We finally have our new puppy after much searching and finding a good breeder with both parents health checked, Daisy May is a beautiful chocolate lab, we collected her Saturday I am crate training her and she is getting used to her crate, she also has other beds that she loves playing in scattered around, She is very responsive with the recall we play in the garden she always chases after me, inside when I treat her for finding me, she has learned her treat is only released when she sits. On her first night with us, although we took advice and placed a high sided bed in our bedroom, she cried and yelled, anyway we felt so sorry for her on her first night we put her on our bed with us where she curled up and slept till 6. We have now adopted a routine where she sleeps on our bed snuggled up with us, we plan to let her stay with us until she is clean, we are finding it easy as she fidgets about 1am so she is taken down as soon as she is back on the bed she falls asleep till 6am. We plan to transition her to her crate once she is clean and also used to sleeping in her crate. I would very much welcome any advice/comments about this way! Also she weighs 2.7kg feeding the breeder’s choice of Burns puppy 15g x 4 times per day, but she is also having Kong filled treats including some of her daily ration.
Welcome to the forum Sounds to me like you’re doing a great job. It’s up to you where your pup sleeps. My personal view is that they (most of them..) want to be as close to you as possible and are much more settled if that’s allowed. You can go for a transition to the crate if you want to or you can just keep her sleeping on your bed. Up to you. My own dog sleeps on our bed. There is a downside which is that he takes up a lot of room, steals my pillow whenever possible, and can be a bit hot in summer. But my hubby is kinda the same...
Lol! I was a bit worried to admit we had our little one on the bed as some people have told me it is frowned upon, but we just felt it was the right thing for us to do, that first night was very upsetting for us to hear her wails, she is very settled and seems happy so we shall see what the future holds.. She certainly loves being close if I am standing still she climbs onto my shoes and curls up !
Oh that’s so encouraging to know, we love her so much and it’s lovely that she snuggles up to us! It’s only our first week, I want to post a photo or two here but not sure how to.... will have to read up! It’s been a busy week with her socialising !!
Hi and welcome - we are also a dog friendly bed although initially Bailey did sleep in his crate by the side of our bed we de-crated him when he outgrew it and as our room is quite small we put down a cushion bed for him, which was used for a couple of nights until he realised he could jump on the bed! My OH was a "no dog on the bed" person initially, I was the complete opposite. Gradually wore him down with teamwork and now Bailey starts the night laying across my feet, spends the middle of the night on the OH's feet and by morning is sharing our pillows laying on his back with tongue lolling out!
Thank you, it’s so helpful to have some feedback about sleeping arrangements! My partner is besotted with her anyway so he loves her being with us, he does her early morning toilet break no fuss then back on the bed to fall fast asleep on her back, such a cutie
Maisy sleeps in a crate but when she is not well she will spend the night on our bed so we can keep an eye on her, she would sleep with us every night if she could but she is now 25-30kg, heavy and spreads out so there is no room for us. As a puppy she whined a lot and I spent a few nights with her for comfort, like yours she settled straight away and even went through the night dry when with me almost straight away. After sleeping with me though she did not want to be on her own, it was very hard trying to ignore her whimpering in the crate but we stuck with it. So I think the more they are with you the less they will want to be alone in their crate, although some dogs use their crate as a safe place Maisy does not and lays around anywhere she wants, she only sleeps there at night. Basically I am saying that it may be hard to transition your pup into crate sleeping if she has already sample the delights of a warm cosy human bed. It sounds like you are doing really well though, good luck with your new pup, we look forward to seeing her picture.
Thank you that’s really helpful... we have given some thought to the pros and cons of this sleeping arrangement, and agreed we are going to wait and see where it goes, on the plus side she has taken really well to her crate she actually takes toys in there now so she is in and out of it as she pleases... I gave her a stuffed Kong this morning while I was exercising and made sure she could see me I managed 50 mins ! Taking her out for her toilet straight after. Her crate is in our kitchen/dining room so she is able to see everything going on. We have cats so she is getting used to being put in her crate in the morning/evening when they are fed and she stays quiet, whether I could bear to shut her in it during the whole night to sleep.,... I’m not so sure. I suppose it will also depend on whether she starts chewing and being restless on the bed. At the moment when we have finished play I sit on one of the dog beds and she jumps onto my lap and curls up, she loves being with me, I love this dependent phase !! I have another 4 weeks before her second vax so lots more carrying about to do, I want to research a good puppy harness for her next so if anyone could offer any advice or recommendations i would be so grateful
She sounds like a cuddler, just like Maisy, it's so lovely that they trust you and seem to just love you straight away like that. It seems that she will be good in her crate, Maisy doesn't use it at all until we coax her into it but I wish she would, it is upstairs in the bedroom though so a bit out of the way of everything that is going on. I'm sure Daisy May will be fine.
