# Should I let him sleep in my room?



## vinnyb (Mar 22, 2010)

My 15 week old is housebroken and sleeps in his crate in the living room. Unfortunately the bedroom in my apartment is too small to accommodate his crate so he sleeps in a separate room. Now that he's housebroken I was wondering if its OK for me to let him sleep on his pillow on the bedroom floor (tethered to a leash). Or should I wait until he gets a little older? This is my first dog that is being crate trained. Any advice would be appreciated!


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Why not move his crate into your room? I'm sure your pup would appreciate sleeping next to his best friend and he'd still be safe in his crate instead of by himself in the living room.

If you ask me, 15 weeks is still a little young to not be in the crate at night especially if you're a deep sleeper. He could easily wake up and find things to get into and start chewing on while you're fast asleep. 

Just my $.02


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

By no stretch of the imagination would I leave a puppy that young unattended or tethered in my room. All of the things he could get into and destroy while you are sleeping just makes me shudder. If there is anyway you could either wedge his crate in your room or find a smaller one that he could fit in, then I would move him in your room. As it is right now, I would leave him where he is.


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## vinnyb (Mar 22, 2010)

Lucy Dog said:


> Why not move his crate into your room? I'm sure your pup would appreciate sleeping next to his best friend and he'd still be safe in his crate instead of by himself in the living room.
> 
> If you ask me, 15 weeks is still a little young to not be in the crate at night especially if you're a deep sleeper. He could easily wake up and find things to get into and start chewing on while you're fast asleep.
> 
> Just my $.02


Thanks for the feedback. The first couple of weeks after I got him, I was sleeping on the sofa until he got used to sleeping in his crate. He doesn't seem to mind sleeping alone, but I know he would prefer sleeping in my room. I just recently introduced him to the carpeted areas of the apartment. A coworker said they didn't let their dog sleep out of its crate until it was a year old. Just wondering at what age other owners introduced their dogs to sleeping out of their crate.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

vinnyb said:


> Just wondering at what age other owners introduced their dogs to sleeping out of their crate.


Just like people - every dog is different. Only you can be the judge of that since you know you're dog best, but I wouldn't even consider it before 6 months at the very earliest.

I think around the 8 month mark was when I started letting Lucy sleep where she wanted, in my room, but only in my room. I'm a very light sleeper, so everything wakes me up. The second she starts moving around, I know where she is. To my surprise, she's very good while I'm sleeping, but every dog is different.

A little off topic, but she's two years old now and even though she's very good when she's in my room, I will not even think about leaving her unattended in my house. She just gets into too much trouble. She's crated when i'm gone and when I'm home, I know where she is at all times. If I don't know where she is, she's either in the garbage or getting into some other kind of trouble.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I guess I will pull out "the picture" once again.. This is what a GSD puppy can do in 20 minutes - moved my bed 3 feet from the wall (playing tug) and ruined my boxspring (1 foot hole). ... Thanks to my sister forgetting to lock the crate door....










Stark started sleeping in my room with a baby gate locking him in uncrated at about 7 months old. I gave him short stints of being alone and once he proved he could do it without damaging anything we kept adding time until he was able to go a full 5 hours without getting into anything. Now at 1 year he is never crated unless he is eating or he decides to go sleep in his crate (or travelling), but he still sleeps in my room with a baby gate at the door blocking him in. This gives my cats peace at night.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I would put his crate by your bed, they feel better knowing your there. I attempted to leave Sinister out of his crate at 7 or 8 months of age and he felt that he needed to rip up my carpet. He did that while I was sleeping, we were in the same room 

He is 14 months old now and for the last month he has been sleeping uncrated in my bedroom with me and has not attempted to chew on anything.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

To you have a side table beside your bed with a clock and lamp? If you remove that from your room and replaced it with the crate, does it now fit? Doesn't have to be comfortable for you  just fit in the room. Can even put a board or cardboard on top to level it for your clock/lamp.

Generally good to continue with the crate for awhile. To set them up to succeed and continue to teach them to sleep thru the night. 

Some of my pups 'earn' their free nights around 6 months, some a year, some later! But they are usually all crated when alone during the day for longer cause I'm not there to oversee.


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

All dogs are different but I began leaving Willow out in my bedroom when she was about 4 months. The only problems I had is that she would get up REALLY early when she was younger and want to play and I once left the bathroom door open and she got in the trash. That was my fault though for forgetting to close the door. Willow is just over 8 months now and she does fine sleeping at night on her pillow. She is a pretty low-key dog though and has never been much of a chewer.


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## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

I'm also debating this. Cash is 13 weeks old and I have two crates for him. One upstairs in my bedroom and one downstairs in the living room. The bedroom one is somewhat small (30" high and about 34" long) so he will be outgrowing it soon. I don't want to move his large crate upstairs because its convenient where it is. I'm debating on just putting his bed/pillow upstairs and letting him sleep on that. 

I guess when I do it, I will just try it to see how it works. If I find he's chewing stuff or getting into any trouble we'll move the big crate upstairs...if he can handle it, great...then I don't have a problem.


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## KG K9 (Dec 8, 2009)

I started letting Deebo sleep outside at 4-5 months. Besides digging (which I believe is more my g/fs dog) he doesn't ruin anything.

I'm starting to let him sleep in my room on a big dog pillow now, with my door closed.

He will wimper around 5am when he wants to go out to use the bathroom. Otherwise he sleeps from 11p-5a pretty much. 

As far as your puppy...keep him crated.


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## StryderPup (May 16, 2009)

Well, I can't say that I have had the same experiences...Stryder was kept in a crate all day while we were at work so I did not crate him for sleeping. I did however bring him in our room and close the door and he slept on a pillow in the floor...then since we had two bedrooms joined by a bath in the middle, as he got older he got to go between the two rooms. He never once chewed on electrical cords or anything he was not supposed to chew on. I was very lucky, although he did manage to murder some Barbie dolls. I think the dolls had it coming though!


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