Nelly is 9 weeks old (still very much a baby I know) she has been sleeping through from around 11 till 5 and it's been brilliant. She cries when we put her in the crate and when she wakes at 5 which is all as expected. The past two nights she has cried more than before and waking up in the middle of the night and then earlier and earlier in the mornings. Any thing I can do to reinforce what she was doing so well before? Making her crate cosier/ darker? Moving her? Her cries are so loud and so persistent! Any suggestions? I get very anxious at bedtime just wondering what the night will hold.
Hi there, I think when they are little you just strike lucky with the initial quiet nights whilst they are adjusting ,then they realise what is the new normal and protest a little.Where is your crate Olivia? You can try a couple of things.Dex was older so didn't really complain but I covered the top and 3 sides of the crate with a blanket ...I was lucky because the right size crate fitted snugly into our utility room so it was a really cosy den for him...it might help if you have got the crate up against a wall.Other suggestions I've read are warm pads ,ticking clocks ,a piece of bedding with a comforting smell.Putting the crate in your room with you and gradually moving it out to the place you want her to finally sleep is ok too depending on whether you can cope with a puppy in the room with you . Just to say don't go and let her out the crate when she's crying....bet you are rolling your eyes at me saying that aren't you as I know they can belt it out like mad when they get going!!!At some point she will stop to have a breath,stay close out of sight and use that second of quiet to go to her....so she doesn't learn to associate yelling with you arriving to spring her x
Second everything Angela has said, They take a lot of comfort in being covered in my opinion (only of a night time) Rolo is 5 months now, and last night I washed the blanked that covered him... I thoguht he would be fine as he is older and all the lights were off.. but he had a few barks and a whine.. I covered him and he was fine.. I think they feel safer. And also, I know you think its fab her sleeping right through but I found waking him before he woke me was best, so If generally she sleeps till 5am wake up at 4:30 and let her out, then pop her back in no fuss no talking... See if that works. It may not work for everyone but it did for me so I can only suggest! Hope something works, I know how you feel with the sleep too. I took a week off work didnt sleep one ounce of it when Rolo was first with us. x
I think you have answered your own question - you get anxious at bed time. The pup is picking up on it. One answer would be to put the crate by your bed then slowly move it to where you want it.
Thankyou for responding. Her crate is in the family lounge where she spends most of her time with us. Thought that was a good idea as its the most familiar place for her. We have her crate covered up with a blanket too and it's tucked up inbetween the sofa and the wall. I'll try a heat pad that we actaully use for our rabbit in the winter. I'll give that a go. And also I'll try waiting for the moments of quiet to go to her. Thanks again x
We have a 42 inch crate for Lucy which we have divided so currently she sleeps in a 1/4 of it. We have covered the sides so the only side she can see out of is the door. She has enough room to stretch out and turn around, but no more than that. Lucy is 11 weeks old now; for about 10 days she slept through from 10.30pm to 6.30 am, but the last few nights she has woken up at about 4am. I wonder if she just wants the company, but she has been to the toilet when I have taken her out and she is still so small I think she is entitled to wake up once at night! Lucy cried initially when put in her crate at night but I sat quietly in the dark with her for a short time until she settled; this did not take long and I only had to do it for a few nights. She is now happy to go to bed and doesn't cry at all. I also give Lucy all her meals in her crate as I wanted her to definitely know it was her "den" and is a nice place to be. So in answer to your post- I would crate Nelly at bedtime then sit with her in the dark until she settles. If she wakes in the night after being settled for 2-3 hours give her the benefit of the doubt and take her out but keep it all very low key, no conversation and minimal lighting, then straight back in crate and stay with her in the dark again until she settles. If she cries earlier than this you can either ignore (which is very hard!) or go and sit quietly in the dark with her, but don't engage and wait for a quiet pause before going in to her. Decide on a time that is acceptable for you to get up; for us this is 6 am- before this if she wakes she goes back in her crate. Having written all of this it reminds me very much of when my son was a baby and we were trying to get him to sleep through the night: if you switched the crate for a cot the advice is almost identical!! Whatever you decide to do make a plan, write it down if needed, and try your best to stick to it; this will help you feel less anxious and help ensure you make a rational decision in the middle of the night which is not easy to do when you just want to go to sleep!! Good luck; this too shall pass!!
