# Sleeping arrangements?



## strawberry (Mar 16, 2021)

Hi! I’m curious about the sleeping arrangements for other puppies on this forum. Our 11 week-old puppy Siena has been home with us for a week and a half and is still sleeping in her daytime expen/crate set up. For the first week, I slept on the couch in the living room to be close by (killing my back in the process!). For the past three nights, I’ve slept in bed upstairs and come down as soon as I hear Siena making noise. I’ve been leaving her crate door open and indoor potty right up against it inside the expen, and this set up seems to work pretty well. Last night was the first night with no crying and I woke up at 7 to her patiently hanging out in her expen. We’d initially planned to move her upstairs to a nighttime crate either in our bedroom or just outside it once she was sleeping through the night, but now I’m thinking maybe we should keep this set up going until she’s fully potty trained. Our downstairs is hard flooring (hardwood and tile) and upstairs all carpeted, so this is also a factor. Our family spends virtually all of our waking hours downstairs, so Siena gets plenty of quality time during the day. Sorry for the novel, just trying to give all the details! I would love to hear others’ sleep set ups and plans!


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

It sounds like you might have just discovered the perfect night time set up for Siena🤞 it melted my heart when I read the bit about her patiently hanging out in her expen, how lovely is that 💗 

Flo was slightly older (5 months) when we got her, and I hadn’t heard of the forum or expens back then! So she used to sleep out on the landing outside our bedrooms in a large crate. She would be so excited to be let out in the mornings and tbh she was happy enough to be put in there at night. Turns out I am a great big softie, so she gradually found herself sleeping on our bed, this started when my husband would work away, and now she is here every night! I love having her sleep with us 🥰 she is bathed regularly and we have a throw on the bed which is easily washed, so it works well for us. I have a friend who got their puppy at a similar time (different breed) and he happily sleeps downstairs, he isn’t allowed upstairs, and that works well for them😘


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

As Flo said, it is pretty much your preference. Most dogs will get used to what you set up for them. I think ALL puppies should start in a crate and/or ex-pen, both for their safety, and for safety of the mattress from accidents. No puppy should sleep in the bed until they are past potty accidents, and danger of injury from getting rolled on or falling off the bed.

Kodi slept in a crate attached to his ex-pen for his first two years, because Dave was still in his “Dog hater”  phase. Then we had a renovation of our house and the ex-pen had to be moved. For expedience sake, Kodi’s crate moved into our bedroom, and the dogs have never left, ten years on. Then when the girls came along, their crates also joined us in the bedroom. (Which, after the renovation, was a MUCH bigger room!) Eventually, Panda started sleeping in bed with us. (Long story on that) So we’ve done it all ways. I don’t think there is any right or wrong as long as it makes you and your dog happy!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

RICKY has ALWAYS slept in his crate in our bedroom since we first got him for two primary reasons. First I don't want him wandering around the house in the dark and second, if he needs assistance at night, I want to know about it. The only drawback is that occasionally he snores at night and sometimes he dreams and we can hear muffled barking in his sleep (we just roll over and go back to sleep, it doesn't last long).

As others have said, sleeping arrangement is more to your preference rather than the dog's.


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## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

Both my boys sleep in their crates at night. they are antsy on the bed until they have their bedtime snack in their crate . They love routine. (Mind you, their bedtime crates are pretty big…)


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## strawberry (Mar 16, 2021)

Thank you for the replies! I’m sure that she’ll end up in our bedroom or the landing area outside the bedrooms at some point too. She still hasn’t been upstairs yet, so she doesn’t know she’s missing out on comfy sleeping quarters! To Ricky’s Popi’s point, I do worry that she might need us at some point and I’ll be too deeply asleep to hear her with the current set up. At least she has water and a potty in her expen, so basic needs are covered. Hoping we can keep her loving her crate forever, even if it’s moved upstairs. We travel quite often, so she’ll be on the road with us a lot and I want her to feel comfortable in new settings. I also foresee us wanting to board her/leave her with family or friends once a year for international trips that aren’t dog friendly. I keep reading how important crate training is for those types of situations.


