Help!! We can't sleep!
Now he is napping...figures. Any other suggestions?  |
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| TIME
The only suggestion is TIME. He will adjust. In the meantime you just need to stick to what ever night time routine you plan to keep. I think the first few weeks with a new puppy are not unlike bringing a new baby home. |
| If he's only 8 weeks old, he may not be able/ready to go all night without a potty break. When Barkley came home, we spent 4 weeks getting up with him in the middle of the night before he was able to go all night. After the first two nights he didn't whine much any more, except if I slept through the alarm. At first he was out after 4 hours of sleeping, with an extra hour added each week (so, at 12 weeks, he was able to sleep through an 8-hour night).
We used to give him a Kong each night at bedtime. Stuffed with slightly moistened kibble, frozen, and then topped with peanut butter. It got to the point where he'd get excited when he heard the peanut butter jar open, and go over to the bottom of the stairs (he wasn't climbing them at that point). That seemed to keep him pretty happy. Tasker's Mom is right. The only real solution is time, but it doesn't take too long. |
Oh, I remember those days well.  Oscar was complete and utter HELL on our sleep schedule when he first came to our house, but he settled in after a couple of weeks. Is he in your room with you at night? Oscar was in our master with us, and he used to army crawl under our bed, instead of walking around it.  Thank God he quickly grew too big to keep that nonsense up.
You might want to try a ticking clock and a hot water bottle, as I've heard both can be soothing to a pup, but you have to make sure he's not chewing on them with his little razor teeth. (I haven't actually tried this, as Oscar couldn't hear a ticking clock anyway.) Also, really try to keep him awake during the day, and wear his little butt out! That may help him get on the right track. I sympathize with you wholeheartedly, and just remember, this is very short lived. Laurie and Oscar |
| I think the biggest problem is that he is on a different time schedule. I will keep him up late tonight. He is crated in my bedroom at night in the shipping crate. It is the right size for him right now...but he doesn't think it is a comfort zone yet. I don't mind getting up a few times a night...I do it anyway for me...but last night was awful. At 3:30 a.m he decided it was time to be UP. He cried, barked, whined, and even puppy howled for 2 hours. I know just to take them to do their thing and put them back. In his puppy mind it was 6:30 a.m. and time to be up. I never even thought about how that would be an adjustment until this morning. We will keep him going all day, hopefully until midnight, maybe that will change his internal clock.
I like the Kong idea, but I wonder if that will make him need to go. How exactly do you assemble it? Also, I will try to put my metronome every time I put him back in the crate. That one was also suggested. I will let you know how it goes. (we need a sleepy emoticon) |
| I am not sure that at this point he should be confused over time...... perhaps for the first night or two but animals don't have the same sense of time that we have. I think what you have is a puppy pushing the limits. He knows that if he crys someone will come, doesn't matter much what time it is. I don't like letting pups cry any more than I like letting children cry. But you may need to let him howl for a few nights to get the message that night is for SLEEP! |
wendy58 wrote: I like the Kong idea, but I wonder if that will make him need to go. How exactly do you assemble it? Also, I will try to put my metronome every time I put him back in the crate. That one was also suggested. I will let you know how it goes. (we need a sleepy emoticon)
We didn't have any problems with the kong adding to his need to pee or poop during the night. Assembly is pretty easy - I'd stuff the bottom hole with something (cheese, sausage, steak, whatever would completely plug the hole), layer in kibble, cheese, anything else he liked that was handy, and then add in a little bit of water. Put the whole thing into the freezer, open end up, and you get a puppy popsicle (um, a popsicle for a puppy, not one made of puppy). At bedtime I'd spread about a teaspoon of peanut butter on the top, to make it a little more enticing. |
| That sounds cool...a puppy popsicle!. I will try something like that. Last night was his 2nd night here. The first night he was quiet and exhausted from his trip. He only woke me twice whining. I really think his internal clock is on East Coast time. We should get that part sorted out in the next day or so. Great suggestions and examples though. |
| It's possible that his internal clock is off, but I doubt it (puppies sleep so much, I don't think their internal clocks can get too far out of whack). I think it's more likely that he's only been there a very little while, and that he's still a small puppy. He'll get through it in time.
Metronome, stuffed, frozen kong, trip out to potty in the middle of the night, and you should get through it well enough. We endured a few nights of whining (it's only been a year, and I can't remember how many, so it can't have been all that memorable, though I'm sure it was at the time), and then it was all over. As with all other aspects of puppy training, a tired puppy is a good puppy. |
| Hang in there Wendy! He is just a baby and Tasker's mom is right - just let him cry during the night - he will figure it out! |
Poor little guy  ( and you). He came from a house with lots of puppies to keep him company, he probably misses them. Ginny is right, it just takes time for him to adjust. |
| Patience grasshopper..........the small fluff ball takes time to grow a brain. |
| I have discovered he loves the big wire crate we have for him. I have stuffed the crate halfway with pillows and a box to make it the right size for him now. We will try this one tonight and see if he does any better. He has been better the last few nights, but I don't think he likes the shipping crate...right size but solid plastic sides.
He sure is a silly guy...aren't puppies fun?? |
Since your little guy has only been at your place for a few nights I would agree with what many are saying that he's probably just adjusting. Also, if this is only night three then it could be that he came from a home with a very good schedule (and a very early one, even on east coast time  ). You may want to try to take him for a walk right before bed. Throw a toy around in the yard, take a walk up and down the street, etc.
