our Dane and Pug can both clear a room, no way I want that near my face! Its bad enough when the Dane is sleeping on the floor right next to the bed!


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I think it's ok if someones dog lives outside, not my choice but I surely respect others choices. What I want to know is where in the world do you live that all dogs have fleas, ticks and parasites?


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## Alegria Cebreco (Jul 25, 2007)

susan tuck said:


> I think it's ok if someones dog lives outside, not my choice but I surely respect others choices. What I want to know is where in the world do you live that all dogs have fleas, ticks and parasites?


Thats what I want to know  . If your dogs have fleas and ticks, you obviously arent a responsible dog owner... Frontline anyone?? 8)


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

The three adults are in the house free, but we keep the doors of the bedrooms, the office, and the laundry room next to the kitchen (where the trash can is kept) closed off when we aren't supervising as they have a tendency to dig in the trash for fun and games, even when exercised and full. :roll: They get access to the kitchen, the dining room, and living room when we are not there or are asleep. I don't mind sleeping with the dogs and I usually do if we are at someone else's house or in a hotel, it's just that the bedrooms are carpet and the rest of the house is either tile or hardwood, so it's easier to clean if they aren't allowed in the bedroom. The pup sleeps in the crate still and runs right for it at bedtime for his 11:15 PM biscuit that he gets when he kennels up, but soon, I'll probably be starting to have him sleep free. 

I would prefer my dogs be house dogs so they bark only at relatively important things, not every little leaf that blows by like they probably would if they were outdoor dogs. My valuable stuff is in the house, not in the yard after all. Probably the best solution would be to have a dog door leading into the house so if someone broke into your house but no one did anything because your outdoor dog always barks, they could have a way inside. The dogs that is, not the robbers a la Home Alone.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Mark Horne said:


> I have yet to meet any child that could be trusted around a dog.


Do you mean small untrainable children?

Or teenage boys?

In between, there are kids who can be trusted, I think.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Gary Garner said:


> ... (the ticks/fleas/parasites that dogs carry on them, I wouldn't want on my carpet, let alone my bed !!! ).....


What?! Are these wild dingos?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Doesn't the dog-with-children training go better if the dogs ARE inside with the family?


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## Jose' Abril (Dec 6, 2007)

Outdoor kennel during the day and his crate at night!!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Doesn't the dog-with-children training go better if the dogs ARE inside with the family?


Absolutely!
Even though my GSDs are both outside dogs they each spent the first 6-8 months in the house learning manners. In particular with my grand kids who are over often.


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## Guest (Mar 21, 2008)

> Unfortunatley he does not sleep well, paces at night, moves from [bed to floor]...room to room.... He can hear [various outside stimuli] at night and it drives him nuts and the clicking of his nails on my wood floors drives me nuts!!!!!!


I'm feeling this.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

If you can hear clicking...time for the Dremel tool! :-D


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## Guest (Mar 21, 2008)

In my case it's not as much clicking as it is his...vigilance. I feed him outside, so the bits-and-pieces must attract things at night. 

Or maybe there ARE always car burglars snooping around out there, and I'm just blind and unfair for telling him to shut up.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Steven Lepic said:


> In my case it's not as much clicking as it is his...vigilance. I feed him outside, so the bits-and-pieces must attract things at night.


This is definatley the case for me. I live in a trailer (insert trailer trash joke here). I thow his food out the back door. The walls are 2x3 and the door is a stones throw form anywhere in my house! The cats are in the yard at night an it drives him nuts (he is no friend of cats). The coyotes don't come in our yard by you can here them yipping away many nights. 



> If you can hear clicking...time for the Dremel tool!


My dog has white nails and in the summer they self trim down to the visable pink quick. They still click on the floor some somehow....

In the winter I have to trim his nails often as he walks on nothing but snow so they do not wear down. I don't cut them quite to the quick ( but close) in the winter though as he uses them for purchase/gripping on debris, ice and digging.

Plus like I said, aside from the clicking when pacing he has this knack for just standing beside my be and staring at me to wake me up to let me know that he will dispose of the yard visitors if only I will open the back door


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

they all sleep in their own kennel.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Selena van Leeuwen said:


> they all sleep in their own kennel.


You need one of those crazy little mini-mals for a house dog. Some folks call them JRTs. :grin:


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

My dogs all sleep in their crates. When I met my husband, his dog slept in the bed. When I moved in, I kicked the dog out of the bed, and put a dog bed on the floor for him. Queen-sized bed + 6' tall man newly wed to 5'7" woman + 65 lb. labrador does not = fun. My dogs, of course, slept in their crates in a separate room. When we had a baby, the dog that previously slept in room wanted to eat the baby, so he had to spend the night in his crate from that point on too. 

Another reason why I don't want our dogs in our beds is because they are dirty. Both my husband and I train our dogs for disaster SAR, so they spend a lot of time at really nasty training sites (abandoned buildings, rubble piles, etc.). I can't bathe them after every training, and I don't want that junk brought into my bed (or my house for that matter - they live in their own special "room" which is a heated bay of our garage). I do brush and bathe them regularly for their own health and cleanliness, but not every day. 

And, as for you folks who use frontline (or other topical flea/tick treatments), aren't you worried that that pesticide is going to rub off on your bed sheets?


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Konnie Hein said:


> And, as for you folks who use frontline (or other topical flea/tick treatments), aren't you worried that that pesticide is going to rub off on your bed sheets?


At least we won't have ticks crawling on us.....\\/ :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Frontline works for people too???!!! Hmmmm...tickless summer and strange form of pesticide-induced cancer or being full of ticks and getting lyme disease....I can't decide! :lol:


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Konnie Hein said:


> Frontline works for people too???!!! Hmmmm...tickless summer and strange form of pesticide-induced cancer or being full of ticks and getting lyme disease....I can't decide! :lol:


Me either, I use it due to the ticks being terrible here, but am looking at some all-natural stuff.....all I know is I have never had a tick attach to me and only maybe 5 crawling on me in three years......and from my last physical I am healthy.....:mrgreen: 

Any recommendations on a holistic product that works????


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Frontline for people??!!! 
There goes my favorite pickup line. 
Kin I check ya fer ticks? 
Met a few wimmins in my younger days that would have done well with Frontline. I always felt that wearing a flea collar and calling it a necklace was bordering on a poor show of class!! 
I mean, using sheep dip could keep the bugs away but, WHHHHOOOOEEEEE! That'd sure make yer eyes water when ya tried to kiss em. :grin: :wink:


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

OMG, I did not mean I used it on me......just when I put it on my dogs I got it on my hands......HOLY S**T I just realized how I typed that out.....	  :mrgreen: :mrgreen: 

I need a cup of coffee.....dog training wore me out the last two days...ugh...


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

:grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:


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## April Barr (Feb 24, 2008)

OK- I've read this threat and am still at a loss. 

Protection wise- where should a dog sleep? 

My last Shep followed me everywhere, slept by my bed without me asking and was my shadow. I call her my "heart dog". If I left the house she slept across the door till I returned. 

This dog is more independent. DH is a police officer and gone a lot of nights so in one respect I like having her sleep next to the bed. Then I think, we have a 2 story house, maybe if someone breaks in downstairs, she would be more protective and alert me if she were downstairs? Then maybe I would hear her and have time to protect myself and the kids? 

Any thoughts?


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## Daniel Cox (Apr 17, 2006)

the Yorkie lives inside and the shepherds live in the kennels outside. I routinely bring a shepherd in for a short period and even let one stay overnight in the crate beside my bed. My dogs are quiet as a mouse when I bring them inside and put them in the crate. The roaming free in the house can get on my nerves because my shepherds never stop pacing and hunting for food. I do not let my dogs together so if I do bring a shepherd in they are always alone with the Yorkie. The Yorkie ignores the shepherds. I do believe the Yorkie thinks she is human. I never play in the house. It is only for a dog treat, a little time with the master or sleep next to me. When they come in the house they think resting and relaxation. I only tolerate a calm state or they go back in their kennel.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

April Barr said:


> OK- I've read this threat and am still at a loss.
> 
> Protection wise- where should a dog sleep?
> 
> ...


Most dogs have such incredible hearing even when asleep that upstairs or down shouldn't matter much. Well, except perhaps for the 180+ lbs mastiff that grumps because the robber tripped over them in the dark and was deafened by the sounds of the snores. :mrgreen: Perhaps on nights when your husband is gone, leave the bedroom door open a slight crack so she can run downstairs if necessary? I would think the majority of intruders would be deterred by the booming bark of a large dog, protection trained or not.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

With all the suggestions here it still boils down to where YOU want the dog to sleep. :wink:


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

April Barr said:


> OK- I've read this threat and am still at a loss.
> 
> Protection wise- where should a dog sleep?
> ...
> ...


