"Be still and know that I Am..." Psalm 27:10
There are many different insights where pups should sleep at night. I had heard "Do not start the habit is letting them sleep in your bed. It'll start a lifetime of restless nights for you." I had read, "Do not let dogs sleep together. Keep them separated to sleep." (I got two dogs so they would have each other to comfort, so they are intentionally together unless they choose apart time). So, I tried and failed. My first intent was that they sleep in their pen in their own room. I realized the cruelty of this idea in that - they spend all day in a pen when I'm out. When I'm home, all they want is to be with me - whether awake or asleep. With 16 hours of being in a pen - is this life? It's worse when they know you are there and they know you are separating yourself from them - is this punishment? Separating them from each other was just as cruel. Now, as puppies, they cannot be left to wander unattended, so they do need to be contained - i.e. pen or crate. The trick was being present while getting sleep.
I'm not made to sleep on floors like puppies...so had to find a solution for us all.
So, my sister suggested the pen (crate for some) by my bed so they could see me while I laid in bed to bring a sense of safety - seemingly a win/win. Moderately better but still only little rest. The moment they woke and sensed separation, they cried for me. (Puppies especially are weaning from the comfort of their mother so they need to be close to their new mom.) By chance, to calm them, I placed them in the bed with full intention of returning them in short order...until we all slept through the night. Eureka! I was still hesitant by a new habit (and high bed), but it seemed to be the answer. Oh, was it ever the answer from the start, I just had to learn from their view.
Dogs can also see in the dark, unlike humans. So they see and sense everything. The slightest move in the night, and everyone is up for hours more. Some nights it's still two hours sleep, one hour up, then cycle again. And when there is community, there is often loss of coordination. One tires, one plays. One sleeps, one fights. Then trade. There is no formula, only night by night mysteries. It is fully up to them on their terms. You just wait until those terms flow in the same direction.
God showed me: "You can only feel safe enough to truly rest when you are close to Me. Sigh in my Sabbath. I've lifted you up and held you close for the ultimate in comfort, safety, and peace. Just as I designed you and chosen you to be with Me. How you respond from this place of resting your heart next to Mine is entirely your choice: Will you come close and soak in the rest or will you jump away for reasons al your own? Will you choose to see in the dark My gaze on your face and your heart until you quiet in my love? Sometimes we are alone. Sometimes we are with others that I've gathered to rest with us. Will you focus on Me who draws you close or will you fight and bite - Me or them? Every night I draw you close in the dark of night - maybe dark of your mind, your circumstances, your anguish, your unbelief, your work, your world...there will always be dark and I will always be there with you. See Me in the dark and come close. Even for a little while before the world comes to distract again."
