My puppy won't jump on the bed. Is it normal for puppies to be scared?

Hi there. It's fine to let him sleep in bed with you if you don't mind, and if you're a light enough sleeper to wake up during the night if he needs a potty break (which is likely!). It's normal for young puppies to be frightened or unsure about sleeping alone at first. Until today, he always slept with his littermates in a warm snuggly pile, with his mom nearby. So being by himself in a cold bed is scary, and not natural.

If Jojo always would jump off the furniture before and has suddenly stopped I would worry about him being painful in one of his legs or his neck/back/spine. If this has always been his normal behavior then he is probably just scared of the distance. If you think Jojo is painful I would recommend taking him to the vet to get checked out.

It is possible that he either just doesn’t really know how to jump, or he may have discomfort if he tries. Problems such as hip dysplasia or luxating patellas can cause discomfort and cause a dog to resist jumping. It’s never wrong to have him except by your veterinarian to make sure nothing is physically wrong, Good luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

This will take time to retrain him. I recommend using a large bedspread to cover most of the bed frame to make it less scary. If it’s seems to high now or the floor is slippery where he is jumping from, put a rug down and a step if needed. Then I would put him on the leash and lead him into the room. Shut the door and have toys or treats available to lure him to get on the bed. Lift him up if you can if he won’t jump up himself and sit with him on the bed petting him, giving treats, and staying with him there until he relaxes. Then help him down, praise him and lead him out of the bedroom. I would work on this several times a day and hopefully with praise, treats and patience he will get back to jumping up and sleeping in the bed again. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Opie.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could have been due to some mild trauma or perhaps excitement and not necessarily from pain. If she does not appear to be in pain and does not have a limp, it would be ok to monitor for now. If she appears painful at any point, I recommend that you check in with your veterinarian. Otherwise, hopefully this was just an isolated episode. Good luck and have a great day!

Puppies are very resilient so Pi is probably fine. He would show a problem right away if he was injured. He certainly can get injured from falling so I would make sure he isn’t able to fall off the bed again or from someone’s arms. He could get a head or neck injury or break a bone so please be careful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Pi.

He may have bad hips or mild arthritis that was exacerbated after being confined to the car and he is stiff and tense now. Not wanting to jump up can be a sign if back or hip pain. Rest is the best thing since he is walking normally but if it does not improve then ibwiukd get him checked to see if needs medicine to help