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## NotAMuggle (Dec 4, 2020)

Piper's first couple of nights home she slept in her crate in the living room and did well except that when she woke up for her 545am pee break she would whine a lot when I left to go back to the bedroom. I decided what works best for us is moving crate from the expen in the living room (it's daytime position) to our bedroom during our bedtime. Now her puppy pee break wake up call is around 7am and when i put her back in the crate after that she lets us sleep as long as we want (ex. today we woke up at 920am). 

I also find that I am able to get a more restful sleep with her in there because when she was in the living room I was practically sleeping with one eye open and always straining to hear her (and wasn't able to use my white noise machine for fear of it drowning her out - I NEED that white noise to sleep lol). Now I know if she needs something I will 100% hear her, which allows me to get a better quality of sleep and with her in our bedroom I can use my white noise.

That being said, your arrangement seems to be working really well for you. What works best for everyone is different, it's up to you!


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## strawberry (Mar 16, 2021)

NotAMuggle said:


> Piper's first couple of nights home she slept in her crate in the living room and did well except that when she woke up for her 545am pee break she would whine a lot when I left to go back to the bedroom. I decided what works best for us is moving crate from the expen in the living room (it's daytime position) to our bedroom during our bedtime. Now her puppy pee break wake up call is around 7am and when i put her back in the crate after that she lets us sleep as long as we want (ex. today we woke up at 920am).
> 
> I also find that I am able to get a more restful sleep with her in there because when she was in the living room I was practically sleeping with one eye open and always straining to hear her (and wasn't able to use my white noise machine for fear of it drowning her out - I NEED that white noise to sleep lol). Now I know if she needs something I will 100% hear her, which allows me to get a better quality of sleep and with her in our bedroom I can use my white noise.
> 
> That being said, your arrangement seems to be working really well for you. What works best for everyone is different, it's up to you!


9:20-amazing!! Sounds like you found a great set up for your situation!


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## GoWithTheFlo (Oct 11, 2018)

strawberry said:


> Thank you for the replies! I’m sure that she’ll end up in our bedroom or the landing area outside the bedrooms at some point too. She still hasn’t been upstairs yet, so she doesn’t know she’s missing out on comfy sleeping quarters! To Ricky’s Popi’s point, I do worry that she might need us at some point and I’ll be too deeply asleep to hear her with the current set up. At least she has water and a potty in her expen, so basic needs are covered. Hoping we can keep her loving her crate forever, even if it’s moved upstairs. We travel quite often, so she’ll be on the road with us a lot and I want her to feel comfortable in new settings. I also foresee us wanting to board her/leave her with family or friends once a year for international trips that aren’t dog friendly. I keep reading how important crate training is for those types of situations.


That is a really good point Strawberry! 

Once Flo had become a permanent bedtime buddy, I downsized the big crate. She now has a smaller one (more appropriate for her size anyway tbh) which I keep fully open downstairs for her to use as her ‘safe space’. The thinking behind it was that she would be familiar with it should we need her to stay overnight some place else. Although the reality seems to be we haven’t gone away without her since getting it, and the minute she hears me open the cupboard where I keep her brushes she heads straight for it😡...at least that tells me she feels safe inside I suppose🤣😘


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Wulfin said:


> Both my boys sleep in their crates at night. they are antsy on the bed until they have their bedtime snack in their crate . They love routine. (Mind you, their bedtime crates are pretty big…)


That’s why Pixel will NEVER have bed privileges! We call her the “cat dog” she wanders around the bed... preferably walking over our faces all night long! LOL!


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Back when we ran out of corners on the bed, we had to make other arrangements.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

My dogs have downstairs crates and upstairs crates in our bedroom. I want them close by so I can hear if they want out or vomit or do anything else I need to be aware of.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)




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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I’m sleeping with one dog and her internal soccer team at the moment! LOL!


