Another Sleepless Night!

[Toby's Momma]

My Toby will be 9 weeks on Friday. We brought him home at 7 weeks/1 day, so he's been with us almost 2 weeks. I'm having a hard time getting him to sleep at night. He has been crying/howling most of the night. I've been pretty rigid on just going and taking him out every 3 hours - regardless of his crying. We take away his dinner bowl/water by 6-6:30, but he still goes potty every time he goes out during the night. I have a baby monitor that I talk to him over, and try to get him to calm down. It doesn't really help, though. I don't want him to have any accidents in his crate, but I also don't want to go to him every time he cries (which is anywhere from 2 minutes-2 hours). He woke both of my kids up by 6:30am -- they usually sleep until 7:30-8am, so it is going to be a L O N G day!!!
He willingly goes into his crate, even naps there during the day. We're only gone at the absolute most 1 1/2 hours during the day, so he isn't left alone much. It is usually just a quick trip to the store or to drop off/pick up my daughter at school.
Does anyone have any suggestions on getting him to sleep any better? Taking him upstairs to our bedroom is NOT an option. I don't want him upstairs at all. I want him sleeping in his crate at night.

 

[myrocky]

Why do you not want him upstairs? Boxers are family dogs and they need to be with their pack always. He's howling because he is just a little baby and he is feeling isolated. Talking to him through a baby monitor is going to confuse him because he can hear you but can't see you. My suggestion is to bring him upstairs with you. But if you are so set against that, then I would suggest you sleep downstairs with him. Please check out the puppy section: www.boxerworld.com/puppy

 

[Toby's Momma]

I don't think that having a non-housebroken puppy in my bedroom is the answer. The only rooms upstairs are my childrens' bedrooms and our room and two bathrooms. I don't want any dog in our bedroom, period. I don't let my children sleep in our room, either. They sleep in their own rooms. Toby's room is his crate. It has a very soft pillow, a blanket, and plenty of toys...he loves to be in there during the day, and will go in there to take a nap on his own. We have a large house with room for him to roam and be with the family. The kids play downstairs (the main level), and that is where all of the family activities take place. I'm reading posts from people that work 9-5 and have their puppies/dogs in the crate all day long. I am home with Toby all day, as well as my children. He gets plenty of love. His favorite place to be is a lap. I don't think that giving in and having a non-housebroken puppy in my bedroom is the answer.
I grew up with a boxer that was an awesome dog. He slept in a crate at night and when we left the house. He always did fine. I don't ever remember him crying/whining/howling at night, and he was the best family dog ever.

 

[Baby Bella]

puppy whining

The reason your puppy is whining...is because he is a puppy and that is what they do. It is their instinct to howl for their mother when they feel stressed or isolated. The good news is...it does get better. My Bella is almost 11 weeks old and she now sleeps 5-7 hours at night without going out. Until he can hold it, you will need to take him out about every 3 hours. I did this with Bella, and when we would come in, she would cry....but if you ignore it, as hard as it may be, it will eventually stop. The worst thing to do would be to go to him. It is tough, and there will be many days that you are woke up much earlier than you planned, but consistency is key and it will be worth it!! I can assure you from my own experience, that you and Toby will both get much more needed sleep if you just stick to your guns and stay consistent with him. Let us know how he does!!

 

[myrocky]

You can add things to his crate all you want, that won't solve the problem of the fact that 1. he's lonely 2. you are isolating him away from the pack and 3. he's a baby. I am not suggesting that you let a 9wk. old roam around free upstairs. Your puppy needs to be with you, *always*, not just during the day during regular business hours. Is this your first puppy, that you yourself have raised? Please read the puppy section that I posted earlier. Also do a search on crate training because it will provide you with lots of information.

 

[Toby's Momma]

Thanks, Bella's Mommy - that does make me feel a little better. I'll try to remember that tonite!!! I sure hope it doesn't take a couple of weeks, but we'll try to stick our guns.

 

[Toby's Momma]

You can add things to his crate all you want, that won't solve the problem of the fact that 1. he's lonely 2. you are isolating him away from the pack and 3. he's a baby. I am not suggesting that you let a 9wk. old roam around free upstairs. Your puppy needs to be with you, *always*, not just during the day during regular business hours. Is this your first puppy, that you yourself have raised? Please read the puppy section that I posted earlier. Also do a search on crate training because it will provide you with lots of information.

