# Where should a GSD sleep?



## rcase

My GSD is four months old and loves to sleep in his kennel at night and during the day. I have had him for about a month, and my original plan was for him to sleep in his crate in the house at night. I have heard that it is a good idea for the dog to sleep in the house with the family. The whole thing was going fine until my wife started going to work at 5:30 AM!!! (Yes, there are two five-thirties!!! Who knew? )Of course, the pup hears her, wants to come out and wake everybody up. My two kids, 9 and 6, wake up and the whole thing goes down hill from there. 

Anyway, the pup is fine with sleeping in the kennel which is connected to the garage with a doggy door. He has an indoor secure place (the garage kennel) to sleep and likes it. Should I just let him sleep in the garage kennel? Or, is the crate in the house better?


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## cristofa

it depends if you want your dog to be a outdoor guard dog or if he has a long coat which he may prefer being outside were its cooler..


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## Stosh

We've done it both ways- our last shepherd hated being the house and she slept in the garage/laundry room but also had free access to outside, lots of times she preferred spending the night outside. We started both pups we have no in a crate by the bed- Uschi quickly wanted to move out to the garage but Stosh likes it inside. He has an open crate and free reign to the kitchen and landing - tiled areas- and has never been a problem. If yours is showing signs that he wants to be inside with everybody, have him do that. But if you're wanting him to continue sleeping in the garage from now on it doesn't seem fair to move him back and forth. Guess it all comes down to where do you want him to be in the long run. A lot of people will say that gsds should always be in the house with the rest of the family.


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## Stogey

I do both indoor and outdoor with DJ. I sometimes have to work nights and my son doesn't always crash at my place so DJ has a bed on the back patio for the night. Otherwise he has free roam of the house, my bedroom, my son's bedroom or on his rug in the living room. They do adjust, trust me ...


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## Jax08

Personally, I would buy a crate for him to sleep inside. Put it in a quiet room. I'm to paranoid to let a dog sleep outside, especially a puppy. People steal dogs. Puppies get into things. All those things run thru my mind until my stomach hurts. 

If you feel he is secure and can't get hurt or stolen in the garage kennel, well...he wouldn't be the first puppy to sleep in an outside kennel. I would definitely lock the doggy door at night.


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## Cluemanti

Why not have your wife take him out the crate, give him some time to stretch for a little bit, go outside, maybe even adjust your feeding schedule. Use the new schedule to your advantage. After put him back in the crate for a few more hours.


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## LaRen616

Jax08 said:


> *Personally, I would buy a crate for him to sleep inside. Put it in a quiet room. I'm to paranoid to let a dog sleep outside, especially a puppy. People steal dogs. Puppies get into things. All those things run thru my mind until my stomach hurts.*
> 
> If you feel he is secure and can't get hurt or stolen in the garage kennel, well...he wouldn't be the first puppy to sleep in an outside kennel. I would definitely lock the doggy door at night.


I completely agree 100% with this. That is what I think about and what I fear. I would never leave my puppy/dog unattended outside.


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## Stogey

I don't fear much someone stealing DJ. He's pretty protective of his territory and I don't think he'll allow anyone in the yard that doesn't belong there. On the other hand we do have coyotes in the area and the occasional pole cat that meander under the fence and through the yard.


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## cristofa

LaRen616 said:


> I completely agree 100% with this. That is what I think about and what I fear. I would never leave my puppy/dog unattended outside.


 
*I agree too!*


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## LaRen616

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/140344-warning-stolen-gsds-colo.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/current-dog-affairs/126517-stolen-dogs-resold-craigslist-etc.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/134152-someone-stole-my-gs-pup.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/131672-wow-i-just-got-scare.html


Does it still sound like a good idea to keep them outside unattended?


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## Jax08

He didn't say the puppy was left outside unattended overnight. He said he had a secure kennel in the garage that had a doggy door. There is a huge difference between the two. If the kennel is indeed secure and the doggy door can be locked then the puppy is safe.

My concern would be that German Shepherds are bred to be with their people. A puppy is going to feel much more secure inside with its people. My personal choice would be to buy a crate and keep it in a quiet room. You could even keep it in your bedroom since once your wife left the room he would settle back down. I put a sheet over Jax's crate to create a den when she was a puppy. She loved it.


