So maybe this is a silly question, but Lucy the puggle dog is our first pup so please bear with me.
We brought little Miss Lucy home in February and since then she has been growing like a weed. It never occurred to me she the she might need a larger dog bed until my neighbor mentioned it the last time she was over.
So this yesterday I went and picked her up a new slightly larger bed. But the thing is, she doesn’t want to sleep in it. Is this normal? When I bought the bed I made sure it had the same lining so I don’t think that is the problem.
I don’t want to just take her old bed away and force her to sleep in the new one and stress her out, I mean after all it’s been her bed since she’s been with us.
Maybe I’m over thinking this, but if someone took away my favorite thing I’d be pretty upset.
But what do I do? She’s too small for the old one.
Thanks for your help.
~Mavis
Donna says
You may think she is too small for her bed, but does she? I would give her some time and once it has her ‘smell’ she should take to it. Or maybe she simply doesn’t like it. Dogs are as funny (and picky) as children. What works for one may not work for another.
Erin says
I agree with Donna. You might keep the new bed around in a different area for her to get used to it. But she might prefer a smaller bed. Some small dogs would rather cram themselves into small spaces to sleep then sprawl out.
Holly says
it will probably take her some time to get used to it. Also, I have read some things that suggest dogs like enclosures – that it makes them feel secure. I wonder if she likes squeezing in because it feels cozy? In any case, I’m sure she’ll get used to the new one. Try phasing the old one out by keeping it in a different room (where she doesn’t typically sleep) and putting the new one where the old one used to be kept. If she seems upset, you can always swap back, but this way she still has the option. good luck – dogs are the most fun ever! IF you ever decide to give Lucy away, we want her!!!
Crystal says
Rub the bed on your body to get your scent on it. Place one or two of her toys in there. And praise her and give her treats whenever she gets in the bed. I’d leave both beds out for a few days. She will learn to love it!
Holly Burnham says
I agree with the poster who said your smell….put an unwashed tee shirt of yours in the new bed and remove the old bed.
Sally says
We have more than one bed too. They are all actually a bit big for our old little min pin! We keep one in the car, he loves to go for rides.
Madam Chow says
In addition to dirty t-shirts, I suggest leaving veggies like a carrot in her new bed. Boy, will she be surprised! She will start seeing it as something magical!
Becca says
She doesn’t look too small – yet. I wouldn’t stress it.
Kristina says
I’d just let her have both! She can decide what’s best for her.
Stephanie S says
If she still loves it and sleeps in it, I would say the old bed is fine. Our dog sleeps in a bed that would technically be too small, but he curls up really tiny and loves it. He likes nests and has dug a the bigger beds trying to create sides that aren’t there.
Michelle says
We raise puppies and the best thing you can do is
Put an old shirt in the new bed, but first rub the old
Bed all over the new one. Rub rub rub her smell in it.
She will be more comfortable then!
Kellianne says
Does your neighbor have dogs? Lucy is definitely a perfect fit in her bed! MYOB, neighbor. LOL
I agree w/ Erin…some dogs like to cram into their beds. Mine do. My 50 pound dogs loved to squish themselves into the teeny cat bed!
Don’t stress. Seriously. We have 2 dogs and 4 dog beds around the house…they use all of them and always squeeze into one bed together.
I love Lucy, she’s a doll!
Madam Chow says
So do mine! I have three and they will all squeeze into a bed the size of Lucy’s round one!
Lauren says
I think you are over thinking this one. If you take the old bed away, eventually she will start using the new bed. Until then, she will be just fine… even if she sleeps on the floor.
If that is too harsh for you, put a sheet or thin blanket over her old bed. Let her sleep on it for a few days to give the sheet a dog smell (and the old bed smell.) Then, put the sheet on the new bed (and get rid of the old bed altogether.) If there is enough dog smell on the sheet, she shouldn’t even notice the beds were switched out.
Shannon says
We have 4 short hair weenie dogs, and they love to be curled up, so I think you will want to keep the old bed until she actually overflows it! It looks like she can fit curled up, and short-haired dogs like that to keep warm.
Once she can no longer physically fit in the old bed, take it away, and put the new one in its place. She won’t stress out over it……she will lay down in it if she doesnt have a choice. 🙂
Tanya says
I have a lab and a beagle,,, that being said. I have multiple dogbeds in the house and it is on a “first come, first serve” basis so sometime the beagle is laying in the humongous dogbed big enough for a small family and the lab is crammed into the bed made for Lucy sized dog. He’s okay, he just curls up and pretends he is a poodle. A bed is a bed is a bed in this house. Both of my dogs like to curl up though in the beds with edges, makes them feel secure.
