Hi all

First of all, thanks to the members on this board who responded to my post a couple of months ago and pointed me towards the k9 whippet website.  I am now the proud owner of a beautiful 9 week old male whippet puppy called Cashie (named for Pat Cash, and almost as badly behaved!)

We've had him for a week and a half now, and I started with the best of intentions, purchasing a puppy crate for him to sleep in.  He slept there for the first night, but cried a lot, and by the second night I couldn't bear it any longer and took him onto the bed (I know, I know, I know!)  I'm a veterinary nurse, and I always advise my clients NEVER to do this, but as I'm finding out - easier said than done!  Incidentally, pets belonging to vets and nurses I know always seem to be naughty and/or prone to bizzare illnesses, possibly a case of the shoemaker's children...?

I don't actually mind him sleeping on the bed, the cats are allowed up there (although it's getting a bit crowded!), and he's clean all night (God bless his breeder) but I just wanted to know if anyone else allows their dog on the bed?  Unfortunately, we live in a funny flat which is the top half of a semi - so we have a nice garden etc for him, but we have neighbours both downstairs and next door, so leaving him to scream until he gives up isn't really an option.  I did that with my last puppy (many years ago) but at that time I was living in a big detached house in the country so nobody was disturbed by him.

I'm slightly concerned that he may develop separation anxiety, although we are slowly teaching him to spend time on his own during the day (he is only 9 weeks), but he seems fairly well adjusted... I think he's just figured out that the bed is the most comfortable place in the house.  Going by the whippet website, this seems to be a bit of a whippet trait.  He also seems to get on much better with the cats when they're all sleeping together.

I'm really just looking for a bit of reassurance that I haven't ruined him for life, as all the books say that this is the worst possible thing to do, and I'm trying really hard to do everything right.  It's a lot easier telling other people how to do it!  I'm prepared for posters to disagree with me however, as you all have much more hands-on experience than I do, so I won't be offended and will be grateful for any advice!

Other than this, he's pretty good - a handful of course, but I wanted a dog with lots of personality!  I do have a training question too, but I'll post another topic as it's not really related.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Mary-Caroline (and Cashie)!

I'm surprised nobody has answered you yet - they're probably all curled up with their doglets asleep in bed!  LOL

Personally, I don't sleep with my dogs - I've tried in, and it didn't suit me :(  But I can't think of any reason why you shouldn't if it suits you both.  I believe, especially in the early days, it makes the puppy more secure, and therefore more confident in coping as they get older, so long as new situations are introduced carefully, and any adverse reaction dealt with appropriatly.

I dont see a problem with him sleeping on your bed Fagan sometimes sleeps on the bed but we taught him to sleep on his own in the kitchen first, which he took to straight away with no probelms ;)  now occasionally if he has been watching tv in bed with us we let him stay, which is ok at them moment because he is only 5 months but I think I will have to get rid of the boyfriend if he wants to sleep on there when he is fully grown (he is an Irish Setter ) plus the two cats usually sleep on the bed too :D :D

On a seperate note I remember reading about the whippet which won crufts and that slept IN its owners bed every night so I wouldnt worry :)

I was going to say exactly that - I felt really bad for letting my puppy sleep on my bed as though it was the ultimate no-no until I saw crufts and thought, well if the top show dog can sleep on th bed, then so can Millie!

We started Millie off in her crate - the first week upstairs with us, then downstairs on her own after that.  At about 3/4 months old, we let her sleep on the bed twice during thunderstorms but she happily went back to sleeping in her crate the following night.  However, my motherinlaw then came to stay for 2 nights and as she slept downstairs we didn't want her to be disturbed by Millie who would have been whining to be let out of her cage every 2 hours if someone was there so we took her up to bed.  After those 2 nights there was no way she was going back to sleep in her cage, she was very comfy on the bed thank you very much!  We tried every night (and gave in to her whining every night!) and eventually just decided to give in and let her sleep on the bed all the time.

However, as soon as we had decided to let her sleep there, she decided she didn't want to anymore, now that she was allowed.  It was too hot when there was a lovely cold wooden floor downstairs to sleep on and would go down on her own every night to sleep in the hall.

A few months ago we put a wooden floor in our bedroom and now she comes up to bed with us, gets on the bed to start with for a cuddle and like clockwork, after ten minutes, she then jumps down to either sleep on her own bed next to me, or on the cold floor if its warm.  She sometimes wakes up about 5am and gets back up on the bed (I find that's the time of morning when the temperature drops and I wake up feeling chilly, so possibly the same for her), and OH usually puts her on the bed with me when he goes off to work, but she's quite happy sleeping on her bed/floor now that she knows she can sleep on the bed if she wants to.

They say there is a risk that a dominant dog will get ideas above his station if allowed to sleep on the bed at night, but I think if the arrangement suits you and you are happy for him/her to sleep on your bed, then do it, because one more person in the dog-bed-sleeping-family will make me feel better :-D

I had my last two pups on my bed when they were tiny.  I got them used to being on their own during the day and gradually moved them downstairs.

