Chipper preferring crate to bed... Bad Energy! :(

[Twisterdog]

Pepper LOVES her crate. She spends almost all her time in there, unless she is eating or outside. The crate has no door, and she has free access to all areas of the house, like all the dogs. No one bullies her, the temperature is the same. She just loves it. She takes a toy and a chewie in there with her, and hangs out about 22 hours per day in the crate. If I wash her bed, she is FRANTIC until I put it back in her crate. She is an odd duck, it's just her personality. NOTHING gets her out of that crate until she is ready, I don't even try anymore.

Keito, my old dog, stopped sleeping on his comfy bed in the bedroom about a year ago. No reason - not a new bed, no illness, nothing - he just started sleeping on the floor one night. I tried washing the bed, moving it, buying new beds of different types ... nothing worked. He just curls up on the floor in a ball looking forlorn ... until you see his big comfy bed a few feet away. I have no idea what it's about, but he's not changing his mind.

How about putting Chipper's crate in the bedroom, with the door open? Then he gets to sleep in it, where maybe he feels more safe and secure, and also he gets to be with everyone else at night.

[ramanth]

I wish I could, but our bedroom is small and cramped. No room for his crate.

[k9krazee]

That's too weird. Maybe it's just a phase or something. I know that Jack went through a period of time where he'd sleep under the covers, then for a time he slept on the floor. Or if Jack is tired and I'm not ready for bed he'll cram himself into Micki's crate and won't come out for anything. Eventually he'll make his way to the bedroom though. Kyra also suddenly started sleeping in her crate at night, so we just reinforced it and make her sleep in it every night, because we were going to start making her anyway. Now if we forget to put her in, she'll go by herself and sleep there.

I guess I would just let him sleep there if he wants too, and maybe he'll eventually want to sleep in the bedroom again? It could definitely be because of the temperature or Kia.

Silly Chipper!

[lizbud]

Well, I've never used a crate, but it's supposed to be a "safe place"
for dogs, right? Maybe he isn't feeling 100%. I have no clue.

[Shelteez2]

Clipse used to love sleeping in his crate. I would just have it in my room with the door off. Now that we have Ramone though he is crated when we leave so the door is back on.
It could be just a phase he is going through. I don't think I would beg and plead with him to come out, nor would I shut him out of it if it's what he wants. Could be he has learned that if he goes in there and looks sad then he will get lots of attention from you.
Personally if he is still acting normal in every other aspect of every day life then I would just let him be when he goes to his crate to sleep.