Sleeping - San Francisco,CA

Can you bring a cot that is specifically his? Or maybe at home, do something different, but special about sleeping elsewhere in the house. Use his favorite pajamas, try to remain calm yourselves....if he throws a fit, sometimes just letting him have it and showing NO reaction, and try to ignore it as best you can. If that doesn't work, try other ways. Use his favorite pj's, sheets, toys...something has got to work. Maybe sleeping with YOU may help...he could just be worried about your dog. Maybe telling him or having someone he trusts that he knows will be with the dog may help....or you may have to bring the dog!! Several hotels allow dogs...while you are gone, if you have to leave the dog, you may have to have "crate" the dog....
Maybe having him sleep in the living room or backyard as a camping adventure with you or some of his friends...and really, really, amp up the enjoyment when he does stay somewhere else and doesn't have a meltdown.

If the anxiety is really bad, I suggest talking to his pediatrician. He may have to have some counseling and/or medication for the anxiety.
Hope this helps! Good luck!!

You don't mention why you are going to be away for a week, or why you were away for the three days previously. Are your trips to places where you can't take the dog? It sounds to me like being away from his dog is his biggest problem, so if it's at all possible for him to have the dog along that may solve his problem. If not, I agree that you should find some things that are important to him, and are comforting when he goes to sleep at home, to take along. His own pillow and blanket are the first things that come to mind. If he takes a stuffed animal or toy to bed with him, by all means pack those. Don't let him try to cart the whole house along (and kids his age will try that!) but help him choose a reasonable amount of things that will aid him in sleeping.

Try taking as much as you can of his with him from his bed to use.........
Next ask him why......why is it SO important? Germs? The dog? Not feeling safe somewhere else........there has to be a reason..........I don't know doesn't get it........

I would not recommend him sleeping with you............he needs to realize that this is part of growing up and if he has friends over or gets invited out to spend the night at a friends house, he can't...........what about relatives, do they let him spend the night? See if you can start doing that as well.

I would have a big talk with him, let him know what to expect while gone, show him a pic of the or a hotel room where you will be if possible.....ask him what he thinks would help make it better, you might be surprised.........he may have an answer............does he sleep with anything? Maybe get him a stuffed animal.............

Good Luck and let us know how he is doing.....take care.

G., try bringing a favorite blanket, pillow and favorite stuffed animal. This is just one of those realities that you will have to teach him to get past becasue change is always going to happen.
Becasue we were military and moved alot. We kept a box of the children's items that went with us so that the things they loved were at hand. It made transition so much easier.When we went on a two week1 0 state tour of historic sites one of the children had problems for fear we wouldn't make it home so we had to remind him that home was wherever we are and that it was just a house without us. It did help that he kept a small stuffed animal in his back pack that gave him comfort( by the way he was 12).