please can anybody give me any idea's
i got a cocker bitch 6 days ago,
she is 8 half weeks old,
i have a really big problem as she BARKS''''YELPS'''''and HOWLS'''''
all night constantly i am quite patient but this carries on every second of the night,I'v tried.
hot water bottle ticking clock one of my old t-shirts,leaving a radio on leaving the light on and so on ...
please if anybody knows another way to do it plz get back to me
p.s. iv also tried feeding her just before bedtime...
thx
glyn........very tired cocker owner...

HI
Where does she sleep at night ?
Is she in a crate and does she sleep up or downstairs ?
Lel

Hi
yes she is in a basket and she sleeps downstairs,
we did try to put her in our room on the second night in a high sided box,
but she was just as bad,
don't really know what else to do ):
tired cocker owner
glyn

All the things that you have already tried are the most obvious choices that people would have recommended .
How long does it take her to finally settle down ? Do you go to her when she is making all this fuss or do you ignore her ?
Lel

well she does not settle down at all she goes for it all night constantly,
the first night we ignored her the second night i went down then every other night we've ignored
her but with no luck
glyn

Glyn :(
ALL NIGHT ???
Is she sleeping at all during the day ? I take it she must sleep quite a lot in the day if shes up all night ?
I will try and root out any tips for you . Our pup ( whos 5 months now) has slept upstairs with us since day one and has always been fine so I sympathise . Not that I'm advising you do that by the way .
She is still very young though and 6 days isnt that long since she left her mum - although thats probably cold comfort for you .
I would say as long as you know shes ok( warm , fed , been to the toilet etc) then to ignore her when she starts as you are doing- so that she doesnt get into the attention seeking routine - like kids can . They do normally settle down after a while of crying or at least drop off to sleep and maybe wake acouple of times in the night but all night !!!!!!
As long as you are sure shes healthy and well I think its a matter of perseverance.
Is she on her own during the day ? JUst incase she's feeling unsettled at being alone again at night time
Can she get out of her basket ok incase she needs the toilet ( sometimes they are very little and cant get out)
Could she be sleeping by anything that could possible frighten her ( like the fridge humming or the noise from radiators etc ) - just a thought .
Will try to get hold of any tips for you
:)
Lel

thx for replying,
i wouldn't say she sleeps a great deal
although today we started putting her in her basket when she goes to sleep trying to associate hetr basket with sleep
fingers crossed but not counting my chickens yet.
she isn't on her own anytime of the day,
but also that could be a cause for it,
i really hope she isn't like my son he didn't sleep right through until he was 4...lol, she has no restrictions where she sleeps either,
i know its hard to believe all night but really she does im surprised she doesn't lose her bark,,,(keep dreaming)
thx
glyn

Glyn
if she is never alone then that could be reason I suppose - seperation anxiety .
How old did you say she was ?
I think the thing to do is not to let her sleep on your knee etc during the day - or on the sofa next to you - as she may become clingy and then she will become upset during the day.
Do as you are doing and try letting her sleep in her basket and if you go into another room, close the door and then return after a very short while so that she is used to you going and returning and gradually realises that, yes you will come back eventually .
I have never had a cocker so i dont know if this is usual for them.
Try this for a couple of days/nights and above all dont go to her at night .
Before bed time , try to wear her out and have a little play time so that she is feeling tired - try giving her a warm milky meal -and put her to bed without making too much fuss of her but when you wake in the morning tell her she is a"good girl" and make a bit of a fussthen .
Lel

hi lel
she does tend to always sleep at our feet,
and when you move her she goes strait back,
i agree i think she thinks that we r not coming back,she does sound very stressed her bark gets very high pitched,
as far as milky supper she always has a weetabix with warm milk,(spoilt)
or porridge,
thnx for your help i will certainly give it a go..i'll get back to you if im still awake,lol
(still very tired cocker owner)
glyn

Glyn
It certainly sounds as if you are doing all the right things so i think it probably is just a matter of time
If all else fails I would invest in some heavy duty earplugs :D
Lel

thnx lel
funny you said about plugs,
i went out and bought a big bag of cotton wool for the whole family
lol
thx again (deaf cocker owner)

:D
Maybe you could try the ticking clock , the radio and the hot water bottle for yourself :D
Lel

ya know really good idea...lol
could do with a bottle but i can guarentee it wouldn't have water in it
glyn

It would seem that seperation anxiety is quite common in many spaniel breeds. It is best to teach them gently to cope on their own, starting with a few minutes and increasing the time.

A Puppy of this age will be getting a lot of attention just to do with it's needs (4 meals a day, taking to toilet every hour on the hour whilst awake, etc), sdo at other times do not let her follow you around or sleep at your feet. this can be best achieved by having a baby gate so she can see 6you but not get to you. If she creates in the day because of being put away from you, wait until she has a break in crying and go in to her and very matter of factly tell her good girl.

