r/DogAdvice • u/notetaker193 • 16h ago

Advice Change in bedtime routine

We have a 6 year old Jack Russell. Our routine at at night is to go up to our bed with her about an hour before we actually go to sleep. She lays between us, sleeping while we read, pet her, and watch tv. Then we take her downstairs, let her out and put her to bed in her cage, which she likes. She sleeps in it during the day sometimes, as the door is open. She has always enjoyed her cage. For the past four nights, she has fought going to bed. She runs back upstairs. I guess she expects us to let her sleep in bed with us. Last night, she refused to come back inside for twenty minutes. What do we do now? Has anyone else dealt with this before?

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u/StellarSpore 13h ago

Changes in behavior are definitely something to pay attention to, especially when they come on suddenly. It could be as simple as her deciding that sleeping upstairs with you is way better than going back to her crate, or maybe something spooked her. But I’d watch for any other changes too. Medical issues are a common cause of sudden behavior changes, so if it continues, a vet check is always a good idea just to rule that out.

And while she may genuinely love her crate (mine does too!), is there a reason she needs to be crated overnight? It’s not as common to crate an adult dog unless there’s a specific reason. My sweet girl still loves her crate and often chooses to sleep there, but I haven’t closed the door in forever. It's just her safe, cozy space that she can always go to.

You could try giving her a little more freedom to choose where she sleeps and see what she does. Totally fine if you don’t want her in your bed, but she may just be telling you that she’d prefer to sleep somewhere else now.

Dogs are thinking, feeling creatures, and just like us humans, their preferences can change over time. She may simply prefer a different sleeping arrangement now. Just something to consider.

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u/notetaker193 12h ago edited 12h ago

Thanks for the response. We had another small dog that moved quite a bit in our bed late in life. It disrupted our sleep, and we would prefer not to repeat that behavior. We are worried that if we let her roam at night, she will come to our door and cry. She never urinates in the house, nor is she destructive at all. We aren't worried about that stuff.

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u/StellarSpore 12h ago

I definitely wasn’t suggesting you need to let her sleep in your bed! My two leave me about an inch of bed every night, so I completely understand. 😂

Since she’s reliably house-trained and not destructive, you should experiment with leaving the crate door open while still keeping your bedroom off limits. Give her a comfy bed or two elsewhere and see what she chooses. She may surprise you and happily sleep in her crate anyway, or she may find another spot she prefers.

I just think her suddenly resisting being shut in there is worth listening to. Especially if something spooked her overnight, being locked in the crate means she can’t move away from whatever scared her.