I had never heard of the metronome (nor do I own one) but have you thought about putting a small fan close to his crate? Perhaps it's just my girls (and all the sheepies who have ever lived in my family and extended family), but they search out the fans -- even when the a/c is on. I know your little one is pretty young so a box fan may be too much but a small rotating desk fan may make enough noise and be soothing enough to help. Good luck tonight though! |
I think you are correct about the shipping crate. With the wire, he can see out and see you and its not so scary. he may also associate that shipping crate with being shipped and usually that is not the best experience...the wire crate should help. I covered two sides of my crate with a light cotton sheet to make my pup feel more secure. I kept him in our bedroom for sleeping and he did fine after a few days. But he did push the blankets around and got hot and liked sleeping on the cold crate tray  the only time he howled was when he wet the blanket inside and didn't want to sleep on it after! Smart!
yes, puppies are tiring...it doesn't last long and when they get big you wish for those puppies days again...they go so fast! Good luck and hang in there. It will pass soon... |
| He sleeps in front of or near the swamp cooler in my bedroom...so always blowing air. It's not real cold because it's so hot here now. I do agree about seeing through the crate, but we don't have a pan in it...got it secondhand...no pan. It's an older Kennelaire so it's really sturdy, and a weird size they don't make anymore. I just put a shower curtain liner under the whole thing. He hasn't peed in his crate at all except on the flight over. I wake up when he whimpers, so out we go!
I am trying the larger crate tonight because every time he get free run of the house he goes straight to it. We have so many fans going right now the house is full of that "white noise". He has been a LOT better after his third night here. He just cries and I take him out around every 2-3 hours. I think he can go longer...maybe 4 because most of the time it's just a little piddle. He is just too cute to be upset with anyway, and he will be so big so fast. He has huge paws, so I think he will be very big. Your suggestions have been great so far...hope I don't need them too much longer. |
| Good luck again -- let us know how it turns out. |
| Hi Wendy.
haven't been on the list for a while. Busy cleaning up puppy papers here. Wendy, he is just lonely for his mom and Amber and his littermates. It may take a week or so for him to settle down but he will. It's hot too compared to what he is used to. Trust me. Ali |
| Hi All,
Nigel was so good in the wire crate that I got from Ali. I put a box and some pillows in it to cut the size down a bit for now. He ran in there and laid down at 10:00 last night after potty. I got up myself at 1:40, so I took him out. He woke me at 4:30 to go out, and I put him back in. He barked a couple times then, but I got him to settle. We got up at 6:00 a.m. when the alarm went off. You couldn't ask more of a baby who isn't even 9 weeks old yet! He seems to be settling in. My only concern now is that he keeps scratching his front elbows with his back legs. I don't know if it is the climate change or what. It is usually very dry here, but we have had some humidity the past few days. I wall post this in another area and ask for suggestions. somewhat rested... |
| Wendy,
I'm sure it is climate change, food change, humidity change............ he will settle down. Enjoy your new babie and quit worrying .............. new mommie!!! just hug him and play with him!! Our kiddos are going to start making thier trek's to new homes this weekend. Fat little rollly pollys they are getting tobe. Val is so excited we all need to pray for cooler weather for this next week. Ali |
| I know...I was so worried about the weather with the flight. I was lucky and it only got into the 70's at LAX last week.
We will pray for a cool spell for all your babies. They really are the cutest puppies I have ever seen. I never had one so young, hence the extra worrying. Everyone thinks they look and feel like stuffed animals. I am settling down...last night was almost a breeze. LOL |
cute puppy 
 hang in there he will calm down and sleep the hole night |
| I now know why Ali calls the puppies terrorists. Nigel is a pistol. I just chased him around the dog run until he came into the garage. He grabbed a leaf and then ran through the dog door into the house, down the hall, into his crate, out again and then grabbed my husband's sock for good measure. I can't even imagine having more than one in your house at a time. I will get some video soon and post it as soon as my husband finishes with my pc.
Ali...you have my sympathies...these little guys are nuts!! |
| lol Wendy! I am so happy you are enjoying your boy!!!
yes, i hve x's 7 of your one! I don't have to shred paper, they do a good enough job all by themselves! The boys next door that have helped me since day 1 are so in love with these babies. I am so blessed to have had them here to help me. It will be very hard for them when they leave this weekend. Then another one will leave next week hopefully the weather will cooperate temp wise! (I'll let that one's new mom tell herself!) Tomorrow we are going for my "once a litter' prof. photo shoot. I will post the picture as soon as i get it. I intend to have one made of all 7 of the babies with the 2 boys and give to each of them. Have fun Wendy,,,,,,, enjoy him while he is little...... he won't stay that way for long...... then the TERRORIST REALLY starts in!!!! I remember when Duncan chewed a hole in my couch seat cushion at 6 months of age... and it was the round corner piece of a sectional!! Ali |
| Wendy,
I'm glad to hear that Nigel is settling in. The last puppy I had was many years ago and he missed his parents and siblings very much. The first couple of nights were a nightmare. |
| My last boy was 13 weeks when I got him. He was so easy until he decided to eat the carpet under my bed, by the front door, etc. That was his worst destruction however, and the carpet seriously needed replacing at that time. We only have carpet in the bedrooms now.
Nigel is such a boy. He is already trying to lift his leg when peeing...at 9 weeks. I think I am in trouble. LOL. I may have to nueter at 6 mos instead of the planned 8-10. He also kicks dirt around after he goes in the dog run. Must be his Latin daddy's genes. He is a total crack-up. Sleeping in his crate like an angel right now... |
| wait til he falls the first time, lol................ iry not to lagh and embarass teh poor boy!! |
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