[HappilyEvrAfter]

Oooookkk, I've done a bad thing and now I need to reverse it.

We recently rescued a dog (1yo) from the local humane socitey. Nice little dog, already potty trained, fits well into the family, yadda, yadda.

Well, I've been letting the little darling sleep at the foot of our bed since we brought it home. Now, this wouldn't be a problem except we've realized I'm allergic to dogs.

So, I started allergy shots and everything is fine in the house except that our dog HAS GOT to be gotten out of our bed because I wake up with terribly swollen eyes. My allergist HIGHLY recommended that I get the dog out of our bed.

I'm sure it won't be easy, but has anyone had success changing this kind of habit by instituting nighttime kenneling? Maybe starting out with the kennel by the bed?

Any advice?

TIA for anything you can provide...

 

[floss&ferd]

When our dog was 2.5, we got a new smaller bed, bedding, etc and decided to to change our sleeping arrangements. We just shut our door when we went to bed and our dog starting sleeping on the couch.

She whined at our door a little, but it wasn't traumatic.

 

[oneKnight]

I would put the crate in your room just for the first few nights, so that it feels safe to her. Then move it wherever once she's fairly comfortable.

Or just do like the pp. That's what we did with our cats, and they found someplace else to sleep.

If you do the crate thing you are deciding for the dog where it will sleep, which IMO is a good thing. Plus having a crate trained dog who is quiet in the crate is really nice if you have to stash him there for any other reason.

 

[mom0810]

You should be bathing the dog as much as possible to keep the dander and pollen out of the coat. Weekly (or more) is not too much.

 

[DogMomforNow]

I feel for you, I'm allergic as well and want nothing more than my dogs in the bed with me but it just can't happen (morning results = not pretty!!)

I'd start crate training this dog just like if it were a puppy. It might mean you don't get him out of your bed as fast, but it will mean a dog who enjoys the crate and sees it as a safe place. I'll outline what we did with our guy in case you haven't crate trained a puppy before.

Start slowly and gradually work up to closing the dog in the crate. Lots of treats when they go in (that crate is SO. AWESOME. it's always filled with yummy things to eat!) - no big deal when you open it up. Just open and walk away. Kongs worked wonders for us if your dog is food motivated (frozen with sweet potatoes, green beans, cooked carrots, peanut butter, etc. inside). Do not let the dog out when it whines, wait it out until he's quiet, then calmly open the door - walk away.

Nothing in the crate that can be destroyed until you see if your dog will chew stuff up in there (we started with a towel and then moved to a bed once we saw Jake had no interest in tearing up his bedding).

I also wipe Jake off with a damp paper towel/rag every now and then. He sheds a ton after I bathe him, so this works best for us to keep the dander under control. That and SO vacuums a lot!

Good luck!

 

[wahoowhippets]

My three girls and I all suffer from allergies as well...your dog can learn to like a crate...make it really inviting and comfy...we have several dogs all of whom sleep in crates out of the bedrooms...I will make an exception on occasion for a new puppy or new dog to sleep in the crate near the bed and then transition the dog to a crate elsewhere...the above posters have great ideas as well! Good luck!

 

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Oh, goody!! Thank you all for your replies!!!

You have no idea how much your advice helps... I was really feeling pitiful about this whole situation. I'm glad to hear it can be done...even if it will take some work.

We've been pretty good about bathing him often. It it were up to me, he'd have a nightly bath like my DS. Lol.

I may be back for some more suggestions as we get more into this, but THANKS SO FAR!!

:

:

ETA: I do have a question: he's a small dog (less than 25 pds)...do you think a smaller crate would make him feel more secure or is bigger better so he has more room?

 

[mom0810]

Depends on how long he'll be in there. My small dogs have the 24" long crate size, so it just depends. Mine are hardly crated unless they are traveling or at someone else's house.

 

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Well, really, the only time I need him crated is at night....just to keep him out of the bed and have a place of his own. No issues otherwise.

 

[mom0810]

I have small terriers, if the dog is about 15 lbs or so, the 24 inch crate is more than enough. If in doubt, go bigger rather than smaller.

