Have you ever noticed when dogs sleep on your bed, they usually lay right between your legs and put you in the most uncomfortable positions?  However, I  have to go on record saying that I love when my boarders sleep in our bed with us.  Of course they can’t all sleep on our bed – that’s why I have my two boys take some of the dogs.  They actually fight over which dog will get to sleep with them.

With that said, not all dogs are good candidates for sleeping on the human bed.

5 good reasons why Fido may not be welcome on the bed:

Excessive licking! I’ve been woken up by the wonderful sound (not) of a dog licking their paws or other areas!  Bigger dogs can even rock the bed back and forth.  Stress, boredom or a medical problem can lead to excessive licking.  Elicit the help of a professional dog behaviorist, vet or trainer that can help you with this problem.  Usually a good nudge will stop them.

My Sitter Wendy in Bed with Some Friends

Small Bladder – Some dogs can’t or won’t hold their bladder the entire night.  This too could be caused by a medical condition such as a Urinary Tract Infection/Bladder Infection. Also, young puppies have a hard time holding their bladder.  Either way, you can get up a couple times a night or a better idea would be to put them in a crate or enclosed in an area with a gate – preferably on tile and maybe with some pee pads.  Of course you’ll need a soft, comfortable dog bed for Fido to sleep on.

Nervous, fidgety or hyper behavior.  Sometimes when we get a new dog boarding with us, they can be nervous, and it’s hard for them to settle down.  They jump on and off the bed and roam aimlessly around the house.  Both of those actions make it hard for me to sleep especially if I don’t know what the dog is up to as they check out the house all night!  They usually calm down the second night, but a crate may be an option in this case also.  If your dog does this every night, he may not be getting enough exercise during the day.  Make sure they go to the dog park or get a nice, long walk everyday.

Old, Injury or weak hindquarters – When my late dog got older, she no longer could jump on the bed with us.  It was a sad transition for us and we really missed her being close.  Dog leg injuries or other medical conditions can also prevent them from jumping up and down on the bed or other furniture.  Please consult your vet in these situations.  Again, make the transition smoother by getting them proper bedding and put it close to you on the floor so they know your not too far away.

A typical night at my sitter Frank's house

Aggression towards you or your bed partner.  I’ve heard many stories about dogs that won’t let your spouse near you and will growl and/or try to bite.  According to Pat Miller, CPDT and training editor of the Whole Dog Journal, “Never punish your dog for growling.  Punishment is likely to make his behavior worse because your aggression will add to his stress”.  This doesn’t mean they are automatically banished from the bed, but you will need to bring in a professional that can help you counter condition this behavior.  Tread carefully on this one – you don’t want to make the situation worse.

So, if you do have kick Fido off the bed, please make sure you get them a good, comfortable dog bed that fits them properly.  If your dog likes to stretch out, buy a little bigger bed than needed.  I know money is tight these days, but this isn’t where your want to scrimp.  If you’ve ever slept on an uncomfortable bed, you know how important it is to sleep in comfort especially for those older or injured dogs.

Now go take a nap!

Chris L Wagner

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This is a story about a sweet, lovable 17 month old Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix named Henry.  He’s been to my house many times and has always been obedient (although he loves to eat tissue out of the garbage) and gets along with all the other dogs.

A Young Henry with Clayton

Before his last stay, his mom Kristen, told me that he got in a fight at the dog park which is very unusual and was humping a female dog until he was exhausted.  Kristen said it was as if he needed a cigarette afterwards he was so wiped out!   So I said that I would keep an extra eye out (I have three off them!) when we went to the dog park and make sure he didn’t get into any trouble.

She dropped him off and Henry got along with the other dogs and was playing and having a great time.  In the meantime, Kristen had sent me an article about puppy adolescence.

On the last day of his boarding, we went to the dog park as usual.  Nothing happened until Noodles the Pit/Mastiff mix came into the park.  It was as if the heaven’s opened up and Henry went like a laser beam to him.  From then on, Henry couldn’t think of anything else but Noodles rear end.  He followed him around like he was super glued to his bottom.  I tried calling  him to leave the poor dog alone, but he wouldn’t listen.  It was when his sniffing went a little farther (I won’t describe the details) that I had to put him on a leash to stop him.  Needless to say, Henry was the talk of the dog park that day.