I'm feeling a little offended here. I'm not sure why you would ask me those questions. Of course I looked at the puppy section, and I've read just about every post imaginable on this site.
It sounds like it is your personal choice to have your dog in the bedroom with you. For me, this is not an option. I will try to tough it out with him and allow him some time to get used to sleeping in his crate in the kitchen. We are home in the house with him 22-23 hours a day. I feel like that is quite a bit of puppy/family time. I don't think I'm the only new puppy owner that doesn't want the puppy in the bedroom.

 

[Baby Bella]

puppy in room

Having your puppy in your bedroom is your own personal decision. I tried putting Bella in my room and it only made her cry more because she knew that I was right there. I would put a tshirt in her crate at night that I had worn for a few hours and that seemed to help alot. I also leave the TV on for her. You are not alone...my puppy sleeps in the kitchen in her crate and she is doing wonderful. We are also here with her all day, and I know she gets more than enough love. Not putting her in your room certainly doesn't make you a bad mommy. Its just your preference. Different things work for different people.

 

[gmacleod]

I don't think that giving in and having a non-housebroken puppy in my bedroom is the answer.

Yes, so you keep saying. But actually the suggestion you were given was that you spend the nights down with the puppy.

I grew up with a boxer that was an awesome dog. He slept in a crate at night and when we left the house. He always did fine. I don't ever remember him crying/whining/howling at night, and he was the best family dog ever.

Well, you can't compare an adult dog with a nine week old puppy. Baby puppies don't like being isolated and they do what nature has programed them to in that situation - they howl for their mothers/companions. Your choices are either to provide the pup with some comfort - by being nearby (and I don't really care whether that is upstairs or down) and letting him know it when he gets upset; or else to just ignore him completely and wait until he finally figures out that nobody will respond to his cries.

We are home in the house with him 22-23 hours a day. I feel like that is quite a bit of puppy/family time.

Being in the house and being with the pup are two completely different things. And really not relevant to whether or not he's going to cry when left alone.

You may find he is more settled in his crate if you locate it in your family room rather than the kitchen. Especially if that's where he spends most of his time with your family, he is less likely to feel excluded/isolated than shut away in the kitchen. It probably won't stop the howling any time soon, but it may help him feel secure enough to give it up earlier. How often are you getting up to take him out to potty during the night, btw? Also, are you setting regular alarms or waiting for him to cry?

 

[Toby's Momma]

My suggestion is to bring him upstairs with you. But if you are so set against that, then I would suggest you sleep downstairs with him. MyRocky

I guess that I should clarify how much/often he is howling/whining/crying. It isn't non-stop. Sometimes he'll go an hour-two sleeping before he'll start, sometimes it is 5 minutes after putting him back to bed from going outside. He does usually eventually stop. It gets worse towards the morning. He usually doesn't stop from about 5:30am. Pehaps we have an early riser in the house now, unlike the rest of us!

To answer the previous questions by gmacleod :

Do you really think that me sleeping on the kitchen floor will solve the problem? Or will it just delay it? Won't he then feel abandoned when I decide to sleep with my husband again? If you think that if I sleep on the floor for 2 or 3 nights, that he'll be just fine on his own again, then that seems reasonable, and I'll start tonight. I didn't think that would solve the problem, but if you're saying it will, I'll give it a try.

Our former Boxer was crated at night from the day that we brought him home at 9 weeks of age. He never cried/howled/barked about being in the crate at night.

Also, I put the baby monitor next to his crate so that I could talk to him and comfort him and let him know that I was there. I thought that would be reassuring. It does quiet him down sometimes. I've been reading other posts about banging on the crate or spraying water at him, and I would never consider doing something like that. I thought that hearing my voice would be a little more reassuring.

Our puppy gets the majority of our attention. He is not ignored throughout the day at all. He takes naps, and goes into his crate on his own to do so. That is when all of the chores are done. When he is awake, he is being played with, snuggled, fed, or being taken outside to potty. When I've had to run to the store or drop my daughter off at school, he does not cry/whine/howl at all. He lays down and goes right to sleep, and is still in the same position when I come back.

We have a large, open kitchen/nook/family room area. The majority of our time with him is in the kitchen/nook area. We aren't big TV people, so we don't watch much. When we do, he is on one of our laps.

I have an alarm set for 3 hours, but I'm usually going down between 2 1/2-3 hours, since I'm awake anyways. He does go potty every time we go out, so I haven't tried to stretch it out at all yet.