Not so bad nights now becoming really bad: Gaston not letting anyone sleep

Hi All,

I need your advice. Gaston slept very well the first nights arriving at our house, considering he’s a puppy and all is new and strange to him at this point, but instead of improving it seems like he now sleeps worse than those first nights. Last night was awful.

We put his bed next to ours, in our room, and we usually all go to bed between 11pm or midnight.

Either Gaston who in the meantime had fell sound asleep on the sofa, as had all of us, wakes up the immediate second we lie down to sleep, and after his last pee in the patio. Or falls asleep and wakes at around 1.30 or 2am, and stays awake for about an hour, usually pleading (whining and jumping) to get into our bed. (We have now decided avoiding putting him into our bed at least to sleep anymore as although it would help us out doing so now, we would really like not to create this habit, as a big lab wont fit in there comfortably in the future with the two of us..).

Falls asleep eventually and then wakes up again at around 4.30 or 5am, again pleading to get into our bed. At this time I usually give him his chew bone, which he’ll gnaw on until falling asleep. We all wake up at 6.30am, and Gaston whines as he then wants to sleep, and will do so, after everyone is out for work and school, till midday.

I want him to sleep in our room till his older, but the fact is we aren’t getting much sleep this way. There are some better nights, but most are bad, and becoming ever worse or so it seems.


I am also thinking that maybe the deworming pill might have affected him yesterday as he was acting out really strange all day after taking the pill, really excited and hyped, running around and biting like a looney. Does deworming affect them in any way, I don’t remember it doing so with Leão..? He also had his second batch of vaccines on Tuesday.

Thanks so much in advance for your thoughts.

 

Oh yes, those awful sleepless nights... I remember them well. We ended up giving in with our puppy and letting him sleep with our other dog instead of in his crate, but you need to decide that for yourselves.

Yes, de-worming can make them hyper. On the other hand, it could just be that he was a bit quiet the first few days in a strange place, and now feels secure and happy and is running around and playing... If he gets too excited and hyper, try putting him in his crate for a sleep, it could be that he is overtired, just like a toddler.

 

Thanks Karen. I am going to give it a try tonight.
I am thinking of putting some of his furry toys in the crate, covering the crate for it to be dark and nice and warm.
I hope he doesn't fret about finding himself closed in there..he usually isn't kept closed anywhere so isn't used to it, but I have to try I guess.

 

Hey Carla, try the crate idea for sure; all my pups have been crate trained and did really well. In fact my latest I started out with in a puppy pen but that was a bit of a disaster and she did SO much better when I started crating her at night. It's not true of all pups, but it's worth a go.

This did make me laugh. In the summers we have no way of keeping the dogs from our bedroom (it's a funny layout house and I secretly quite like it, despite being resistant at first) and this last year, we often had three Labradors and a Podenco cross sharing our regular-sized double be with us. Just one Lab? Meh, no bother

 

I used a 'Drontal' deworming tablet once on Maisy - never again - she was so agitated and uncomfortable, clearly distressed and could not settle for nearly a whole day. Checking on this forum I found that it was a common occurrence.

As for the sleeping, I really sympathise as I still haven't got this right myself. However, perhaps putting his crate in a different room so he cannot see you, he may settle easier? If Maisy is in the spare room in her crate she is quiet and settles quickly, but if I sleep in there too she wants out and on the bed with me causing a right old fuss until I give in (which I do).

Whatever you do though, start as you mean to go on. It is easy to give in but then it is harder to change habits.

 

Lots of good advice here - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-cope-with-a-crying-labrador-puppy/

I think a crate or puppy pen is a good idea as he needs to learn night time is for sleeping and having access to you to wake you up isn’t helping.

 

I feel you, as we went through the same thing and I eventually gave in to letting her on the bed with us after her early morning pee (4-5am) so I could get an hour or so more sleep. We did use a crate, and two things worked to help her settle at night. I put a shirt that smelled like me in her crate with her and it seemed to help immediately (even though her crate was beside our bed, she couldn't see us). I also sat beside her crate for a few minutes to help her calm down back to sleep (this usually happened after her middle of the night pee). If I sat there she would fall back asleep, if I went back to bed she would cry and cry. Once potty trained over night, we allowed her to choose where to sleep and she mostly chose her own bed in our room. Now she is 2, she starts the night on her own bed and comes up on our bed around 3-4am, which works for us.

 

Poor you! I don't have any advice (plus the puppy experts have already weighed in), just wanted to send my sympathy. Hopefully it will be a short baby phase and he'll settle in soon!

 

I am all set for the night, the crate's in our bedroom. Almost looking forward to see how that works out now..dreading it at the same time
Our house also has an odd layout, its a restored but very old house.
3 labs and a podengo ? Must tell DH on you guys, Fiona, he is always going on about how small our bed now seems, as if it shrunk..and with no Gaston sleeping there, go figure.
Hang on. Just got me thinking, maybe we need to weigh DH!

 

Hi @Shaz82. Yes, I have just been reading up on Drontal, his was Endogard plus (I understand it is Virbacs'), but the symptoms or crazy after behaviour seem the same. Gaston just seemed like a totally different dog. I must mention this to the vet when we go there. He seems his old self now, thank goodness!

How old is Maisy ?

 

My previous lab slept really nicely, but he was much older than Gaston afterall. When he was a puppy he slept in the kitchen.
As he passed away in December unexpectedly at the age of 7, I guess I am still having a bit of a guilt trip (I somehow feel I failed our first lab in many ways..in the least I did not know what I think I know now) and also, on the other hand, may quite well be spoiling Gaston thinking I am doing him wrong by crating him. It's a silly way of thinking I know, if I don't educate Gaston, then, for sure, it wont be good for any of us, let alone the dog.
I have never trained a dog much, am learning how to, but will get professional training (obedience) for Gaston, after he's done all his vaccination.

 

Thanks Emily. I also believe that once he can live life to the fullest, go for walks instead of getting carried around all the time, and get to do nice things like going to the forests, lakes, getting to know and play with other dogs etc., Gaston will have a time for sleep that naturally will fall into place with all the rest. One more month to go..

 

Don't feel guilty, you learn along the way! I went into having a puppy completely unprepared and made adjustments as I learned and read more and got to know her personality. You might find you enjoy training with Gaston as well. For me, starting training classes is when the bond grew much stronger.

 

Thanks Boogie. I had read the article, but went back to rereading it. (I think I have managed to teach him the "learned cry", without noticing, but still..).

And this sounds very sensible. You are right of course, and it is what I must remind myself :

 

Maisy is 11 months and the drontal episode was about 2 or 3 months ago, I use nexgard now which suits her and has no ill effects so far.

Good luck tonight !

 

Thanks! Crossing fingers. Will let you all know how it worked out with the crated night in ...

 

Oh man I will never forget my first week with Finn. He shrieked nonstop. Eventually after a desperate call to a trainer she suggested an x-pen if he didn’t take to the crate. The x-pen worked like a charm. He still cried but not as much. He had a bed in there and it was placed at the foot of my bed.

Dogs will notice the slightest things that get reactions from you or attention and do it all the time. Really I think the best way to do it is to ignore them completely until they stop on their own. Doing this for Finn was HARD. I didn’t sleep well for a few weeks until he settled down. I remember one night I put earphones in and just watched a movie on my phone in bed until he finally quit. I didn’t give him any attention whatsoever if he cried. But now I have a dog that literally never whines or makes a fuss (he is 1 year 4 months) for any reason at all. I think he learned that whining got him nowhere. But like I said it was hard.

 

Hi All, I am very happy to say that last night went really well Geez, am I relieved! So I put his crate in our bedroom with some nice and comfy blankets and couple of plush toys, as per plan. Actually he trotted into the crate as if he knew the idea. I left the crate door open (I was also afraid he'd poop or pee there as he does pee in his bed - wonder why he does this, just this morning I took him to the patio and we were there for quite a while, walking around slowly, how boring can that be there are no words, no pees or poop, only to come to my home office and putting his vetbed down for him at my feet, and he pees promptly there-).
Anyways, he did "call" us during the night, would get out of the crate, mostly go to my husbands side of the bed and whine in his face, DH firmly told him each time to go to bed, and he went very obediently back into the crate. It was actually an excellent night, and I feel we are making progress which is a great feeling, ha! The crate does work!

 

Hi @FinnOfSoCal , I think I have difficulty ignoring him, not reacting does not come to me instinctively, when dogs whine or whimper, I automatically find myself cooing something in response like I would to a baby. I have to get into a mindset, I guess into a more training one, which does not come naturally to me, but when I do do something in this sense, I am usually quite pleasantly surprised of how well it usually pays off, even if in the long run.
Sleepless nights are really awful though, and it is very difficult to have a rational mind whilst sleep deprived. Can totally get why it's used as torture at times of war.

 

Everyone, thanks so very much for all your useful advice, it worked. Very much appreciated !