Henry and Dylan Cuddling

When I got home, I read the article Kristen had given me and it described Henry to a tee.  This subject of dogs going into adolescence has come up several times with my clients.  I watch a Great Dane, Murphy, who has gone through a similar thing with dog aggression.

Adolescence can start anywhere from 6 months in smaller breeds to 3 years in large breeds. If your dog displays any of these dog behavior problems, nip them in the bud.  Start short, fun training sessions and don’t let them get away with the behavior because it can blossom into something much worse if not kept in check.

Murphy The Great Dane

If you think your dog might be going through the same thing, here are the signs to watch out for:

• Dog housetraining and good dog manners may start to slide.  Basic commands that were once known and obeyed are now of no interest to your dog.

• Your dog is much more interested sniffing not only other dogs rear ends like Henry, but urine, feces and other nasty smells that dogs just love to rub in.

• Aggression toward other dogs might start to kick in just when their jaws are getting stronger and socialization around other dogs and people may decline.  To keep them well socialized, go to different dog parks or go at different times so your dog can meet new dogs and new people.  This way he will stay confident in different situations and will be less likely to be insecure and snap at other dogs or people.

Keep your dog well exercised and praise him when he is doing the right thing.  This is not a time to become lax in your training.  When he comes out of it, you’ll have a happy well adjusted dog.

I know Henry will be fine because he has great parents that are very diligent in his training and behavior.  If you would like to read the article in its entirety, please go to Dog Adolescence.

I realize that all of these behaviors can be said about human teenagers.  If you’ve had a wild teenager that is now a normal, calm human being, you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Stay Strong!

Now go take the cigarette out of your dogs mouth.

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

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Learning to train your dogs can be a very frustrating and arduous tasks. One of the most frequent complaints I get from my pet sitting clients about their dog is that they can’t seem to stop them from jumping up on people. Nobody likes a jumping dog! If you have a cute little Shih Tzu it might be tolerable, but if you have an 80lb Lab, it’s not so nice especially if they jump on children. If they are continually jumping, it might be that you are inadvertently reinforcing the behavior.

Pat Miller, the training editor with The Whole Dog Journal, has 5 suggestions to help curb a jumping dog.

1. Interrupt. If your dog starts jumping on people, simply remove him from the situation. Just as you would put a child in “time out”. You could use a 4-6 inch tab on his collar (or cut up an old leash) for these situations.

What a good dog!

2. If you have a situation that you know will trigger his jumping, such as people coming over, put a leash on him before they come over. If you see that he’s going to jump, hold him back to prevent him getting the reinforcement he likes before the initial contact. You may also want to use gates, pens or crates. Be creative.

3. Educate your friends on how you would like them to behave to the dog jumping.

6 things for friends to know:

• Tell them to greet the dog before he jumps,
• turn and step away until he sits or has four paws on the ground, once this happens, you may greet the dog,
• Ask the dog to sit and pet him a lot so he knows that it’s better to sit and get some love, rather than jumping and getting scolded,
• If your dog is on a leash, back away until he sits and give him some love. If he keeps jumping up, stop the love and take another step back. Start the love again only if he sits.
• If you see that he’s going to jump, throw a toy in another direction before he jumps.
• Finally, walk away through a door or gate and keep your dog on the other side. You can bet he’s going to hate being away from you.

4. Train your dog when other people aren’t around. Reinforce the practices with your family members even if you have to use the leash to hold him back.

5. Finally apologize for your dog jumping on your friends. Sometimes when my clients pick their dog up right after work, they might have nylons or a nice suit on. You don’t want them jumping up and damaging or soiling someone’s clothes. Offer to pay for any damage if that happens to your friends.

Training your dog takes a lot of patience, but if you are consistent and reinforce good manners every time, your hard work will pay off.

Good luck and let me know how this works for you.

Chris Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

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