Sleeping Proximity

[Guest WhiteWave]

Ok, probably a weird issue, but I let the dogs sleep with me. Everyone will get in bed. Ronon hogs up the most space behind me. Casper curls up at the foot of the bed, Jack sleeps on my pillow and snores in my ear and Rocky and the cat sleep infront of me. The problem one is Joey. Joey has to sleep up against to the point he is causing me back pain.

 

He is slammed wedged up against me. When we go to bed, he will wait for everyone to lay down, get up and stomp on everyone and then lay on top of me and slide down and wedge himself inbetween me and Ronon pushing up against me. If I move over to get away from him, he is ready to move with me. The other morning, I rolled over to get up and he went to move to get closer to me and he pushes himself up and slams himself toward me so hard he flipped out of the bed and landed on the floor! I have tried pushing him over, putting pillows inbetween us, but I wake up with Joey glued to me. Short of making him sleep somewhere else, I'm not really sure what to do with him. But my back is killing me when I wake up in the morning. When he was smaller it wasn't much of a big deal, but he is getting huge.

 

He does this even if it just us in their. The entire rest of the bed can be empty and I am hanging off the edge with my Joey tumor!

 

So any suggestions other than just kicking him out of the bed altogether? Which would make me feel bad.

Edited March 23, 2013 by WhiteWave

[OwnedBySummer]

I have no idea as I have the same problem. Luckily, though, I have just the one dog in the bed and she's a bit gentler about the slamming thing, although I have certainly been jolted awake as she slams into the small of my back, leading with her pointy elbow. And I am not waking up with back pain, either. I'm curious to see what will be suggested.

[Guest WhiteWave]

Yeah, he didn't hurt my back at first, but he was little! I mean he was under 10lb when I got him and it was cute. Now he is huge and has no clue he is big!

 

Here he is beside Ronon, hard to believe he just turned 8 months old! Ronon is almost 8 yrs old!

 

[OwnedBySummer]

They are both gorgeous. I couldn't kick him out, either.

[Guest DeniseL]

No advice. I can barely move my neck some mornings. I have two in bed with me plus my DH. We are just going to get a bigger bed lol

[Guest WhiteWave]

I have a king size bed already! I was joking saying I needed to get a twin and just put beside it! Maybe that would fix the issue, but I doubt it. He just likes being close and he will tuck his nose in the crook of my neck. Just wish he wouldn't push so hard up against me and just lay beside me. It isn't like I'm going somewhere!

[Riverhound]

Bunk beds. You sleep up top!

 

(it sounds adorable, but really painful! No real advice.)

[Guest WhiteWave]

Bunk beds sound great, but they would probably whine and carrying on below! Like if I get to the bathroom before them and shut the door!

[GreyPoopon]

Here's what I'd do if I were you: pick a spot for him, on the bed if you wish. (Or a distance that's comfortable.) Insist that he lie there. If he moves, put him back. Resign yourself to some sleep-deprived nights until he gets the point.

 

This could be very hard to implement because of all the other dogs in the bed, and because he's big. But if you don't, you'll spend the next 13 years with a sore back.

 

Minnie and I have been through this, although she's not as big or as pushy as Joey. I used a distance rather than a specific spot. I still have to move her occasionally. She's 14.

[Guest WhiteWave]

Thanks! I will try that. Sounds like probably the best solution.

[a_daerr]

No advice, but Truman did that more so when he was a puppy. He also went through very exaggerated developmental stages, so I think it was a security thing. When he got a little bit older, he started going downstairs and sleeping on the couch by himself. But more times than not, he's in our bed when we wake up. My next bed will be a California King!

[GeorgeofNE]

I forget which book it is, but I think it's one of Patricia McConnell's--anyway, she mentioned talking to a lot of owners who feel guilty leaving their dogs alone to go WORK. And she reminds them that leaving the dog alone to go WORK is what enables the dog to have a home, veterinary care, toys, etc.

