Where does your dog sleep?

[kissmelittleass]

Getting a rescue dog this week our first time to have a dog and wondering where you all let your dogs sleep? And if you enclose the dog in a playpen?
I only know one dog owner and she uses a type of playpen with the dogs bed in the middle and shuts the dog in at night time, the dog sleeps in a spare room downstairs .
Do any of you use playpens at night to stop the dogs wondering about?

As puppies until around 5-6 months mine have slept in a crate. Once they could be trusted not to toilet in the house or chew things basically. Now they sleep in the dining room and lounge. They have 2 dog beds, choice of 3 sofas or the floor for 2 dogs.

Ours sleep in the kitchen with a stair gate across the door. Be aware that a rescue dog will have its own sleeping habits that you may have to stick with, at least initially

Upside down on the sofa he is not allowed to sleep on! He was crated until he turned about 6 months then he was allowed to have free roam downstairs when we went to bed, he has always slept well and never been destructive overnight (or when left home alone)

We lost our rescue dog (retired greyhound) last week but she at first slept downstairs in our hall but with the doors open between us. Closed doors made her upset so in 8 years we never shut a door in our house! No crate etc just free reign. She wanted company but was scared of stairs. After two years she mastered the stairs and slept in our bedroom by the foot of the bed. Even when we had a baby. I miss the little sighs and shuffles so much. She was no bother to have in with us and as she got elderly it was essential so we could know when she needed to be let out for a wee.

I've had a fair few rescue dogs over the years. They've always slept downstairs in the kitchen or hallway apart from one and she slept at the top of the stairs outside the bedroom door (I think she had been very indulged in her previous life as she would try and get in or on my bed for snuggles at any opportunity, bless her). I've never crated any of them but they've always had their own quiet space away from the rest of the family if they've wanted it. I currently have two rescues, one sleeps in the kitchen and ignores her bed preferring the hard floor (she has been kennelled for a long time so I presume she's got used to it there) and the other sleeps in the lounge but only because she's too old to jump up onto the sofas (at least that's what she pretends when I'm around 😉).

The main thing I think is to provide a quiet comfortable space that they know is theirs if they want it but in reality you will probably find they will sleep just about anywhere.

In the bed under the duvet

On the sofa

Mostly on his bed in our bedroom. Until about 5am when he sneaks onto the bed for his morning cuddles. He slept downstairs when we first got him, lasted about a week

Hallway in large crate. I will stop the crate soon as it's large and take loads of space. He is 9 months.

Our old GSD slept in the kitchen on her huge bed at first, then she started having seizures, not fully controlled by meds, so she slept next to my side of the bed, so we could keep an eye on her

On the floor next to my bed or next to me first thing in the morning

@cupsofcoffee

In the bed under the duvet

Yep, here too. She starts at the bottom of the bed on top of the covers. Then once we get into bed and turn off the light she sneaks up the bed and goes headfirst under the covers to sleep on our feet. Rinse and repeat a couple of times through the night unless it’s hot in which case she stays on top of the covers at the end of the bed.

One of our dogs sleeps in our bed, the other on the floor beside the bed.

Jack Russells not rotweillers

We have a crate on the landing. The dogs only use it when the children are at their dads. Otherwise somehow it's happened that the dogs are in with them (2 dogs, 4 children in the house, the lucky dogs seem to move around each night). They all seem to sleep well together.

Basket, kitchen.

We have always had ours in the bedroom. Small one at bottom of bed. Big one in own bed on the floor. I find it comforting and miss it if I'm away..

Our dog has the option of dog bed or human bed.
He isn't crated or in a playpen.

We have a large breed rescue and I agree with PP your dog may well dictate sleeping patterns depending on what they’re used to. Do you know much about about their background?
Ours had been treated terribly and consequently is scared of EVERYTHING. The tv room is his safe space so he likes to sleep there - it’s his choice.
Please be conscious that you don’t know what their triggers / reactions will be so I would be hesitant to have a large dog sleep with you until you really really know them.

I think it really depends on the dog. What is the age and the history? When we got ours, we originally wanted her to sleep in the living room, so we tried that but we slept on the sofa ourselves for a few weeks to help her feel settled in a new place with new people. If it was up to her, she would sleep in our room with us, and if your rescue has issues, that may be the way to go. Ours now sleeps in the study with our other dog, we shut the doors of the other rooms at night so that there's no concerns re barking or chewing, although after 6 months she is a lot more settled. Our other dog was happy to be crate trained but this one was not so keen, so we don't use it much. Good luck, enjoy your new dog!

They both have beds in our room, and switch between their own beds, the floor and our bed, on/under duvet. They’re both small dogs.

He was crated downstairs until about 8 months, now he sleeps in a dog bed in the kitchen/dining room. He's not allowed upstairs.

During the day, on the couch in the kitchen - despite having any number of dog beds and blankets. At night in his crate (open) in the utility

The plan for ours was for him to sleep downstairs. That was 9 years ago and he has been sleeping in the bedroom in a crate ever since. Our bedroom is tiny and I have to practically jump over the crate to get into bed and I spend the whole night waking up at every snort, snore, squeak or stratch.

We have no choice because he has severe IBD and allergies, he can be okay for weeks and then his kibble looks at him wrong and he has diarrhea and pukes all night for 3 months and has to be let out multiple time a night. He also has breathing difficulties due to allergies and a collapsing trachea so I have to make sure I wake up to help him when he starts gasping for air.

My point is, whatever your plan for the puppy is, make sure you have a backup plan for a sick and needy dog. It'll save you a lot of hassle if you already have a space planned out. I hope ofc that your dog will never be chronically ill, but even the healthiest dog will likely have a couple of weeks of severe diarrhea at one point and you dont want him across the house where you don't see him or hear him when that happens.

On our bed at our feet, on the floor next to me, on DS' bed, on the floor next to DS. On the sofa. On the rug by the front windows.

We got her as a rescue at 11mo and let her have the run of downstairs until one day she was brave enough to climb the stairs, and that was it.

On my bed, now our bed !