# Why wont kenya sleep on my bed?



## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

does this mean she doesnt really like me or something? she has her dog bed pretty close to my bed, and she loves it soo much and will lay on it and lay in the sunshine, its really not an amazing dog bed, just a giant pillow but she appreciates it soo much since we got it for her the day she came home, sometimes she sleeps on the floor next to my bed but she will not jump on the bed, and if i put her up there she will lay down for a second and then jump off









lol i dont want to sound like im complaining but i want some doggy cuddles! 

its a small bed, but theres still lots of space for her. 

any1 have this problem? 

if she doesnt want to be on my bed, lol im fine with it.. ill survive. but does that mean anything? like she has trust issues or something? 
i dont think shes ever been on a bed by the way, she was kept in a concrete kennel run so i can see why the pillow is like WOOOW but still.. my bed is more comfy than that


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Maybe she doesn't like being higher than the floor? I'd guess it's that (Or maybe she wasn't allowed on the bed prior to going to your home and therefore thinks she'll get in trouble if she gets on the bed?) more than her not liking you.


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## rainydaygoods (Oct 13, 2008)

Aw, in reading this, I can't help but think of how sweet having her own bed and so much love must be for Kenya - how special. She's lucky to have you.









I don't know about trust issues - my Charlie actually isn't allowed up on our bed (couch yes, bed no). He doesn't try to get up there - but he does like to lay close to us (like Kenya does) near the bed. Maybe it's just hot next to you?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

It may be too warm. I know my dogs start out there sometimes, but hit the floor eventually. Unless a thunderstorm is going on, then it is a mass of GSD's crowding us!
I agree, Kenya is one beautiful, lucky dog!!!!


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I find temperature has a lot to do with it. Argos likes to snuggle really close if it's cold in the house...but if it's warm he's gone to the floor or the tile in the bathroom where he can really stretch out. Actually if it's really warm he doesn't even like to be upstairs...he likes to go down to the kitchen. 

Also I think there is a certain amount of respect involved. We never taught him any rules about being in bed...but he almost always stays at the foot, only comes up closer if we call him...and a lot of times when we turn out the light he gets off and goes to the floor.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Cody is kind of like that too except when he chooses to sleep on the floor, he chooses to sleep on the hard ground. Cody has always been allowed on my bed and after an hour, he'll choose to lay on the floor by my door. I have carpet but with his arthritis, I wouldn't think that would be comfy, but he chooses to lay there. I even invite him to come back up and he'll walk up the stairs, I bought him a while back to get up on my bed easier, and lay down curled around my feet, and then minutes later he'll go back by the door and lay down. He started doing this when Isa was allowed to lay on my bed when she was old enough to sleep out all night and not chew anything. I don't know if it's because of that or something else. My bed is a queen so there's plenty of room for all of us, heck I got 5 people and my two dogs to fit on the bed when I had my sleepover. _Of course it was only to watch movies, not to sleep on._

I'm no expert but maybe she likes sleeping on the floor, maybe something happened when you weren't there. It's nice to snuggle with our dogs but not all dogs like that. Maybe it did have something to do with being in a kennel and that's all she knows, who knows. Hopefully one day she'll like to snuggle with you in your bed.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my dog was never a cuddle bear. at 9 weeks old i use to lay on the sofa and put my puppy on my stomach. he would stay there for a minute and then he wanted down. we would put him on the bed with us and he would stay there for a minute then he wanted down. i remember once when he was 4 or 5 months i put him on the bed and turned out all of the lights. he stayed there a few minutes. he slid off of the bed and went to the living room to his crate, in the dark. we laughed but i wasn't feeling that great about it.

now our boy is 19 months old. now i can call him and he'll jump on the sofa and stretch out for some rubs. i can call him and he'll jump on the bed. he's never there when we wake up. he's either at the foot of the bed on the floor on his bed or on my GF side of the bed on the floor. i throw clothes or towels on the floor on my GF side of the bed because i don't want him laying on the bare floor. he needs some bedding. 

from 9 weeks old to 17 months old my wasn't a cuddle bear. rarely will my dog jump on the sofa or bed without being called there. don't feel bad. not all of our Sheps are cuddle bears. they still love us and we're part of there pack.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

My Kenya won't sleep on my bed either. Coke will for a while, but then gets off and sleeps on the cold, hardwood floor! Neither of my dogs would even come up on the bed for a long while after I got them.