Anna says
I have two Chihuahuas, and they’ll sleep in anything resembling a bed (or even on a towel, if I put it in some sunshine!). Dogs actually enjoy novelty, and if the new bed is in the same spot as the old one, I’m sure Lucy will feel secure enough. One of my dogs loves curling up tight in what’s supposed to be a cat bed, and sometimes they like to stretch out in the sun. They’re pretty spoiled dogs, but I’ve never worried about getting rid of an old bed when it’s no good anymore!
On another dog-related note, I’m wondering how the bell potty training has been going. Does she ring the bells? I have potty issues with my dogs (dumb small bladders!), and I’m going to try the bell training so they’ll have a really clear potty cue (one of them is quite quiet and shy and doesn’t make a big fuss when she has to go out).
Laurel says
Put the old bed inside the new one for a bit but clearly there is nothing wrong with a dog having 2 beds. relax.. 🙂
Kristin says
When I bought my dog her bed, she went on it when I asked her to, and then got up and laid down next to it. I had to tell her a few more times and then drape her blanket part way over it. I think she was just waiting for permission. Once she got that it was hers, it became difficult to get her to leave.
Patty says
Perhaps she doesn’t like pink?!
Amanda says
2 things, both of which have already been said:
1-Make sure it smells like her/you/your family. Right now, it probably smells like new fabric, fabric dye, whatever chemicals they may have put on it to keep it nice before sale, whatever animals may have had their fur/dander float through the air onto it, tested it out, sniffed at it, etc. Rubbing her bed, her toys, a not-recently-washed throw blanket, an unwashed piece of clothing, etc., will help to make it smell more like home to her.
2-She may seem to small for her current bed, but she may like it that way. Dogs *generally* like cozy spaces for sleeping. Consider it their “den.” She may like her bed in all it’s smallness right now.
If I were you, I’d just try to give her new bed the scent of home and then leave it next to her old bed. She’ll explore it as she’s comfortable doing so over the next few days, most likely, and when she’s ready to switch to it, she probably will.
Personally, my dog loves a scrunched up blanket to sleep on (or my bed), but for whatever reason, he does NOT like doggy beds. The only one he showed any kind of interest in, he walked up to long enough to MARK it!!! Harumph. That was the end of that. (My dog has a thing for fleece-type materials when it comes to marking, and did a lot moreso before he was neutered.) The fact that Lucy has already taken to one doggy bed means she PROBABLY will like the new one just fine eventually. I agree with the shoe comparison. At least for me, I don’t throw away my old shoes and start wearing my new ones the day I get them. In fact, sometimes I take months to make the switch, buying the new ones and wearing them occasionally until I wear them in and they are comfortable.
Teri says
Lucy is not too big for her old bed! The reality is that dogs, like babies, need to feel safe and their preferred bed might not look cozy to us, but if they like it who cares?! When we got our dogs they were already full grown (9 and 11 months) and both of them LOVED sleeping in a laundry basket. We found it odd since our larger dog is a lab! Our smaller dog who is a small Asutralian shepherd mix has also been known to curl up in our friends teeny tiny cat bed when we visit their house. They like what they like. We moved last summer and have far more places for them to curl up and have at least 4 large beds around the house for them and the reality is they prefer to be wherever we are and more often than not they are nestled between us on the bed at night. Yup, I’m THAT dog owner!
Crystal says
My dogs both love beds where they have to curl up into a tiny ball to fit in them. They prefer them over large beds where they can sprawl out most of the time. Just leave both beds as an option for her and let her choose which one she wants to sleep on. You can never have too many dog beds!
Nicole says
I’m so glad i found this! I got my dog a new bed after 3 years. I didn’t think anything of it and just swapped them out. I figured it would take her some time to get use to the new one, although it’s almost exactly the same as the old one, just more fluffy! The last week she’s been sleeping with me (which she never does) or wandering around. This evening she spotted her old bed on top of the washer where it was drying–figured i’d keep the old one to bring with us when we travel. I was doing my thing in the house and kept hearing her whining and barking. I finally found her and she was sitting in front of the dryer where her throne sits staring up at it. I gave in and put it on the floor for her. She’s been in it ever since and she’s usually running around like crazy this time of evening. I guess we’re keeping the old one in the house for a little longer until the new one becomes more appealing.
Afsana says
Maybe she doesn’t like pink color. Put some toy inside the bed and let’s see…