# 5 yo V suddenly won't sleep with us



## redd (May 25, 2014)

If he were any other breed, I wouldn't find this alarming. But he's a VIZSLA. The most velcro of velcro. Has to be touching you at all times, wedged into your chair to sit with you, laying on your feet, stuck to you, mild separation anxiety... typical V.

He's slept in our bed every single night for the last 5 years. If you said Hey, your vizsla should sleep on the floor, you'd get better sleep, I'd laugh until I couldn't breathe. I'd say, If you can get him to sleep somewhere else, I'll pay you for it. 

7 nights ago, he simply got off the bed and left. Went downstairs and slept on the couch. He hasn't slept with us since.

Everything else is exactly the same. Same food, routine, exercise, pees, poops, happiness, friendliness. He is loving as usual during the day. Nothing in the bedroom changed. He will lay on the bed while we are getting ready for work. He comes in at bedtime and lays with us for about 5 minutes every night, then leaves. 

He is not sick. I'm no vet but I'm a human health care provider and don't see any typical signs or symptoms of illness. 

Anyone else's V do this? Is he like the college kid who's flown the coop and I'm just upset about it?? ))

Thanks for your input!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

If mine did this, I'd probably worry, too. Change in sleeping habits is most often associated with not feeling well. Has anything else changed, like the food? Even a new bag? If you call him to bed, does he come up?


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## redd (May 25, 2014)

No changes whatsoever. I thought perhaps something scared him in our room, but he will nap in the bed during the day, and comes into the room without hesitation. He will come when called and get up on the bed, stay a minute or two, then leave.


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## Saltwater Soul (Jan 17, 2013)

Did you start snoring?


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

Another option is that something changed in the room. temperature, odor, mold, bedbug etc maybe? these would be my first guesses if health reasons don`t play a role, given their sensitivity.


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## redd (May 25, 2014)

Ha! The only snoring is coming from Redd! 

I can’t figure it out. Nothing in the room changed... but of interest, our backyard neighbor is having trouble with his smoke alarms. Redd has beepaphobia so when the alarms go off he’s a mess. It’s possible he was upstairs or in our room when they went off and now he has a negative association of sorts. But the other night it was cold so he slept with us for about 4 hours before he moved back downstairs. He freely comes into the room and will lay on the bed while we get ready, etc. so it doesn’t seem like there is any aversion. 

Is it possible he is just old enough and comfortable (ie not so needy) enough to sleep elsewhere? Does that happen with vizslas?


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## ahostet (Dec 1, 2018)

Hi,
I have had something similar happen with my 6 yr old Male vizsla. In the past six months, he will sometimes leave our room at night and go lay down in the basement or my closet. Normally, he is in the bed with us and will sometimes move into his bed on the floor. On one occasion, he did throw up in the closet so I think he wasn't feeling well. I have also thought he is just more restless some nights because he has been sleeping more during the day and hasn't burned off a lot of energy. Now we just close our bedroom door at night. However, I think it may be that he is feeling anxious because....

The really strange thing is that whenever we have left him at home in the past, he has stayed curled up in our bed and that has been his home base, sometimes he will "guard" a sock or piece of clothing there. Now, he no longer wants to stay in our bed when I leave he wants to go down into the dark basement and if that is not available then my closet back under my clothes. He has seemed to develop worsening separation anxiety. He is very attached to me so I can see why he wants to be in my closet because that smells like me but I don't understand the basement thing. Anyway, it is somewhat similar to what you describe. If anyone has any insight let me know. Thanks!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

You know, they are just so sensitive and hyper aware and over reactive that it could be anything. A Vizsla that has been sleeping with you for 5 or 6 years doesn't suddenly stop doing this unless there's a reason, it's not that they become "less Velcro", they are reacting to something external. My first would jump off the bed and often curl up the sun early in the am, or go down for soem water, but not the others. As they say, "Until death us do part".

My first stop would be the vet, an exam and some blood work. Certainly the choice to sleep in a closet or basement is indicative of a need for comfort defined by the security of closed in space ( a withdrawal more consistent with not feeling well) and not physical (or emotional) comfort that typically defines their temperament. Should all of that prove negative, think of really small and insignificant things (even a change of laundry detergent), they really do recognize those things and can react badly to them. With things like smoke alarms and other reactions, encourage him to come up and stay up stairs with lots of reinforcement and rewards, but allow him to retreat. I recall once when AJ knocked my coffee mug and got a little splash of hot coffee and it literally took the better part fo a year to coax him back to my side when I was holding even a different coffee mug.

Vizslas...the other side to that awareness we adore.


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## redd (May 25, 2014)

Its been a few weeks now since Redd changed his sleeping behaviors. So I thought I'd give a short update. 

He comes to bed with us every night and snuggles under his cover. He'll stay for a few hours to sometimes all night. I haven't figured out what makes him leave (or stay). 

He isn't nervous or ill, so I've let it go. He is happy and active and otherwise very stuck to our sides! Thanks for all your input.


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