why is my 5 mth old puppy suddenly become reluctant to go to bed in the kitchen

by Hazel
(England)

My 5 mth old puppy has been happy to sleep in his bed in our kitchen since we got him at 8 weeks old.

he goes in his bed with a treat, then 5 mins later he spends about 10 or 15 minutes banging on the door and whimpering, then he eventually settles down,

We don't know whether to give in to him and trust him to have the kitchen door open which will give access to the lounge or ignore him and see if it's just a phase.





Hi Hazel
I'd recommend going with option number two!

If you want him to continue to sleep in his bed in the kitchen (which makes the most sense, given that a five month old puppy isn't usually totally reliable in the housebreaking department, and is still prone to chewing things up), then just ignore his complaints.

You're actually fortunate that he only bangs and cries for 10 - 15 minutes, I've had puppies that can keep up a constant stream of complaints for hours (and I mean hours!!).

At 5 months old he's an adolescent puppy rather than a baby, and he's testing the boundaries and trying to see how far he can get with his demands.

Your decision in regards to his sleeping arrangements is a sensible, so stick to your guns and he'll soon forget about making a fuss because he'll realize it's pointless.

Best of luck with your puppy.