Exhausted! Boxer not letting us sleep!

[MudgeOtis]

My boxer 8 week old boxer, Mudge, has been keeping my family and I up at all hours. He'll whine, cry, howl, and bark, for an hour or more, when my dh goes to bed at night (around midnight or so). Then wake up when my dh goes to work at 5:30 and do the same thing. He absolutely will not stop and will do this for as long as it takes to get me up. I am so tired and irritable from this and my kids have been really cranky lately from lack of sleep.

How do I get his behavior to end and just get him to sleep? I'm getting really desperate!

thanks

 

[Biff]

Awwww, poor baby must be missing his littermates :(

Have you tried:
Ticking clock under blanket to simulate mother's heartbeat
Is he warm enough? Hotwater bottle wrapped in a blanket may help
Is he used to the dark? Leave a lamp on.
Is it too quiet for him? Have a radio turned down low.
What about a cuddly toy he can snuggle up to?

If none of the above works - buy some earplugs

 

[MudgeOtis]

Yeah, poor puppy! Poor me and my family!

No, I haven't tried a ticking clock yet.

He's plenty warm with his dog bed, blanket, and our house is warm. I have left a light and the tv on and he does sleep with a toy.

I will try the clock tonight and see if that helps.

I'll be crossing my fingers!

thanks!

 

[Biff]

Good luck!

I know he's a bit wee for lots of excercise yet, but I'd try playing with him for a while before bedtime too, exhaust the little mite

 

[MudgeOtis]

Thanks so much for your help!

I recruited not only my kids, but the neighbor kids to "wear him out" yesterday. They'll probably be called back over today!

For a tiny guy he's got a TON of energy. I'm not sure it's even possible to fully exhaust him!

Anyway, thanks again!

 

[gmacleod]

Does the pup get a potty stop at the times he wakes? If not, then he probably should - it may help somewhat. Very few 8 week olds have the physical capability of lasting all night without.

Urine production in all mammals slows when we're in deep sleep (that's why we don't wake up every 3 hours at night having to empty our bladders). But if we wake, then that changes and urine production is full speed ahead. Since your pup is waking up around midnight, taking him out (business trip only) would help to ensure he sleeps through. And it may lessen the chance of him waking when your husband goes out again at 5.30.

Likewise, if he does wake at 5.30 he is going to need to potty. No question at all about that, and he's highly unlikely to be able to go back to sleep until he does. So if he isn't already getting a potty stop at that time - he needs one. Very likely he would be pretty hungry by then also (like human babies, young puppies need frequent small feeds). It really isn't guaranteed that you'd get him back to sleep right away - but if you at least give him the basics he needs, then you've a far better chance of it.

 

[shaebabybsw]

If he's not in a crate, where do you have him sleeping at night? I know you mentioned he has a doggy bed, but where is the bed at? Does he stay in his bed screaming his head off, or is he getting up running around throwing a fit? I would suggest you get him a crate. At his small size, one that is big enough for him to lay down and turn around may only cost 20-30 bucks at petsmart or walmart. It's worth it!

We are going on two whole nights in a row that Narnia has slept through the night, from about 10pm til 6am! I know some people believe that keeping the pup in the room with you is better, but I have found that if she is in the bedroom with us, she more often gets what she is looking for with us paying attention to her in the night. We didnt' give in and bring her in the room with us and it has only taken about 3 1/2 weeks to get her to sleep through the night completely, though it did get better by degrees. Short of bringing him in the bed with you, he is going to fuss in the night for a while regardless. I don't reccommend putting him in the bed... he's super smart and will get used to it... and if that's not your preference, then you're stuck!

We were frustrated and angry and sleep deprived the same as you are now... my kids complained too! You are lucky he is going at least 5 hours though! .. Narnia woke us up every hour on the hour and would scream for 20-30 minutes at a time!! ARRRGGGHHH! I was very close to giving up hope until I got on here and found some support from other members. We tried a bunch of different things and I am not sure which ones did it, but here's what we did:

Get a kennel! (you're going to need it for house training anyway... it's a valuable tool and a safe place for your pup too)
Make sure the kennel isn't too big so he can feel secure, and it doesn't leave room for him to relieve himself in it.
We got a Big Ben alarm clock from Walmart for about 8 dollars... They are near the jewelery section by the watches and sunglasses.
We got a hot water bottle for about 5 dollars also from Walmart in the pharmacy section.
We also got a 'snuggle bed' from the PX but I am sure they have them at Petsmart or Walmart too. It's a soft round pillow with a fleece 'hood' type thing over it that the pup can crawl up in and be kind of wrapped up snuggle down... Narnia LOVES hers... she will even nap in it with the crate door open!
We put down a couple old towels on the crate floor in case of accidents.
We put a nylabone and a pig's ear and her squeaky pig and rope in there for her to pass the time if she gets bored in the night.
We started putting one of our tshirts in her snuggle bed with her. One that we had worn during the day so it had our scent on it.
And We covered her kennel with a blanket so she would get the "den" feeling while she was in there.
We didnt' try it, but a radio or a night light might be a good idea....
Last but not least... we DID buy earplugs (which were more uncomfortable than they were effective) and we learned to shut all the bedroom doors when we went to bed and leave our bedroom tv's and fans on to help drown her noise..... Also.... unless it's time for a potty break.... IGNORE HIM!!!