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

strawberry said:


> 9:20-amazing!! Sounds like you found a great set up for your situation!


@NotAMuggle, can Piper give Mando the memo about letting us go back to sleep? LOL. Once he's up at 7:15-ish, he is up for the day and wants to play and eat! He's got the zoomies first thing in the morning and then again in the late afternoon/early evening.

Mando sleeps in his crate within his ex-pen at the foot of our bed in the master bedroom. We close the ex-pen door around 10:30-11:00 and he's usually curled up inside already. He hasn't complained about bed time as long as he's had a chance to play with us in our room and relax on our bed before going into his crate. I am super paranoid that he's going to jump off our bed, which is pretty high off the ground. He's getting more and more brave about jumping off things that are definitely too high for him to jump up onto so I'm always on edge when he's sitting on our bed or the couch.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Tom King said:


> Back when we ran out of corners on the bed, we had to make other arrangements.


Hysterical! Did you put add another bed next to yours?


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Perry sleeps in his crate at night because (1)he's restless and I don't need that on the bed and (2)while hubby and Perry seem to have reached some sort of detente, and he's ok on the bed during the day, the bed is too small AND the detente is not that large for Perry to be on the bed all night. However, as much as Perry is not a huge fan of his crate outside of his routine times, at night he usually puts himself to bed after relaxing on the bed with me for a little while. The advantage (in addition to a good night sleep), is that he's super patient and I can get up in the morning when _I_ am ready even going as late as 9/ 9:30. 

When I first got him it was with the idea that he would stay downstairs in his crate (He was an 8 month old rescue) - but that lasted exactly 10 minutes and the crying and whining resulted in me getting him AND his crate and bringing it up beside the bed. It sounds like you're doing really well with it downstairs.

If you like it downstairs but are worried about not hearing her, get a cheap baby monitor to put by her crate/ pen so you can hear anything.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Panda has always been PRFECT in bed. But now... just the last couple of days... she has been waking up early and "nesting" in the covers. I THINK it's just instinctive "pre-whelping" behavior, but it's enough to bring me BOLTING awake for fear that I'm going to find puppies in the bed!!! LOL! I can't WAIT for the puppies to be on the OUTSIDE. 

Panda says, "YOU can't wait?!?! YOU aren't carrying this soccer team AROUND all day!!!"


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Patti's large comfy ex-pen wasn't moveable and it lived in our family-kitchen area. Patti would have been fine sleeping overnight in her ex-pen, but we live in an inter-generational home with two pre-teen and teenage boys who are in and out the kitchen at all hours of the night and wee morning hours. Therefore, we put a separate crate in our bedroom where Patti slept until she was about 5 months old.

I didn't sleep well with her with the crate in our bedroom. Although, Patti slept well in the crate she moved around and usually woke up scratching for attention or to potty: Afraid to ignore her I would take her out to potty. Patti learned when she whined I'd take her out of the crate which she started doing frequently.

Out of self preservation one night I put her in our bed and attached her to a harness and leash so I could make sure she stayed on the bed. She slept like a Rock! and I was able to finally get some sleep. That was the end to her Crate Sleeping days.

We keep our bedroom door closed at night and Patti found sleeping under the clothes in our walk-in closet is her preference for sleeping during the day and night. Except at 3 a.m. she crawls into bed with us and snuggles up to me. 

Whatever Works - Works.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

krandall said:


> Panda has always been PRFECT in bed. But now... just the last couple of days... she has been waking up early and "nesting" in the covers. I THINK it's just instinctive "pre-whelping" behavior, but it's enough to bring me BOLTING awake for fear that I'm going to find puppies in the bed!!! LOL! I can't WAIT for the puppies to be on the OUTSIDE.
> 
> Panda says, "YOU can't wait?!?! YOU aren't carrying this soccer team AROUND all day!!!"


This makes me LOL!!! finding puppies in your bed. When's the Due Date?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Mikki said:


> This makes me LOL!!! finding puppies in your bed. When's the Due Date?


