# Sleeping Arrangement issues



## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

So, Captain is not a puppy but I wasn't sure where else to post this since it is about his behaviors.

Since I have had him, he won't sleep in my room. We are pretty bonded I think, he is a Velcro dog, and wants to be with me every second of the day. When I go upstairs to bed,he will come up and lay in his bed in my room. When I fall asleep he goes downstairs and sleeps down there. In the morning when he hears me waking up and the sheets rustling because I'm moving around, he will come upstairs and lay back in his bed in my room and pretend like he is sleeping. The only way he will sleep with me all night is if I close the door to my room. 

I'm used to my dogs sleeping with me in my room all night, so this kind of bugs me. Has anyone else had experience with is or have any idea why he is doing this? He only has a double pillow top memory foam dog bed, pretty much the best dog bed you can buy! And he won't even sleep in it over night. Argh.


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## crickets (Dec 19, 2014)

Hi, I don't know if it's unusual or not but my 2 year old does something similar. He starts out in my room, but sometime during the night he goes to the living room and sleeps across the front door. Sometimes he comes back before I get up, sometimes not. I just took it as he was making his rounds.

I do have to close my bedroom door if my daughter is going to be out late. She recently moved back in with me and Ivan isn't use to her comings and goings yet.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Lucky and Daisy wouldboth move around the housebut always be in my room when I was waking up. I think b/c they get overheated. Lucky would sleep sometimes on the love set in our living room or if hubby had fallen asleeep downstairs in the basement he would sleep at the top of the stairs kind of splitting the difference. I think sometimes the upstairs can just be a little to warm. Sounds like he wants to w/ you though.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Now you can't have it all. He is probably downstairs on guard and sleeping not to far from the door. Mine will patrol every now and then at night.


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## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

llombardo said:


> Now you can't have it all. He is probably downstairs on guard and sleeping not to far from the door. Mine will patrol every now and then at night.


If he actually was downstairs for the purpose of guarding you know I would be thrilled. Hahah. I've often wondered if he does this to guard the house but wasn't sure... Or if it is just that he prefers his crate downstairs to my bed upstairs?


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## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

I think it might be as suggested earlier, overheating... We may not be aware of the warmth a closed door and our heat with their heat (especially if the room is kept at room temp or above), but they have fur coats and a naturally higher temp then us... I sleep with my window open and the fan on through most of winter (I live in NE WA and yes we get snow and below freezing temps as normal). This year, we have had a very warm 'winter', if you can call it that.. My dogs have been overheated at 30 degree temps with the window open, no fan on, but my door closed.. I could feel the warmth in the room and turned the fan on.. They settled immediately (as did I)... Just a thought on trying a lower temp in your room and see if he is more comfortable...


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Doesn't sound unusual to me....my current shepherd lays down in the living room on the carpeting ( same spot ) right before I go to bed....I go out into the living room, lay down next to her...review the day with her, the ups and the downs...then she gets a belly whomper and a massage nose to tail and all legs in between. I tell her "good night" and go lay down. About 20 minutes later she jumps onto the bed in her spot and watches some TV with me for about 1/2 an hour and then gets off the bed and lays on the carpeted floor beside the bed and wall...which is right next to me. Then she will most always go to the front door and plop down in front of it on the wood floor and remain there until about 4 AM and then returns to her spot on the bed for another hour or so until she is let outside to take care of her business. We watch some morning TV in bed after that, she prefers the stock market channels.

In my opinion, I believe my dog prefers the longest portion of her night by the front door on the wooden floor as it is the coolest area and keeps her comfortable, so I always lay down a few big towels for her in that spot as well. I also wonder if it is also preferable for her as she knows this front door is where all people enter the house.....probably more the cool temperature.

I always enjoyed having my 3 GSDs over the years sleep on the bed if they choose but all 3 have rarely remained there the entire night....it might just be too warm for them ?????

SuperG


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## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

I had so much fun reading your post superG, your girl has her routine DOWN!  I think you could be right, it might be too hot for him, or guarding the house, or maybe he just likes his "space"?


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## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

I'm in my room now, and here is the little stinker laying on his bed no problem, next to me. Haha


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Geeze, finally the dame went to sleep, now the couch is MINE, ALL MINE, if I make sure to get rid of the evidence, I can have a beer and watch what I want on the telly. In the commercials, I can log into GermanShepherds.com and find out what she is saying about me, and malign her character if it isn't cool. Good thing she makes so much noise when she starts to wake up, I have plenty of time to throw out the popcorn and beer bottles and slither into that thing she calls my bed.


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## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

selzer said:


> Geeze, finally the dame went to sleep, now the couch is MINE, ALL MINE, if I make sure to get rid of the evidence, I can have a beer and watch what I want on the telly. In the commercials, I can log into GermanShepherds.com and find out what she is saying about me, and malign her character if it isn't cool. Good thing she makes so much noise when she starts to wake up, I have plenty of time to throw out the popcorn and beer bottles and slither into that thing she calls my bed.


Oh this gave me a good laugh!! Haha


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## DonnaKay (Jan 20, 2014)

About an hour before going to bed, I turn on my electric blanket and mattress pad and turn down the heat in the house. (I like the room cool but getting into a warm bed) Once I get into bed, I turn off both blanket and pad. Mystique will jump into bed with me but lately once I'm about to fall asleep, she jumps down and settles in the living room within view of my bed. After an hour or two, she's back in bed stretched out along side me. I think the bed it just too warm for her and once it cools off, she's back with me for the rest of the night.

I vote that Captain gets too warm, too. That looks like a real nice dog bed but I bet after he's laid there for a bit, it gets pretty warm to him. Sounds like even though he isn't sleeping in your room, he's still tuned into you since he comes back as your waking up. That's a good thing, too.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Ohhhhh...I forgot...never bought a dog bed or big "cushiony thingy" . My brother in law gave me one of his extras...my pup ..probably 4-5 months old dismantled it in short order. I see the advertisements with the dogs all peacefully sleeping in them but that's just Hollywood I guess.


SuperG


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

I, too, think that overheating might be the issue. My first dog, Max, and then Newlie would start the night up in bed with me, but then jump down when they got too hot. I keep my room pretty cool so there hasn't ever been an issue with them wanting to leave the room. Sometimes we forget that the same heavy coat that makes it possible for them to lie in the snow to relax means that they stay warmer than we do in the house. When we are comfortable, they probably feel a little warm.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

I have a weird dog... She is opposite of what everyone is saying. Because the bedroom is further away from the heat source (our pellet stove) it is cooler in our room. Our dog goes out and lays on the hearth stone in front of the stove. Sometimes when I get up and night and go pet her and her fur is hot to the touch. She loves the heat.


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## robrymond (Sep 7, 2014)

Our 8 month old will lie by the front door as well. He never used too but the older he has got, the more he slumps down in front of it. I believe there is a small draft under the door. Not only that he has dug the carpet up by the door so I guess he was too hot.

Just wait for Summer if he thinks its hot now! Our house gets very warm during summer. I also think he may be 'on guard' but I'm not sure on that. Do all dogs 'guard'?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

All of mine stay in close proximity of me. Some are right on top of me. They rotate and are usually not in the same spot they started in but they are not far from me.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

shepherdmom said:


> I have a weird dog... She is opposite of what everyone is saying. Because the bedroom is further away from the heat source (our pellet stove) it is cooler in our room. Our dog goes out and lays on the hearth stone in front of the stove. Sometimes when I get up and night and go pet her and her fur is hot to the touch. She loves the heat.


Tropical bloodline no doubt 


SuperG


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

If you "want" a dog to sleep with you...get a Boxer..problem solved! As for my GSD put me down in the dogs prefer to be in the living room at night camp!

Maybe it is the heat thing?? Sometimes in the dead of winter he will go outside and lay on the concret?? He'll stay out there until I notice he's not by my feet and call him in!

Very un Boxer like! Struddell would do a quick potty dash and back in the house before you could close the door! But Rocky has always been a... well the door is closed so I'll stay out here till whenever??

He used to sleep in the bedroom with us but, now he's decided the living room and the couch are fine by him!


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## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Yes, he possibly is over heating. It's odd... Last night I THINK he slept with me all night with door open...? Let's see what he does tonight? Hehe.


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