Sooky Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Sorry I'm asking lots of questions at the moment but I find this site so informative and although I've always had dogs I probably haven't always done things right so its good to get other peoples opinions. What tips can you give me for my puppys first night home I know he's going to cry when left alone at bedtime so whats the best thing to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shazzapug Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Make sure you take a bunny rug that he will sleep with at home to rub over his litter mates, leaving thier scent on it to comfort him during the night. Also put him in his bed next to your bed...dont shove him in a laundry or bathroom by himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aramiss Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Ignore it, let him out at the designated times for a toilet break but other then that don't respond to any of his barking or whining (and Shepherds are known for being vocal , if however he seems to be in an unusual state of distress make sure he isn't hurt or sick). If it has been a while and he starts getting restless then he probably will need a toilet break, but make it all business. Straight outside, praise for going to the loo, then back into his crate without too much fuss. If you want him to settle down a small treat at crate time can be helpful as long as it isn't a chocking hazard. My lot love their crates, they run in their right after dinner and have a great night sleep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Put your mattress on the floor & against the wall so puppy can't fall. Make the bedroom puppy safe. Sleep with puppy & I guarantee he won't cry all night I did this twice, sure works but older now, 4 children & several puppies later I do the usual sensible things now. Safe & warm expect some crying but it will get less. Ignore if possible. Giving in & a quick pat doesn't ruin it really if very distressed but try not to pick up & cuddle. That stuffs it completely & its back to square one again. I know No way to make it easy on them really so go for comfort & safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 set your alarm to get up at least twice a night for the first few days so you can toilet puppy before he gets upset. have a ticking clock if possible. Leave towel or similar with breeder for a couple of days so it's well scented. Big cuddly teddy bear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dxenion Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 We brought home our pup a week ago. At the moment his bed is a crate in the bedroom next to our bed. This has worked on six Shepherds so far: Give him some exercise before bedtime to tire him out. Give him a small meal warmed up. Toilet him last thing before bed. Give him his favourite toy from the breeder so he had something to chew on. Give him something with the smell of his mum on it (ours was sent by his breeder from Sweden). Most importantly - don't give in to his whining unless you can tell for certain that he needs the toilet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Ear plugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auir Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 sounds like most people already covered this when we brought home our little one, we didnt have in our room (i know cruel), he slept in the study we made sure he had a warm bed, water, put down butchers paper incase we didnt get up in time, we also set alarm for about every 2 hours to let him out to toilet, we also had a wind up clock wrap in a old tshirt of mine which i had done the lawns in (ie smelt lol), he seemed to get comfort out of having the tshirt and clock next to him a few times he wouldnt sleep so i just layed next to him until he fell asleep, try not to give into his crying i know its hard but they have to learn how to settle and sleep just like a bub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 You can always do what I do......take the pup to bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) You can always do what I do......take the pup to bed. :p I do the same Edited March 2, 2011 by CW EW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubitty Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I wouldn't ignore a puppy if he/she was upset. There's a bit of crying/whining and then there is distress! We found it better, when bedtime approaches to cuddle puppy and give them lots of strokes/massages. When puppy fell asleep we popped her into her crate. A tiny bit of protesting but ultimately she was sleepy and felt soothed enough so settled down pretty quickly. I would also recommend a crate in the bedroom and setting an alarm to get up every 3 hours or so. Its a pain but well worth the effort for toilet training IMO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 What crying and whinging???? Our GSD didn't cry until the third night! Yeah, he's still a bit of a dope. Takes him time to learn. Our two Cav girls came at 8 weeks respectively. Neither cried. The common denominator in all this was that they all had a warm cosy bed, a blanket to curl into and a ticking clock (make sure alarm is off) and a soft toy to cuddle up to. Also for some unplanned but interesting reason ALL current dogs were "heat wave puppies" coming to us a the height of Summer. Must have been too hot to winge and all slept like logs. Cool weather pups have the benefit of the heater in the family room. None slept in my bedroom but in a Puppy Pen in the family room where they observed us going about our business and were usually out like lights before we went off to bed. Also they were all peeing on newspaper at 8 weeks of age. So I didn't change that for the first few nights and started taking them outside to pee in the middle of the night after they had settled in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nushie Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I think we were lucky with Jager, we had him crated next to our bed (still is) and the first night i sat on the floor next to the crate until he dozed off (about 10minutes) and then anytime he cried i would just rest my hand next to the mesh window of the crate and he would settle really quickly. If he didnt, it was because he needed to go to the toilet. So we would go out, on a lead and wait for him to go, praise, treat and then straight back to bed. I would then leave my hand against the mesh window again until he went to sleep. After the first 2 weeks it went from having to put my hand next to him every hour or so to only once or twice a night and within the first month of being home the only time i heard from him was to wake me up to go to the toilet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Ours always slept with us or my daughter. None of them sleep on the bed now, they have their own beds in various places but they are always welcome to sleep in our room. I couldn't stand the thought of taking a puppy away from the warmth of all those other little bodies and expecting it to be alone in the dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Since we are going to have a new puppy in the house in a couple of weeks (and it's been a loooong time), this thread is really relevant. Harry slept next to our bed for the first little while and I would just put my hand down and pat him if he cried. We tried leaving him in the loungeroom but he screamed the house down. We lived in an apartment, so I couldn't let that happen. When we brought Lola home, she slept with Harry and never cried. She is quite the independent puglet though. Still not sure what we will do with the new puppy yet, though I have a feeling he will end up in our room because I really don't want to risk waking the kids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keira&Phoenix Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 My pup slept with me for the first two weeks and then I crated her (in my room) she cried at first but I gave her a firm "argh" and she quieted down and went straight to sleep, same the next night in the crate and then nothing after that. She now is allowed to sleep with in her crate or in bed with me, her choice. Usually she crates herself if its hot, cooler nights she comes up with me. Sometimes it best just to do what you think is right. I think there are many "right" ways to do it based on what you think is best for the pup and where you want the pup to sleep etc. Only 2 weeks! I bet your excited now!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradders Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Gonna do a bit of thread jacking here.. Will hopefully be bringing home a 10 week Cav King Charles how often during the night should we get up to take to him to the toilet? some have said 3 some 2 hours? any opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFenstar Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Gonna do a bit of thread jacking here.. Will hopefully be bringing home a 10 week Cav King Charles how often during the night should we get up to take to him to the toilet? some have said 3 some 2 hours? any opinions? I've heard the 'formula' is their age in months plus one. So if the dog is 2 months old you take it out every 3 hours at night. Others feel free to correct me if this isn't right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 the first night Latte came home she was so tired she slept in her crate all night in the family room the second night she screamed her head off all night the third night I brought her crate into the bedroom so she could see/hear me and after a little whinge she lay down to sleep. She hasn't whinged since and settles quicly into the crate once she is in, the hiding her head under the pillow last night hoping I wouldn't see her didn't convince me she could sleep on my bed I only ever take her out once during the night and have since I got her, and she is in the crate from about 11 pm to 7 am. I can't last the night, I get up, my older dogs then want to go out for a pee so I let her out as well. Lately she hasn't been let out until about 6 am and she is just 4 months old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooky Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Great advice guys I'm now thinking I'll have her in our room in her crate then at least hopefully the kids wont get woken since their at the other end of the house, not sure what oh will think about it but if he doesn't like it he knows where the couch is . I must be mad I've just finished with the night feeds of my bubba and now I'm going to be getting back up everynight to let out our pup . What about water in the crate overnight?? Also any ideas how to partion crate off to make it a bit smaller when pups little?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now