You should know that training your dog where to sleep is a matter of your own expectations. Decide where you are comfortable having your dog sleep and stick to that spot.
- Inconsistent training is, in some ways, worse than no training at all. If you don´t care where the dog sleeps, you need to be consistent, and not scold your dog. If you want your dog to sleep in a specific place, that spot needs to always be your dog´s place to sleep. If your puppy comes home and is allowed to sleep on the bed or couch, why the heck would he go to a pet bed?
- Get your pet their own bed. Train them to use it. This will involve dedication and some treats as rewards for going to sleep in their own bed. Tone of voice is also your friend. Respond to whines and yaps with cuddles, and your dog will learn that whining and yapping will get them what they want.
- Crate training should be a process of getting your pup to see the crate as a safe retreat from the household, not a place to be isolated and punished. If your dog knows that the crate is their refuge, they will choose to sleep there. Be sure that children don't crawl into the crate. The crate is the dog's sanctuary, and they need to know this.
- Get your pet their own bed. Train them to use it. This will involve dedication and some treats as rewards for going to sleep in their own bed. Tone of voice is also your friend. Respond to whines and yaps with cuddles, and your dog will learn that whining and yapping will get them what they want.
Most pet psychology points to dogs needing their own retreat. Therefore, teaching them to sleep in their own spot is often a welcome gesture. On the other hand, teaching them that their sleep spot is where they´re sent when you are mad will make that place less desirable. Remind yourself that your behavior directly influences your pet's behavior. They will learn what you actually teach them, not what you think you're teaching them.
