When we first get that cute little puppy all the kids want to have the puppy sleep in their beds. While its pretty harmless when your dog is small, its often a bad habit that never gets broken. For small puppies it can be traumatic to be away from their mom in the first week or two which is why letting them sleep with us can be a great comfort. Dogs are "people creatures" and they want to be close to people and they want to be loved - just like us. Maybe that is why they make such good pets.
As your puppy grows up you need to lay down the law in terms of sleeping arrangements. Where will your dog sleep? A better question might even be where should your dog sleep? Most owners get it very wrong.
The first and biggest mistake you can make is to let your dog sleep on the bed with you. From a health point of view this has issues - even if you have a "clean" dog. Dogs have different sleeping patterns to people and the fact that you have a dog sharing your bed has many issues with your won sleeping patterns as well.
What's really important is that you give your dog a place of its own. It needs to be an area that is exclusively theirs. Not only do dogs have a territorial nature but it will greatly improve their sleeping patterns and make them feel like they have a place that is theirs.
The first option is to designate a place in the house to your pet. A space in your laundry usually works well and preferably it needs to be a space that is out of the way of daily human use. Ideally a place that has easy access to outside space since dogs need to use the bathroom much more frequently than people. If you have an outside building like a garage or a store then it can also work. An outside dog house is also a great option and one that works best for bigger dogs.
If you let your dog sleep outside then its very important that you make sure your dog is comfortable and 100% protected against the elements. You have to take particular care during the winter to make sure that the dog house is properly insulated and that there is enough to keep your dog warm through the cold nights.
Learn how to build a dog house and read more about finding the best dog house plans for your project.
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