Should I chance it yet?

[Hi From NZ]

Bruce appears to have kicked the last remaining middle-of-the-night pee and will now sleep from 10.30pm-ish until 5.30am (not a minute earlier or later!). I have never seen so many sunrises in my entire life :p

He's taken to the bean bag in my son's room BIG TIME. I feel like such a louse dragging him off that when it's 'official bedtime' and putting him into his crate, especially considering he may have been on the bean bag for a couple of hours by that stage and got himself snuggled in right down to the last bean . I suppose only trial and error will tell me, but does anyone have the experience to share of ditching the crate at night for a young-ish pup and letting them sleep where they've wanted to sleep? I get the feeling he wouldn't move a whisker all night if I let him sleep in the bean bag!

 

[daizysmom]

Daizys routine sounds very much like Bruce's. About 2 weeks ago we arranged the bedroom so she could get in her crate or sleep on a pillow outside of it. She had about a 4ft square area to rest in and to get out of this area she had to climb over the bed, which is fairly high. After a week of perfect behavior we moved again and this time she has access to the entire bedroom. The slow progression has worked like a dream at our house with only one problem....this morning DH and I woke up to Daizy UNDER the covers BETWEEN us!

 

[AbbeyRoad]

We started letting sleep in our room at night partially so she had more out of crate time and partially because we just liked it. She does really well, but I thinkthat is mostly because the first thing she does when she gets up is stretch and shake, as soon as I hear those ears flapping my motherly instinct kicks in and I'm up and out of bed. To the point that one night I found myself about to take her outside in just my underwear & a T-shirt...the neighbors would have liked that...
My husband on the other hand will sleep through anything so in the beginning I wouldn't have let her sleep in there if he was the only one around to hear her get up. I'd say it is worth trying but start by keeping him in an area where you will hear him when he gets up just in case.
Good luck!

 

[RunningOra]

Bruce and Sasha are so similar! I was just starting to think about this exact same thing a few days ago...Sasha sleeps from 11ish till 6-7ish every night, and I'm considering ditching the crate and giving her a basket with pillows/blankets etc. The crate is currently in the corner of our lounge, next to our bedroom door, and I also hear her when her ears flop/she does her funny whiney-yawn that says MUM i'm AWAKKKEEEE!

 

[dieselicious]

Diesel has always been spoiled and allowed to sleep with us for me it was more of a comfort thing than anything...my boyfriend worked nights and i didnt like to be alone....but anyway he has always been fine we have just kept out bedroom door closed so if he does get up he cant sneak out into the rest of the house and do any damage. but i think if you start a slow progression he will probabaly like to be closer with you guys anyway....good luck

 

[LILYLARUE]

I agree with the other's methods ~ slow and careful. Give the little one just enough room to come out and lay or back in and sleep. Then Slowly make that area bigger. Over the next few weeks, he will learn to not be so overwelmed with new stimuli and will calm down wherever he is.


On the bed is always my favorite place for my gassy beaner to be. And it only took her 3 weeks to earn her place there. She only gets kicked off when the occassional second wind kicks in at 3am. and she feels the need to do multiple rounds of bed burns and chew her bone so hard it shakes the bed.

 

[HL Hendrix]

From the first night we got Hendrix, he has slept in his crate with no problems what so ever. For the first 2 weeks, we were getting up at 3:30 am to get him up to go outside. He would do his business and come back in and go right back into his crate to go back to sleep. We took the chance at his 11 week stage to let him go through the night as he looked more annoyed then pleased about getting up at that hour to go. He has not had a accident during the night except for when he had a mild bladder infection since.

Hendrix will be 14 weeks on Monday, and he is going threw the night no problem and is going to the door whenever he needs to eliminate.

By what I am reading, I think we may have lucked out. However, we still have not let our guard down well he is roaming around the house and we will not until he at least 6-7 months.

Hope this helps as I wish you, and everyone housebreaking, a full nights rest.

 

[PaulaAZ]

I'd try it...

With Gabby ... I just kinda blocked her in to the area next to my bed. I too, could hear her when she woke up by the shaking and stretching and I'd jump up and take her out. Maybe you could move the bean bag chair into your room and block him in an area or put a long leash on him and attach it to the nightstand or something. That's what I do with my new rescue boy who is about a year and a half and not quite housetrained yet. I put him on a long leash so he has plenty of room to stretch out and move around on his bed and that way I don't have any middle of the night roaming of the house. I don't think he'd leave anyway as once he's settled in..he settled in but I just don't want to chance it quite yet... baby steps, ya know?

 

[Hi From NZ]

I've just made a comment on another thread ("Crating Question?") about the fact I did let Bruce sleep outside of his crate at night and he was perfectly fine (apart from the night he threw up on my bedroom rug, ewwww) but I've made the decision to continue to crate him for sleeping.

Reckon I've struck a happy compromise though - I put the bean bag IN the crate! Bruce is most impressed!

 

[Box Boys]

I let Buster out of his crate at night time when he was young - probably 2.5 months old and started letting him sleep in my bed with me. He usually drifts off for the night around 10:30 and he's where ever I am. I let him outside to pee then we're off to bed whenever I go to bed. I usually leave my door open now too and he doesn't get off the bed whatsoever.

You must have a really big crate for Bruce or a small bean bag. How do you possible fit that into his crate?