4 Tips for Teaching Your Dog to Sleep on His Bed

Having a pet is a big responsibility. Some owners would even say that this sort of responsibility can be almost as big as having a child. In both cases, you will have a creature that depends on you completely. Investing your best efforts into controlling the dog and preventing any unpleasant situations should be among your top priorities. Sometimes, this is much easier to say than to do.

Not only learning about how to control your pet is important, but it is also crucial to provide it with proper training. Your dog will know how to handle certain situations without your interference. It will certainly give you peace of mind. But for you to achieve that level, you would need to go through a lengthy process of covering all of these aspects.

So, be prepared to commit quite a lot of time to it. One of the most obvious parts, but certainly not the easiest one, is to teach your little friend how to sleep on his bed. It sounds like an easy thing to do but believe us, many owners had serious problems before they were able to do it. That’s why we would like to provide you with a couple of tips on how to do it properly.

1. Trickery

Since dogs can be quite stubborn sometimes, the owners should use some sort of trickery to help them understand why something is good for them. We feel that trickery is one of the most effective ways to develop a new habit properly. It means  that the owner will trick his dog into lying on the bed without it being aware of it. That way, your pet will feel all the comfort its bed can provide them with without too much effort.

However, the situation can get more challenging when the dog already has a habit of sleeping in your bed. But that doesn’t mean that you should change the approach. For instance, you can use your pet’s favorite blanket and put it on the bed you have decided upon. The dog will instinctually follow it. If you’re interested in taking a look at some of the unique blankets for dogs, check FunnyFuzzy.

2. Use Crates

We will all agree that dogs prefer to sleep in a cozy place, that doesn’t have too much free room than they need. Therefore, it is a good idea to use some sort of crate training. It means that you can limit their new bed with crates. The crate should be big enough for them to stand up, turn, and lie down, and nothing more than that. Naturally, measuring these to meet your pet’s size is a must.

The reason is quite simple, having too much space will not provide your pet with anything good. A good thing about this method is that you will not need to invest practically any effort into it. Your pet will notice something interesting and will want to try it. While we would agree that getting used to these conditions will require a couple of days, there are situations when just once the night is enough.

3. Patience is Key

As you can presume, dogs have their patterns, the same as people do. So, making them kick their old habits can be quite a challenge. Since you will need to invest a lot of time, maybe even a couple of nights, patience is a key factor that will make all the difference. It goes without saying that the chances of these nights being completely sleepless are high. Therefore, this is a stressful process.

After you finally make your dog sleep in a certain place, keeping the pattern under check should be your priority. Even the slightest of changes can ruin your efforts. You will need to start all over again. There’s something else we would like to talk about. Maybe you should think about practicing this during weekends when you will be much more flexible. In any case, remember to be patient.

4. The Reward System

Dogs have a simple way of functioning. They enjoy being rewarded when they have done something properly. Do not miss on rewarding them whenever they have earned it. There are just a couple of types of rewards we feel are important to point out, but all of them are equally effective. When the dog lies on its new bed, give it a gentle rubdown. You can be sure that this is a contact that can do wonders.

Since dogs adore having physical communication with their owners they will be happy to receive this sort of treatment. The next method we want to talk about is feeding them some of their favorite food when they earn it. It doesn’t matter if you perceive it as a reward since they will certainly have that perception, no matter the circumstances.

How to Calm Your Dog Before Sleep?

There are days when your pet will spend the majority of its day doing nothing. Naturally, this can turn into a real nightmare when you are about to prepare it for bed. They need to release all of their energy before they are calm enough to go to sleep. However, there are a couple of shortcuts to having a much easier time doing this. The first one is buying some sort of cuddle toy.

The pet will perceive it as its property and will feel relaxed when it has it in its possession. Next, think about including some sort of music into the mix. Some gentle music will tend the dog’s nerves and prepare it for a dreamland. The third one includes feeding it enough to get tired and going to sleep without too much hassle.

In Conclusion

Training a dog is not a walk in the park. That’s why you need to do it properly. In this article of ours, you can see how it is possible to teach your dog to sleep on his bed easily. We are certain you’ll find all of these tips equally successful.