I have recently started seeing someone new after many years. Due to this, there are some nights that I come home late or early the next morning. I live with family, so there is always someone at home with the dogs.
That being said, I would like to start training them to sleep in their crates while I’m away. I’m just not sure how to go about it. Currently, they sleep in dog beds in my room with me at night. When I’m away at night, my mom will hang out with them in the living room until I get home. I feel bad about this because she should be able to get proper sleep even if I’m not home.
One of my dogs (10 lbs), would likely be okay because she sleeps in her crates when I am out of town and there are usually no issues. My other dog is much bigger (120 lbs) and usually goes to a boarding facility when I am away, so he’s not used to sleeping in his crate at night while at home.
I know that if I were to try and crate them before I leave or if someone else crated them when they were going to bed, at least the larger dog would whine/bark, keeping everyone awake.
They are crated during the day when no one is home or if they cannot be properly supervised with not much issue, but the larger dog has not been crated at night since he was 5 or 6 months old.
What would be the best way to navigate training for the nights I’m not home? Should I get my mom to crate them when I’m gone and hang out in the living room until they get used to it? The crates are in the kitchen/living room area. Should I start sleeping in the living room every once in a while with them in their crates?
submitted by /u/atown-nnn
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