Officially, MTW... I'm betting on this weekend.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

krandall said:


> I’m sleeping with one dog and her internal soccer team at the moment! LOL!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I have three main reasons for not wanting a dog in my bed.

1. Ticks
2. Ticks
3. Ticks

Did I say Ticks?

More power to the people who do not live in tick central or can fall asleep with the thought that a tick may be in their bed.

I also cannot figure out how my dogs would even fit in our bed since they are both sprawlers. Our bed is also super high and I do not want to take the chance of them jumping off or falling off.

Mia and Bear appear happy in their crates next to our bed. I do not see any signs of psychological damage. And my psyche is much healthier not having to worry about all of the above.


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## strawberry (Mar 16, 2021)

krandall said:


> Panda has always been PRFECT in bed. But now... just the last couple of days... she has been waking up early and "nesting" in the covers. I THINK it's just instinctive "pre-whelping" behavior, but it's enough to bring me BOLTING awake for fear that I'm going to find puppies in the bed!!! LOL! I can't WAIT for the puppies to be on the OUTSIDE.
> 
> Panda says, "YOU can't wait?!?! YOU aren't carrying this soccer team AROUND all day!!!"


Can you imagine waking to a bed full of newborn puppies?!?


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## strawberry (Mar 16, 2021)

Mikki said:


> Patti's large comfy ex-pen wasn't moveable and it lived in our family-kitchen area. Patti would have been fine sleeping overnight in her ex-pen, but we live in an inter-generational home with two pre-teen and teenage boys who are in and out the kitchen at all hours of the night and wee morning hours. Therefore, we put a separate crate in our bedroom where Patti slept until she was about 5 months old.
> 
> I didn't sleep well with her with the crate in our bedroom. Although, Patti slept well in the crate she moved around and usually woke up scratching for attention or to potty: Afraid to ignore her I would take her out to potty. Patti learned when she whined I'd take her out of the crate which she started doing frequently.
> 
> ...


Good point about ins and outs in main living areas! My husband woke Siena up the other day at 5 am making pre-golf coffee. Then he got to golf and I spent the next two hours trying to get her to rest with me 🙄


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## strawberry (Mar 16, 2021)

krandall said:


> Officially, MTW... I'm betting on this weekend.


So exciting! We’re going to need photos- LOTS of photos!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

strawberry said:


> Can you imagine waking to a bed full of newborn puppies?!?


Yes I can, and the thought horrifies me!!! LOL! OTOH, as long as they were all alive and healthy, it would be over and done, so THAT would be a plus! LOL!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> I have three main reasons for not wanting a dog in my bed.
> 
> 1. Ticks
> 2. Ticks
> ...


Fortunately, we don't have a big problem with ticks around our home. We keep the yard treated as well as the dogs. However, my husband sometimes works out in the wooded area and he occasionally has come to bed with a tick. Once I was roaming around a heavily wooded area taking photographs and ended up with tiny ticks all over myself and brought a few to bed. Yikes!  

I'll never do that again but so far it's be human's carrying ticks to our bed not the dog.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> Fortunately, we don't have a big problem with ticks around our home. We keep the yard treated as well as the dogs. However, my husband sometimes works out in the wooded area and he occasionally has come to bed with a tick. Once I was roaming around a heavily wooded area taking photographs and ended up with tiny ticks all over myself and brought a few to bed. Yikes!
> 
> I'll never do that again but so far it's be human's carrying ticks to our bed not the dog.