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## GSDLVR76 (Aug 6, 2007)

Shilo won't sleep in the bed either, she will come up for some cuddles but is on the floor in less than 5 minutes because she gets hot.


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## TerriB (Apr 3, 2007)

Ruger slept in his crate until he was 9 months old. When we started letting him sleep out of his crate, he chose to sleep under the bed (high log bed). I think he was too used to the cozy crate feeling. After several months of this he decided to try the bed. Now he is almost 3 and he stays on the bed all night, every night. In the morning he moves up to the top, flips on his back and waits for tummy rubs. So maybe it will just take time. It took me a long time to adjust to not having a cuddly dog! Now I have to settle for the morning tummy rubs. He is still not super cuddly any other time.
Don't take it personally!


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## huberm41 (Aug 31, 2006)

Patty -- starts on my bed and then 15-20 mins later she is off to the couch or her cage. 

Here are my thinkings of why Patty will not sleep all night in the bed
*She wants to see what is going on or who might come downstairs - she is very protective (never aggressive) just wants to be aware of her surronding
*It is cooler out in the family room on the couch or by her cage
* and in the AM I am so spread out on my bed that sometimes she will just come lay by my bed, not because she wants to but because she wants to be let out
* During the day non sleep time and I am on my bed watching television she will hop right up and watch TV or sleep while I am watching TV.
* Patty is a velcro dog and the only time she willingly leaves me is bedtime


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

I love my dogs to death but they are NOT allowed on furniture of any kind. Particularly my bed. That is one place I refuse to have to need to clean dog hair from. There are nights I just would LOVE to say "come'on up!" and cuddle w/me, but I know that I do it once, they'll want it every time. Those times ARE really hard for me, but I resist. No. Not happening.

It's my understanding that for some dogs this can lead to more issues with dominance and control and my male is quite dominant enough. I have my hands full as it is. So, this is another reason I will not allow them on furniture. MY furniture, period.

They have some VERY CUSHY pillows of their own to sleep on.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

Chimo RARELY sleeps in my bed with me. He is always welcome and he knows it. He DOES sleep with me when I am really sick. Not the just feeling blechy calling off work, sick. But the can barely walk to the bathroom, no way in the world can I drive to work, knocked down dragged out SICK (has only happened 2 times in 10+ years with Chimo). Both times he slept RIGHT against me in bed. He will also sleep with me when it is downright frigid or if he doesn't feel 100%. Like Sun night when he was just acting "off" and I suspect he is the one that found the chocolate candy. Of course I didnt find the candy wrapper until the next morning so I worried about him all night.









Chimo was raised in a kennel from 8 weeks to 1 year (not of my choosing). His first b-day present was to move into my house.


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## KohleePiper (Jun 13, 2007)

Neither my Kohlee (the Belgian) or Diesel will sleep on our bed. They'll come up for hugs/kisses but they are roasted in 5 minutes and jump off. The both lay at the foot of our bed directly under the fan. It's just something about the heat and living in FL.

Now my Piper on the other hand.... hates being cold and will snuggle up on anything. I found her in the laundry basket on top of dirty clothes this morning... I didn't know it was gonna be cold again!


