When did you decide to transition from a sleep crate to a dog bed and how did you know it was time? + What was your process for making the transition?

My 4 month old Aussie can sleep soundly through the night until about 6:30am when she needs to go out. She’s pretty well potty trained at home (outside the very rare times l’ve messed up her routine.) She also has a rough bedtime window that she seems to settle at pretty well (especially if she’s in the crate, she knows it’s bedtime).

However, she is starting to get a bit big for it. She has a bigger crate but it doesn’t fit in my bedroom, plus I’d really like to transition her into sleeping comfortably in a dog bed beside my bed.

My only concerns are – Without a crate, will she feel like she can go to the bathroom while I’m asleep?

• Will she settle down for the night like she does in the crate, or will she run around creating puppy chaos all night?

So my questions: 1. When did you make the transition? 2. How did you decide it was time? 3. What steps did you make to transition and how did it go?