refusing to sleep
 

All of the sudden, my dog is refusing to sleep in bed with me. We've had Dylan for almost two months and everything has been fine. He doesn't have any behavioral issues, we're working on training and doing well. He gets plenty of exercise, especially on the weekends.

But tonight, suddenly, he refused to sleep in bed with me. Every night since we've got him, he's happily slept in my bed, usually next to me or at the foot of the bed. But tonight, he flat out refused to even jump on the bed with me on it. He would eerily just sit by the door. Not lay. Just sit. And sit. And sit. And he sat for over two hours. Then, frustrated, I got out of bed and onto the computer, and he jumped up and went to sleep as if nothing was wrong.

I'm confused - is this a behavioral issue? Training issue? Is he just acting off? Am I being paranoid and over reacting? I guess I'm posting because the behavior overall was very strange to me, as he's never acted this way before. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/frown.png

Sometimes one or other of my dogs will refuse to come to bed when i call him. But he won't sit like that. maybe he wanted something, the whole bed, or wanted out, or a snack.

Do you have mice? It is the time of year for them to be coming in, at least here in the north. One of mine has spent significant time watching the corner by the fridge for mice. Maybe he saw/smelled/heard something you didn't.

It is so hard to say, it could be nothing, or anything.

At first I thought he wanted outside, because previously he had been diagnosed with three different worms/parasites/whatever (giardia, whipworm and roundworm) and because of that, we had a good week of pretty terrible diarrhea. But he's been on medicine and good as fas as I know- but he does jump off of the bed and sit by the door when he has to go, so I let him out a total of five or six times, and the last four of them, he didn't go at all.

As far as I know, we have no mice. We haven't, ever, but that doesn't mean we couldn't get them. If we did, I'd have no idea.

I don't worry about it. Most of the time one or more of the dogs want to sleep in bed with us, sometimes I crate them just to have enough space to turn over, sometimes I let them sleep with me and sometimes I make the offer and they decide to sleep elsewhere.

Ike likes to get in bed for a bit and then he gets overheated and prefers to sleep on the floor because its cooler. Rita likes to sleep in bed unless we are restless and then she prefers the crate or the couch. Owen gets bed now here and there because he can finally hold it overnight,but he is still mostly in the crate.

I figure dogs are a lot like people when it comes to bedtime. Maybe they have something on their minds and aren't tired. Maybe there is noise we can't hear and the dog is on guard or vermin duty. Whatever it is I wouldn't consider it a behavior or training issue unless the dog is staying out of bed to eat your possessions or go trash can diving.

I wouldn't worry about that.. sounds like you're being a little paranoid http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/wink.png Then you technically rewarded him by letting him out numerous times (one time is one thing, but 5 or 6??).

Probably just wants the whole bed to himself. He'll learn that that's not gonna happen. Socrates went through a phase (a LONG phase) of sprawling out on the couch because he didn't want to be crowded while he slept.

I thought he might have had diarrhea, which is why I let him out so much. When he was sick with worms, and even as recently as last week, he had terribly bouts of it and personally, I'd rather let him outside 5 times then have to clean it up off of my bedroom floor.

Well yes, obviously that'd be better, but after the first two times when he didn't have diarrhea, I'd say that would be a good indicator that he was fine.

If it happens again...try picking him up, putting him on the bed and telling him to go to sleep...

that's what I would do, but I've been accused of being a smidgen of a control freak. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/redface.png

So put the dog in a crate and be done with it.

Sometimes you don't want the dog in a crate. Sometimes you want the damn dog lying in the bed keeping you warm. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/biggrin.png

i havent had that problem, dorito has always loved sleeping in the bed. i did notice him up chasing mice one night though. so gross.

Our female used to do that when she was too hot or just uncomfortable and wanting more room to lay.

Maybe you should try setting up a spot for him to sleep on the floor (dog bed, blanket, whatever he usually sleeps on). We have a Kuranda in the bedroom and every night one of the dogs gets down at some point and sleeps on that instead. There isn't much room in the bed as it is, and I think they just get uncomfortable and go down there and sleep. It just makes more room for me!