Hello, this is my first post since my family collected our lovely bundle of puppy 8 days ago. He is now a nine week old very handsome black lab puppy called Bertie. But I need some help... We had already decided that we would crate him, and on the first day he was very happy to explore his new bed (placed in our kitchen/family room) and had a few sleeps in there during the first day. Night one, and we kept him in the kitchen in his crate. He cried on and off and when they didn't stop I did go down and he had messed in there, poor boy. After the second time I gave him a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel and he settled. The next four nights he settled without any crying and there was no messing. At this stage we thought how easy it had been to get him settled. Then next night we had 20 minutes of crying and then he settled. Since then it has gone badly downhill. He has cried on and off for the last two nights. On advice, we have tried to leave him, but I have been down to take him outside to his toilet area. He just doesn't seem able to settle and I am now severely sleep deprived and feeling at my wits end ☹️ Questions: Should we persevere with the crate in the kitchen, or should I try moving it to a bedroom for a few nights? Or should I try sleeping on the sofa in the kitchen for a few nights? I've been leaving a low level light on for him, should we make it dark? Should I start giving him a hot water bottle again, or would it comfort him to have an item of my clothing in his crate? I have read all these things on various posts. He hasn't been left for long, but I do have to drop and collect my daughter at school each day, so he has been going in the crate then as well. Other than that he has always been happy to sleep in there during the day, although I've noticed he hasn't been in there as much today. He's a lovely boy and we want him to be happy, but we need to get him sleeping at night so we can all enjoy and love him as he deserves. Thanks in advance (sorry I've gone on a bit!!)
I’d put his crate by your bed. It’s very early days and he’ll probably need the toilet in the night for a week or so yet. I never leave pups to cry, I simply can’t. But I do wait for a ‘quiet patch’ before I go to them so that they don’t learn that shouting - I appear. Welcome to you from Mags, Tatze and Keir from Manchester UK Tatze is my pet dog, a black Lab and she's four years old. Tatze means 'paw' in German. Keir is my fifth Guide Dog puppy, a yellow Golden Retriever/Flatcoat cross and he's seven months old.
I had my last puppy by the bed too , they are just babes and need the comfort of knowing we are close . I did worry that he would always want to be there , that I had created a habit, but actually, he suddenly decided himself that he would stay in the sitting room , and there he stayed, on the sofa for his six years x
Hi @KateC and welcome to the forum. @Boogie beat me to it. It takes several weeks for a puppy, or an older dog, to settle into a new home so I would go for the pup in a crate beside the bed if you can as I find it the best solution. You sleep, pup sleeps and you can pop him out for night time pees without to much bother. Next option is to sleep on a sofa beside the crate but only if you can sleep with some comfort. There's nothing wrong with adding a hot water bottle or an item of your clothing to help him settle.
Thank you all!! I know everyone goes through similar experiences, but it is good to get reassurance that we are doing the right thing!!
