I've been thinking a lot about sleep lately. Actually, I think about sleeping myself all the time, but I mean I've been thinking about where Theo sleeps and how it affects how we interact. Theo sleeps alone in his crate outside our bedroom door. This was Husband's one stipulation about getting a dog: s/he wouldn't be allowed in the bedroom because of his allergies. A small sacrifice for such a wonderful gift. Anyway, his crate is right outside our door so he can still see us and feel our presence when he's in his crate at night. I think that made a huge difference in getting Theo used to sleeping alone. When I put him in his crate at night as long as I'm in the bedroom he'll go right to sleep. If I forget something and have to leave the room he pops up and eagerly waits for me to come back. If I'm gone too long he feels abandoned and starts to cry until I come back. He's so needy sometimes it's adorable. So that's where Theo sleeps.I was at the dog park last weekend and there was an adorable pug named Nestle who jumped right in my lap and gave me lots and lots of kisses. Her owner remarked that it's not so cute when she does it in the morning and wakes her up. That really got me thinking about the sleeping habits of dogs and how they affect their relationship with humans. I don't think Theo would ever be the type of dog to jump in my lap and lick my face, but would he be more affectionate if he slept in my bed with me? Does is independent personality come from sleeping alone? It's interesting to think about.
So interesting, in fact, that I decided to do another poll. Check out the column to the right. If you want to participate let me know where your dog sleeps, then leave me a comment letting me know what type of personality your dog has and whether you think where s/he sleeps has an impact on this.
11 comments:
Philip sleeps in his crate in another room. I wouldn't say he's overly affectionate, but he does have his own ways of letting me know that he is happy to see me.
I don't think where a dog sleeps affects their personality per se, but rather how they are raised as a whole. It'll be interesting to see what others say!
I just voted :) Bryson now sleeps in his bed in our room. Like Philip said above, I think his inate personality/ how he was raised (in a kennel as a showdog) affects how he sleeps- even though he's growing to love cuddling in bed, there's a point when he decided he's had enough affection and needs his own people-free space.
I don't think by having Theo sleep outside you're depriving him of love and making him any less affectionate than he'd otherwise be. Corgis do have their independent (and sometimes stubborn) streak as I'm sure you've experienced. He's trained me to give him a treat when I want his affection, ha! (I'm just one of his subjects, lest I forget!)
I personally don't understand crate training/sleeping. My family never did it with the animals we had growing up, so I never bothered with it. I have a pug, a (large) terrier mix and a cat that all sleep with me. I believe pugs will love you no matter where they sleep, although mine is right up against either my stomach or my back at all times. When it gets cold he is in the same places but under the covers.
My terrier mix was adopted and was very surprised that I would let him sleep on the bed. He very quickly got used to being there though! I also think it is about who you are and how you raise them. Although I don't what to know what it says about me that I have two mama's boys! Great pol.
Lucy sleeps with me in my room, either under the bed, on her dog bed, or in her crate (yes, spoiled dog). Usually in the morning she'll jump onto the bed to cuddle, but only after the alarm clock goes off. She's a lazy sleeper too. Last weekend we slept until 10!
She definitely likes her own space. In fact, if we put her on the bed at night, she'll usually jump off and go somewhere else. I think Theo would probably do something similar.
Philip, Theo definitely has his way of letting me know he's happy to see me...he throws his favorite toy in my lap and "tells" me to throw it for him. Hehe.
Ivy, I have to give Theo a treat to get his affection too. Though it's not really affection so much as "I'll sit in your lap and let you pet me, but I'll be focusing 100% on that treat bag I can't reach."
Malissa, crate training has a number of advantages. It helps a heck of a lot with house training initially. Theo sleeps in his crate at night because we don't want to give him free run of the house when we're not there to watch him. He's still a curious puppy and we don't want him getting into anything while we're sleeping. I definitely agree that pugs love you not matter where they sleep. They're so cute!
Lynn, Lucy is just a dream isn't she? Awww. I can't believe she lets you sleep until 10!!! I am beyond jealous. Though I'm beginning to like waking up early. Now I feel like I'm losing part of my day if Theo lets me sleep in beyond 7. Hehe.
I have a feeling that if Theo were allowed in the bedroom he would probably make sure Husband and I got to bed ok, "tuck us in", and then go sleep somewhere about 2 feet away. Hehe.
Taco sleeps in his crate at the foot of our bed. When we first got him, he was pretty ambivalent about affection and I felt like a needy mommy! hehehe... As he's gotten older I've noticed he likes to cuddle more. In fact, he just voluntarily joined me on the couch for the first time last night! Like Bryson though, he makes it clear when he's had enough (after about 3 minutes) and very nonchalantly walks away. Even though sometimes I wish he was more affectionate, my husband reminds me we didn't get a lapdog and one of the things we love most about Taco is his strong personality and independence. I think a dog that needed attention all the time would drive me bonkers!
Ana, I feel the same way! I don't really wish Theo was more affectionate so much as I wish he was in affectionate moods at the same time I was. Hehe.
Lulu sleeps where ever she wants!
The past couple of months she's taken to sleeping in her crate, in my bedroom, for most of the night. She is no longer crated when I'm not home so the door is open all the time. At some point throughout the night she will get in bed with me. Some nights she will go to bed when I do and then after a few minutes she leaves the bedroom to go back to her watching spot in the living room. It's like she had to make sure I was safe and asleep first.
Lulu is pretty independent. When I first adopted her they told me she was a lapdog but it took a good 18 months for that to really be proven. Now, if my legs are not just so, she will whine at me until I move them so she can crawl into my lap. Of course, I do what she tells me to do. She has me trained.
I wonder if it's a Corgi thing...or just a dog thing in general to check on things. Theo always has to check on things. When he first comes out of his crate in the morning, if I don't close the bedroom door first, he tries to check on Husband. Then he goes into the office and checks on his toys. Then he's ready to go for his walk.
Grover sleeps in his crate in the living room, so just down the all from us. He's 8 months now, but when he was a baby he slept in his crate in our bedroom. But when he got old enough that he could hold it (not have to potty) through the night, we moved him to the living room.
Grover is affectionate when he wants to be. He will walk up and rub his head on your feet and roll over for a belly rub. Now, he's not a big snuggler (which is a downer sometimes, cause I love to snuggle, but that's why I have a cat!). When he's sleepy, he wants his own space. There have been times when he's napping on the couch and he gets tired of me petting him and he'll go get in his crate.
So I think it all depends on the dog and the raising. Grover has gotten more affectionate as he's gotten older and been able to deal with being petted without biting. :)
Wow, that's cool. Theo isn't into the belly rubs. When I rub his belly he'll sometimes have a look of tolerance, but usually it's more like "why are you doing that!?"
Theo doesn't like to be bothered when he's resting either. That's the problem. He's either playful (meaning you have to play chase, fetch, or some other game) or he's resting. Hehe.
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