Hi, I have an 8 week old yellow Lab called Arthur. We have now completed 3 nights with him and are exhausted! He has a crate which he does use and is happy in during the day. I have also made sure to only let him out if the doors closed when he is quiet. Unfortunately, it is completely impractical for us to move the crate to our bedroom so the first two nights one of us slept on the sofa. Night 1: Slept from 10-2.30, let him out for a wee and tried to put him back in the crate. This resulted in loud crying and simply no sleep. Night 2: He woke every hour but 4.30am was the only time he needed a wee. I was getting him to sleep on me and then putting him in the crate and sneaking away. Night 3: We both slept upstairs. He went to bed at 10.30 with an empty bladder, falling asleep on me and then placed in crate. Woke at 12.30 and was awake until 1.30. Woke again at 2.30, no wee needed, asleep on me and back in crate. At this point I place another blanket over the crate for added warmth and darkness. Awake again at 4.30, goes for wee and really fights the crate this time, climbing back into my lap every time I put him in. He eventually goes at 5.30 and sleeps until 7.45! I'm worried we are teaching him to cry for us - should we be leaving him for lengths of time before going to him? Also wonder if we should be getting him used to being alone during the day for a few minutes at a time. Any advice very appreciated!
We are complete novices, however I’m hoping this helps and I’m sure others on here can offer more wisdom. You can try leaving Arthur alone a few minutes at a time during the day. We did that with Lulu from the day she arrived starting at a few minutes, the second day we were up to around 10 minutes (the first few days we rewarded her with kibble when she was quiet) and by the end of the first week it was up to 45 minutes alone during the day. We had two blankets in the crate along with a few toys, one that she still adores now 4 weeks in. We had only a glimmer of light able to come into the crate. We also left the radio on which we still do, classical music. The most valuable piece of advice I’ve read on here as I was reading the forum prior to getting Lulu was that each dog is different, don’t use others as a barometer. Go at your dogs pace, some are easier to crate train compared to others, ensure you provide a nurturing environment which you are, don’t be discouraged at all. They’ve just been displaced from everything they’ve known the proceeding 8 weeks, it may take a week or so for Arhur to settle in. Every week brings different challenges as someone wise told me, the first week, you’re both getting to know each other. It is exhausting There is no doubt you’ll raise Arthur to be a well adjusted and brilliant dog. Look for the small glimpses and beautiful moments you get with him to keep you going as it is tough.
Are you doing any training with the crate during the day? Are you teaching him to go in there on cue, to wait for a release word to exit it and associating being in there with getting tasty Kongs? Spend your daytime hours doing a lot of training in and around the crate. To the dog it needs to be associated with your presence. Follow these videos: Then, are you shutting him in the crate during the day? You should be practising 'relaxing in the crate' during the day, when you are not trying to sleep. You should be sitting right outside the crate, immediately outside it - no distance at all. At night, I'd suggest it's way too soon to go back to your own bed yet. You need to be sleeping right next to the crate until your puppy is completely settled in. A small puppy crate is only about $20 and will fit next to any bed, and is a much more comfortable option than sleeping on the sofa for weeks...