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## Stosh

Maybe if your wife let him out while she's getting ready for work then putting him up sounds like a good idea- he can pee, get a little attention, they can have some 'alone' time, then he goes back for a nap. Once school starts and the kids are getting up early, the pup will be a little older, everyone's schedule will converge.


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## rcase

These are all good contributions. I have never thought about someone trying to steal him. I made the indoor garage kennel secure so that he can't get out and get hurt. One thing that worries me about keeping him in the bedroom is establishing a dominance problem. 

At this point, I restrict him to the tiled part of the house, which means he has to stay in the kitchen. My thinking is that it establishes boundaries and prevents a dominance problem. He is a male and seems to have a pretty strong/dominant personality, and I hate to take chances. Anyone else practice these kinds of boundaries?


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## Stosh

Yep- Stosh is only allowed on tiled surfaces, kitchen, laundry room, open tiled walkway [we have a sunken living room]. He has a crate that I leave open so he can sleep wherever he wants during the night. Usually starts out in the crate but ends up under the kitchen table. Our bedroom is right off of the kitchen and we leave the door open but he's not allowed in there, although when my husband's out of town he'll lie right across the doorway but still on the kitchen floor. He's been doing this since about 5 mos of age and we've never had any problems. I know how lucky I am!


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## mazza

cristofa said:


> it depends if you want your dog to be a outdoor guard dog or if he has a long coat which he may prefer being outside were its cooler..


But you can't have it both ways if you want him to be part of the family & take him out for walks etc without any problems, as guard dogs they become a whole different story, I have GSDs & Dobermans and they are all part of the family I feel guard dogs become too detached from other dogs as well as humans


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## Jax08

rcase said:


> ... One thing that worries me about keeping him in the bedroom is establishing a dominance problem.
> 
> At this point, I restrict him to the tiled part of the house, which means he has to stay in the kitchen. My thinking is that it establishes boundaries and prevents a dominance problem. He is a male and seems to have a pretty strong/dominant personality, and I hate to take chances. Anyone else practice these kinds of boundaries?


Where he sleeps will not cause a dominance problem. You allowing him certain behaviors, such as guarding his sleep area, will. 

You would be better off reading up on NILIF (nothing in life is free) training theory. You want him to interact with the family and if you only allow him in the kitchen then he can't interact. He's isolated. GSD's don't do well when isolated. He'll start entertaining himself. 

Some training methods think that allowing animals on the furniture put them on the same level as you so they think they are equal to you. I don't know if that is true. If we have problems with our three dogs then I make all of them stay off the furniture and that does seem to help.


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## Miss Molly May

Molly slept in her crate until 5mths and from then on in my bed King size bed have a **** of allot of room!!!!!

Never once slept outside


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## Cassidy's Mom

rcase said:


> One thing that worries me about keeping him in the bedroom is establishing a dominance problem.


Where does this idea come from? I'd heard that before, that you shouldn't let your dog sleep in your bedroom, but it's hogwash. Pack members sleep together, and your puppy is part of the pack. You don't have to allow him on your bed or your furniture but there's no reason he shouldn't be in the same room as you and many reasons why he SHOULD be.


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## bianca

Molly sleeps in her crate (inside), she is 9 months and I don't trust her to have free rein, shes trouble! She is not in my bedroom for a couple of reasons, the cats are elderly and sleep with me and there is no room in there due to my partner's wheelchair, hoist etc.


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## JakodaCD OA

I' admit it, mine sleep in my bed)))


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## Lilie

I have a 11 month old male. He can wonder anywhere he likes in the house. There is no place he is not allowed (Besides on the furniture with out being asked). However, he is always where ever we are. He has absolutely no dominance issues what so ever. At night, he sleeps in his kennel, in our bedroom. I can crawl into his kennel (It's getting my big butt out that is the problem). Even our mini doxie can go into his kennel.


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## Jax's Mom

Our house is 4 stories; our bedroom is on the 4th floor and the "dog room" is on the first level (which is ground level). I get up 2 hours earlier than my bf so in the morning I work my way down (getting lunch ready, email, etc.) and when I'm ready to leave for work I take the dogs outside as the last thing I do and put them back in their room. My bf sleeps for 2 more hours and does the same. This works pretty well for us


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## Lilie

Jax's Mom said:


> Our house is 4 stories; our bedroom is on the 4th floor and the "dog room" is on the first level (which is ground level). I get up 2 hours earlier than my bf so in the morning I work my way down (getting lunch ready, email, etc.) and when I'm ready to leave for work I take the dogs outside as the last thing I do and put them back in their room. My bf sleeps for 2 more hours and does the same. This works pretty well for us


OMG! 4 stories! I can't even keep up with one story. Can't imagine keeping up with 4! I'd start on the first...then take a nap on the second.....


