Pet Stories X Kind for Dogs: How We Got Alan out of Our Bed and Into His Own.

We’ve had Alan for just over two years now, and in that time, he’s never really had his own bed. As naive puppy owners, the beds we bought for Alan never stood a chance when he was in devil dog demolition mode. So it got to the point where, for about a year, Alan simply didn’t have a bed. Alan has now left his puppy (and destructive) days behind him, so we’ve been able to trust and spoil him with a proper big boy bed. And not only does he sleep in it (which I was pleasantly surprised and totally over the moon about), but it’s completely transformed his routine.

In this post, I delve into Alan’s sleep routine and how his new Kind dog bed, which was ever so kindly gifted to us, has helped us get to a stage which I never thought was possible.

When Alan arrived from Cyprus, we started him off with a crate. It was a great safe space for him, but as he got bigger and a lot braver, he soon grew out of it, in both size and confidence. He then made his way through a fair few beds, chewing them up as most puppies do, and it felt like he just wasn’t a ‘dog bed’ kinda pup. As a consequence we ended up in a pretty bad routine of Alan snuggling in with us every night in our bed, but in the past 3 months, Alan’s sleep routine has dramatically changed.

Our plan was to try and wean Alan into his own bed, so we bought a cheap one from a bargain store, just to test the water. It found its home in the office (as that’s where I spend most of my time). Alan didn’t seem that taken by it to begin with and we didn’t really have any next steps in place. Until one day, I found him in the office, fast asleep and snuggled down. I couldn’t believe it. I think a lot of factors came into play; perhaps moving house and Alan feeling generally more settled, as well as Alan just being older, wiser and no longer seeing a bed as a chew toy. He saw this bed as a safe place and his domain that he could retreat to.

So from then on, we continued like this. We never forced him into the bed, but just moved it around the house, trying to work out what worked and what didn’t. Initially, we had a few teething problems (literally) and we realised that when we did move it, he saw it as a game and tried to chew and wrestle the bed to the ground. It was like he was guarding it, but as soon as we recognised this behaviour, we were able to discourage it by just praising him even more when he would settle down and sleep. It took about 3-4 weeks for us to eventually be able to say, ‘In your bed’ and in he would go. It worked so well that he now feels comfortable falling asleep in his own bed every night.

We had cracked it and I felt like I could trust Alan enough with a well-made, stylish bed, that was going to last and be his forever.

That’s when we reached out to Kind to collaborate. We found our brands complimented each other and so we chose the Oma paikka bed in a size medium. It’s a luxurious mattress, with a cushioned roll top and pinched corners, enveloped in a sustainably sourced Anthracite shade of cotton fabric. It’s not just a comfy haven for Alan, it’s a feast for the eyes which makes such an impact to our current home interior. I love it.

So once the bed arrived, we had the job of seeing where we wanted it to live in the house. This of course was all dependent on Alan’s routine, so like before, we tried the bed around different areas of the house. We had to think about how Alan lives and what rooms he likes spending his time in. As Alan is quite a nervous dog, we’ve realised that routine gives him stability and in general he seems a lot more relaxed when he knows what’s coming next.

Alan’s Oma paikka bed eventually found it’s home in the living room. Most evenings are spent here and as a family we wind down; listening to music, watching TV or finishing up with work from the couch. For Alan, it’s an object that signifies a certain part of his day.

As I work from home most days and spend so much time with Alan, I’ve noticed that he picks up on cues, like he’s anticipating change and thinking, “Right, what’s next on today’s schedule?”. So when 7/8pm rolls around and we’re all sat together in the living room, it’s his cue to chill out too, now in his beautiful bed. Nearly every night like clockwork, he will curl up on my lap, gnaw on his antler (he likes me to hold it for him), and then he takes it to his bed where he will later dose off.

Alan’s old test dummy bed now lives upstairs in our room, and he now knows that’s his place to go to sleep for the night. Sometimes, when we’re staying up a bit later than usual, he’ll just take himself off to bed, he’s so used to his routine.

However, now and again I do like to pop his new Kind bed upstairs. When the weather’s nice, it’s a prime sunbathing spot in the day. So I think what a treat, to be able to stretch out in such comfort and luxury and feel those warm rays. He must feel totally safe, secure and sun-kissed.

Alan’s new bed has influenced new positive behaviours. With his toy box right next to him, he likes to rummage around, deciding what to chew or play with, all from the comfort of his luxurious mattress. And when we play with his ball, he’ll return to his bed as his touchdown point, his safe zone.

Having the Oma paikka dog bed has given Alan his own area in our home. It’s his chill out zone, his cuddle corner and also his play area.

It’s been quite a journey, getting Alan out of our bed and into his own. Maybe it’s his age, maybe it’s that he is comforted by routine, but I like to think it’s because this bed is such a luxurious sunken haven, who wouldn’t want to escape and have it all to themselves?

If you’re thinking about buying a new bed for your dog, it’s important to consider how they sleep. Do they like a doughnut to curl up into? Or to sprawl out onto a flat mattress? Kind have a range of styles that accommodate all kinds of sleep personalities and also stand the test of time.

Visit the Kind website to see their full product range (Alan also has one of their leather collars which I highly recommend, it’s such high quality), or visit their Instagram feed to see gorgeous doggo imagery and be in the know with product news and updates.