[Tobias]

Hello All-

Hope you can help me.

I have almost 6 month old Yorkie poo, he is a doll and a spoiled brat (caused by me and my mother).

When I first got Toby I tried to crate train him, it did not work so well, so I ended up gating him in the kitchen. It is a large enough space that he has a sleeping and playing area, as well as an area dedicated to going to the bathroom. Once I put him in there all the whinning and sleepless nights came to an end. What I would do is take him outside, let him lay on the bed with me until I was ready to go to sleep, then take him to the kitchen for "night-night" and he was fine with it.

Everything was great until I took him to my moms house for a week while I went out of town. She let the dog sleep with her, now he assumes that he needs to sleep with someone. He will jump, whine and cry all night if I put him in the kitchen. I gave in because I needed rest and I know I should not have done that but I did. He has been sleeping on my bed since then, and that was around 2.5 weeks ago.

What can I do to get him back in the routine and habit of sleeping in the kitchen in his own bed?

If I am just hanging around the house should I not allow him to get on the bed with me if I just want to watch a movie? Should I try to keep him off of it regardless of what time of day it is ?

Please help.

Thanks in advance.

[klip]

Well - have you read the NILIF principles? Those will help. There is a sticky somewhere - http://www.dogforums.com/3-dog-train...life-free.html (NILIF (nothing in life is free))
There you go.

OK - I think you know what everyone is going to say. You just have to start from scratch again, and it will take longer this time because you gave in

But what you can also do is this. Make his bed a great place for him to be. Always give him his bones and toys in his bed. During the day, spend some time sitting with him and petting him when he is in his bed. If you ever see that he went and lay down in his bed without being told, give him treats and attention. Get him a kong if you dont have one already, and put that in his bed at night.

He - (and you) should think of his bed as his special place, not as a place where he is banished to.

Maybe invest in some ear plugs

And good luck!