As long as you begin properly, and remain consistent with your efforts
to have your dog sleep in his or her bed, training your dog to use
a dog bed can be a relatively easy task, which your dog will remember
throughout his or her entire life.
The
best time to begin training your dog to use a dog bed is while he
or she is still a puppy. This will make certain that the training
is done as quickly as possible, and sticks all the way until he
or she grows older. But don’t get discouraged if your dog isn’t
a puppy anymore. The techniques you’re about to read work just as
well for older dogs as they do for puppies.
To
begin with, you’ll want to understand why your dog would want to
sleep in his or her bed. Well, luckily for you, there is a natural
dog instinct that you can work with to help make things easier:
the natural denning instinct. Training results are guaranteed to
be faster when you’re working with your dog’s natural instincts
than if you’re working against them. As well as instincts, you’ll
need to know:
Location
Condition
Communicating
with your dog
Bedtime
In
nature, wild dogs seek out places to sleep that are safe, warm,
and dry. They automatically keep these areas clean, and never use
such a location for “bathroom” related activities. By understanding
these instincts, and that domestic dogs have these same instincts
inside of them, you’ll have a much better time in the process of
training your dog to use a dog bed.
Just
like your dog’s wild relatives would enjoy, make sure the dog bed
is kept in a place that is safe, warm, and dry. Put it out of the
way of high-traffic areas where there’s lots of noise, and regular
interruptions. Also, keep the dog bed away from drafts, and areas
of direct airflow from your home’s heating and cooling vents. It’s
alright if you wan to keep the dog bed in the same area that he
or she eats, as long as that place meets the aforementioned conditions.
The
bed itself will need to be conditioned to make it the most attractive
to your pooch. Remember that the most important sense to your dog
is his or her smell. Use this to your advantage by putting your
scent on the bed before your dog uses it for the first time. To
do this, all you need to do is take the cover off the dog bed, and
rub it against your skin. If you just had a shower, you might want
to wait a while, as your dog will react more to your “natural” scent
than the smell of soaps or lotions. Allow other family members to
do the same, if possible. The more the dog recognizes that the dog
bed “belongs,” the better.
Once
the dog bed has been well conditioned, place a few of your dog’s
toys on the bed, and call your dog to the bed, allowing him or her
to “check it out” by sniffing around. Pat your hand on the dog bed
to see if he or she will hop up into it. If s/he won’t hop up of
his or her own volition, place him or her on it gently. S/he doesn’t
have to lie down on it yet; this is simply an effort to get him
or her used to the bed, and add his or her own scent.
When
your dog is in the bed, make sure to praise him or her, and give
him or her a good scratch or rub. Your goal is to let your dog associate
the dog bed with pleasure, happiness, comfort, and love.
As
you continue with this praise, have him or her lie down. Continue
your praise to assuage any fears s/he may be feeling. You may wish
to lie down on the floor next to the bed, as you continually praise
your dog. After a few minutes, gradually leave. Your dog may stay,
but then again, s/he may follow you. Either way, you’re both doing
just fine.
At
“bedtime” – that is, when your dog appears ready to settle in for
the night, not an actual time on the clock – call your dog to the
dog bed, and repeat all of your earlier steps. Be certain that favorite
toys or blankets are present in the bed. Lie down on the floor next
to him or her, preferably until s/he falls asleep. If s/he refuses
to sleep in the bed at first, this is alright; do not discipline
him or her. Simply repeat the training every day until s/he gets
used to it. It may take a week, or maybe a bit more, but soon enough
s/he will be thinking of the comfy dog bed, as a warm, cozy, and
safe den.