# Should everyone have their own bed?



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

In my house, there are about eight little dog beds and two big ones. It was never an issue because we had a little dog and a big dog. Snorkels could just lay down in every room (and twice in some) if she wanted. She really had too many beds.

So I set a couple around for our foster, Parker. But he keeps getting in the main bed that Snorkels uses in the living room. He has one about 10 feet away that I've put him in five times. 

So Snorkels was going to the bed between the living and dining room. THEN, Parker got that bed.

So just now, I went into the living room and Snorkels has usurped Rebel's big bed. She has gotten up there maybe once months ago, but it's not something she sleeps in. She's sound asleep in it right now.

Should I give Parker a couple of beds and make sure he doesn't go to any other beds? And just keep taking him out of the beds that are designated for Snorkels?

I want him to feel at home, but this seems to be upsetting the bed balance.


----------



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Well I don't have any advice for you...been wondering about all sorts of stuff like that for when we get another dog, but that situation you described sounds super cute and endearing :smile:


----------



## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

I dont know that you will ever be able to have a foster who doesnt think that at least one of the other dog's beds is theirs.

I know around here all beds are up for grabs if they are within "reach"(not behind closed doors!LOL)

The 2 chairs USE to be Brody and Rhett's right now Keeva is sleeping in "Brody's" and Brody in "Rhett's"....then Dixi is in Brody's spot next to me, Rhett in Leo's spot next to Daddy and Leo in Rhett's spot next to me!!LOL


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> I dont know that you will ever be able to have a foster who doesnt think that at least one of the other dog's beds is theirs.
> 
> I know around here all beds are up for grabs if they are within "reach"(not behind closed doors!LOL)
> 
> The 2 chairs USE to be Brody and Rhett's right now Keeva is sleeping in "Brody's" and Brody in "Rhett's"....then Dixi is in Brody's spot next to me, Rhett in Leo's spot next to Daddy and Leo in Rhett's spot next to me!!LOL


Now that's funny. I can't keep track of three but you seem to do a pretty good job with five.

Parker is having a problem because most of Snorkels' beds are cat beds and he hangs off the edges. I think I need to get him a giant pillow or a bigger bed.

But, it does seem to be slightly distressful for Snorkels to have her beds full. She has jumped up on the couch to sleep today (which she never does unless someone is eating up there) and now Rebel's bed.


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

We have three beds, one beside our bed which is Willow's since I don't let her up there- too scared that she would jump off on her own in the middle of the night.. one in the computer room and one in the living room. Tess normally sleeps on the couch or computer chairs or bed, and Bishop always on the floor. Willow is on the beds most of the time, but if Tess sees her she kicks her off and makes the 10 year old dog tough it out on the hard floor, and Tess curled up into a teeny ball smack in the middle of the big bed. She's a brat.


----------



## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

We have several beds but not one for everyone. Usually you see a tiny sheltie curled up in the middle of a big dog bed and a collie or two waiting his turn right on the floor beside the bed. My oldest collie has run of the furniture (it's leather so not a problem). My dogs tend to be hot when indoors so other than to annoy each other they usually sprawl on the floor.


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

We have 7 dogs, and officially have only two beds in the living room, and one in the bedroom. They have their usual spots, but I don't enforce who goes where. They usually prefer to literally pile on the couch anyway and Mousse marks the beds if anyone is in heat (ONLY the beds, he hasn't ever marked anything else) so we got rid of them and now have these three, which get picked up if we have reason to believe he would mark.


----------



## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

We have one bed in the living room and 2 in the bedroom. 

The dogs use our bed and the couch...haha

Mikey has his corner of the dog couch, Gunner sits on top of you and Sprocket goes where ever he likes. He doesn't have a regular spot, right now he's on top of me.

At night, sometimes they lay on their bed, our bed if it's cold, the couch if it's hot, Sprocket really loves tipping the laundry over and crawling into the clothes. If its chilly he sleeps with us. 

I guess my point is, I wouldn't worry about it. Dogs will find a place where ever.


----------



## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

We only have two beds. When Buck came home we added the second bed and if he chose to go lay in Dude's bed, Dude could either share or take the other bed. Dude was really put off by a puppy in his bed but they have worked it out. They still don't share very often but, as Snorkels has done, these guys just go choose a different bed if the one they want is taken and they don't feel like sharing. No one fights over it so I don't worry about it.


----------



## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

xellil said:


> In my house, there are about eight little dog beds and two big ones. It was never an issue because we had a little dog and a big dog. Snorkels could just lay down in every room (and twice in some) if she wanted. She really had too many beds.
> 
> So I set a couple around for our foster, Parker. But he keeps getting in the main bed that Snorkels uses in the living room. He has one about 10 feet away that I've put him in five times.
> 
> ...


