Puppy Dreaming?

[cwithers]

Hi all!

I owna beautiful puppy she is 8 weeks old - we picked her up last week - we call her Madison.

Madison while she sleeps quite often shakes and one of her eyes would be open and her tongue would go to the outside of her mouth!:(

The first time this happened I got really worried and shook her and woke her up - I was so worried!!

Anyway I took Madison to the vets for her first injection and mentioned this to the vet and she said it was more or less just wee dreams and that if it was only while Madison slept there was no need to worry?

I would just like to know has anyone else experienced this with their dog?

Also I am back to work today after spending a full week with Madison - my boyfriend is off today and will be looking after her. Next week we will both be back to work and she will be home alone - which I totally hate the idea off. We have made the kitchen safe for her and we are going to leave her there all day on her own - my mum will call in at lunchtime for a period of time and will feed Madison and another friend will call at 4pm and spend time with Madison until we return home from work - do you have any tips for getting the puppy to being left home alone?

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

Yes, puppies dream a lot and move and bark and make eating and drinking noises when they sleep. Sometimes my Maggie looks like she's awake with her eyes open, but in fact she's sleeping with her eyes open!!

My girls are 2 and 3 years old and they still have dreams where they move, eat, drink, bark, chase things, etc., etc. Nothing to worry about.

As for leaving the dog home, I suggest crating as the very, very best way to deal with this. To that end, please see the links here at BW on crating http://www.boxerworld.com/puppy/crate/

Good luck.

 

[Bumblebee]

I think it is really just a dream. Dogs dream just like people and can make movements and noise while dreaming. Both Tobee and Jake did this alot as puppies, but not as much once they grew up. I still hear Tobee occationally barking at night. he is just a silly boy chasing a rabbit in his dreams.

 

[brandimonkey]

same here

patrick does the same thing..........he shakes, his feet make running motions he licks and chews, even barks and growls....it is very cute.

also.........we are leaving patrick in the bathroom while we are at work and i come home at lunch to let him out and feed him. but he did whine and howl and bark ALOT the first few days that he was in there.........so much that he was hoarse....but i asked my vet and she said he will get used to it and learn that we are going to come back for him....also i got a "homedics" noise maker, and it has a heartbeat sound on it.........and that seems to calm him down a bit.

well that's all
brandi

 

[Scorpio]

My guys too they chase rabbits and whos knows what when they are sleeping! Its cute to watch!

 

[LittleRockyCole]

I agree with everyone. My 9 week old does the same thing....shaking and barking, opening his eyes half way. He's just dreaming. About leaving him home along... crating is the best thing to do. If you put up a gate, he'll find a way over it. If you put him in a room and close the door, he'll find something to get into. Also, a crate is a great thing to help with house breaking. I suggest getting a large crate (about a 42 inch crate) with a divider so you can adjust the size of it to fit your puppy. You don't want to have a crate big enough for him to eliminate in one end and sleep at the other end, this would defeat the purpose when trying to housebreak, and you don't want to have to keep buying bigger crates. I got mine at a pet supply store and the cost was about $130 with tax. One more thing about the crate, make it as comfortable for your puppy as possible... you wouldn't want to be kept in a small area just big enough to lay down and then not be comfortable when you finally do lay down. This will help him get used to it and eventually make him like it. I've had mine for less than 2 weeks and my puppy is already going in it and laying down by himself... and he doesn't cry at night any more. Well, that's my opinion and what I've learned from the pros.

 

[Eric J]

I am a fan of crating too, but I also wish to tell you how great it is, you have 2 visits set up daily to take the pup out and spend time with it. Sounds like you are doing a great job preparing for things, good luck to you two and the new one

 

[PSUHeather]

yet another rave review on the crating suggestion

Trace and Mella are dogs #2 & #3 that have been crate trained, as my family used to paper-train. The natural instinct not to mess in the "den" helps the pup learn to hold-it while in the crate. I paid $55 for my crate, and it is a collapsable one. I can fold it down and carry it when my mom is going to babysit, yet it is strong enough to withstand Trace. Good luck with your new baby!