 

You need to be able to sleep. You deserve to wake up not in pain. Why on earth would you feel "bad" making your dogs sleep on their nice comfy dog beds?

 

Don't get me wrong--George used to sleep with me, and my cats still do. But if I was not able to get a decent night's sleep, I would have no problem making them get down. In fact sometimes I do just that. Toss them right out the door and close it.

 

One of us has to be in good form in the morning, and since one of us paid for the darned expensive mattress, one of us is going to be comfortable--period!

 

Perhaps it's time for a little tough love?

[greysmom]

Lilly has gone through stages of this. Right now it's some of both. When she sleeps with us (in between DH and I) she's usually pretty quiet - as long as her head is covered up. We have a special, light fleece blanket we use so I'm not laying awake wondering if she's going to suffocate, like I did when she wanted under all the covers. If she's not covered up, she moves around, wiggles a lot, and body slams herself into whatever part of me is facing toward the middle of the bed. She has been known to lay completely on top of me, if I happen to be laying on my back.

 

Have you tried putting jammies or a blanket on him? Perhaps if he's warmer he won't feel the need to snuggle so close? Fortunately, Lilly has no problems if we move her around or drag her to another position, so that's what I usually do.

[Guest WhiteWave]

It is hot here. I am usually sweating b/c he is up against me, another reason I can't sleep. So I doubt he is cold, I usually get up at some point and turn the A/C temp lower.

 

Joey is very insecure unlike Riddick. Riddick never slept in the bed. He stayed in the living room with Jack so they could play all night and have access to the yard. He would come in right before the alarm went off and snuggle a bit, but he never wanted to sleep in the bed. Joey has to be with someone at all times either me or another dog.

 

I made Joey sleep in the floor with Casper last night. He won't lay down there by himself, so I put another bed side by side and he snuggled with Casper. Casper has trouble getting on the bed anyways with his hips so it is better for him to be on the floor. Ronon of course would DIE if he had to sleep on the floor as he thinks the entire bed is his and we are trespassing on his turf as it is.

 

Ronon had his 1/2 of the king size bed and I shared my 1/2 with Mira, Rocky, Jack and the cat and I slept much better.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

We have a king size bed....and always 2 greys, sometimes 3. 2 of the 3 LOVE LOVE LOVE to snuggle. So, it usually ends up that I curl myself around Sherry and my husband curls himself around Magic. If Charlie is in the bed too, then he is at our feet. On occasion we wake up to the dogs laid across the pillows with butts all up in our faces.

 

Now, we have Echo, and he will be a bed dog as well. We just make it work. If the dogs are too all up on us, in the middle of the night, we will make them get down. Then they get back up once we are asleep LOL!

[Guest Isabella]

The first week Izzy slept nicely at the end of my bed.....now that she is more comfortable she definitely takes up her fair share of the bed !

[Guest DragonflyDM]

Boomer jumps on the bed,, twirls about three times and then flops on me like he was a bag of bricks. Throughout the night, i need to move and he will jump off the bed wait till I am done moving and then start all over again.

 

The thing about flopping is that he shoves you aside and gives you less space and blanket, so you have to really plan.

[Brandiandwe]

We call Brandi our spare blanket. She prefers to sleep on me or right beside me and, since the unfortunate incident when she fell off the bed and landed on Paige, in between us. It's kind of nice but DH has cricked his neck because of it and in winter I wake up cold a lot.

[TheFullHouse]

I'm a mean mom, I make all of mine sleep on the floor on dog beds. My old bones get sore with dogs in the bed. They are allowed to lay on the bed while I watch TV, but when it's time for lights out they all get on the floor.

[scullysmum]

When I had my two big boys (they were only tiny when I got them, but boy do they grow!) I decided that they would not be allowed to sleep on the bed when DH and I were both asleep on it, when DH had left early for work or when he stayed away overnight they were both allowed to be on the bed with me. I think you need to put your own comfort first in this case, there is such a thing as being too soft!

 

btw My boy Mulder used to always have to be touching me when he slept on the bed, but he did have the decency not to kick me out of it!