View Full Version : Advice on getting a puppy to sleep at night
My brother has just got a nine week old lab/collie pup. It constantly whines through the night until 5am and he cannot sleep because of it. Any advice given would be much appreciated.
cheers
one tip is to put a ticking clock in his basket - apparently the pup thinks its his mum's heartbeat and its reassuring. also a hot water bottle, though the weather is so hot anyway at the moment. make sure he's had plenty exercise but remember he's still a baby and could get exhausted easily. sometimes you just have to be firm with pup oh and buy some earplugs.
neepnipper
26-Jul-06, 13:36
Try an old fashioned alarm clock, one you can hear ticking, it mimics mums heartbeat, hide it in an piece of clothing with your smell on it where the pup sleeps, maybe a warm hot water bottle wrapped up as well.
If you have a large dog crate try putting him in that in your bedroom at night, do not allow him in the bedroom at night unless in the crate. After a few nights if he is quiet relocate to his permanent sleeping area. Do not use the crate as a punishment area. Think positive, reward good behavoir, don't go all goo goo with him when he crys ie 'Poor pup, there there' as this just makes him think you're crying too!
Hope this helps
celtic 302
26-Jul-06, 13:48
3 ideas. 1. buy an older dog.
2. back garden...
3. sedate it... u can buy the stuff if u know where to look
celtic 302
26-Jul-06, 13:51
just a joke, i might add, incase anyone decides to say hello to the sspca...
lol
also try leaving the radio on quietly for background noise.
Lie beside pups with your hand out for comfort.After a few nights hopefully he/she will settle down.
maybe an old teeshirt you have been wearing, the scent may comfort the pup when its on its own.
Another thing you could try is if you get a dog teddy that is roughly same size/colour as the puppy, so she thinks of it as a litter mate. Worked a treat with my puppy
dragonfly
26-Jul-06, 21:21
I live just behind your brother and have heard the wee thing (i've looked out earplugs for tonight ;) )!
I too have a 9 week old puppy but think we have been extremely lucky with him.
We have him in a crate and I spent time with him when he was sleepy by sitting beside him when he was in it and stroking him and speaking to him and when I felt he was calm I closed the door and left him for a few minutes then came back. Kept on doing that until he was comfortable with me leaving him for longer and longer periods and by the 3rd night he was sleeping in it all night without any problems.
I have a fleece mat and also a couple of velour type mats that are soft and warm (like his siblilngs) and he cuddles up to them. I also got a Kong toy out of the pet shop which you can put titbits into and pushed some ham right down inside it, kept him entertained for ages trying to get it out, so they could try that too.
the same thing happened with my older dog but it did stop eventually (though at the time, thought it never would!). Just needs a lot of work and letting them know they're not abandoned but not letting them rule the roost either.
Tell them Good Luck!
connieb19
26-Jul-06, 21:24
The easiest solution is to take them in the bed with you..:Razz They will sleep all night, no bother.
Cedric Farthsbottom III
26-Jul-06, 21:30
Buy a toilet roll and let it play with it.The puppies seem so contented on the telly doin' that.Its the humans that look miffed!!!!:lol: :lol:
millavilla
26-Jul-06, 21:38
My pup whinned at night it felt like it went on for ages. I used to let my arm hang out the bed and pet him to settled him it worked after 3 nights. No sleep is not great and they wonder why i aint got kids my dog put me off!! :lol:
tickin clock and radio must be worth a try.Good luck and hope your pup settles soon
We got a little collie pup a couple months ago, took it upstairs the first couple o nites and she slept fine at side of bed... until bout 7 o clock when it got lighter! but she never cried then when left alone.
simpsoney
27-Jul-06, 09:33
We got a siberian husky pup in January and for the first while we took her up to our bedroom but she slept in her own bed. I would leave my hand out just touching her so she knew i was there. She had a teddy in her bed with her, just something soft for her to feel next to her.
Another good tip is not to let the pup sleep all evening (tea time to bedtime). Try to keep her occupied and awake. Then the pup will be more sleepy when you go to bed. The first few nights we let our pup sleep all evening and she woke up and got energetic as we were going to bed!! It does feel quite cruel waking this pup up when they are really sleepy and their head is flopping about all over the place but it really does make a difference!!
I think during the first couple of weeks the pups really do need someone there as they have just been taken from mum etc.
Hope all goes well.
Thanks for all the replies. Think the ticking clock and leaving clothes in the pups sleeping are really helped (aswell as using earplugs!) Think its just a case of waiting for him to settle in to his new surroundings now.
Remember, it's a dog, a pack animal, not a furry human; always treat it as a dog and things will be ok.
It's when the numpties start treating dogs like children that things get a bit duh! :mad:
take it out for a long walk before bed and it will be sleepy very very sleepy= no howling and your bro will get some sleep.
Excellent comments “neeniper” I totally agree.
We recently got a golden retriever pup, now 10 weeks old and had similar problems, we done similar to neenipers comments…. Here’s other things we’ve done…. I hope this is helpful ( first comment on the .ORG )
After the first 2 – 3 days once pup has settled you need to eradicate the pups separation anxiety “SA” , this is natural behaviour for a pup so please don’t get upset with him/her….
To eradicate SA here’s what we’ve done:
a) When pup is enclosed in his/her area ( kitchen, crate, etc ) ignore pup until he/she is quiet then leave the area and close the door behind you ( don’t even look or talk to him/her ).
b) Chances are the pup WILL start to cry, re-enter the area and again ignore pup, wait until pup has settled again then repeat (a).
Doing the above for approx 10 times is showing your pup that even when you leave him/her alone you will return shortly.
c) Now that pup is starting to get used to you coming and going, you need to stop pup from crying. Repeat steps (a) and (b) however: don’t enter the room again until pup is quiet, this may take a few minutes. Once he/she is quiet for say 5 seconds or so NOW enter the room ( again ignore, you entering the room is enough of a reward )… do this again approx 10 times…. Gradually increase how long pup needs to be quiet before you enter the room….. Done correctly you WILL be able to leave him/her longer periods.
I know there are plenty of differing training methods, most of them very good, the above worked for us. I’m a very strong believer in reward based training, in this instance you entering the room is what pup wants and thus is the reward ( pup starts to think, if I bark nothing is going to happen, if I stay quiet mum or dad will come ). For us humans and dogs overcoming “SA” is a must, you can goto your bed, the shops, work, anywhere knowing that your lovely pup isn’t going crazy in the house ( stressing the pup, which isn’t good for him/her ) he/she is happy to chill-out knowing you will be back soon.
Hope this all makes sense and helps even just one dog/pup.
*** please note NOT to leave any dog/pup all day ***
My brother has just got a nine week old lab/collie pup. It constantly whines through the night until 5am and he cannot sleep because of it. Any advice given would be much appreciated.
cheers
How's pup settling in now, Moncur?
When my dog was a puppy i had the same problem but the vet told me to put a fluffy rug on top of his bed because then the puppy would think it was its mum and its also warm. try it! worked magically on my dog!
one tip is to put a ticking clock in his basket - apparently the pup thinks its his mum's heartbeat and its reassuring. also a hot water bottle, though the weather is so hot anyway at the moment. make sure he's had plenty exercise but remember he's still a baby and could get exhausted easily. sometimes you just have to be firm with pup oh and buy some earplugs. thats a very good idea 1 of my closes friends tryed that with her puppy and it worked like a charm
When my dog was a puppy i had the same problem but the vet told me to put a fluffy rug on top of his bed because then the puppy would think it was its mum and its also warm. try it! worked magically on my dog! yer thats what i would sugest good one
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