Have just seen the picture of Daisy May, how lovely she is, and so tiny. I do miss Maisy being that small but I am also glad she is older and past some of her phases too. You have a lot of puppy phases to go through and I am sure you will be on this forum quite a bit, it is really helpful to get other peoples views and experiences, I have had lots of help so far. The people that know labs best are on this forum.
Aah thank you, and it’s really encouraging to know that I can get help and advice on this forum as I am sure I will need it! I’m trying not to think too much ahead about all the phases but taking each day as it comes..... to be honest I will feel such an achievement when she is clean and I don’t have to set timer for every 30 mins during the day ! I messed up (!) yesterday after a big pee I thought she was done and brought her in turned my back for a minute to find she had pooped and trodden in it and spread it about all around the room, it all happened so quickly.... mass cleaning up of floor, puppy, my slippers, in the meantime a burnt pan of porridge, totally my fault and in the words of the author of ‘Educating Alice’ I took myself outside and gave myself a slap for being so stupid ... lesson learned !!
Well now I feel horrible haha! Rubie SCREAMED her first night in the crate but we pushed through and she's been a dream ever since. She gets to sleep on the bed if my BF is traveling or if we've been out late one night but she's just as content in her crate. It's made boarding and vet visits and any other situation in which she must be confined overnight insanely easy and not unusual for her. Also, her crate is basically a high-end doggy hotel room with an elevated cot, a pad, AND a blanket. Who wouldn't want to sleep in there?! Every 30 minutes! Wowsers! We stuck to: after waking up, after eating, after playing (or during, depending on long she felt like playing), or anytime she started to sniff. Actually, probably ended up being every 30 minutes with how pups move
Yep it works out around 30 minutes although she has begun sniffing around a few times at only 20 mins it’s a bit up and at the mo but early days. I wholeheartedly agree about the crate thing, and also it’s a safe place for her if I have to leave the room I pop her in there and say wait there, she is beginning to understand that I do come back, also I have two Chihuahuas and the little girl is a bit growly with her so I’m trying to introduce them gradually. Both my other dogs sleep in beds in their crates at night and love them and they were easy to train ....so maybe Daisy May will do but we are enjoying cuddling up to her and settling her in
I planned on Harley sleeping in her crate.......I gave up after a week or so of sleeping on the living room floor. The night she came up onto the bed she slept until 7am without waking up. She's now 4 years old and still sleeps with us. Personally I love the cuddles and if she's too hot she will go lie in the hallway. During the day she happily went in her crate whilst I went to work (slowly built up to 3 hours max over a month).
If you allow your cuddly pup to sleep in your bed now know that down the road if you change your mind, which you will, you'll be in for a mighty battle. My lab may join us for 5-10 minutes when we first pile in for the night but then it's the "off" command. He know his place on the floor and he's good with it. An 80 pound squirmy snoring dog that can stretch out to nearly 6 feet will not make for a restful nights sleep.
I always knew right from the start that i couldn't have Penny (now 6months old) in bed with me. I slept downstairs for the first 2 nights and i was surprised how quickly she got into a routine. She whined for about 10 mins then settled and i didnt hear anything and i just slept through. I had some pees and poops on pads but that didnt last long and she has been a dream at night going into her bed at night and basically not making a sound till i get up. I dont know if i would have been different if she had been distressed at night then maybe my 23kg fur baby would be watching me write this message in bed
Hi there- similar to the above, I just wanted to add that when we brought our pup (now 19 weeks) home she went straight into sleeping in her area in the kitchen, where I want her to be ultimately. However, being a bit of a softie and recognising that she would be scared, I slept the first 4 nights on the sofa in the kitchen. If she started crying I would just quietly let her know I was there which settled her. I didn't go to her but I am positive it comforted her and she now has a good bedtime routine and goes at 10 pm til 8 am without a squeak. She's in an area about 6x2 foot with her bed at one end and water bowl and a few toys at the other.She had a paper patch to start with but by about 13 weeks didn't mess in there any more. You sleep your dog wherever you want of course, but I would just keep one eye on-will it still be ok when she is..huge/muddy/in someone else's house/suffering from bad wind from that dead rabbit she ate/chronic diarrhoea...see where I'm going with this? hahaha Good luck with her, she sounds like a lucky pooch.x
Hi @Jacqui Neil, here is a link to our technical section where you will find hints and tip on how to post a photo, that's if you have any spare time between puppy watching! https://thelabradorforum.com/forums/technical-help.18/ Regarding puppy harnesses, Puppia has a very nice range, soft webbing with a back fastening attachment for a lead.