 

[Happygal]

When the time is taken to properly crate train a dog, it becomes their favorite place. Mine is sleeping in hers while I write this! You can make it a game--have the dog sit by you and wait while you put a treat in there, then let it trot in when you say okay. Teaches both self-control and that the crate is a good place. My dog used to sneak up on the bed with me in the middle of the night, and I decided to break the habit. It only took a couple tosses off for her to get the picture. She actually sleeps in her dog bed across my room and loves it as well. Be careful not to wash your dog too often as it can dry their skin out. A really good brushing (I love my Furminator) can get out an amazing amount of fur. Give the dog a quick 1-2 minute daily brush.

 

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CvilleC A really good brushing (I love my Furminator) can get out an amazing amount of fur. Give the dog a quick 1-2 minute daily brush.

Yeah, I've GOT to get one of these! My friend had one for his german shepard/chow mix...I couldn't believe the amount of hair this thing got off of her!!

Expensive, but worth the money from what I saw!

 

[Happygal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappilyEvrAfter Yeah, I've GOT to get one of these! My friend had one for his german shepard/chow mix...I couldn't believe the amount of hair this thing got off of her!! Expensive, but worth the money from what I saw!

Oh yeah, totally worth the money. I have a German Shepherd who sheds constantly, and this helps. It is really rewarding to brush her and have all that fur come off.

How is the crating going at night?

 

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CvilleC Oh yeah, totally worth the money. I have a German Shepherd who sheds constantly, and this helps. It is really rewarding to brush her and have all that fur come off. How is the crating going at night?

It does help with the shedding. I was AMAZED at the amount of hair this thing got off even after a regular brushing...it was a whole nother dogs worth!! Lol.

Thanks for asking...we haven't started yet cause I'm waiting on a crate to come in the mail. We live in a really small town and our only source for crates is WalMart and I couldn't bring myself to buy on of those hard wire crates that were just so...um, cold.
I ordered one on-line thats a softer cloth and warm since I think one of the things he likes about being in the bed is snuggling for warmth (DS won't sleep at all if it's warm in the house).

::sigh:: So, couple more days until the Doggy Crate Training Boot Camp begins!! Lol.

 

[Happygal]

Thanks for asking...we haven't started yet cause I'm waiting on a crate to come in the mail. We live in a really small town and our only source for crates is WalMart and I couldn't bring myself to buy on of those hard wire crates that were just so...um, cold.
I ordered one on-line thats a softer cloth and warm since I think one of the things he likes about being in the bed is snuggling for warmth (DS won't sleep at all if it's warm in the house).

::sigh:: So, couple more days until the Doggy Crate Training Boot Camp begins!! Lol.

[/QUOTE]

I understand how you feel about the crate. When my dog was a puppy, I borrowed a wire one from my friend. I covered it with a light-weight blanket for aesthetics! She didn't seem to mind either way.

Will the crate be in the bedroom, or is the goal to have her completely out for the night? If she's staying in the bedroom, it might be worth it to see if you can get her to sleep on a comfy dog bed. If you haven't already, you can teach the command "go to your place" for her to get to her bed. Patricia McConnell (wonderful animal specialist) talked about how dogs innately know the bed is a prized place and that they learn quickly if they're not allowed to sleep with their owners. I certainly found this to be true!

 

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Hmmm, I tried a dog bed, but the only time he'll sleep on it is if it's on the back porch and we're gone.

That may be to my lack of patience to teach him to "go to his spot"...luckily my son knows this command well. LOL.

Patricia McConnell? Will check her out. This little guy will probably need some special training care. He's a bit....um...well...dopey. ::snicker::

Will see and will revist the dog bed training issue too.

Thanks!

 

[Ola_]

Wait, you got a cloth crate? Like one of those canvas ones?

 

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ola_ Wait, you got a cloth crate? Like one of those canvas ones?

I have this one ordered....

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3391782

It got really good reviews, so we'll see.

 

[Ola_]

Those are really handy - but for dogs that are crate-trained and don't chew. Definitely don't leave him unsupervised in it or it may end up an expensive chew toy.

 

[mom0810]

I was worried that you bought a canvas one. I would be VERY vigilant about this the first few weeks. It could get shredded and dogs that aren't used to crates can escape from them.

You should get a wire crate for training. You can put a soft bed in the crate so the dog has a soft surface to lay on. JBPET.com has all kinds of crates with matching crate pads to go in.