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## flyinghayden (Oct 7, 2005)

Hannah is a hopeless cuddlebug, but if it is too warm, she also prefers to floor, but like now, where it is -40F and it is not overly warm in our RV, she is up on the bed every night. My old GSD Maxie was not a real affectionate dog, but you can see from my avatar that we did cherish our close times together. I agree with everybody else, it is just too warm for her.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Vishnu would never sleep in bed either. Occasionally when he was in the mood, he'd jump up for about 10 min and cuddle/get rubbed then he'd hop down and lay in the floor. Duchess and Oxana, bed hogs all the way. Duchess has her spot, Oxana starts off in one spot, but by the time I wake up, she's flat up against me. One night I had Duchess against my back, Oxana at my feet, and the cat in front of me. Had NO WHERE to move, so some days it's nice not to have animals in the bed, lol.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Every dog is different. Risa isn't much of a cuddler but she LOVES my bed. It's her favorite place ever. Since it's winter, she's up there with me through the entire night. But, once summer comes and it's a bit warmer, I'll probably find her dozing on the floor come morning. It's up to her if she wants to sleep in my bed or not. Though she does have to wait for permission to hop onto it and is required to leave when I ask.

I wouldn't worry about it. Kenya may later decide that she wants to join you in the bed. Or she may not.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

My dogs won't sleep on my bed unless they are scared (storm, or in motel rooms). But they jump up at 6 am to snuggle until I wake up. I think they don't want me kicking them in my sleep.









Doerak was a "rescue" (sort of), and he would not be on my bed or the couch if I was up there. When I was away you bet. 

I remember the first day I figured this out. I forgot something on my way to work and came back home 10 minutes later. Doerak was curled up on the sofa and he lifted his sleepy head to say, "What are you doing here?", but didn't move.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Anna's on the bed with us every night. I'm so glad I got a down comforter and a duvet because I can wash it! 

I love having the pup on the bed with us, and when Mike works (every third day) it's just her and me in the bed! I love having her to cuddle with!


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## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

Link just turned a year the beginning of December. At first he was sleeping in bed when I would go to bed early and my hubby would come later and then my hubby would put Link in his crate. Once Christmas holidays started Link was allowed to stay all night. He never gets off the bed until morning, we leave a ceiling fan going all night so he doesn't get too warm I am curious to see what happens in the summer, we do have air conditioning so maybe he will stay all night then too. I love having him in the bed, the shocker is that my husband does too!!


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## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

Didn't you rescue her? Perhaps her old owner didn't let her on furniture?

Brenna is the same way. She's funny, when I'm in bed on the computer (laptop) she will sleep at the foot of the bed for hours, but when I lay down to sleep she jumps down. haha

The only time she has stayed in bed with me for a whole night was when we stayed in a hotel with a king size bed and she was way at the other end.


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## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

Phoenix will snuggle with me on the bed until I turn out the lights...then he'll jump down and sleep on his bed. His choice, not mine. Even with my house at 58 degrees he will not sleep on the bed with me.

HOWEVER, I found out he sleeps on the bed when I am at work during the day. Came home early one day and snuck into the house. Just as I was nearing the hallway, I heard the telltale thump of someone jumping off the bed and as Phoenix was coming out of the bedroom, he spied me at the end of the hallway. Immediately his ears went back and the tail did the rapid wag thing like "oh crap, snagged". It had me laughing...he loves my bed, just not with me in it.

On an aside, when we visit my parents, he will sleep with them in their bed. Go figure...


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## ninhar (Mar 22, 2003)

When Sheba was still capable of jumping on my bed, she would jump on it in the morning once I was up and she would also jump on it at night while I was getting ready for bed. She would even stay on the bed when I got in it, but once I turned out the light, she would jump off. Her choice, not mine. 

I adopted her when she was 4, so I can only assume that sleeping on the bed wasn't allowed in her other home.


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## gmcenroe (Oct 23, 2007)

Around 9PM almost like clockwork Juli will signal she wants to go upstairs, lurking at the stairs looking at me as to say come on Dad its time to go upstairs. Once upstairs her routine is to jump up on the bed. She usually falls asleep pretty quickly but when she wakes up in about 40 minutes she sits up, looks at me and then jumps down to go in her crate. I think she likes sleeping in there better than on the bed. If she doesn't go in her crate she heads down a hallway off the bedroom toward the office where it is dark and lies down next to the office door. She would probably sleep there if I let her.

Glenn


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## new_wind (Oct 24, 2008)

Savanna have the same problem, now I need to keep watching my bed before go to sleep, If I turn my head for a minute my Savanna will jump on the bed happily waiting for me, since the back yard grass is destroyed and she is always rolling there is not a good thing to find out my bed covered with dirt.

