My dog is a 4-year-old Sheltie/Aussie/Pit mix, and we’re trying to transition her from sleeping in her crate to having the freedom to roam at night. She’s extremely well crate trained, but we want to let her sleep with us or on a dog bed in our room.
The first night she slept outside her crate, she did okay, just a bit restless. Tonight, she woke me up around 2 AM and has been crying and pacing for about two and a half hours. She’s obviously stressed and maybe being hyper-vigilant, but I’m not sure how to make her more comfortable. I put her back in her crate, hoping it would help, but she is still struggling.
We could give her half a trazodone while she’s adjusting, but I’m not wild about that as she becomes super lethargic and I don’t want to give it to her routinely.
Advice? Experience? Sarcastic comments?