Keeping The Bedroom Out Of Bounds!

[Sticks1977]

We have recently purchased a baby/dog metal gate from eBay that will be used as a separator between our bedroom and the rest of the house. Sometime in the near future we will be adding another labrador to our family and this raises the problem of finding another place for both dogs to sleep during the night.

Fraser sleeps in the laundry at the moment but there would only be enough room for him only once both labradors are fully grown. We have talked about moving his bed into the lounge or living room area for him to sleep in - keeping doors closed to other rooms in the house and leaving the laundry door open (we have a dog door on the exterior laundry door) so that he is able to go outside to the toilet.

Is there a particular method or training we can undertake to make Fraser aware that our bedroom is out of bounds? The gate will be on to begin with as during the night we would not be able to keep our eyes on him sneaking into the room and eventually up onto the bed! He is only allowed up on the bed when we invite him up there. Closing the bedroom door is an option, but we would prefer that he would be able to see us during the night if he had to.

Thanks in advance for any tips or replies - Fraser is free to roam around the rest of the house during the day while we are home, but we just want to set some boundaries so that we do not end up sharing a bed (and our bedroom) with two labradors in the near future.

Regards, Shaun (Sticks1977) and Gaylene.

[MolassesLass]

He is only allowed up on the bed when we invite him up there.

I do not think you can teach a dog to not come into a room when you feel like it. If you never let the dog in there then I think it can be done. I would just leave the baby gate up.

[Dogs4Fun]

If you consistently will not let the dog in there, it is easy - we have always done this with our dogs. If you will sometimes let him in and sometimes not, then you will probably need to stick with a physical barrier.

[Sandra777]

Very very simple IMO. Just consistently say 'no' and escort him out when he comes in. If he comes to the door and looks in but makes an obvious and deliberate attempt not to step over the 'boundary', then lots of praise. If I can teach 3 mad Staffords not to go into the spare bedroom even when the door is wide open and a rat trap is sitting, baited, on the floor - then teaching a Labrador should be a cinch

Story of the rat trap... it was only there for 8 or 10 days until the pest control guys gave us the all clear. When we moved into this house there were rats running up the inside of the spare bedroom wall into the roof cavity (this being the room the pigs before us used to let their young child sleep in ;))

It's our computer room so when I was in there and the dogs came to the door to see what was going on I'd just say no, and they'd stop with their toes on the invisible line right by the door... being human we'd sometimes forget to shut the door when we left the room and the dogs would go to the door, look in, sniffing and all very interested but never crossing the line. Now, 8 weeks later with trap and rats all removed they still come to the door and won't cross that line unless invited, which I rarely do and then only for a quick ear scratch then "out" and they go and stand outside the door again. Dogs understand boundaries very quickly if you are consistent - I wouldn't invite him in to the bedroom until he is 100% reliable about staying out - then teach coming in as a whole new thing.

[Miranda]

My dogs aren't allowed in the bedrooms, I keep the doors closed on the three spare rooms and have a gate on ours. Sometimes I forget to close the gate, but they know they aren't supposed to go in and just hover in the doorway, they don't enter. If you want to keep your dog out you will have to be consistent and not allow him in at all. Start training him now, just put the gate up and deny him access at all times. However as you've been letting him on the bed, it will probably take quite a while before he understands that he's no longer allowed in there, you may have to keep the gate closed permanently.

[Seita]

My dogs know they aren't allowed in bedrooms either. Everytime one goes in I've just told them "out" or escorted them out while telling them "out" and then made a fuss of them when they are outside the door. The pup (5 months old) is slowly learning and will usually hover outside the door when I go in, however is someone is in the bed then that is often just too much of a temptation for him and he will go in but he is learning gradually that it's not ok to do that.

Like everyone else has said, consistency is key.

[callee]

He is only allowed up on the bed when we invite him up there.

I do not think you can teach a dog to not come into a room when you feel like it. If you never let the dog in there then I think it can be done. I would just leave the baby gate up.

I did!

Initially my dog was taught never to enter the bedroom. Only took a few times of saying "stay out" with a stop signall by my hand at the door, then eventually only needed the stop signal. He would only come in when we told him so.

The only time he has really broken that is when I triped and landed face first on the carpet. He jumped, ran to lick my face and kept whimpering loud enough for my husband to come and see what was going on. Personally I think Demon did the right thing.

Damn I have a good dog when I think about it! Basic obedience = working on it. 'Life' sense = plenty!!

Edited to add - I should mention, I have white tiled hallways and dark beigey coloured carpeted bedrooms, I think my dog understands the different flooring, maybe not the 'doorway' as such.

There is a thread floating around about keeping dogs out of the kitchen (can't remember if I started it or somebody else did and I posted on it cause I needed the same advice). There was some great information given in that!

Edited July 17, 2009 by callee

[MolassesLass]

Does your dog sleep inside the house and do you sleep with your bedroom door open?