You definitely have enough beds to go around so I wouldn't worry about it. Even with 10 dogs I never have that many beds down at once. Madison, now that she's an old lady stays in an x-pen in the bedroom. Since she's gotten dementia she can't seem to locate a bed even if she's standing near one and her feet slip out from under her so I keep her in the pen most of the time and so far she's been fine with this arrangement. She has a bed with a heating pad and one without so she can choose. Most all the other dogs are piled up on my bed when they're resting. Lily, Toby and Camden can't jump up there on their own but can get down (I keep a step stool next to the bed) so I put Toby and Lily up when they want and Camden sleeps in my office chair. Which he's sitting in behind me in as I type. Even though there's an entire room just for my dogs they rarely go in it other than to eat and sometimes play.
The main reason I don't have a lot of beds around is because when Camden came into my house he was a horrible marker. He wore a belly band for a while and I thought we had it under control and for the most part he doesn't do it anymore. BUT then Toby started marking, which he'd never done before. You can't keep a belly band on him because of the way he's built. It'll just slide off after a short time unless you cut his circulation off. If he was down in the floor with 10 beds, every single one would be marked when I came back in the room. Not. Cool. But, put him up on the big bed and he's a happy camper. So, I let my guys just lay wherever and they figure it out for themselves. I don't think they worry about it nearly as much as we do. :smile:


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Seems like it all gets worked out one way or the other! thanks for all the replies - apparently the consensus is no, I do not force them to go into their own beds.

Parker has peed in the house once, I think - I found a wet spot on a rug in the bedroom. But that was the first night when I ended up letting him sleep with me because he was wandering everywhere. Last night he slept in his bed just fine all night, and in fact i had to haul him out manually this morning to go pee, he was so comfy.

Thanks very much, I'm going to let snorkels figure it out.


----------



## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

Maybe he wants to lay with her or is comforted by the smell of the bed? 

I have no good advice because my two boxers have three beds, but they will only sleep together. In the living room, its a different story. No dog beds. There is a rug under the computer and a blanket folded in the floor. My two and my uncles three get beds by pecking order. Muttly (14, my uncles) usually will sleep in the chair. Annie(7 mine) is almost always on the couch. If the couch is full of people, She lays in the kennel on a blanket. It the couch is full of dogs, She gets on the couch and they get off willingly. Sassy (4, uncles) Molly (2, Uncles) and Tucker (11 months, Mine) get whats left or the floor. Alot of times Tucker will also get on the couch when Annie is on it because he likes to sleep ON her. She doesnt mind. I think she likes the heat. We have tussels over beds, blankets and furniture, and they all get taken away and not allowed on the furniture except Annie and Muttly (have hip issues).


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I think snorkels would rather poke herself in the eye with a hot needle than have another dog in bed with her!


----------



## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

xellil said:


> I think snorkels would rather poke herself in the eye with a hot needle than have another dog in bed with her!


Same with Mikey I think! Let it get REALLY cold in the house and maybe she will snuggle up to Parker  Mikey only sleeps on the bed if its really cold, most of the time he growls when you move your legs and then tries to bite them, then jumps off. I have woken up to him still on the bed, toasty warm. I have seen him cuddle with Gunner too. Desperate times call for desperate measures.


----------



## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

xellil said:


> I think snorkels would rather poke herself in the eye with a hot needle than have another dog in bed with her!


That is how my Beauregard was....this picture is the only one that we have of him and Bonnie sleeping together, and you can see the disgust on his face!LOL
(And this was right after Clara was put down, so Bonnie NEEDED someone since she had just lost her best friend of 11 years!)










(This is how Bonnie and Clara slept all the time


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Sprocket said:


> Same with Mikey I think! Let it get REALLY cold in the house and maybe she will snuggle up to Parker  Mikey only sleeps on the bed if its really cold, most of the time he growls when you move your legs and then tries to bite them, then jumps off. I have woken up to him still on the bed, toasty warm. I have seen him cuddle with Gunner too. Desperate times call for desperate measures.


i would love it if Snorkels would cuddle with another dog. Rebel is much like her - if she walks by him and touches him accidentally he jumps up. Doesn't like it at all. But he's super high strung and it's not the same kind of isolation she has.

But even though they don't touch, they are often near each other. I think they like each other but they don't want anyone to know.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> That is how my Beauregard was....this picture is the only one that we have of him and Bonnie sleeping together, and you can see the disgust on his face!LOL
> (And this was right after Clara was put down, so Bonnie NEEDED someone since she had just lost her best friend of 11 years!)


you never know with dogs. Maybe he did it even though he didn't want to becuase she needed a little snuggling.


----------



## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

xellil said:


> you never know with dogs. Maybe he did it even though he didn't want to becuase she needed a little snuggling.


Ya, that is pretty much what happened...other wise he would have been down long before the picture was taken!LOL


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Bishop doesn't like to sleep with other dogs ever.. he sleeps either on the floor or the very end of the bed, on my feet. He gets hot really easily. Willow doesn't really either but she is still so new in our house and is still warming up (she's come a LONG way!).. but Tess likes to cuddle with everyone so she will usually wait until Willow is sleeping and then cuddle with her. That or kicks her off the bed. LOL

Can't wait until I have like four IGs.. it will be a big pile of really long, skinny legs.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I have solved my problem. I had a bunch of extra bed pillows, so I just put one down next to every dog bed. So my house looks a little like an opium den, but everyone gets to sleep where they want


----------



## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

xellil said:


> I have solved my problem. I had a bunch of extra bed pillows, so I just put one down next to every dog bed. So my house looks a little like an opium den, but everyone gets to sleep where they want


HAHA, I kept the couch pillows from a couch that Jesse had when we met....everyone LOVES them...they are normally scattered thru out the house!HAHA


----------

