How to Train Your Dog to Jump onto the Bed

Hello, I think if Blossom is 11 years old and has never jumped on the bed on her own, she may not be able to now due to her age. Not because she cannot learn, but due to her flexibility and strength in the hind legs, needed to propel herself up. I would try the Shape With Assistance Method as described on the page here. I think due to her age, offering her a ramp or step is the best solution to prevent injury. If you have a problem teaching her, and are not able to lift her anymore, buy her a cozy soft bed for the floor to keep beside you and she should feel comfortable there. You can even put a piece of your clothing there to suit her until she gets used to it. All the best!

Hello Barbara, It sounds like one of two or three things might be going on. If Stella was not allowed on the bed or thought she was in trouble for being on the bed at some point, then she wants to get on but is afraid she will get in trouble. If Stella has never gotten in trouble for being on the bed she was probably kicked or rolled onto during the night while you slept, so now she wants to be with you but is afraid that it will happen again. Lastly, if her legs or joints are sore for any reason, then she might be hesitant to jump because it hurts, which makes her feel upset. If she is being kicked during your sleep or is sore and it hurts for her to jump, then I would advise you to teach her a "Place", "Bed", or "Crate" command and have her sleep in her own bed in a designated area. If she is crate trained or you are willing to crate her, then I would recommend using the crate, at least at first, until she gets in the habit of sleeping in her own location so that you do not have to work on enforcing the command during the night while she is developing a new sleeping habit. If you want her to sleep on the bed with you and you think she is willing, then during the day teach her to stay on the bed when you give her a command like "Bed" or "Sleep". Teach her this during the day when you can enforce the command and prevent her from getting off. When it's time to get off the bed tell her another command like "Okay" or "Off". To teach her that do what you would do while teaching a "Place" command but simply substitute the. "Place" for the bed and tell her "Bed" or "Sleep" instead of "Place". This training will only work if she is not being kicked at night during your sleep. If she is being kicked, then she simply needs to learn to sleep in her own bed for the whining to stop. To teach her to be on her bed, attach a leash to her, quickly lead her over to your bed and use her momentum to get her to jump up on the bed. As soon as she jumps up place a treat on the bed and tell her "Bed". If she tries to jump off block her exit and calmly tell her no. When she stops trying to jump off or lays down, then place another treat on the bed. Give her another treat every ten minutes that she stays on the bed. Block her whenever she tries to jump off. When you are ready for her to get off, tell her "Off" or "Okay" and give a gentle tug on the leash and praise her when she gets off, but do not give her a treat for that part. Practice all of this until you can tell her to get on the bed and she will jump up on her own and stay there until she is told to get off. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello! It sounds like you are doing everything right. It can take dogs up to about 30 days to completely adjust. Sometimes a little reverse psychology works also. They often seem a little suspicious of us when we are trying to get them to do something when they don't trust us. So give him some space for a few days. Continue with the treats so he creates positive associations, but let him simply come to you. It is highly likely that over the next week or so, he will want to sleep with you.

Hello! She isn't too young to start jumping up. You can put some treats on the edge of your bed, and start to move them farther from the edge every day until she finally has no choice to jump up to get the treats.

Hello Ashley, First, because of his height you may want to consider adding an end of bed "bench" like the one in the link below. Just something that's easy to stand on and not slippery to give him a halfway point jumping up so it's not as far to go. https://www.stanleyfurniture.com/products/portico-bed-end-bench I would also work on pup's overall ability to jump, building his confidence and the muscles needed for the jump gradually. Start by creating a very low jump for pup, like an agility jump with a pole in the middle. You can even use a straight stick without branches for this. Place it on the ground and encourage pup to go over it. Reward when he does and give a command like "Up!" as he does so. When pup is happy to go over the "jump", lift it a couple inches off the ground and encourage pup to step or slightly jump over it, while saying Up!. Reward pup each time he does until he can do it easily and happily. Practice each step until pup is confidently able to do it each time. As pup masters the current low height, slowly raise the jump up another inch, only adding one more inch at a time. Practice until pup can jump about at least as high as he is tall. At that point, hold the jump in front of the bed bench and have pup jump over it onto the bed bench. Give pup a treat when he does and also when he goes from the bed bench to the top of the bed again. Once pup can get up easily, encourage pup down the bed bench using treats, then once pup is on the bed bench hold your "jump" between the bed bench and floor, encouraging pup to jump down onto the floor. Give pup a treat when he does. Be careful when practicing jumping, especially at heights taller than pup, before pup is over a year old because their bones have not finished developing and growth plates closing yet. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden