trace Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Hi there everyone, I got a toy poodle puppy on Sunday (10th Dec) and he is an absolute joy, toilet training is going well, a couple of accidents but that's ok. He's eating well, playing with his toys, everything is just fine. Except, at night he seems to only be able to sleep in 3 or 4 hour blocks. Once he is awake he just goes hyper in his pen (the pen is in my bedroom) and does not stop scratching at the floor, tugging at the pen until I get up and take him outside. This has been going on for the past three nights, I've had to get up a couple of times during the night, to take him out and settle him down which is fine, but what drives me insane is that when he wakes up at 4am, he does not calm down. The only way to get him to sleep again is to put him in bed with me. However, I don't want him to get into this habit. So how do I get him to sleep for the whole night? Also how should I start gradually leaving him by himself? Any suggestions GREATLY appreciated! Thanks, Tracey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicko Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Instead of a pen i would look at a crate. Maybe he is scratching because he wants to go out to the toilet? take him outside when he wakes but dont give him attention just put him on the floor and see if he does wees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trace Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 I do take him out, but the main problem is he wakes up at 4am and just WILL NOT calm down. He doesn't need to go to the toilet, he is just plain AWAKE...I think it's about somehow changing his sleeping pattern to get him used to sleeping in a bit later for our sake.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Trace: Once he is awake he just goes hyper in his pen (the pen is in my bedroom) and does not stop scratching at the floor, tugging at the pen until I get up and take him outside Yep, it's all part of toilet training babies with tiny bladders. ;) If you don't get up and he soils his pen then all your hard work will be undone. He's like any other baby - he will sleep through longer and longer as he grows older. If he wakes up, take him out, praise him for doing the right thing and put him back to bed. You'll simply have to endure the restlessness and noise or pay the price of growing an expectation that he gets to come to bed with you. You're learning one of the reason why some people prefer older dogs to puppies. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawprints Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Get a crate and do not give in to him. He will learn very quickly that by creating a fuss you are going to get up. If you do not wanting him sleeping in your bed later on then don't start this now either or it will be hard to break later. Make sure he goes to the loo right before he is crated. Line his crate with newspaper and a soft bed at one end. Put toys and a kong in with him. It will be hard to ignore for the first few nights of this but it will pay off. Our now 11 week old started sleeping and being quiet through the night when he was 9 weeks old. It took 2 nigjts of tantrums to ignore and now he's a dream. Hang in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trace Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 Alrighty, so take him out when he wakes up, crate him and ignore. But I find he chews on the bars and I'm scared he'll hurt himself ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawprints Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I didn't even take mine out when he woke up. Just ignore. They can't hurt themselves the crate. Just make sure you have taken his collar off so he doesn't get snagged. Let him chew the bars, it won't do anything. Obviously some dogs may go bananas and end up hurting themselves if they start scraping their noses on the cage but thats extreme and you will know if thats happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trace Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Well he is off to his first session of puppy school tonight, so we'll see how that goes. His bedding has also been moved to the bathroom which is TILED so nothing can be ripped up. Fingers crossed, and I'll have the headphones in tonight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckie500 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 How can you say no to that face! Let her sleep on your bed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Penguin Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I do take him out, but the main problem is he wakes up at 4am and just WILL NOT calm down. He doesn't need to go to the toilet, he is just plain AWAKE...I think it's about somehow changing his sleeping pattern to get him used to sleeping in a bit later for our sake.. Sam used to for the first few weeks we had her, she would go to the toilet about 6 times a night LOL and not want to go back to sleep after and wanted to play. Im glad to say she has grown out of it now and is sleeping through to 830 in the morning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trace Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Well we have gone to puppy school and I'm now filled with new motivation to get this training down pat. So he is going to learn he is not top dog here because that's the way he's been acting. That face will just have to be ignored until he understands. He is this moment squealing in the bathroom, IGNORE MUST IGNOREEE Flying Penguin, I actually cannot wait for the day he can do that...I had no idea it would be so draining! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 (edited) You can't expect an 8 week old pup to hold his bladder all night. Set your alarm so you get up after four hours and wake him up to take him out. Be firm and put him back and go back to bed. Otherwise you are just setting him up for toilet training failure. I dont' know about little dogs but labradors have enough bladder capacity to hold on 7 hours overnight by the time they are 12 weeks old. Good luck - he is veerrrry cute! Yep it is draining but they improve so quickly. Edited December 14, 2006 by blacklabrador Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokezu Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Trace is your puppy getting lots of play time and expending lots of energy? I find some pups need to be worn out from playing. Also keep him awake as long as you can before you go to bed, don't let him sleep all night before you go to bed, because by 4am he's had enough sleep. If he's tired he'll sleep all night! Works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trace Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Yes, he is normally just exhausted, but still seems to have energy to pull apart his pen! I just had to reinforce it with like 5kg worth of magazines! I had no idea he was so strong...that's desperation for you! Yeah, I think I will take him out sometime in the middle, fingers crossed he goes back to sleep relatively quickly! It's going to be one long night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyMontage Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I agree with Portia, try and keep him awake for as long as possible before you go to bed. I used to do that with mine when he was younger.... I used to take him out to pee....then go to bed (he sleeps in my room), if he tried to get on the bed, I would push him down and not say anything. I didn't acknowledge him in anyway, then he would go to sleep. He would wake me up to go to the toilet by scratching!...so i would let him out...let him go wee....then I would just go back to bed, with not a word, and he would then settle again till the 5am cuddle on the bed! - I couldn't resist it, and I have an Old English Sheepdog...he's not even fully grown yet!! GOOD LUCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Penguin Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 You can't expect an 8 week old pup to hold his bladder all night. Set your alarm so you get up after four hours and wake him up to take him out. Be firm and put him back and go back to bed. Otherwise you are just setting him up for toilet training failure.I dont' know about little dogs but labradors have enough bladder capacity to hold on 7 hours overnight by the time they are 12 weeks old. Good luck - he is veerrrry cute! Yep it is draining but they improve so quickly. I have a beagle and she has only just started to go through the night the last few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel121 Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 This sounds so familiar !!!! But for my son !!!! He used to wake at 4am to play and would NOT go back to sleep.... I found that construction site ear plugs helped !!! Goodluck and let us know how it went !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trace Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share Posted December 15, 2006 Well since puppy school, poor boy has been demoted to the laundry from the bed! Traumatic to say the least, but he has been coping...reasonably. Left him alone for a few hours today, he cried for about ten minutes and settled down to sleep OH SUCCESS AT LAST! He doesn't seem to have a problem being alone, I really am begininng to think it's because he is a cunning little poodle boy and knows how to play us. He knows if we are at home and he cries, I find it so hard to cope with. Never fear though, he is currently in his crate in the laundry and not making a peep, hopefully it stays that way! FINGERS CROSSED! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel121 Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 He may be "a cunning little poodle boy" but with that sweet angelic face, how can you resist ??? Hope you get a good night sleep !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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