Thankyou for the long reply- makes me feel so much better. I just feel like I'm failing. I'll try what you said x
You are not failing, it is just very hard work having a puppy. I don't think there is a one size fits all solution, just what suits you and your pup. Hope you have a better night tonight xx
Stoppit - you bring back awful memories! Give me a sleepless puppy over a sleepless son any day of the week!
Just be careful if you use a heat pad. It depends very much on your puppy, but mine runs very hot and would find that distressing. When she is in her crate-in-pen arrangement, she often sleeps outside of the crate, because it's cooler, and I've placed the crate in the bedroom in the coolest spot, off the underfloor heating because otherwise she'd be uncomfortable. My last puppy liked to be snuggled up and warm, though, so it's very dependent on your pup.
They can be really brief....Dexter had a period of starting at 5am when he heard the maintenance vehicles for the golf club start up at the bottom of our garden...he knew it heralded my arrival to serve him! If I was tardy in his opinion,he would start to holler ....I used to creep down and hide round the corner and when he took a breath ,in that second of silence I would appear ! .....he grew out of it ,good luck xxx
How was your night Olivia? If it makes you feel any better Lucy woke up at 3,4 and 5.30 this morning.....just wanting company I think though did have 2 obligatory wees! Not sure what to do now- instinct says leave her for a while to see if she settles, but then I may end up with a whining dog and 2 awake children in the middle of the night and that I definitely don't want!!
I would go to her but be very, very boring. Don't speak, touch her as little as possible. Put her back in bed and sit by the crate, lights off with your back to the pup. Leave when she settles. She'll soon realise waking you up at the wrong time is no fun. I even did this with Mollie if she woke at 6am. 7am is my get up time! Also, never feed on waking - leave it until feed time, then her body clock gets sorted quicker ...
She was amazing actually- I covered her cage more, gave her her dinner a bit earlier, played with her more in the evening. She slept from 11-7 and I had to wake her up!! However, she did wake up at 3 again and cried but i didn't go down to her and she went back to sleep! Poor you though! Hope tonight's better.
Thanks- she was sleeping so well but at the weekend had an upset tummy so I slept with her in the sitting room. Since then she has started waking up at night; was only once which I was happy with, but last night 3 times! Tummy is fine now so I know it's not that. She is no trouble to settle back down, doesn't whine at all, but last night was awake again soon after! When I opened her crate she lay on her back wanting her tummy rubbed!! After going outside she runs and jumps on her bed in the sitting room so I think she is definitely waking as she would rather be elsewhere! She doesn't get breakfast until seven thirty regardless of what time she wakes. I will make it as boring as possible for her, carry her back in the house rather than let her think she is going to get comfy in the sitting room and see how she goes. I have been wondering about giving her more of her crate and putting her nice comfy bed in there rather than just the vet bed she is on to see if that makes a difference, but then I kept her crate area small so she didn't think to toilet in there as well. Decisions, decisions!!
I do the same. Luna is really good at night now, but I always go back to bed when she's woken me, even if I'm not tired. This morning she lasted overnight until 15minutes before my alarm went off before needing the toilet. Even though I was wide awake, I still popped her back in her crate and turned the lights off for those fifteen minutes, so she doesn't learn that waking me up means it's getting up time. Also, on waking, I have cuddle time with my adult dogs on the bed first, before she comes out for bed cuddles. Mainly because it's an important part of my dogs' day and is very bonding, but it has the added bonus of Luna learning that getting up time isn't immediately exciting.