You can try to play with her favorite toy from the bed, make her try to catch it when she find herself over the bed don’t make it a big deal of it, don’t try to hug or pull her to you, just keep playing, if she goes down let her go and try next night, this took me 3 nights, the 4th night she was waiting for me by herself.


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## jake (Sep 11, 2004)

I also wondered why my Jake chooses NOT to sleep with me although welcome.I think he chooses to sleep in his own bed (people bed spare room never used-in front of house)because it is close to action -my bedroom isolated in back of house,Also and maybe more the reason -when he very occasionally gets up on bed with me the first time I twitch or turn over he snorts and leaves-maybe needs totally quiet atmosphere to really relax??


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## novarobin (Oct 4, 2007)

Kaper has never been one for sleeping on the bed. Before Chatham and I moved in, he was always welcome by DH but rarely did. If he did, he didnt stay long. When Chat and I came along, neither are allowed to sleep on the bed when both of us are home. When one is working (we both work backshifts at times), they are allowed and know it. He has become much more affectionate since Chatham and I moved in and will sleep on the bed more often, but usually doesnt' stay long. 
Even Chatham who wants to be on my lap or curled up with me every minute of the day doesn't always sleep in the bed. If I leave the bedroom door open, he will often sleep downstairs. 
Hary is crated at night so I don't know what he would do. 
There is no doubt in my mind that my dogs love and trust me. I think it is just a comfort thing. Plus, Kaper has space issues, he does not like to be crowded.


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## sprzybyl (May 15, 2008)

Riley will occassionally fall asleep for about an hour on our bed, but most time she jumps down after 15 minutes (or upon waking up after a short nap). 

she has plenty of softies to lay on, but she always chooses either the floor (next to the dog bed, of course) or her crate (which has no pillow or blanket in it). 

sometimes she tries to squeeze in between the wall and her bed (instead of just laying on it!)


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## Redbug (Dec 18, 2007)

Don't feel too bad about your shep not sleeping on the bed. They're BED HOGS...and you can't get much sleep with a BED HOG!! A BED HOG starts out with a small area and before you know it...you are squeezed wayyyy off on one edge while the BED HOG sleeps comfortably in the middle. BED HOGS don't like giving up bed area they have conquered while you have been asleep.


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## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

Warning: BED HOGS also come disguised in the form of beagles. This species of BED HOGS is much easier to eradicate, so long as you don't look at their sad, pitiful faces.


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## Redbug (Dec 18, 2007)

PS...and some kitty's are BED HOGS too! Sammy Cat only weighs about 10 pounds but that equals 80 pounds of the BED HOG named Palmetto Pal the shepherd.


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## dhonner (Nov 27, 2007)

We ask ourselves the same question about Samson. When we first brought him home, he just slept in his crate and on the floor. After a while, as we bonded as a group, he was allowed on one part of the leather sofa, on his own blanket. He is now allowed to pick which of the two leather sofas with his own blankets. (This is called 'creep')









He has a Kurunda bed too. He sleeps on our bed during the day but at night, when we go to bed, he has NO interest in being on the bed with us. At 100 lbs, we figure that's ok. 

What was even funnier for us is that we had a friend's niece (in college) come stay with us for a weekend. Samson LOVES her and follows her everywhere. In fact, when she went to bed, he did too and slept the whole night with her on the guest bed. Go figure.


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## jake (Sep 11, 2004)

I had a shepherd husky cross a while back that was ultimate bed-hog.He would snuggle up his back to your back like an angel who wanted to keep you warm and then at some point would roll over and stiff leg you out of his way.Only wound up on floor once since I was sleeping in double bed.


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## jdumbrigue (Jun 1, 2008)

Redbug is so on the mark it isn't funny. GSD = Bed Hog, if they decide they like your bed better than what they normally sleep on. Hootie, a 80lb male I had years ago, would crawl into my bed after I was asleep and by morning I would be sleeping on about 8" inches of queen sized bed. Be careful, what you wish for


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