Keep Your Pet in His Crate for a Good Night’s Snooze

Have you ever tried to go to sleep, but just couldn’t because of too much stress during the day or maybe a little too much caffeine, a wife that snores? All the many things we complain about that keep us awake and make us toss and turn may not be the problem. The Mayo Clinic for Sleep Medicine conducted a survey and came up with a surprise answer to man’s dilemma. Some of the sleeplessness could be traced to arthritis pain, but the main cause was that canine companion sharing the same bed. When they recommended throwing the pet out of bed,  most pet-lovers balked. Tossing the pet out of bed was too much of a sacrifice to make when they had become accustomed to having that pet warm the bed and just cuddle. I will admit it is a nice comfort and they do make you smile. There are so many great beds for dogs and  designer dog crates, that it should be easy, but it is not.


Both of you can achieve a good night’s rest, if you put him in a plastic crate equipped with a soft pad and keep it within your reach. In an article, written by Dr. Marty Becker, veterinary contributor for “Good Morning America” and Gina Spadafori, his co-author on best-selling books they suggest that you have your dog checked for external parasites – fleas and ticks – as well as bacterial yeast infections. These can cause itching and discomfort for your dog and if they sleep with you, I think you can answer that one, especially, if you wake up with an itch. Dr. Peter Ihrke, a professor of veterinary dermatology at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine states that allergies can also be the culprit. He suggests that you have your Vet check him over for dust-mites.

Cleanliness comes into play again and again. Keep the bed linens washed and clean and while you are taking care of your sleeping comforts, wash and clean the pad and plastic crate to insure that your dog is free of dust mites and dirt. They carry a lot of dirt into the home on the pads of their feet from the out-of-doors. If you insist on letting that dog take up half (most of time it is three quarters) of the bed then it is suggested that you enclose the box springs, mattress and pillows in barrier covers and wash weekly. Using a dog crate would be a much, much better solution.

When you bring a new baby home from the hospital, his sleeping schedule is contrary to yours. So it is with your pet, if you play with him and get him all worked up at night time and let him sleep all day you can plan on being up all night. Exercise him as much as possible during the day time and let him out for a long potty break before your bed time. We read our children stories at night to quite them down, play relaxing music at night and give your pet a favorite soft toy before you place him in his plastic crate for the night. If you make a nightly routine of it, you may just be surprised at how nice it is to have the whole bed to yourself or at least half of it. If none of this works, remember some body has to sleep on the couch and my bet is it won’t have four legs. You may have to insist on the dog crate for a longer period of time, but he will learn to choose it.