Cozy Cave

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Today is a short work day because it’s my mother-in-law’s birthday, and we are closing the clinic to have a fun family day.  However, I felt like it was my birthday this morning because the Hus made me breakfast in bed (a birthday tradition for us).  It was a nice surprise.  Whatta guy.

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On the platter:

 

Omelet with tomatoes and broccoli

Toast and buttah

Orange

Prenatal vitamins <—Hah.

Orange and pineapple juice

Liquid B Vitamins <—I don’t take these every day, just when I’m really dragging.

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A few people have asked for an update on (lovingly) kicking James out of the bed… so here it is!

 

Last week, I wrote that we had moved him from our bedroom to the guest bedroom, and he wasn’t liking it very much.  We’re moving James, and not Maggie, out of bed because James is a terrible sleeper and wakes us up all night long.  Some readers said that we were breaking up the ‘pack’ and suggested we try some alternatives.  The Hus and I read through all the comments and decided that we weren’t going through things the right way. 

 

I mistakenly believed that if we slept through James getting back up into bed from his own bed and didn’t immediately correct him, he wouldn’t understand what he was doing wrong… which is why we had literally locked him out.  A few people said it was okay if we didn’t remove him for a few minutes (or even hours) because he was still in the act (of being on the bed).  They said that as soon as we noticed he was in bed, we should just gently push him out and direct him back to his dog bed.  That made sense to us so we decided to try the technique.  And Stephanie C suggested we check out the Cozy Cave, a dog bed with a built-in cover so the dogs can ‘nest.’  She thought James would be more likely to stay in his own bed if we got him a Cozy Cave.  We really liked the idea of the Cozy Cave so we rigged up our own (free) version.

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I am happy to report that after three nights of one attempt to get back into bed, James has fully settled into his own Cozy Cave and is sleeping in his own bed, right next to ours.  Last night, he didn’t wake us up once.  It is heavenly, and everyone seems happier. We found a solution that really works and breaking James of the bed habit wasn’t hard at all. 

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So, I just wanted to say THANKS for all your doggie training feedback! 

{ 53 comments }

 

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen December 15, 2011, 9:45 am

    Yay! glad you got some uninterrupted sleep. That bed set up does look cozy. Kind of reminds me of making “tents” and “forts” with sheets as kids.
    Enjoy your half day 🙂

  • Emily G. @ from my messy desk December 15, 2011, 9:51 am

    My dog is terrible about waking me up at night! It doesn’t help that he is attached to my hip every moment I’m at home, but damn – it get’s annoying sometimes. He’s in and out of the bed all night. He is able to jump on the bed, but for some reason at night he cries until I pick him up and put him on the bed. I’m gone 8+ hours a day so I feel a little guilty not snuggling with him.

  • marian @ marianwrites December 15, 2011, 9:53 am

    after reading your first line i just wanted to bust out with “whatta man, whatta man, whatta man, whatta mighty good mannnnnn……” looks like you got one! hooray for the cozy cave! y’all are gonna make great parents.

  • Jessica December 15, 2011, 9:55 am

    Yay! Glad you guys found a solution that’s working for you! It did make me feel sad for James that he had been banished by himself, even though we kicked our own dog out when we had a baby (hypocritical much? lol).

  • Jennifer December 15, 2011, 9:55 am

    Awww, I love the cozy cave for James! That seems like a workable solution for everyone. And I love that your husband brought you breakfast in bed. You’re a lucky girl! 🙂

  • Samantha @ Health, Happiness & Skinny Jeans December 15, 2011, 9:59 am

    I’m glad to see that you found a solution that still let’s the little guy be near you at night. Dogs are pack animals and it is normal for the pack to sleep in the same area. As the pack leaders though it is normal to sleep slightly away and elevated from the rest of the group so this new idea system is perfect!!

  • Shari December 15, 2011, 10:07 am

    Holy cow, those prenatal vitamins look HUGE!

    • CaitlinHTP December 15, 2011, 10:09 am

      Hahah they are! they are a whole food supplement (New Chapter Perfect Prenatal) so they are inherently bigger.

  • Khushboo December 15, 2011, 10:08 am

    I sure wouldn’t mind waking up to breakfast in bed on a weekday! Hundred husband points for K!

  • Jenn December 15, 2011, 10:08 am

    I just ordered a cozy cave for my dogs yesterday. I hope they love it!

