Don't dogs WANT to be with their owners???

[Bubbalove]

SO, it seems just as things in our lives were going well on the doggie-front we hit a plateau.  Just recently we added an all weather doggie door to our back garage door.  We have given Kana access to the yard and the garage (a complete bachelor pad with a couch, crate,food, water, TV, etc)while we are at work during the day. 

Here's the problem...he now wants to spend more time in his 'man cave' than in the house.  Is this a problem?  He is waking us up in the middle of the night to go out there and despite our insistance, he bugs us until he goes out.
Any suggestions?

[Edwpang]

Butter has similar behavior. We used to keep him crated in the w/o basement during the night. This is also the place he has dinner and plays. Seeing here in BPO, pups usually sleep with their owners, and he is not crated anyone, I try to make him sleep with us in the bedroom, but he and my wife do not like the idea. He keeps getting back to his "place" when he sees a chance, though he doesn't bark to get in there. My wife is a lighter sleeper, she can hear everytime when Butter gets up... Should I let him choose where he sleep, try to make him sleep with us?

BTW, the basement also has our big screen TV, and services as my wife's home office, so he is not alone most of the time.

[maxsmom]

I don't give my dogs a choice on inside or outside, but as long as they are in the house, where they sleep is their decision.  Jake likes to sleep in the bed with me, but if he gets hot, he will sleep on the floor beside the bed.  Max gets in bed for about 30 minutes, then lays on the floor at the foot of the bed or in the bedroom doorway.  Cody has always slept in front of the kitchen door, either on his rug or on the tile floor.  I think each dog is different.  Some seem to want to always be with their people or at least in the same room, some are okay away from them as long as they are in the same house and some seem to have no need to be around them at all or just checking in on them from time to time.  It depends on the dog and their personality.  If you are comfortable with what your dog chooses to do, let it go, if not, change it and acclimate the dog to it.  Just my 2 cents worth.
Kathy

[Bubbalove]

I guess we have made the 'puppy shack' too inviting 
Unfortunately we do not have a door from the garage to the house so I feel like he's so far away!!  My husband insists that this is his adolescence and he does not want to be seen with his parents ("what dorks"). I have to watch more closely to see if he is rolling his eyes or talking back to me as he walks out...

So, I am not a bad dog momma??

[People Whisperer]

If he is not barking or being destructive by himself in his "man cave" I wouldn't worry and let him do what he wants.

Lily loves to be outside when it is cold but she barks her head off at night so I only let her stay there for as long as she is not barking.

At night is another story...we never crated her at night. She has been sleeping by our bed and now IN our bed since the first day we brought her home. Actually, when she is tired she goes to bed by herself even before us  The only problem is that our bedroom tend to get hot. One day I decided to let her sleep in the living room on the floor. When I woke up I found a BIG LAKE downstairs  Now she doesn't have a choice where to sleep 

[Bubbalove]

You must have a California King bed!!!!  Kana has always started the night off in our room on the floor or his bed next to me.  Then we let him sleep in the other rooms of the house because he'd always end up in the doorway of the bedroom anyways, then this...

Thanks for the reassuring words! 

[People Whisperer]

You must have a California King bed!!!! 

Actually, no...just a queen size but I LOVE to sleep with my knees folded to my chest, LOL! and so does my hubby 

[bigdogs@5501]

Ours all seem to have a different preference - but no one- including the old rescue pyr, sleeps outside. Bailey, Bella and sometimes Casey sleeps on our bed- and when there is room, Jake will crawl up on the bed. Tugs sleeps in the recliner in the bedroom. Annie and Garrett on the sectional in the living room and Zoey the princess gets the leather couch in the front living room. I only have a queen size bed but we are considering getting a larger bed.

[macybean]

When it's just me in the bed, Riley and Sadie both go to sleep on the bed: Sadie up at the top on the left, with her head on the pillow (nuzzling into me if she can-her goal is to become one with her momma, I think) and Riley down below her on the left side. This is all when we first get in bed.

Most nights, Riley gets off the bed and sleeps on the floor for most of the night. Sadie often does, too, but she'll stay in the bed more often than him. I guess they just want to stretch out. Riley slept by the front door a few times this summer/fall to lay on the cool floor. Other than those odd times, they've always stayed in the bedroom with me.

My dogs will also put themselves to bed before me sometimes, especially if I've been walking in and out of the bedroom. They're in there now. When Sadie goes to bed early, she usually lays in my spot on the bed with her head on my pillow-all part of her plan to merge with me, I'm sure...

[mynameislola]

Minefield is right.  Motion-detecting nightlights have saved me more than once from falling over Cody Newfoundland.  We have them set up between every bedroom and the bathroom. 

Wally Italian Mastiff and Timmy Shih Tzu sleep on hubby's bed.  Or he sleeps on Wally and Timmy's bed.  Painter Australian Shepherd sleeps in the crate in hubby's room, door open, and Cody sleeps wherever it is coldest, usually hubby's room since it has the best cooler and an attached kennel. 

Zita Italian Mastiff would always rather be outside in the main yard unless she is too cold and has to come in and sleep on my bed.  If she had a doghouse she'd rarely come inside.  Sparky Chihuahua sleeps in his pen to keep from getting squashed in the dark.

[jennifer]

Both Bear and Nakita sleep in our room and, if invited, on the bed. We upgraded to a king just for this purpose. Nakita will stay on the bed all night, between us or at my feet. Bear usually gets down after a while and sleeps on a futon mattress we have on our bedroom floor, I think because he gets hot. In general, they want to be where we are, period. And, as they were chained outside before being rescued, we think they should be able to be where they're comfortable.  We just make sure it's within reason and maintaining the pack order.

[lookingfornewf]

That's good to know other people's dogs don't always want to sleep with them. That is something that has bothered me with Clifford. I have Annie an 8 year old Jack Russell that usually sleeps under the cover between me and my husband. A couple of weeks ago I stopped putting Clifford in his crate at night. He is 4 months old now. I call him up to the bed, but he doesn't stay there. He want to sleep against the back deck door. I guess just because that is the coolest place and he's always warm. I'm just not used to a dog that does not always want to be on the bed with us.

[Bubbalove]

I am suprised to hear how many BPO owners let their dogs sleep in bed with them...I was taught that in order to maintain pack order with large breeds, they were to sleep anywhere BUT the bed.  Was I misled?  It's irrelevant now, since Kana only wants on the bed when it's made nicely...uugh!
I am hoping this is just a phase that he will work through and then settle back down again in the bedroom or at least in the house!  My husband and I both work at a school and we just got off of a 2 week vacation so Kana has been a bit off schedule because of that.  Maybe once we settle back into our regular work routine he'll come back in. 
He used to lay right in the doorway of the bedroom door...then one day  I woke up early to go workout (still dark out) and wanted to close the door so hubby could sleep but for some reason, the door would not quite shut...I tried again...wouldn't shut...then realized that Kana's big wet black olive nose was there. He didn't say but a word...Good boy 

[MagicM3]

I love this thread...all three of ours sleep in our bed as well as the couches..We have a Q and have thought about getting a king but I think they would just strech out even more and it wouldn't help..
Emma being little usually sleeps above my hubby's head on pillows...the other two take turns or sleep together between us...They do get hot though ..and if they don't get off I tell them off cause I'm too hot...

My hubby says someday we will get a wall to wall bed..and I told him we would still end up on the edge of the bed with them between us..

Give them an inch and they will take two....

But they can sleep where ever they want...

Tricia and the fur kids

[navarre1316]

HAHAHAHAHAHA my dogs sleep wherever they want to.  I heard that about not letting the dogs on the bed, I think it's a load!!!  Navarre always slept right next to me but if I told him to do something I never had a problem (once he was out of adolescence that is!!).  Daphne has her love seat that she sleeps on but as soon as I leave the house, or go to bed she gets on the couch!!  Sometimes she'll get in the bed with me but that's not usually until the morning.  If Issy is calm and leaving the cat alone she can also sleep in the bed but she is still crated at times.  Axle sleeps on the floor in either the living room or in the bedroom.  It was funny on New Years there was soooo much noise out, all the dogs were in the bedroom, standing watch; Axle was laying next to the door that leads to the back (bedroom has two doors), Daphne was on the dog pillow next to the main bedroom door, and Issy was on the bed looking out the windows!!