Advice Please

[dogon]

Hi all,

Our new pup, Rodney (8 1/2 weeks) seems to sleep pretty much all day. I know that their peek periods are dawn and dusk and this seems true to form for him but he really does seem so much more restless at night. At present he's in a high sided box by my bed. He sleeps for about 2 hour stretches then wants out (for toilet) but then when I put him back into bed he wants to scrabble about and play. When I take him out to toilet I ignore him, no speaking-nothing, yet often he still thinks 'playtime'. I do lean over and scratch his belly softly which can send him to sleep sometimes but not always. If I ignore him he cries -loudly .I guess I'm asking for any tips people might have.

Should I try to wake him up more often during the day? When he's awake he mostly follows me about or spend time in his pen when I cant be with him. I do training with him (he understands sit and down so far) about 3 times a day for about 5 minutes and I play fetching games - but these never last long because he likes to just flop down and snooze. It is hot atm so maybe this is a factor

Overall, so far he seems like a great little guy...but some sleep would be nice

this is probably way too much to ask!

Edited December 28, 2008 by dogon

[FB Rescue_Adoption]

Hi all,

Our new pup, Rodney (8 1/2 weeks) seems to sleep pretty much all day. I know that their peek periods are dawn and dusk and this seems true to form for him but he really does seem so much more restless at night. At present he's in a high sided box by my bed. He sleeps for about 2 hour stretches then wants out (for toilet) but then when I put him back into bed he wants to scrabble about and play. When I take him out to toilet I ignore him, no speaking-nothing, yet often he still thinks 'playtime'. I do lean over and scratch his belly softly which can send him to sleep sometimes but not always. If I ignore him he cries -loudly .I guess I'm asking for any tips people might have.

Should I try to wake him up more often during the day? When he's awake he mostly follows me about or spend time in his pen when I cant be with him. I do training with him (he understands sit and down so far) about 3 times a day for about 5 minutes and I play fetching games - but these never last long because he likes to just flop down and snooze. It is hot atm so maybe this is a factor

Overall, so far he seems like a great little guy...but some sleep would be nice

this is probably way too much to ask!

Hi There,

Congrats on your new puppy! I've recently been through what you are going through (our max is now 15 weeks) so thought I'd lend some advice.

At 8.5 weeks there's really not much that you can expect from a puppy that age, although it's a great habit to get into doing 5 mins of training a day, just remember that his attention span is extremely limited. If you haven't already check out the puppy development info that has been pinned in the 'puppy problems' section - I find this really helpful and have it on my fridge at the moment.

With the sleep all day up all night pattern that he is going through at the moment, you'll find that he will sleep most of the day up until about 12 - 13 weeks and as he gets stronger he will be able to maintain his energy for a bit longer. At the moment I would concentrate on toiletting outside once every hour, on the hour is a good habit while he's really young. If you are crate training him this is an excellent schedule and you'll find he picks up the toiletting habit outside very quickly.

During the night can be a little more difficult, may be best to set your alarm for every 2hrs unless you have a sq foot of grass in this pen. With Max we had his pen in the tiled area and at night he would be in his pen with crate door open - he'd sleep in the pen but then in the pen also was a square foot of grass - the type you can buy rolled up. It starts to die very quickly with the toileting but they get the idea to go on soil/grass which helps them too.

Sounds like you're doing the right thing and spending heaps of time with him which is great, remember the next 8 - 10 weeks will be crucial for his social/human interaction development so once he's had his shots (+10 days for them to kick in) enjoy taking him out for new experiences which are positive for him.

Good Luck

[BigBen]

I would get him a crate, instead of the high sided box... He could get very hot in there, unless you have aircon... Also in a crate he'll be able to see out... He might just be a bit claustrophobic.. lol

[dogon]

Stella1: thankyou for that. I thought it was normal to sleep a lot but I had a desparate hope that I may be able to do something! ETA: 12-13 weeks is right about the time I go back to work so I had better start getting him used to being at home alone if he's going to be awake for longer.

BigBen: yes, I think he's hot too in the box. My OH won't let me crate (i know, i know-just can't convince him AND it sure doesn't help when pup lets out that blood curdling scream and OH thinks I'm the most cruelest person alive. When I try to explain that it 's essential he just won't buy it ) but he's going away soon so i'll begin crate then...hope it wont be too late

Now I just have to hope he won't cry all night in the crate instead

Edited December 28, 2008 by dogon

[becks]

Ask the OH why it is cruel to allow more airflow around the pup to keep him cooler!! Why would a crate be worse then being in a box??

[dogon]

Ask the OH why it is cruel to allow more airflow around the pup to keep him cooler!! Why would a crate be worse then being in a box??

Exactly! Divorce has been a serious option due to this issue :p

Anyway, great news! I finally persuaded OH to get Roddy into a crate and last night was a relative dream run. He just seemed to understand what we wanted and, although he whinged a bit, they were somewhat halfhearted before he settled with only two wee stops during the night

I hope this thread is useful for all those out there who are in two minds about creating! You'll reconsider and, as OH has done, eat your own words regarding crating and cruelty