Bob went from 11pm to 3am and then has just woken me up barking at 5.30am! I was really hoping he'd last until 6.45am. He's gone now.. tempted to crate him with some kibble in his kong and go back to sleep for an hour.... Shattered doesn't even cover it :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ Lou x
Re: Tired.com [quote author=Oberon link=topic=8313.msg117383#msg117383 date=1413521197] You poor thing! Definitely do try to catch some more sleep [/quote] My boyfriend is away working at the moment so I'm the only one that can get up for Bob. Plus if you have to take the outside every 1/2hr during the day how are you supposed to get extra sleep?! In the end I took him out for a wee and then I put him back in his crate with some kibble so that I could at least get another hour in the dark. Bob started howling and woke my little boy up So I came back down after he'd quietened a little bit and he's done a runny poo in his crate... it is EVERYWHERE! It stinks down here. I'm so annoyed Not loving little Bob right now... I want my sleep back - sorry to say that but it's true. He's friggin hard work.. much more than I expected. Lou x
Re: Tired.com [quote author=Loopyloo30 link=topic=8313.msg117384#msg117384 date=1413523005] Not loving little Bob right now... I want my sleep back - sorry to say that but it's true. He's friggin hard work.. much more than I expected. [/quote] Please don't hate me for saying that! Lou x
Re: Tired.com No one will hate you Lou ;D we've all been there for the same and different reasons.Im grumpy when I don't get my sleep so I can sympathise .I know puppies tummies can be a bit unsettled,that may have been the cause of your early start,he might have been feeling a bit off? It is tiring,there's no 2 ways about it,hopefully it won't seem as grueling when your partner is back. X
Re: Tired.com I think most of us have been there, they are incredibly hard work at times but it does get better. I hope Bob's tummy settles and you manage a bit of rest today.
Re: Tired.com Thank you for being lovely and not telling me off for saying that! It was just a horrid start to the day on the back of serious lack of sleep. The runny tummy is not so good.. I'm not giving him anything other that his usual kibble today (in meals and treats) Any other tips? I spoke with the breeder yesterday and we decided to up his meals too - from 2 to 3 a day. This new schedule would start today.... With a bad tummy is this is good timing do you think? Maybe I should give his tummy a rest now until dinnertime? (other than kibble treats for training of course) Lou x
Re: Tired.com I found only using a crate for toilet training would have been impractical for me. My boy had a bladder capacity of about 20 minutes when he arrived - too short to get to a shop or pick someone up from the airport. It's counter productive if puppies poo and wee in crates, I think. So we had a puppy pen, which soon became a gated room with a hard floor and in an emergency my puppy could wee and poo a long way from his sleeping spot. This didn't set house training back, we got on just fine, and I got enough sleep. Nights were kept very short, but I didn't get up. I think this is one reason why I now have a dog that is silent in the house (and no doubt a hefty dose of good luck too) and never whines or barks for attention in his crate or pen. It's worth considering if the routine means that you are sleep deprived.
Re: Tired.com I did something similar to JulieT and crated but left the door open and pads down and slept for 6-7hrs a night. i'm single and work full time from home so needed sleep, getting up every few hours in the night and then trying to work and be vigilant with her during the day wasn't an option. I also don't think it impacted her toilet training too badly, it possibly extended it a couple of weeks during the night but during the day she picked up going outside pretty quickly. I just found that without sleep the little things that your pup does to drive you nuts seemed harder to cope with and made me more irritable and you get more of those 'I can't cope with this' thoughts. It's much more enjoyable raising a puppy with sleep than when sleep deprived.
Re: Tired.com Yes, it's really tiring looking after a pup on your own. I get Chepi up around 6.15 and she hoes the loo, I feed her and the cats then we snooze for an hour watching breakfast tv. It gets less tiring. We all get frazzled. Maybe the poor tummy was why your pup got you up. It could be only feeding 2 times a day has been too much for your pup's tummy so feed smaller amounts more often. I did 7am, 12, 5 pm and 10 pm. It worked well for my pup but some people don't feed that late; it meant she had a full tum to last her until 5.30. Have you had your puppy check at the vets' yet? Hope you can give your pup a lovely cuddle now, have a good day
Re: Tired.com We all understand!! They all drive us slightly mad at one time or another. We did the 'large pen with toilet area' with our first pup and it was a bit of a sanity saver. I think in your sleepless position it'd be worth considering.
