It's more natural for dogs to sleep with their pack than separately. Likely your absence overnight upset or shocked him in some fundamental way and he's maybe just reacting to the anxiety he's feeling from that and needing his pack near at night and not down the hall so far. In the wild or left to their own devices, dogs will pile up and sleep or sleep touching some part of another pack member for solace and a sense of safety. I'd allow him to sleep as near me as possible to try to meet his needs now and not just those of the humans. Our needs matter but so do the dogs when they are beloved family members. My dog actually sleeps right beside me on my pillow and it's not all that comfortable, especially in warm weather, or that roomy as I like, but he needs to sleep there for some reason so...............................
__________________  Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis |