Sleeping arrangements (long post, sorry)

This is my first post so I hope it's in the right place!
Our puppy is due to be born in the next few days and we should get him at the end of January but already me and my OH are disagreeing where he will sleep. My oh wants him to sleep in his crate downstairs in the kitchen as upstairs should be a dog free zone and lets the dog know of his position in the family.
I on the other hand feel he should sleep in our room because I want him to feel safe and be able to let me know when he needs to go outside. As he gets older I don't mind if he gets moved out of our room but I would like him to still sleep upstairs with the family, in case of fire or someone breaking in (I always argue worst case scenario ).
I am just looking for advice from people with more experience than myself.
P.s. He would only be allowed upstairs at night and I would carry him or walk him slowly so his joints are not affected.

Really it's down to you to decide what you really want and stick to it. Leaving a dog downstairs is not 'teaching it it's place in the family' but that can have it's good and bad points.
My sleeping arrangements are, I sleep in the bed, Dolly sleeps on the pillow above my head, Liberty and Percy sleep on the headboard bit thingey (I sleep on a sofa bed so nice and broad) Ellie and Cooper sleep beside me and Wilson can never make his mind up whether in is on the bed or the floor!
Becky

Hi and welcome.

I think lots of people will agree on both sides of this, so i can only tell you what we did with jess as a pup.

Because of her joints upstairs really is "out of bounds" for her as it will do her legs no good going up and down stairs and within a few months i wouldn't be able to carry her. My husband had also said quite strongly that he wanted upstairs to be out of bounds for her. I agreed.

On the first night i left her in the kitchen. If i remember she was fine and quite settled. But by the 2nd or 3rd night she woke me up howling, my husband was away working. I felt so sorry for her i bought her and the crate up to my bedroom and she went fast asleep -little devil.

The next night after i stuck to my guns and put her in the kitchen but she had learn't very quickly that howling got her upstairs and again it did as i was knackered.

After that i stuck to my guns and left her in the kitchen and when i didn't go back she settled really well and now is always left downstairs and is as good as gold.

It is up to you really. I really wanted jess in my bedroom but decided to let my husband have the last word in this decision. Now i am glad as i have enough dog hair downstairs and am quite grateful that it is not upstairs as well, but again it is upstairs. My only thought is that if your pup is allowed up and night it may pressume that it can go up in the day as well.

I agree with Becky that it's up to you, there's no right and wrong but obviously you and your OH would have to have some sort of compromise.

As a child our dogs always slept downstairs. Max sleeps upstairs in his basket in our bedroom. He does come on the bed for night and morning cuddles. I do fully understand your reasons for wanting him upstairs wth you and for a reason that has happened in the past I would always want my dog upstairs in the future. That isn't everyone's cup of tea though; hairs, intimacy ( not in front of the dog!!) etc

Would you have a gate across the bottom of the stairs?

Thanks Mahooli, given the chance I would have him on the bed beside me but that option isn't even on the table.

Thanks Shiba, I hadn't thought of having a hair free zone
We are going to get a gate for the bottom of the stairs so hopefully he will know it is only at night he is allowed.

Majuka, I think you have hit the nail on the head why OH doesn't want him in the bedroom lol. I hadn't even thought of that! Cheers

This was a great thread!!!

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=61473

Hi Lionhound I always have new puppies in a small box next to my bed until they have got used to being separated from their dam and siblings.

http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=8974

Thanks Majuka - what a brilliiant thread PML.

Thanks Minihaha, that was my thinking, I don't like the thought of the wee mite downstairs in the dark and alone ( this puppy is going to walk all over me lol)

My dogs are not allowed upstairs except to have a bath.

This has nothing to do with the hair they might leave behind, but is based on the same reason I wouldn't let my kids sleep in my bedroom when they were little. Everyone or thing has it own sleeping space or bedroom and they should stick to them.

You might think that it's ok right now as he his only a puppy, but what's he's going to be like when he grown up and starts to take up most of the bed. I can see your husband getting really ticked off with that. Plus if he's allowed to sleep in the bedroom when you first get him, but decide that you can't deal with that later, it's not going to be that easy to train him into sleeping downstairs agterwards.

Nope sorry but dogs are for the downstair only.