Call ADT (or other such alarm company) and have an alarm installed for your house.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Konnie Hein said:


> Call ADT (or other such alarm company) and have an alarm installed for your house.


Back before we got satellite dish which trimmed down the number of channels, my husband used to watch all those crime/forensics shows on Court TV, Bravo, etc. Seemed like the smarter intruders liked cutting those systems, but maybe they've improved them?


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Back before we got satellite dish which trimmed down the number of channels, my husband used to watch all those crime/forensics shows on Court TV, Bravo, etc. Seemed like the smarter intruders liked cutting those systems, but maybe they've improved them?


If you have a buried phone line or a cellular back-up system, you don't have to worry about this. For sure, alarms can fail or be circumvented and so can dogs. I saw several "To Catch a Thief" episodes where dogs were involved. They (and their barking) never dissuaded the thief, who even dumped the contents of the fridge to distract a dog once. His suggestion (the former professional thief) was to have an alarm because he was never worried about dogs in a house. 

If somebody is worried about an intruder, I think their best bet is an alarm with a back-up (plus the signage that goes along with one to dissuade would-be intruders).


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## Gary Garner (Jun 30, 2007)

Konnie Hein said:


> I saw several "To Catch a Thief" episodes where dogs were involved. They (and their barking) never dissuaded the thief, who even dumped the contents of the fridge to distract a dog once. His suggestion (the former professional thief) was to have an alarm because he was never worried about dogs in a house.


Whilst I'm sure that might be the case occasionally... I believe in the majority of occasions.. the presence of a large dog, or a noisy one...DOES make a thief look elsewhere..

After all, they are wanting easy work...

Of course, if you are such a target that poisoning a dog or actually killing it is a possibility, then nothing is foolproof.

I've been a cop for the last decade and have never attended a burglary where there's been a dog present. In addition, of all the burglars/thieves I've spoken to/interviewed over the years.... only a handful has stated they don't care about the presence of a dog.


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Gary Garner said:


> I've been a cop for the last decade and have never attended a burglary where there's been a dog present. In addition, of all the burglars/thieves I've spoken to/interviewed over the years.... only a handful has stated they don't care about the presence of a dog.


How many burglaries have you seen where there was a properly activated alarm system? Did you ask the thieves how they felt about an alarm system?

I'm just not sold on the use of a dog as the single form of theft/intrusion deterrent for a home. Too many variables.


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## Gary Garner (Jun 30, 2007)

Konnie Hein said:


> How many burglaries have you seen where there was a properly activated alarm system?


Not many.... perhaps only one or two over the 10 years...



Konnie Hein said:


> Did you ask the thieves how they felt about an alarm system?


They don't overly respect them... but state they are worried about nosey neighbours coming to investigate...



Konnie Hein said:


> I'm just not sold on the use of a dog as the single form of theft/intrusion deterrent for a home. Too many variables.


Absolutely...

You need as many different measures as possible. Personally, in addition to the dog, I have dog signs, an alarm system, exterior lighting on all four walls of my home and CCTV cameras front and rear.

The idea, as cruel as it sounds, is to make a would be burglar choose another property to attack.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

We had a good neighborhood watch in my old hood. When someone's home alarm went off everyone just started shooting at the house. :---) :wink:


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Gary Garner said:


> You need as many different measures as possible. Personally, in addition to the dog, I have dog signs, an alarm system, exterior lighting on all four walls of my home and CCTV cameras front and rear.


Wow - sounds like my parent's property (minus the dog)! My brother is a police officer in Chicago, IL and I took his suggestions on the locks, the alarm and the window security. Although I live in a rural area that doesn't have a lot of crime, I feel much safer taking reasonable security measures. 

For me, the nice thing about the alarm is that the police _are_ _coming_ when my alarm goes off. My dog can't call the police. I guess I'm thinking more of a home invasion type of thing vs. a quickie robbery on that one.

Now that we're totally off topic....sorry 'bout that. Just really interested in folks' perspective on this. Thanks, Gary, for answering my questions.


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