If you are reacting.. even negatively when he starts barking... he is getting exactly what he wants from you and essentially, he is training YOU.

I will let Narn complain until she becomes quiet again for a minute, THEN I will take her out for potty... When you do take your pup out in the night... don't talk to him AT ALL. Just get him.. take him out.. let him do his business then straight back to bed. Don't love on him or play. He will eventually understand that night time is the time for rest....

If I think of anything else... I will post it here... but I think I have covered everything we did with Narnia... . Sorry my post is so long : )

Good luck with your baby!! I feel a lot more love for Narnia since she started letting me get some sleep!

One more thing.... is the pup with you all day long? If he's getting active attention all day, he may be complaining because he's not getting that from you at night... Get his kennel and practice "away time" while you are home. Put him in for naps with the door closed in the beginning but let him see you are still there. If he whines, ignore him. Don't even look at him. Gradually make the time a bit longer and even leave the room.. then the house for a few minutes at a time. Let him out once he stops whining. From what I have heard on here about boxers... you don't want to wait too long to get him used to a crate... when he gets bigger and starts chewing up everything or climbing on your furniture, you may not want to leave him roaming the house while you are gone... and if he hasn't had crate experience before he gets too old, he may end up hurting himself or going nuts from being "locked up".

Just my two cents worth!!

Again... good luck and I will pray for sleep for you and your family!!

 

[MudgeOtis]

Thanks for the ideas.

My dh actually thinks he's the one that's waking him up at both of these times. At midnight and 5:30, Mudge wakes up and dh takes him out to go potty and at the 5:30 wake up he's able to go eat and wander around until dh goes to work. It just seems like at both of these times Mudge is wide awake and ready to play, but doesn't want to play or be by himself.

 

[gmacleod]

It just seems like at both of these times Mudge is wide awake and ready to play, but doesn't want to play or be by himself.

Well, that's pretty understandable - he's only an 8 week old baby, after all. And he'll be awake and raring to go at 5.30, I'm afraid. As long as he's getting the opportunity to potty and have some food and a bit of a play though, his bodily needs are at least being met. All you can really do from that point is wait for him to get a bit bigger and get the idea that going back to bed is actually a good plan.

One possibility that might help you though - when your husband actually leaves for the morning (after pottying and feeding the pup), how about popping the pup in with you for the period until you get up? He's near certain to settle down for a longer nap that way. If you want instant relief - that will almost certainly do it. The alternative is really just to wait it out till the pup understands that yelling won't help him, and he's just got to wait another 2-3 hours before it's really getting up time.

 

[MudgeOtis]

shaebabybsw,

Wow, thanks for your post!

I'm really comforted to know that you've gone through the same thing and are finally getting some relief! I appreciate your responding to my post.

I never really understood the reasoning behind a crate, but your post helped me "get it". He is in the house being entertained all day, it makes sense that he would be confused as to why the fun ends at night time. Honestly, I could use a bit of a crate break during the day. I love him to pieces, but letting him have a little bit of alone time would be good for all of us. I think I'm torn between treating him like another child and knowing how to treat him like a puppy. Having "permission" to put him in a crate a little during the day and at night would be great.

Right now he's in a little hallway by my 1/2 bath and laundry room at night when we're sleeping. My dh puts the baby gate up at night to keep him in that space and puts his doggy bed and toys in there with him.

I'm truly not interested in sleeping with him in my bed or even with him in a crate in our room. I never did the co-sleeping with my kids and am not wanting to do it with our puppy either. I know I require sleep or I'm a grumpy mommy.

I'll put a t-shirt of mine with him tonight. I'll also go get him a clock and a water bottle. Putting a blanket on the crate is a good idea and not talking to him at night seems like it would help. That's exactly the approach we took (the not socializing at night part, that is) with our kids when they were babies and we tried to get them to sleep through the night. It took a while, but it did finally work.

My dh has wondered if Mudge is just too young to really learn a whole lot. I think his breeder was just ready to find his puppies a home, whether they were truly old enough or not. I'm so excited for when he gets a little older and we can all live together happily. I knew a puppy would be tough at times, but I had no idea how hard it could be.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers with this problem! Truly, I need all the help I can get!