Physical Boundaries And Sleeping On A Mat

[DeltaCharlie]

My foster met his potential new home this afternoon and they asked me for ideas on teaching the dog to stay in the loungroom/ dining area of the house and sleeping on a mat/trampoline bed in the kitchen at night. I have never had to teach either thing and while I have a few ideas on things to try they would be trial and error things so not really something I would feel comfortable recommending. I would simply try them and if it didn't work then I would change tactics. I would rather not give them a list with "if this doesn't work try this" though. So, I thought I would turn to DOL for some tried and tested methods and ideas :rolleyes:

Boundaries

- Their landlord is fine with them having the dog but doesn't really want it in the hallway/bedrooms area.

- There is no physical difference between the two areas (flooring is the same and there is no doorway).

- Would be hard to set up a baby gate without a doorframe and they can't drill into a rented house.

Logan is a pretty affectionate dog who doesn't usually wander off through my house without me anyway. He has been living here for months now and is quite comfortable in the house, just chooses to be near me. He will be in the yard when they are not home so I don't actually think it will be a huge issue. I guess the difference will be whether they want a dog who knows not to pass the invisible barrier or a dog who just chooses not to.

I have always closed doors or used baby gates to restrict access to my dogs (mainly foster puppies) so I am not a huge help to them. All dogs quickly learn that when I say "stay out there" it means they cannot pass through the door (not into house, not out of house, not out the gate etc) but that is a command that is only really for that particular point of time.

Sleeping on bed

Logan has always slept in a crate at my house so he has no real choice about where he sleeps. They were looking to put a dog bed in a corner of their kitchen/ dining area for him to sleep on but I'm not sure how to ensure he stays there all night. I know how to teach a dog to go to a mat etc but have never really tested that for a long period of time without supervision. He is only 10months old and can be a chewer so could get into all sorts of mischief during the night. I was thinking a crate would probably be best to begin with, then possibly leaving the door open, then progress to just the mat if they want. What do you think?

Edited September 17, 2008 by DeltaCharlie

[Lablover]

Bless you for being a foster carer and finding him a home. You and others have my utter respect.

I think it depends on the experience of his new owner, how diligent, consistent and training they are. Most dogs learn place very easily.

Personally I would start him off in a crate, at the very least, he is contained. Keeping the landlord happy is important. Remember years ago when crates initially were introduced in Australia, so many people totally freaked. Mind you, I do worry some have taken confinement too far.

[anniek]

I always gently steer my fosters as I say "go to bed" on the first night - they sleep on a dog bed in the loungeroom.

I find it only takes a couple of nights for them to get the idea. My current foster is so funny - in the mornings I know that he's awake - I can hear him roaching with his legs on the wall - but he stays in bed until I give him a pat and say ok. Then he runs around madly all excited!

annieK

efs

Edited September 17, 2008 by anniek

[Miss BeRidgierent]

We command our 2 "on your blankets" and they go and lay on there blankets and if there blankets are in the wash or something, we usually have cushions on the floor, they will try and lay on the them as to not lay on the carpet. You just have to be persistent and you can train them to sit on there blankets/beds it just take time.

[Kirty]

When they were little, I used to tie them to a chair or table next to their bed. Every time they got up, I would say "On your bed" and put them back on their bed.

[Jigsaw]

I haven't used this method but have read of people using a marker on the floor like electrical tape to designate a boundary say like a kitchen doorway. The dogs are trained not to cross this line. Not sure how you would enforce it if dog has run of the house at night though. I think I would be advocating using a crate and maybe moving on to a trampoline bed when they are more confident of the dog's training. Or perhaps using a pen around the trampoline bed intitially and removing it later.