  • Lindsay December 15, 2011, 10:08 am

    That is so awesome!! I am glad your commenters were able to help and you found something that works for you guys. James looks SO cute in his cave!

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb December 15, 2011, 10:09 am

    awww look at those eyes!

    breakfast looks delicious… what a wonderful hubby 🙂

  • BH December 15, 2011, 10:10 am

    I don’t know if it’s because I’m really tired and stressed with the end of the semester, but seeing cute little James almost made me cry hah =)

  • Dynamics December 15, 2011, 10:11 am

    James is one smart dog. He knows if he does not sleep in the bed your provided for him he will be back ALONE in that guest bedroom. He is super cute!

  • Jen at luckandfunny December 15, 2011, 10:11 am

    Thanks for the update, I was wondering about James. Glad you found an easy method!

  • Heather Montgomery December 15, 2011, 10:18 am

    Oh yay so glad that worked! Like I said before even if you cave just once and llet him up there it will take a lot longer than the first time to break him. I unfortunately have first hand knowledge of this.

  • Cat December 15, 2011, 10:21 am

    Love the “I’ve got my eyes on you” James photos in this post! Reminds me of my pup — she always seems to know exactly where I am and often gives me these kinds of looks. 🙂

  • Maryea @ Happy Healthy Mama December 15, 2011, 10:21 am

    Aw so glad to hear you found a good doggie sleep solution. And holy cow does that omelet look good. I want one right now!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat December 15, 2011, 10:25 am

    Mmmm nothing like a delicious prenatal vitamin for breakfast!! LOL – but really, your actual breakfast does look really good! 🙂 Glad James is enjoying his cave!

  • Johanna B December 15, 2011, 10:26 am

    I am happy for James. My cat sleeps with me.

  • Whitney December 15, 2011, 10:31 am

    James has a man cave!! haha I love it! 🙂

  • Reenie December 15, 2011, 10:32 am

    Ahhh James looks cozy in his cave 😉 Maybe in time….Maggie Mae will join him.

    Your breakfast looks sooo good. Yea for The Husband. 🙂

  • Theresa @ActiveEggplant December 15, 2011, 10:34 am

    Happy to hear you found a solution that works for the two of you and for James! I’m a firm believer that dogs don’t take things “personally” the way we humans do – so finding a solution that makes you feel better is awesome!

    The bed we set up for our Doxie after kicking her out of our bed a few years ago starts out like your new “cave” for James…but she ends up wrapping herself up in the fleece blanket every night!

  • katie @ KatieDid December 15, 2011, 10:36 am

    He’s so cute snuggled in that little man cave of his. Glad you found a good solution. And husband of the year award… BIB is simply the best!!

  • Rachel December 15, 2011, 10:46 am

    Ugh so adorable! I’m sorry you had to kick James out of the bed. I have a 50 lb boxer/lab mix who LOVES to cuddle and I’m sure whenever I’m hugely pregnant, there won’t be room on the bed for him anymore. I am sad just thinking about it.

    But I have high hopes that he’ll be okay if we set up a similar cozy cave on the floor 🙂

  • Carolina John December 15, 2011, 10:50 am

    wow that’s a great looking breakfast!

  • Brittney December 15, 2011, 10:57 am

    Aww, James is too cute! Glad to hear it’s working out!

  • Rebecca @ Naturally Healthy and Gorgeous December 15, 2011, 11:10 am

    I take a B-vitamin everyday. It’s supposed to help with mood and energy and vegetarians often don’t get enough B12

    • Stephanie C December 16, 2011, 5:23 pm

      That was one thing my doctor told me when I told her I was going veg. She said she wasn’t worried about protein, just B12 levels.

  • Katie of Cabbage Ranch December 15, 2011, 11:16 am

    What a great solution- and hooray for online communities! I was looking longingly at James’ pristine doggie bed. Our dog runs for hours every day on our ranch, so when she comes in the house she is filthy (every. single. day.) and she’s quarantined in the mud room. She has a bed in there, but it’s crazy filthy, and so is she!

  • Hilliary @Happily Ever Healthy December 15, 2011, 11:35 am

    What a sweet husband! Your breakfast in bed looks delicious!

  • Amanda December 15, 2011, 11:41 am

    I love those photos of James! I’m so happy you guys were able to find a solution that worked for everyone.