Treating our yard will not help because we have no fence so we have all sorts of wild animals walking through it everyday. In addition, there is common ground bordering woods all along our street so when I walk my dogs they are very exposed to ticks. The humans shower and are checked for ticks before bed but the little buggers can still escape detection, especially the tiny seed ticks. We check the dogs for ticks a couple times a day but even so they are easy to miss. And I do not want to allow them in bed ONLY during the tick off season. I have learned never to start a habit with a dog I do not plan to keep up. Having seen what I have on my dogs...they will not be in bed with us! My yorkie once had about 200 seed ticks on him.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> Fortunately, we don't have a big problem with ticks around our home. We keep the yard treated as well as the dogs. However, my husband sometimes works out in the wooded area and he occasionally has come to bed with a tick. Once I was roaming around a heavily wooded area taking photographs and ended up with tiny ticks all over myself and brought a few to bed. Yikes!
> 
> I'll never do that again but so far it's be human's carrying ticks to our bed not the dog.


Are you sure the humans had the ticks on them before getting into bed or did Patti get into bed and pass a few ticks onto the humans? I have been the recipient of a few of those gifts from my dogs, even from just bending all over them to groom them. Our new house will be better since we will have a yard and a break between it and the woods.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> Are you sure the humans had the ticks on them before getting into bed or did Patti get into bed and pass a few ticks onto the humans? I have been the recipient of a few of those gifts from my dogs, even from just bending all over them to groom them. Our new house will be better since we will have a yard and a break between it and the woods.



Seed Ticks! that's what attacked me. That was a super gross experience and was before we got Patti. It took me a couple of days to get rid of all of them. I got those from an undeveloped wooded area that I thought was a good place to photograph. Bad Idea!!

We live on 11-acres and maintain approximately an acre around the home. We've always treated the yard for fleas and ticks and do not have trees around the home. When my husband works in the wooded area away from the house he covers ups, shakes off his clothes and showers but occasionally ends up with a tick. 

I once found a tick on Patti. On her Nose! 

There may be an occasional tick but for the most part we don't have a problem with ticks or fleas around the house even though we do have deer, rabbits and other things that pass through because we treat our yard for flea and ticks.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Actually, it's not the trees that harbor ticks, it is the dead leaves on the ground, tall, unmown grass and meadows, etc. They don't climb trees. We have very large old trees inside our dog yard and have no problem with ticks there at all, because we always keep leaves picked up there. We keep a wide margin of mowed grass (like a wider area than would be most house lots) between the dog yard and any woods areas or any of the stone walls on our property. That keeps small animals (and other wild critters far away from the dog yard fence. As a result, even without the use of chemicals, it is unusual to find more than a tick or two per season on our dogs that can be attributed to time in the yard. We treat them with Advantix II before vacations up north or, especially, is we'll be spending time on the Cape.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> Actually, it's not the trees that harbor ticks, it is the dead leaves on the ground, tall, unmown grass and meadows, etc. They don't climb trees. We have very large old trees inside our dog yard and have no problem with ticks there at all, because we always keep leaves picked up there. We keep a wide margin of mowed grass (like a wider area than would be most house lots) between the dog yard and any woods areas or any of the stone walls on our property. That keeps small animals (and other wild critters far away from the dog yard fence. As a result, even without the use of chemicals, it is unusual to find more than a tick or two per season on our dogs that can be attributed to time in the yard. We treat them with Advantix II before vacations up north or, especially, is we'll be spending time on the Cape.


I agree. Dead leaves are the major issue. I believe that is where the ticks lay their eggs. We essentially live in an oak forest. There is no break between our yard and and surrounding forest and there is so much common ground all along the road it is difficult to avoid ticks. At the new house, we will have a yard and break from the woods and can keep it cleaned up. And we will not be venturing into the woods on our property during April or May. That is peak season for ticks and just asking for it.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> Seed Ticks! that's what attacked me. That was a super gross experience and was before we got Patti. It took me a couple of days to get rid of all of them. I got those from an undeveloped wooded area that I thought was a good place to photograph. Bad Idea!!
> 
> We live on 11-acres and maintain approximately an acre around the home. We've always treated the yard for fleas and ticks and do not have trees around the home. When my husband works in the wooded area away from the house he covers ups, shakes off his clothes and showers but occasionally ends up with a tick.
> 
> ...


I will take a huge gigantic tick over a seed tick any day!!!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Another reason we can’t avoid ticks. Check out these three hussies right outside my dining room window!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> Another reason we can’t avoid ticks. Check out these three hussies right outside my dining room window!
> 
> View attachment 174092


we have deer wander through the outer yard, of course, though I don’t know how many ticks are dropping off... I suspect that most are attached and feeding. But the deer NEVER come inside the fenced dog yard.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> we have deer wander through the outer yard, of course, though I don’t know how many ticks are dropping off... I suspect that most are attached and feeding. But the deer NEVER come inside the fenced dog yard.


Here the deer come right up to the front door and devour my hostas. My neighbor put pumpkins out for Halloween and a huge buck was gnawing on them right outside her dining room window. The main problem is the leaf matter that is everywhere. But it does not help to have a huge deer population and a deer sanctuary nearby.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> I have three main reasons for not wanting a dog in my bed.
> 
> 1. Ticks
> 2. Ticks
> ...


I found two!!! ticks on Perry's head this week (only walking outside on leash - but I think it was from the yard even without leaves AND the grass is still very short - there were a ton of deer spending extended periods in the yard if the piles of poo are any indication)!!!. At that point hubby wanted me to ban the dogs from the bed (they don't sleep in/ on the bed at night, but we do lounge there during the day) - but I really can't spend the next 6-8 months keeping them off the bed. I will continue to keep checking him - though I'm not sure exactly what a seed tick looks/ feels like.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> Here the deer come right up to the front door and devour my hostas. My neighbor put pumpkins out for Halloween and a huge buck was gnawing on them right outside her dining room window. The main problem is the leaf matter that is everywhere. But it does not help to have a huge deer population and a deer sanctuary nearby.


Yes, the PLANT destruction is real. My important Hostas are all INSIDE the fenced backyard. The decimate those outside the fence!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> I found two!!! ticks on Perry's head this week (only walking outside on leash - but I think it was from the yard even without leaves AND the grass is still very short - there were a ton of deer spending extended periods in the yard if the piles of poo are any indication)!!!. At that point hubby wanted me to ban the dogs from the bed (they don't sleep in/ on the bed at night, but we do lounge there during the day) - but I really can't spend the next 6-8 months keeping them off the bed. I will continue to keep checking him - though I'm not sure exactly what a seed tick looks/ feels like.


They look just like big ticks... just tiny!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> Yes, the PLANT destruction is real. My important Hostas are all INSIDE the fenced backyard. The decimate those outside the fence!


Momi loves Hostas. We leave them in the ground year round, even here in SoCal. But we do have problems with destruction of them inside our fence. The destruction is called RICKY and his playmates. They tear through the Hostas, playing games, and all you can see is bits, pieces, and leaves flying through the air........and Momi chasing after them with a broom! And that only stimulates them even further. Nothing like a good game of "can't catch me!" I told her the only way she was going to catch those dogs is to get on the broom and ride it! 😁 (I had to go get some pizza that night for my supper.) 😟


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> Yes, the PLANT destruction is real. My important Hostas are all INSIDE the fenced backyard. The decimate those outside the fence!


I put bird netting over mine which is very effective.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Melissa Brill said:


> I found two!!! ticks on Perry's head this week (only walking outside on leash - but I think it was from the yard even without leaves AND the grass is still very short - there were a ton of deer spending extended periods in the yard if the piles of poo are any indication)!!!. At that point hubby wanted me to ban the dogs from the bed (they don't sleep in/ on the bed at night, but we do lounge there during the day) - but I really can't spend the next 6-8 months keeping them off the bed. I will continue to keep checking him - though I'm not sure exactly what a seed tick looks/ feels like.


