My dog hates his kennel. How can I help him or can he sleep in my bed?

Question

Jasper hates his kennel. We use it during the night and when were out, but to try and get him used to it we've put him in there while we were home. We given him treats while in there (when he's quiet) and he has toys in there. We've done this from the beginning yet he still hates it. Usually in the night he'll calm down after 5 minutes and go to sleep but recently he hasn't been. He currently sleeps in my bed so I can get some sleep, any tips? Hes potty trained so can I let him sleep in my bed? Pet's info: Dog | Golden Retriever | Male | neutered | 3 months and 1 day old

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

I understand how frustrating it can be to get a dog comfortable in a kennel. There are a number of reasons that it is beneficial to get a dog comfortable being in a kennel, so I do think it is worth continuing to try. If Jasper needs to be kept quiet after surgery or for any other reason, we certainly want him to be comfortable in the kennel. For now, you might consider feeding him his meals in the kennel (without closing him in it). The goal would be for him to run into the kennel excited for food and associate it only with feeding. I am attaching a handout below that may have more ideas for you. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1129 However I also don't think it's necessarily a problem for Jasper to sleep in your bed as long as you are comfortable with that. I am attaching a handout below that discusses reasons to have a dog sleep in a crate instead of a bed. You will have to make the best decision for your house as far as that goes, but you could also consider having a dog bed for Jasper to sleep in as an alternative. I graduated my puppy from sleeping in a crate to sleeping in a dog bed in the bedroom and used a baby gate at the bedroom door to keep him from wandering out of the bedroom. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1418 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

My dog hates his kennel. How can I help him or can he sleep in my bed?

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