    I just got a new puppy over the weekend and we’re crate training her. I was nervous about it (I cannot handle puppy crying), but she seems to really like it and is perfectly content sleeping in her crate. We also have a 4 year old dog, but she sleeps in the bed. Fortunately, she’s small and doesn’t wake us up too much, so it works. 🙂

  • Stellina @ My Yogurt Addiction December 15, 2011, 11:45 am

    I’m glad you had an easy transition! I toss and turn so much at night that there is no way I’d be able to sleep with my dog. Luckily, my brother falls asleep after .5seconds of being in bed so Santo sleeps with him!

  • Kim December 15, 2011, 12:04 pm

    Yay – I felt really bad for James, but this made my day. It’s kind of funny that I feel like I know James and Maggie and I just love that they are back in the same room (AND you get a good night of rest).

  • Errign December 15, 2011, 12:13 pm

    Glad you found a nice solution! It’s just me and my dog, so he sleeps with me, but he actually tends to prefer the floor long term (I think he gets too hot). He likes to start out sleeping on his pillow in my bed and moves to the floor (quietly) sometime in the night.

  • Michelle December 15, 2011, 12:24 pm

    Yay! I’m happy that you found a solution that worked for you without isolating James!!

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey December 15, 2011, 12:38 pm

    My dog loves a cave, which is why he sleeps UNDER the bed. he’s such a goofball!

  • Amber K December 15, 2011, 1:16 pm

    So glad it worked out!!

  • lauren December 15, 2011, 1:24 pm

    James looks so cute in his cave. My cat likes to be covered too. He buries himself in clean laundry and burrows under our blankets at night. I try to leave a blanket on the end of the bed for him, but sometimes I accidentally kick it off and find him sleeping way too close for comfort 🙂

  • Kiran @ KiranTarun.com December 15, 2011, 1:27 pm

    I feel draggy too — need more vitamins!! Yummy breakfast and YAY for uninterrupted sleep 🙂

    Happy Birthday to your MIL 🙂

  • Julia H. @ The Petite Spiel December 15, 2011, 2:04 pm

    I want a cozy cave! It reminds me of building forts out of futons & blankets when I was a kid…fun times.

  • Megan Infantino December 15, 2011, 3:02 pm

    Cozy Cave! What a great concept. I think it’s so nice that you still kept James in the room with you guys. And it’s awesome that the Cozy Cave idea is working!

  • Angela December 15, 2011, 5:11 pm

    Oh my gosh, those last two pictures of the cozy cave are HILARIOUS….love!

  • Hillary December 15, 2011, 5:18 pm

    I’m taking a personal day tomorrow, and my boyfriend has already promised to make me breakfast. Winner Winner!

  • Cristina December 15, 2011, 5:23 pm

    Aw, I’m so happy that you found a way to keep James out of your bed but in the bedroom! I love the sound of our dogs sleeping, it’s like my personal white noise machine.

  • Stephanie C December 15, 2011, 6:38 pm

    Yay! I’m so glad he likes his Cozy Cave!

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing December 15, 2011, 7:57 pm

    Aw yay! James looks so cozy!

  • Katie @ Peace Love and Oats December 15, 2011, 8:35 pm

    That cozy cave is too adorable!!! I’m glad that worked out!

  • jenn December 15, 2011, 9:00 pm

    Awww James looks so cute and happy in his cozy cave :)!

  • Katie @ Katie Without Restrictions December 15, 2011, 9:17 pm

    YAY for success with James!! I’m going to look into that vitamin B thing ~ that could be something I need this time of year! Do you really see a noticeable difference in energy and mood?

  • Jen December 16, 2011, 2:21 am

    Hooray for cozy caves!!! I WANT one! Could you please build me one (but, with a UK cover & possibly a tiny bit larger)? Thanks! 🙂

  • 'Dee December 18, 2011, 3:16 pm

    I’m very glad you took a different approach with James, and even more glad (for all of you!) that it has worked out so well. Dogs are pack animals – yay for seeing James all cozy and back with his pack!

    I haven’t browsed your blog since I posted my original (unhappy) comment, so I wanted to woman-up and tell you that it made me happy to see this update. Thanks for posting it.

    • CaitlinHTP December 18, 2011, 7:15 pm

      Thanks 🙂 I’m always learning from you guys! That’s why I appreciate constructive comments.

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