Crate training is the easiest fastest way to train, but some of us can't handle it. I was able to crate Joey when we first got him in a little carrier that I kept next to my bed, and he didn't mind this, and would wake up to and cry, and I would put him on his pee pad, and then back in his crate. He would whine a little but I had a stuffed animal with a music box, and one session of that with my hand in the zippered crate would settle him down. By 4 months he was trained overnight, and we let him sleep in the bed with a pee pad at the foot of the bed on a chest. This worked really well and he never peed in bed. During the day, he was in a large playpen with pee pads, unless I could watch him, and he was pretty good at using pads. I do think crate training works much faster, but you have to be tough enough to hear them cry, I couldn't take it. Regarding sleeping in bed, I do think there is some merit to a dog not sharing your bed. Dogs that are trained to sleep in their crates really do enjoy it, and Joey often goes in his crate, for naps, but there is no door, because I guess I can't handle it. With larger dogs, I can see the benefit of them sleeping on the floor, but with Yorkies, I love holding my little guy all night. I have read that if they sleep on the pillow above your head, you should discourage this; it means that they are being the alpha, and many people here have reported having problems with aggression when their dog was sleeping above their head. So this is something you might want to look out for, but a good trainer should be able to work with you and what you are comfortable with. If your not comfortable doing something, your dog will sense your anxiety, and this usually leads to poor learning. |