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By Leonie Helm
Life Reporter
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Training and conditioning your dog as a puppy is an essential part of being a happy owner with a happy dog, and one TikTok user shared the "cute behavior" they "encouraged at first but now regret." In a video posted by @kayla.gravelle, with over 534,000 views, their golden retriever can be seen as a puppy napping in their bed.
The video then cuts to their adult dog sleeping across the pillows in their bed, with its paws outstretched onto the bedside table. "Golden parents will understand," reads the caption.
"My golden has a designated pillow to lay on above mine. I've just accepted sleeping with paws in my face," shared a user in the comments.
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Whether it's sleeping in our bed, chewing shoes or jumping on house guests, despite your dog's ability to be the sweetest thing in the world, they might have also picked up some bad habits that were overlooked as a puppy.
"Any dog, whether they're puppies or adults, may develop habits we find unacceptable," says the American Kennel Club (AKC), which strongly recommends starting training young.
"Puppy-proof your house. Put shoes and toys away. Pick houseplants up off the floor. Supervise the puppy, even in your fenced-in yard. It's easier to prevent bad habits from being learned than it is to correct them."
While having your dog sleep in the same bed as you might be comforting, it could also be affecting your sleep, and possibly your health.
A simple way of countering the behavior is to crate train your dog. A dog can be trained to use a crate at any age, and it can be a good way of providing a safe space that your dog is happy to be in overnight, or when you have to go out for the evening to prevent disruptive or destructive behavior. Positive reinforcement rules here, plus making the crate as attractive as possible, and offering a lot of treats is key.
"The dog shouldn't see the crate as a negative place. To ensure this, incorporate the crate into fun games where the pup goes in and out of the open crate at their own will. Throw the ball in the crate when playing fetch or hide treats inside for the dog to find," says the AKC.
Despite the owner's "regret," users on TikTok loved the sweet video.
"Sometimes I wake up and my neck is literally at a 90 degree angle with her just sleeping away peacefully," shared one user.
"Same habit. I thought once she got bigger she'd stop. Nope," commented another.
Newsweek contacted @kayla.gravelle via TikTok for comment on Monday.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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