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## VegasResident

sleeping crate in bedroom, daytime away crate in kitchen...when we are home, he can sleep anywhere in the main room where we are.


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## Ruthie

rcase said:


> These are all good contributions. I have never thought about someone trying to steal him. I made the indoor garage kennel secure so that he can't get out and get hurt. One thing that worries me about keeping him in the bedroom is establishing a dominance problem.
> 
> At this point, I restrict him to the tiled part of the house, which means he has to stay in the kitchen. My thinking is that it establishes boundaries and prevents a dominance problem. He is a male and seems to have a pretty strong/dominant personality, and I hate to take chances. Anyone else practice these kinds of boundaries?


I also would not leave a puppy outside over night. My dogs have always been number one for companionship. I want them to be with me all the time when I am home. But, I understand that other people have different viewpoints. As long as you are giving him plenty of time and attention during the day...

Having him sleep in your room will not cause dominance problems. I couldn't agree more with the poster who mentioned Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) philosophy. It helps the owner remember to lay down clear and understandable rules for the dog. For example: If you don't sit and wait, you don't eat. This makes a much bigger impact than where the dog sleeps or who eats first... 

When Bison gets pushy or "dominant" with me it is almost always because I have been inconsistent or lax with him. I tighten up on the NILIF and it works. Here are some other examples of NILIF.
- Sit before the door opens to go potty
- Lay down before getting a treat
- Relax for petting
- Sit to get the collar put on


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## rcase

After reading all of the comments, I am going to reconsider the garage sleeping area and possibly let him sleep in the bedroom. I am not worried about him getting enough attention. I work at home three days a week, at my office two days a week and home on weekends. He get lots of attention. I am more persuaded by the pack argument. It's true that pack animals sleep together, and that could be a good bonding experience for him rather than one that produces dominance.


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## JazzNScout

I have my puppy sleep either in her crate next to my side of the bed or loose in the bedroom with us. I find that this is good training for them re: when "we" get up. Yea, it's rough for a while, but eventually the puppy will catch on to your routine rather than you catching onto his/hers.

My husband gets up at 5:30. If the puppy wakes up (normally it's one of the other dogs that starts making noise and wakes the puppy because the older dogs right now are the PITA), I will put her out to go potty and bring her back in to go back to sleep for a little while.

Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. But in time we'll get the routine down.

*You're exactly right about the bonding!


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## VegasResident

Ruthie said:


> I also would not leave a puppy outside over night. My dogs have always been number one for companionship. I want them to be with me all the time when I am home. But, I understand that other people have different viewpoints. As long as you are giving him plenty of time and attention during the day...
> 
> Having him sleep in your room will not cause dominance problems. I couldn't agree more with the poster who mentioned Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) philosophy. It helps the owner remember to lay down clear and understandable rules for the dog. For example: If you don't sit and wait, you don't eat. This makes a much bigger impact than where the dog sleeps or who eats first...
> 
> When Bison gets pushy or "dominant" with me it is almost always because I have been inconsistent or lax with him. I tighten up on the NILIF and it works. Here are some other examples of NILIF.
> - Sit before the door opens to go potty
> - Lay down before getting a treat
> - Relax for petting
> - Sit to get the collar put on


Agree. We have my 8 week old in a crate in our bedroom. Whining does not get him out (unless we KNOW it is a pee whine). He settles down and we control when he gets out. He is on floor and we are on bed and he considers the bed to be the ubber place, rather than the bedroom, so he knows he is not the ranking pack person 

We use NILF for food and treats. Initially we even did food out of hand to ensure that he would not be dominant with food and also I give and hold bully sticks for him to chew.

Basically all the HIGH VALUE things are NILF...............................

PS: Has anyone seen my used to be really good sleep cycle???? I think it vanished about a week ago when the little guy came home!!!


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## ngarza

We have our 9 week old pup sleep in our bed along with our 5 month old Sheltie pup. It has worked fairly well so far, they both kinda lay at the end of the bed. I just had to rearrange my schedule some because I am the type of person that once I am up I am up. The pups need to go outside at around 6-630am so I get up with them to let them out. This has helped out with house training too, because I would get up and let them out then leave them to play downstairs while I get another hour or so of sleep. Well we woke up to some surprises downstairs when we did this.