Some seed ticks are more tiny than others and can barely be seen. Great you are checking him. That really helps, but despite my best efforts I do miss some occasionally.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Here is what my backyard looks like, as well as the side yard and the entire surrounding area. I call it the baby tick nursery. I have to say though, in spite of living at tick central, the fur babies don’t really get all that many ticks and usually only during peak season, unless we are masochistic and go into the deep woods. Here peak season is April and May. Ticks like moisture and a bit of coolness. Our summers are hotter than hades so you don’t see as many then. If anyone wants to reduce the toxic load on their dogs they could only apply chemicals during peak season. I do not use any chemicals, but people around here use them year round even though the main threat is April and May. I also have to say that even if you don’t find a tick or flea on your dog, this does not mean they don’t have one!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Momi loves Hostas. We leave them in the ground year round, even here in SoCal. But we do have problems with destruction of them inside our fence. The destruction is called RICKY and his playmates. They tear through the Hostas, playing games, and all you can see is bits, pieces, and leaves flying through the air........and Momi chasing after them with a broom! And that only stimulates them even further. Nothing like a good game of "can't catch me!" I told her the only way she was going to catch those dogs is to get on the broom and ride it! 😁 (I had to go get some pizza that night for my supper.) 😟


I never heard of NOT leaving them in the ground! Even when the deer eat all the laves off, they are tough as nails. They grow back, it's just that it kind of spoils the look! LOL!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Right now we have seven deer that cross over the yard and hang around in the Out Back. I use to have a Library Shelf full of books on How To Stop Deer From Eating Plants and Flowers. I tried everything in the books even resorting to Lion Urine. Lion Urine did the Trick. It kept the deer away and it, also, works on humans. We couldn't go in our backyard for weeks the smell was so strong.
Lion Pee is very! Stinky. 🦁

I finally threw away the books and no longer plant anything that deer eat. Deer typically don't like Marigolds but I've read if they're super hungry they'll even eat those. I have some big concrete pots that I recently planted some Fake Outdoor Plants in them. They don't need watered and deer won't bother them.

We don't have lots of brush and leaves on any part of the land, there's a lot of open space along with cedar and wood trees. The land around our house is cleared and maintained.

Now that we have fenced back yard I probably could plant some flowers.

We've never had a big problem with ticks or fleas even with the wild life. But ... we've always treated the yard once before summer gets going and occasionally a second time if it's been an especially wet, hot, humid year in addition to treating the dogs for a couple of months to make if something does get on them it doesn't live long.

I did get the Seed Ticks in an area that had a lot of dead leaves and under brush.

Agree with Nancy ... a Big Juicy Tick is a whole lot better than hundreds of Seed Ticks. 😨


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> I never heard of NOT leaving them in the ground! Even when the deer eat all the laves off, they are tough as nails. They grow back, it's just that it kind of spoils the look! LOL!


There is nothing worse than a beautiful hosta that has been mowed down by a deer. However, a hydrangea where every blossom has been eaten off runs a close second. At least the deer do not touch the leaves of the hydrangea.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> I never heard of NOT leaving them in the ground!


Yeah, Hostas are a borderline ornamental landscape plant here in SoCal that require special attention. You can get them to perform adequately (but not like the Northeast/Northwest Coast) if given properly amended soil, generous supplemental irrigation (I use concentrated drip irrigation to conserve precious water), enough fertilizer (but not too much), a shade location particularly during the hottest part of the summer (supposed to be 88F here today, during the the summer it will be 20F hotter than that!), and keep the dogs out of them. RICKY stays out of them except when his doggie friends come over and then all the canines lose their collective minds and rampage in our backyard. Yesterday, RICKY's cousin doggie, JoJo, dug a nice hole in one planting bed looking for doggie easter eggs (aka cotton tail rabbit poop) and then proceeded to do a nice clip job on our Hybrid Bermuda lawn with her maxillary clippers which was okay because we don't generally apply fertilizers or pesticides to lawn. She just thought it made a nice salad entree for her kibble, but I gave her Honest Kitchen instead as a holiday treat. She went nuts.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Yeah, Hostas are a borderline ornamental landscape plant here in SoCal that require special attention. You can get them to perform adequately (but not like the Northeast/Northwest Coast) if given properly amended soil, generous supplemental irrigation (I use concentrated drip irrigation to conserve precious water), enough fertilizer (but not too much), a shade location particularly during the hottest part of the summer (supposed to be 88F here today, during the the summer it will be 20F hotter than that!), and keep the dogs out of them. RICKY stays out of them except when his doggie friends come over and then all the canines lose their collective minds and rampage in our backyard. Yesterday, RICKY's cousin doggie, JoJo, dug a nice hole in one planting bed looking for doggie easter eggs (aka cotton tail rabbit poop) and then proceeded to do a nice clip job on our Hybrid Bermuda lawn with her maxillary clippers which was okay because we don't generally apply fertilizers or pesticides to lawn. She just thought it made a nice salad entree for her kibble, but I gave her Honest Kitchen instead as a holiday treat. She went nuts.


