How to Train a Dog to Sleep in a Dog Bed

You have tried everything to get a good night’s sleep, but your dog just won’t stay in their own dog bed — they want to be in your bed! Well, this is a problem and it’s something you need to fix, so we are going to discuss how to train a dog to sleep in a dog bed.

Tips to Help Make Your Dog Sleep in Their Own Bed

Let’s go over 5 of the most crucial steps and tips that you need to follow in order to get your dog to sleep in a dog bed. Remember, this may take a good deal of time and patience.

Get the Dog Out of Your Bed

The reason you probably want to train your dog to sleep in a dog bed, or their own bed, is to get them out of yours. Dog hair, drool, and everything else in between should not be in your bed. Therefore, the first step in this process is to enforce the fact that the dog is not allowed to sleep in our bed.

The same is true if the dog likes to sleep on that nice expensive couch you have. Whatever the case may be, you need to hammer home the point that they are not allowed on the furniture or in your bed. After all, you need a good night’s sleep as well, and dogs move around a lot during the night, so having a dog in your bed is not ideal in the least.

If the dog keeps getting on the bed or couch, you need to keep forcing them off, albeit gently, but as many times as it takes until the dog stops attempting to get back on. You need to do this before you try to get the dog to sleep in their own dog bed.

Make Sure it is a Comfortable Dog Bed

Before you attempt to train the dog to sleep in their own dog bed, you need to make sure that it is a comfortable dog bed. Simply put, just like you don’t want to sleep on a brick, neither does your dog. Sure, the dog gets into bed with you because they like company, but they also like being comfortable. Therefore, getting your pooch a comfortable dog bed will go a long way in encouraging them to sleep in it. You should look for something that is size appropriate.
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Dogs feel safe in fairly tight conditions, which is why they often seek shelter in pretty tight dog houses, in the corners of your home, or under furniture. Therefore, the dog bed you get should be large enough so the dog can easily fit on it, but not so large that the dog feels unsafe. It helps if you get a dog bed that has walls, as dogs love lying in the corners or against walls. Moreover, of course, the dog bed should also be fairly thick, soft, and supportive, or in other words, comfortable.

Make the Dog Bed Fun – TOYS!

The next thing which can help train a dog to sleep in a dog bed is by making the bed fun. The mistake many people make is seeing the dog bed as a punishment or prison. Just think about it; as a kid, being sent to your room wasn’t fun — it was a punishment for disobedience. Well, if the dog bed is not fun and attractive, the dog will indeed see being sent there as punishment, and it won’t make them want to sleep there.

Therefore, you want to have the doggy bed out all day, in the same spot, and make it seem like a normal part of everyday life, not just something the dog is made to sleep on during the night. A good way to help encourage a positive view of the dog bed is by placing some of the dog’s favorite toys on it, and yes, playing with the dog while they are in the doggy bed. Anything you can do to help reinforce a positive view of the dog bed is going to go a very long way in getting them to sleep there willingly during the night.

Use a Reward System to Encourage Them – FOOD!

We humans usually love food, and dogs even more so. One of the easiest and fastest ways to train a dog to do absolutely anything is through their stomach and love of food. They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and this is no different for dogs.

When you bring your dog to the dog bed, give them some treats and spend some time with them, pet the dog. Using treats to let the dog know they are being a good dog goes a very long way. Moreover, if you see the dog going to the dog bed all on their own without any encouragement from you, this is especially the time when you need to reward them.

Use a Leash and Corrections to Enforce It

With some dogs, no matter what you do, they may not want to sleep in the dog bed, but they are like little kids in the sense that they need discipline, correction, and constant repetition. If the dog keeps leaving the dog bed, use a leash or grab their collar, tell it “no,” bring them back to the bed, get them to lay down, then reward them with some encouragement and a treat. Remember, this may take days or even weeks to accomplish, plus a whole lot of time and doggy treats. You cannot give up or give in, or else you are telling the dog that it is not necessary to stay in the dog bed.

Conclusion

If you follow all of these steps and tips, although it might take a while to accomplish, eventually, your dog should be more than happy to sleep in their own dog bed.