Getting 6 week old puppy......better to have her sleep in crate or with me?

Question

I will be crate training her.
I have heard they would rather sleep in the crate than with you
Thanks for your help.

Debbie S-
answer to your question:
puppies are ready at 6 weeks.
She has been a breeder of golden ret for 26 years-she has the #1 Golden Ret. in the US right now. I think she knows what she is doing!

Answer 1

Definitely in the crate. She won't be able to sleep alone if she doesn't start when she comes home. Also, she has no idea where the "no pee" zone is if she doesn't sleep in it, so you greatly hinder your housebreaking if you have her sleep on the bed.

Answer 2

The crate is best, but the truth is they'd rather sleep with you. Dogs are pack animals, they want to sleep with their pack. That's you. The puppy will most likely cry for several nights. But remember, what you teach now, they'll remember when they are adults. Do you want your dog always sleeping with you? If the answer is no, put the puppy in the crate. To curb the crying, try wrapping an old style alarm clock or pocket watch in a blanket in the crate. It helps the puppy feel like they are with another dog. It mimics a heartbeat.

Answer 3

Since you are crate training her have her sleep in the crate. That way it won't be as confusing for her. Also make sure she has something to snuggle up to and its an old trick but it works get a clock that you can hear the ticking and wrap it in a towel and put it in with her too. When she gets trained she may just want to climb in bed with you. I'd wait til then and let her decide later.

Answer 4

I would definately opt for the crate, although it will be hard. My dog slept with me for several months after I adopted her, but I had to eventually get her her own bed and it was more difficult than if I had just started off that way.

They say that you shouldn't allow your dog to sleep on the same level as you since you are the alpha. I am not sure I agree with this because it didn't wreck my dog.

Crate training is convenient and it is not cruel in my opinion. It keeps dogs safe when you're away. My dog was very destructive when she was younger and I think my husband would have wanted to get rid of her if we hadn't curbed and controlled that by crate training her.

Good luck.

Answer 5

you need to have her sleep where you want her to sleep when she is older. Crate training is very very hard... it broke my heart doing it, but it ended up being the best thing.

For the whole first two weeks, my puppy CRIED each night in his crate for 20 minutes straight. However, when we got my little girl, she did MUCH better in her crate, hardly crying at all.... so it probably depends on the dog, but just remember everything is new to her right now, and being away from her surroundings and alone in a crate is going to be difficult for her, at least for a few nights. Get her a soft blanket or something to snuggle with. remember, if she cries inthe middle of the night, she needs to go potty because they have an instinct not to go in their beds, but can only hold it so long.

Good luck... remember my first sentence!! :)

Answer 6

I have an almost 2 year old Siberian Husky. We got him when he was 6 weeks old. I wish then that I had known about crates because we would have gotten one right away!! It's nice to have a snuggly animal with you in your bed at night, HOWEVER, the little presents that he left behind all over my house while he roamed free were NOT so nice...(especially if you were barefoot..bleck!). As she gets older, you can let her up on your bed with you, if you choose to, and when you know she's not going to make messes or get into things...(or use your cats for squeeky toys). I don't trust Timber yet to not get into things, so he still is in his crate when he can't be watched. The Husky rescue people told me that it's like a den for them. Oh, and put lots of toys in there too so she doesn't get bored!

Answer 7

If you are going to be crate training her it is better to start off with the crate. Make sure you have a couple blankets. Put the crate next to your bed. Then after she gets crate trained you can have her sleep with you.

Good Luck

Answer 8

Personally I would suggest trainging your dog to sleep in it's crate. After a while if you want you can let the dog sleep with you if you're ok with that. Leave the crate open just incase the dog wishes to not sleep with you or near you. My dog loves to sleep with me but she has accidents during the night that i find. Not very happy when I have to clean it up but you might want to consider poddy training your dog before you let it sleep with you.

Answer 9

It'd be better to have the puppy sleep in the crate which trains it. The puppy may prefer to sleep with you, but then it will always want to.

Answer 10

Wait!!
Before you decide, please take this into consideration.
It is true, some dogs enjoy having their own space at night.
HOWEVER, Many dogs feel deserted, or punished when you do this and can eventualy be harmfull to your relationship.

Please please please be careful!! Watch her reaction to crate training very carefuly!! Do not worry about disaplain issues if she is distressed when in her crate--its perfectly fine to let her sleep where she wants- and it doesn't have to be in bed with you. If she doesm't like the crate, She might be very pleased to sleep on the floor next to you or on her bed.

Good Luck with you puppy!!!!

Answer 11

it depends in the long run...would you really like to have a dog sleeping on your bed as long as it lives? If your puppy is a crybaby, let it sleep on your bed if you're not a roller....well just have it sleep in the crate for the first night to see what happens