Sounds like WAAAAYYY too much work! They are weeds here! We chop them into quarters and throw 3/4's of each away ever other year or so or they get too dense! (A little lungwort mixed in the middle... which I am SURE can't take your dry conditions!!!)


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

THAT is a beautiful Hosta garden! We don't see anything close to that except in botanical gardens here in SoCal where they are given daily maintenance and special care. I notice that you use a wood chip mulch (I can imagine where you get that from). Here in SoCal, I generally recommend a minimum of 2 inches of mulch (bark, wood chips, organic matter, or in some cases gravel) to deter weeds, retain subsoil moisture, and facilitate clean up. We moved into a new home last year and because of some personal difficulties we were unable to establish a new garden then. But this year we are going full RICKY on our garden and things are proceeding nicely. We have about 80% of our foundation planting in and when finished, Momi will start performing her "Annuals" magic to produce a riot of color later this summer.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> THAT is a beautiful Hosta garden! We don't see anything close to that except in botanical gardens here in SoCal where they are given daily maintenance and special care. I notice that you use a wood chip mulch (I can imagine where you get that from). Here in SoCal, I generally recommend a minimum of 2 inches of mulch (bark, wood chips, organic matter, or in some cases gravel) to deter weeds, retain subsoil moisture, and facilitate clean up. We moved into a new home last year and because of some personal difficulties we were unable to establish a new garden then. But this year we are going full RICKY on our garden and things are proceeding nicely. We have about 80% of our foundation planting in and when finished, Momi will start performing her "Annuals" magic to produce a riot of color later this summer.


 Actually, we don’t use wood chips, which change the nitrogen content of the soil. We use decomposed leaf litter mulch. It’s great, but probably not available in your area. It’s locally sourced and very environmentally friendly. And yes, it’s about 2” deep. The only thing I HATE is that until it gets a couple of good rains on it, the dogs (especially Panda) track it in like CRAZY, and the yard was just done last week. So right now, I have to catch each one of them as they come theough the door, and brush them down, then sweep the kirchen before letting them through to the rest of the house! The bark mulch was heavier, and just fell right off them.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mickjamer said:


> I spent $120 on a dog bed so you didn't have to. And because it looked awesome. The PetFusion Ultimate Dog pawsnose.com/best-waterproof-dog-beds is something that I think anyone with an active breed should look into. This is my personal opinion and strictly based on what Charlie seems to like.


Spam is not welcome here and has been reported.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mickjamer said:


> I spent $120 on a dog bed so you didn't have to. And because it looked awesome. The PetFusion Ultimate Dog pawsnose.com/best-waterproof-dog-beds is something that I think anyone with an active breed should look into. This is my personal opinion and strictly based on what Charlie seems to like.


Report Made to Admin: Spam. In appropriate comment and solicitation.


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## strawberry (Mar 16, 2021)

I reported it too a couple of days ago


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mickjamer said:


> I spent $120 on a dog bed so you didn't have to. And because it looked awesome. The PetFusion Ultimate Dog pawsnose.com/best-waterproof-dog-beds is something that I think anyone with an active breed should look into. This is my personal opinion and strictly based on what Charlie seems to like.


SPAM


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Why can't I delete something after it's Posted?


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