I used to sleep with dogs on my bed but when I got married and the number of dogs increased, I'm afraid it got too full so they now sleep downstairs.  We just have a cat now, who isn't as good a duvet weight as the dogs ;-)

I wouldn't worry about it.

Helen

I started my BSd pup upstairs with me and to be honest i have never had any trouble even when she was gradually moved downstairs after a few weeks :)
When i had my first BSds i was single and had lodgers so to keep the dog's safe (ie not trusting lodgers to keep them inside if they came in late) had them in my bedroom. The inevitable happened and for many years i had 2 big dogs on my bed, and was really happy with this arrangement

Lindsay
X

Thanks everyone, I feel a lot better now knowing that other people do this and have happy dogs!  I think the books freaked me out a bit!

When we updated our sofas we kept one of the 2 seaters back and put it in the other end of the bedroom where Lily loves to sleep but Maud always sleeps under the bed (unless it's cold and then she sneaks under the duvet at the end of the bed)  I'm not sure it's completely hygienic but ho-hum!  Again, through the books we read when we got our first dog it was always instilled in us that dogs on the bed is a big no-no, so although they are pretty good at not getting on the bed they do sleep in our bedroom.

Welcome to the site, it's great.  Reading through posts and posting my own I have managed to clear a number of ailments in both of my dogs and one has lost some well needed weight through better choice of food.  

Don't worry about 'the books' - dogs don't read 'em! :)

Thanks again for all your responses.  He's now wriggling under the duvet, but it was cold last night :-).  I don't think that he's going to be a very dominant dog, whippets tend to be fairly good with peopke (famous last words!), and he was the quietest pup in the litter, which was a bit odd as he's very big for a whippet.  He was about twice the size of the other pups when I saw them all at 7 weeks, and at 9 weeks is 4kg, 12 inches at the shoulder and 17 inches from base of neck to root of tail!  Again, I think the books are lying to me about whippet height/weight parameters!  Or possible a Great Dane sneaked into his mother's garden when noone was looking :-)  His littermates bullied him a fair bit regardless.  To be honest, I absolutely love him and wouldn't swap him for the world, but I'm not sure he's the brightest dog ever born, although he's got his own way about the bed, so maybe I'm underestimating him. LOL!  Is there any way to post pics on the site?  Sorry, I'm at that show-off stage, convinced he's the most beautiful puppy in the world!

Regards

Mary-Caroline

LOL he sounds like a typical Whippet to me They do like their comforts. A friend of mine bought one for her daughter to show, he started off in a crate in the kitchen at night, then a crate in her bedroom, then a dog bed in her bedroom & now on or in her bed ;) He was very quiet at first as he was over a year old when she got him, & he had been a kennel dog, now he is a very typical whippet & believe me your puppy is a lot brighter that you think ;)

Hi Mary C, we all start out with the best intentions but unfortunately with Whippets you don't get a choice as to whether you want them on your bed or furniture. They get on sofas and beds regardless of what Mummy & Daddy want. (probably something to do with having boney little a*ses) :D

My Whippets know full well that I don't like them on the beds and furniture and wouldn't dream of getting up in my presence, but the minute my back is turned they sneak up. I have to laugh at mine though, if I've forgotten to close the bedroom door they'll be lounging on the bed like lords of the manor, yet the second they hear footsteps they quickly jump off and are lying on their cushions looking up all innocent eyed when I appear. The only thing you can do to stop them is to close off rooms and provide comfortable beds. I get those giant cushions, they seem to like those, and bean bags too. But obviously our bed is preferable to them. Luckily Whippets don't moult badly and I bath mine about once a month so they don't dirty the bedcovers (well not often) So it wouldn't have mattered even if you hadn't have caved in and let him in your bed at the start, he'll be up on it sooner or later anyway. :-)

Congrats on your new pup, Whippets are brilliant dogs and I know you'll enjoy having him. I love many other breeds too but we will always have Whippets in our house.

LOL Harriet

You're so right about their bony ar$es!  He'll always manage to get onto my knee some way or another, although he's growing so fast he's starting to hang off either end now.

I'm going to carry on with him on the bed, but I've managed to teach him to wait until I'm in there and say "up", I had a vague idea that it might help him realise that I'm allowing him onto the bed rather than him automatically getting up there.  This generally works, except he's learned to recognise the sound of my electric toothbrush, so if the bedroom door's open I'll go through and he'll be peering at me with those sad whippet eyes from the pillow!

He's such a joy to have, and has learned to come when called (most of the time), and to sit on command.  When he's fully grown I hope to do some agility with him (not seriously, just for fun).  It's so exciting having a puppy again!

That's great! sounds like he's coming on a treat and am sure he'll love agility. Don't know why more whippets don't go in for it, they are so agile and brilliant jumpers. I would wait until he's full grown though before allowing him to do big jumps.

That is so typical of a whippet to recognise the sound of your toothbrush knowing the coast is clear to get into your bed. LOL! That's the thing with them they don't just lie on the bed, they like to get under the covers too. Sometimes I have to remake our bed several times day if we've been remiss about closing the bedroom door. Mine also have little quilts in their own beds too and like to be completely covered at night even during heatwaves! :D