The only thing we had to make sure is that the GSD wanted to sleep above my head on my pillow, which is fine when she is a 15-20lb puppy. Give it a couple months and it won't be pretty, so we had to let her know above the pillows are off limits.


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## kiya

All of my dogs have thier own beds in my bedroom. The puppy of course is still in the crate. My husband gets up at 4:30am and I don't have to get up until 5am. All the dogs know, there's no point in getting up with him, they have to wait for me anyway so they stay in the bedroom with me till my alarm goes off. At first I was worried the pup would get me up at 4:30, but she doesn't. Every morning when I wake she's just sitting there waiting for me to let her out.
There have been times that one of the older dogs might have been sleeping else where when hubby gets up, so he will close the bedroom door then the dog will get up and sit in front of the bedroom door and look at him till he lets them in. So now he makes them get in the bedroom when he gets up.


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## VegasResident

ngarza said:


> We have our 9 week old pup sleep in our bed along with our 5 month old Sheltie pup. It has worked fairly well so far, they both kinda lay at the end of the bed. I just had to rearrange my schedule some because I am the type of person that once I am up I am up. The pups need to go outside at around 6-630am so I get up with them to let them out. This has helped out with house training too, because I would get up and let them out then leave them to play downstairs while I get another hour or so of sleep. Well we woke up to some surprises downstairs when we did this.
> 
> The only thing we had to make sure is that the GSD wanted to sleep above my head on my pillow, which is fine when she is a 15-20lb puppy. Give it a couple months and it won't be pretty, so we had to let her know above the pillows are off limits.


Does he ever fall off the bed? How high is it? I am always afraid if I stick my pup on the bed even when doing something that he will tumble off to an orthopedic injury being that GSD pups roll and are well....clumsy


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## rcase

Last night, I put Rider's crate right next to the bed and it went great. He slept through the night and didn't go nuts when my wife woke up at 5:00am or when I did at 7:00. I am not sure how Rider felt about the whole thing, but I definitely felt better about having him sleep in the house rather than in the garage. The wife, who is new to the world of dogs, looked at me like I was crazy. Lol


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## Jax08

Yay!!!! See! He just wanted to be with you! 

btw...mine sleeps in bed. She especially likes the spot where I want to put my feet.


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## Courtney

My little guy (19 weeks) sleeps in a crate at the foot of our bed. All of the bedrooms in our house are in the same area. From his crate he knows where everyone is-and it keeps him calm. It appears even at this young age he knows we are a "pack".

We have a good rountine everyday which so far has kept harmony in the house with all of us!


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## Marissa

My boys have there own beds in my bedroom but they always end up in bed with me hehe..They are not allowed on any other furniture in the house and I have never had a problem with establishing dominancy


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## HarperGirl

Harper has a bed in our bedroom, but usually ends up sleeping in the bathroom where it's cooler. We get up at 5:30 for work, and OH does she know how to tell time. She wakes you up at 5:30 whether it's a work day, weekend, or day off.


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## ngarza

VegasResident said:


> Does he ever fall off the bed? How high is it? I am always afraid if I stick my pup on the bed even when doing something that he will tumble off to an orthopedic injury being that GSD pups roll and are well....clumsy


She fell off the bed once the first week its not very high maybe 2 feet at the most. She was fine and now she is mindful of where she is at. Though, she sleeps in between my fiancé and I, so when she rolls its into our legs.


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## aspen burton

rcase said:


> My GSD is four months old and loves to sleep in his kennel at night and during the day. I have had him for about a month, and my original plan was for him to sleep in his crate in the house at night. I have heard that it is a good idea for the dog to sleep in the house with the family. The whole thing was going fine until my wife started going to work at 5:30 AM!!! (Yes, there are two five-thirties!!! Who knew? )Of course, the pup hears her, wants to come out and wake everybody up. My two kids, 9 and 6, wake up and the whole thing goes down hill from there.
> 
> Anyway, the pup is fine with sleeping in the kennel which is connected to the garage with a doggy door. He has an indoor secure place (the garage kennel) to sleep and likes it. Should I just let him sleep in the garage kennel? Or, is the crate in the house better?


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## WNGD

10 year old thread. I think his pup is still sleeping in the bedroom


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