I recently got my dog a bed and it refuses to sleep in it. Maybe it is because I didn’t train him to sleep in it when he was young (yes, it is his first time seeing a bed and he is 1 years old). So are there any suggestions to make him sleep in the bed?



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My dog was just over a year old when he was given a bed for Christmas – he snubbed his nose at it. I started using it as a toy box. Every time he left one out after playing I would put it in there & sure enough, after a few weeks he would push the toys out, pick up his favorite plush toy & put it in the bed and use it as a pillow. Go figure!
Try putting a fluffy blanket in his bed with him
My dogs won’t sleep in their dog bed unless they have one.
(you could also try calling him over to his bed and giving him a treat when he gets in it, so he will eventually learn to get in it himself)
I have a dog with several beds, so I was surprised when I brought a new one home for her and she refused to get on it. She’d lie right next to it, but wouldn’t put a paw on the bed. I finally put her collar and leash on, and just walked her onto the bed. And then it was like “oh, it’s okay for me to be on this? great!” and she has been on it for a part of every day since.
So maybe that will work for you? Is the dog refusing to go on the bed, or just refusing to actually sleep on it?
I too had this problem about two months ago! My dog always had a bed and I decided to get her a nicer, newer, less stinky bed!! I brought it home and was excited for her to sleep on it. Like the above poster she would just lie beside it. I then started to get on it myself and call her over (mine being big enough for a great dane I could get on with her) When she saw me do this she was so excited to come and lay with mom! Maybe even if you have a small bed just lay your head on it! Now my Great Dane doesnt want to get outta her new bed! Good Luck!
Where did you get it? If it has been used previously most likely they wont sleep in it because of the scent. My puppy sometimes sleeps on my clothes on the floor because it smells like me or a jacket laying on the couch. Maybe put a blanket that smells like you in there, and praise hi/her when they come in contact with it. If you only bought it for him/her to sleep in, most dogs like a small kennel because they feel safe in it (like a den). I have one for my dog and she enjoys sleeping in it, I lay a soft blanket in there for her. Hope that might help.
I recently had this problem too. What I did was toss a couple of treats in the bed (the cookie kind) and every once and a while hide some in it too for a special treat. Now he loves his bed and I sometimes catch him scratching around trying to find surprises.
i have the same problem with my dog. when i first got him he was 2 months old, he had a bed but when he was 3 months old he ripped the bed because of his teething. i did not get him one until he turned 8 months old, he refused to sleep on it, i trained him to sleep on it but as soon as i walked in the house he ran and slept on the floor when i walked out he would go to bed, then i got a kennel and put him in there with his bed he ripped the whole thing up! now he sleeps on the floor, maybe later he will like a bed. if you keep your dog outside and if it is hot, then the dog sleeps on the floor to keep cool, when it gets cold the dog will like something warm. my siberian husky has thick coat so a bed really isnt needed.