New puppy not sleeping at night on his own

[andrew rollason]

We have just purchased a seven week old male boxer puppy, he is not sleeping at night on his own, and spends the whole night crying. He is getting into a pettern of sleeping through the day and crying at night, whilst the household is trying to sleep. Any tips or help that you can offer will be greatly appreciated...

 

[Debbie Magon]

Hi Andrew, as a breeder I often get a desperate pnone call about this.It depends on how you want to handle him but there are several ways. Firstly there is the tough way. When I say tough I mean for you as you will just have to keep listening to him and eventually he will give up. This may take up to a week or even longer if he is really stubborn. What you can do for him while he is learning to be apart from his litter mates is , leave a soft light burning, a radio playing very softly , but well out of his reach, and plenty of warm blankets and safe toys to sleep with. Are you sure he is not too cold?hot, and has had sufficient exercise with you during the evening to actually tire him out. Playing games of chase around the house is good for this age group. He will become independant soon, but I know how hard it can be, especially for the owners!
The second way is of course to totally give in and bring him into your room, or even into your bed. I do not recommend your bed as many people do not get a good nights sleep with a dog annoying them, and while he is little he is at risk of falling off the bed and getting hurt. His basket right beside you is a good alternative, he will feel safe and know you are close by him. Whatever you chose to do , he will eventually become used to this method and will be happy about it. At the moment he has just lost his entire family, by seperation and will automatically look to you as his mum and litter mates. Good luck and keep us posted,new "parents" never get much sleep! Debbie Camino Boxer Kennels http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/boxers/index.html

 

[Brutus and Amaya's Mom]

We did it the hard way...let the puppies cry...and eventually they will stop. It sounds harsh and it is difficult but it does work.

 

[Jan]

Are you crating your puppy? If so try bringing the crate into your bedroom and put it right beside your bed. Your puppy will be able to smell you and hear you and will not be so lonely and also as Debbie suggested lots of exercise in the evening is a good idea.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

One more suggestion. Exercise your dog vigorously before bedtime. This will wear him out and he'll be too tired to whine all nite long. Boxers need LOTS of exercise and believe me, a tired boxer is a happy boxer (and owner).

Dan

 

[monty'smum]

Monty was 7 weeks when he came home and right from the start I put his basket in my bedroom at the side of my bed. I never had a single wimper from him. He's always had the run of the house and when he got to be about 10 months old he decided he was happier downstairs. He still comes up occasionally during the night but usually only to tell me he needs to go out. I suppose there's no hard and fast rule about this, my last dog slept in my bedroom all his life. When I first got him I left him downstairs and he howled and howled. Two days later I couldn't stand it any longer and up he came and stayed.

 

[Maggi Torres]

My Zeus was 7 wks old when I brought him home also. I found out very quickly that he hates to sleep alone. Once I put his crate in our room, he did alot better. It took him about 2 wks to sleep through the night. I agree with everyone who suggested that you make sure he is well exercised, warm, and comfy. Good Luck!!

 

[Tykie'sMom]

We got Tyson when she was 8 weeks old, the first night she slept right through the night without a whimper. The second night was a disaster!! I think my husband and I slept a total of three hours! Tyson cried, whimpered, barked and slammed the sides of her metal crate. The next day we tried to tire her out completely before bedtime, but this did nothing to give us more sleep.

In the end, we ended up changing her crate. When traveling to our parents house we used a plastic pet carrier and she always slept without a whimper. So we decided to return the metal crate and opted for a plastic one. The change was unbelievable. She whimpered for about 10 minutes the first time and slept the whole night. It was like a miracle.

I am not sure that this will work for you but it is definitely worth a try.

 

[Eddie's mom]

With Eddie we comprimised! I put the crate right beside my bed so I was there for him but he was not in my bed! Now that he is 5 he is usually in my bed though

 

[jenniemitchell]

Join the Club!

I too have a 7 1/2 wk old male, he has 2 nights away from his family. I'm crate training him, for 2 reasons: he'll be alone a lot during the day and I don't want him to get hurt while I'm asleep.

I have Diablo in my room at night. I give him at least 30 minutes of vigorous play before bedtime, and last night he settled down after about 20 min. He wakes up 4 or 5 times a night, screaming and crying. Night one I took him out of his crate everytime to see if had to go (no). Last night, I took him out just twice--he did have to go--then we played, he got tired and back in the crate.

I'm no expert, but I've read 2 things I absolutely believe. Puppies this age cannot control their natural urges. And consistency is the golden rule of training. Stay in touch, I'm sure we can learn from each other's experiences.