??? about bringing home a "baby sister" for Toby..

We have a 1-year-old male pekapoo and are considering getting a female shih tzu puppy in March. I'm hoping some of you seasoned veterans can give me some advice on sleeping arrangements. Toby currently sleeps quite happily in a crate downstairs, separate from the rest of the family. We've thought of bringing him upstairs (no crate) now that he's older, but don't want to mess with what's worked so well if we don't have to. (Our bedroom window faces the street and he tends to bark when neighbors come and go in the wee hours.) But now that we're thinking of bringing in a new puppy, should we: a) wean him from the crate to a dog bed and give the crate to the new puppy; b) get the new puppy her own crate and have them sleep side by side (or more likely top and bottom, as space is an issue); or c) give the new puppy her own crate and have them sleep in separate rooms so they don't disturb each other? Also, from Day 1 (eight weeks old) Toby slept through the night and could hold his bladder for 8 hours overnight; did we just get lucky or dare we hope for such cooperation from a shih tzu? Thanks in advance for any guidance you may be able to provide!

 

What works best for me with 4 dogs is crating at night. My pom sleeps with my daughter and my corgi and shephard are crated. My husky I got when she was 3 or 4 and sleeps in her bed. Basically the dogs I raised from puppy hood are crated and it works great for us. I wouldent have it any other way. Our lives are easy and no choas or worries while those two are crated. That said I think its a matter of finding out what works best for your family and your dogs. You might find that your older dog wont want to sleep anywhere but its crate. After all this is his room his sacred place. My girls often go in their crate unpromted during the day for naps or down time and I like them having that option. The other dogs dont disturb them when they are in their crates. So really to give you a wishy washy answer its what will work best for you and yours.

 

Thanks, doglover. We now have a new crate ready and waiting for the puppy. They're both going to stay downstairs, in the same room in separate crates. I think we'll ALL get more sleep that way.