Re: Tired.com All I want to add is that it does get better! I thought I was so well prepared, but the reality and lack of sleep was such a shock to my system! I did the whole 'what have we done, we can't do this' thing. At one point she was going back to the breeder (just a very short point in the garden in the dark around 4am) but we found our routine and now get a decent night sleep every night and no inside accidents. Others with more experience can give you ideas on what works best so find which one works best with you and stick to it. It gets better. Honestly.
Re: Tired.com Thank you all.. some ideas to consider. Glad to know you've all been there too makes me feel a bit more normal! My boyfriend is back tonight so will be around to do the 3am wee (although to be honest, that is the EASY one as it's out and back really quickly and straight to sleep) I might swap over tonight and do the 3am one and he can get up early tomorrow so I can have a lie in. As I type that I like the idea more LOL! ;D Would our 42" crate without the current partition be big enough as a puppy pen if we do go down that route? I'm a bit concerned as the only place is in our dining room and the smell of a puppy toilet isn't going to be v pleasant around food...!? Lou x
Re: Tired.com I totally understand! Having broken sleep or no sleep is awful, but it does get better. The first few weeks were a real shock for me, I really hadn't considered that having a puppy was just like having a new born baby! Definitely a good idea to try smaller, more frequent meals; at Bob's age I did 7, 11, 3 and 7.
Re: Tired.com Awww, bless you xx I know it seems endless - but it won't last. You'll soon be the one waking Bob up in the mornings
Re: Tired.com [quote author=Loopyloo30 link=topic=8313.msg117401#msg117401 date=1413529303] Would our 42" crate without the current partition be big enough as a puppy pen if we do go down that route? I'm a bit concerned as the only place is in our dining room and the smell of a puppy toilet isn't going to be v pleasant around food...!? [/quote] You really want something outside the crate - you want to do everything you can to preserve the "den" instinct and if you have the disadvantage of sometimes allowing poo and wee inside, you've got to stack everything else in your favour (like I say, I didn't have any problems with toilet training though). It wouldn't really smell - you'd clean it up right away. You absolutely need a hard floor though - or a large sheet of lino over carpet. I have a margothedog pen - the one with tall panels. It's fantastic and I still use it now. It's a modular system so you can change the size, and the panels can be used as a roof so you can turn the thing into a crate if you want. http://dogpen-margothedog.deal-net....y-play-pen-96cm-x-192cm-with-roof-panels.html
Re: Tired.com That looks great Julie! I can't decide what to do with our next pup. Tatze was great in the crate, but Gypsy hated it and was brill in the puppy pen (which she only needed for two weeks) but she started in the crate and was toilet trained already when she went in the pen. I think I'll try the next pup in the pen from day 1 and see how it goes.
Re: Tired.com Can't add to the good advice above, but just want to sympathise! I went through about a fortnight of doing the "oh my god, done the wrong thing, am I going to have to give this dog back, I can't cope and I REALLY don't like him very much at the moment.....". It does pass. And he still loves you! (The little b*****r has just dropped his tuggy toy on my laptop. Again. This might be just to get my attention, but I think it is Pongo telling your boy to sort himself out quickly and give you a break...) Rosie
Re: Tired.com IT DOES GET BETTER, hold on to that, it really does and soon you will forget all about it. I had a pup once and I really hated her until she was about 10 months old and then she became my most favourite dog. I am not saying tiredness goes on for 10 months! Bob will soon be sleeping through. But they are hard work to begin with, like having a baby.
Re: Tired.com Same here.....little fella is 12 weeks now and still having the odd accident in the house. This time round we have a toddler and another dog as well as jobs. First time round it was summer, the doors were always open and my husband was just starting his summer holidays (he's a teacher). It seemed easy! I keep Obi in the kitchen mostly so I can clean up easily. His crate is in there and another bed. He can see me at my table working from the bed by the babygate and Riley is in with me so they don't spend too much time playing and Obi gets enough rest. He's doing well at night but much less so in the day when he gets caught short as he's distracted. We'll all get through it.....the biggest pain is trying to clean up with all my helpers !!!
