Transitioning from pen/crate to free at night

[Piper's mom]

Bailey liked to share the bed from time to time but the girls find the bed way too high and prefer the floor or the dog beds in the bedroom.

The first two dogs did completely away with the crate after they became comfortable in the house and it was packed away. Bailey was the only puppy so his transition was a bit longer than Katy's. Annie is the only one who still wants the crate when we leave the house. She feels safe there when we are gone and we've kept the crate up and she's rushes in there when we prepare to leave.

We do close the dogs in with us at night because they can get restless at night and once downstairs they might be sleeping in their downstairs beds or throwing an all night party. It really depends, so they stay upstairs with us.

My two boys (6&3) have a baby gate at the top of the stairs...they have wandered at night (I have a motion camera and got them moving around at night lol) and I have no doubt they’d go downstairs to investigate things so they stay upstairs with me. Blueberry no doubt would be the one having the party lol so now there’s a baby gate on my bedroom door! Still better to her than the crate, she likes my bed lol!

 

[Piper's mom]

Deacon is a sock thief as well! When I bring the laundry down, he goes all through it looking for socks! If I happen to leave the dryer door open with a load in, he has been known to heft his little sausage body as far into it as possible to steal a sock - or get the golden egg.... my wool dryer balls! He doesn't do anything but play with the socks, but he shreds the dryer balls!

Blueberry is a sock thief as well! I swear it’s her favourite toy! Lol
Blueberry doesn’t go down the basement (where my laundry room is) so she can’t steal directly from there. I’ve never shown her how so I guess she sees those stairs and is scared. Works for me lol

 

[BryanAndLarrysMama]

So here's the scenario...
From the time we brought the boys home at 8 weeks old they have been in bed in their pen at 9pm and let out at 5:30am to go potty. Like clockwork. No mistakes, nothing. But it has always meant that my husband and I have had to go upstairs to the 2nd floor to watch tv or work, etc., because the boys would fuss (at first). They just turned 2yrs old on the 16th.

We want to let them some sleep in the bedroom on the dog beds we have in there (they come in and crash on the beds when I do my yoga LOL). They have two large dog beds. It would be great if they could just stay up with us and have a last run out at about 11pm or midnight, then come sleep on their beds in our room or have free range of the house. In other words, no more pen and lockdown at 9pm.
.

UPDATE ------------ Well, THAT didn't go well. LOL! They were both so restless. "Mama, why are you laying down? Are you dead?" pacing in the bedroom, panting, lay down, get up, wander, run down the hallway, pace pace pace. They were confused and I could just feel the anxiety in little Bryan as he was trying to figure out what the heck was going on. So finally at about midnight we took them out for potty and put them to bed in their pen and they settled down instantly, with such a relief they just instantly were happy. So we have a new plan. We'll simply stay up late on the main floor if we want to (it's our house, isn't it? LOL) and put them to bed in their pen when we're ready to go to bed ourselves. Maybe one day we'll just open their gate and let them choose to go to bed in their pen or wander up to the bedroom where we are.

 

[Sharon7]

Dogs are so often fond of their routines and a change confuses them. Although mine have never hesitated to sleep on the bed - I usually retire earlier than my hubby so all 3 are up on the bed with me snoozing until he comes in, then they have to go to their own beds. He says they have lead butts when he tries to pick them up off the bed!

 

[Bailey's Mom]

UPDATE ------------ Well, THAT didn't go well. LOL! They were both so restless. "Mama, why are you laying down? Are you dead?" pacing in the bedroom, panting, lay down, get up, wander, run down the hallway, pace pace pace. They were confused and I could just feel the anxiety in little Bryan as he was trying to figure out what the heck was going on. So finally at about midnight we took them out for potty and put them to bed in their pen and they settled down instantly, with such a relief they just instantly were happy. So we have a new plan. We'll simply stay up late on the main floor if we want to (it's our house, isn't it? LOL) and put them to bed in their pen when we're ready to go to bed ourselves. Maybe one day we'll just open their gate and let them choose to go to bed in their pen or wander up to the bedroom where we are.

There is nothing wrong with letting them have a healthy choice like choosing to stay penned at night. Katy thinks Annie is nuts for choosing crating when we leave the house. She spent months pleading with her not to go in but eventually after we'd tried leaving her out a couple of times and Annie was not happy when we came home, Katy gave up on trying to convince her that crating was prison and she stopped attempting to prevent Annie's mad dash to the crate after the first month.

I'd happily let her roam while we were gone but she doesn't feel safe. So crating it is when we leave.

Katy would break into our bedroom if denied access. Annie would wait patiently until Katy broke in and then follow her in they hate being separated from us.

 

[BryanAndLarrysMama]

There is nothing wrong with letting them have a healthy choice like choosing to stay penned at night. Katy thinks Annie is nuts for choosing crating when we leave the house. She spent months pleading with her not to go in but eventually after we'd tried leaving her out a couple of times and Annie was not happy when we came home, Katy gave up on trying to convince her that crating was prison and she stopped attempting to prevent Annie's mad dash to the crate after the first month.

I'd happily let her roam while we were gone but she doesn't feel safe. So crating it is when we leave.

Katy would break into our bedroom if denied access. Annie would wait patiently until Katy broke in and then follow her in they hate being separated from us.

You're absolutely right. The boys have been pen sleepers literally from birth. And I'll be honest, the panting and wandering around kept ME awake. I like silence while sleeping, I admit it. So if they're happy sleeping in their pens at night, I am certainly happy to let them have it. We might just leave the pen gate open so they can step out if they want, but we'll see how THAT goes another time. LOL

 

[Sandy in CT]

panting,

I sometimes let Brodie stay out when we leave the house for a short period of time. But if we are gone for long, I really think he gets anxious. We come back to the same - lots of panting, hyped up! When I crate him, he sleeps, is relaxed and happy to see us. I think he feels like he has to guard the house - a BIG responsibility!

 

[Ann]

You're absolutely right. The boys have been pen sleepers literally from birth. And I'll be honest, the panting and wandering around kept ME awake. I like silence while sleeping, I admit it. So if they're happy sleeping in their pens at night, I am certainly happy to let them have it. We might just leave the pen gate open so they can step out if they want, but we'll see how THAT goes another time. LOL

This makes perfect sense, and you're very smart to recognize that they like the security of their pen. I had a pen for Sprite in the kitchen until she was a year old. When I finally took it down thinking she didn't need it any more, she was upset! She kept looking for it. We have a variety of open crates scattered around the house and I'm always surprised that they're usually occupied. Sometimes, one will look cheesed because the crate is taken! Our idea of freedom and security is not necessarily the same as theirs!

 

[Calliesmom]

You're absolutely right. The boys have been pen sleepers literally from birth. And I'll be honest, the panting and wandering around kept ME awake. I like silence while sleeping, I admit it. So if they're happy sleeping in their pens at night, I am certainly happy to let them have it. We might just leave the pen gate open so they can step out if they want, but we'll see how THAT goes another time. LOL

Mine have all slept in crates from the time that they came home.
I will admit that I've started sleeping with a fan on to drown out noises...

 

[Piper's mom]

Lol I still have Blueberry’s crate in the bedroom even though she hasn’t slept in it for a couple weeks. When I work she’s in her Elsa pen in the living room and she’s quite content and I know she’s also happy in her crate. Whatever makes them happy!