With a puppy this new in the home it is easy to give too much attention and then being on hert own at night is impossible to bear.

yeah your right it's not in the breed i had a springer for a long time before jessie
and he was fine even on the first night
just gotta b very patient i think
thnx
glyn

I sympathise - we had the same trouble with our cocker puppy. I spent the first nine days with her at home all day and the first 4 days and nights were a nightmare. She sleeps in the kitchen in a crate lined with vet bedding and an item of my clothing and her soft toy. She barked all night with the barking getting louder and louder. During the day time she also barked any time I put her in the kitchen and tried to leave her for a minute. I spent the first 4 nights sitting next her crate until she felll asleep but as soon as she felt me move she woke up again. So I would leave her and come back as soon as she started barking and sit in the hallway so she could see me and knew I was there. No sleep for me then - I was knackered!!! One night I was awake until 5am sleeping in hallway!!! She also followed me everywhere and of course I let her sit on the couch cuddled up to me all day (big mistake!!!). Then I could take it no longer, and sought advice from a dog trainer. Now she is fine - after the frist 4 nights I started putting her in the kitchen for a few minutes each hour and leaving her gradually increasing the time until she could stay on her own for over an hour and not bark at all. I only went back when she STOPPED barking and praised her. She learned that I was not leaving her but would come back and also that if she was quiet it was more likely that I would come and see her. It was very hard to do to begin with as she barked the house down. I ignored her totally and went into another room and waited until she stopped. After a day or so she still barked but it became less and less and she realised I would be back and she would be praised for being quiet. It got easier after that and it spilled over into night times. The first night she barked as usual - I waited for her to stop for about 30 seconds and went in and praised her. That night I had to repeat this about 6 times. After that she fell asleep and slept all night. If you go to her when she barks it reinforces the fact that she will get attention, so she will continue to bark. I know it sound cruel but you have to be firm in doing this or she will not stop. The first night is the worst as you will want to go to her - it you must wait until she is quiet. So now I put the radio on for her (Classical music) at night and take her in to the kitchen and say bedtime and night night - she gets in her crate and I close it. This signals that its time for sleep. She might whimper for a little while but usually goes to sleep. If she doesnt settle I go and see her when she quietens down and talk to her quietly to reassure her. She is so good now that I sometimes leave the crate door open and she sleeps with her head hanging out of it! If she ever acts up I simply close the crate door and she knows she must go to sleep. It is a ritual but you must stick to it every night doing the same thing and saying the same words. If she barks WAIT until she stops - and she will at some point. Then go and see her and praise her. She will soon get the message but you may still have a few more sleepless nights until she gets used to it. Don't give in stick to the routine and you must use it during the daytime so she gets used to being left and knows you are coming back. My puppy has half an hour playtime before bed and then gets let out for wee wees etc. Then I calm her down by giving her lots of strokes and then take her to bed. Please persevere, I know its not easy but she will get the message after while - she will get the message VERY quickly if you put her in the crate as many times a day for short periods as many times a day as you can.. Good luck!!!

Can't offer an advice on this one, Max howled the first night we had him at 7 weeks and then was great after that. We tend to leave the radio on for him. We did ignore him the first night, and I've heard that if you go and see them to try and re-assure them it makes them worse because they do it all the more to get attention.

yeah
your right when i went down the 2nd night she did seem to ,
be a lot worse.Maybe i just have to persevere for the time being
thx anyway
glyn( very tired cocker owner)

Does she do this in the day when you are not with her. if so this is natural for a few nights and days.

hi rians
yes she does it during the day aswell,
i do hope it dosen't last long its been 6 days now,
and im constantly yawning...lol
thx
(insomniac cocker owner)
glyn

she is missing her mother and siblings most likeley. my 7 weeek old puppy that did the same thing for a few days. when it is doing that do not go out there and pet it and stuff or it will think everytime he does that you'll come out and be with. If it stops for a few minutes go to be with it. If you have a radio you can give to the puppy it should sooth it.(dont have the radio to loud)

Hello
As she has been with you only for 6 days she will still be missing her mother and siblings. Try buying a crate then line the crate with a blanket, put some soft toys in with her, and place the crate by your bed. Then if she cries you can put your fingers through the bars to reassure she is not alone. Then after a few days when she calms down you can start moving the crate gradually away from your bedroom. I would also advise feeding her a meal of mince before bed, as that will take longer to digest. But if she is still crying after two hours she will probably need to go to the toilet so you better take her out. I have raised 3 puppies on this method so this is the best advise I can give you. Good Luck
Also remember puppies have very fast digestive tracts so if you feed her just before bed, she will need to go to the toilet in two to three hours.

Gyn, I sympathise with you. We picked up Sydney 2 weeks ago and he has only in the last few days finally stopped howling at night. I leave the radio on a talk back station and have a hot water bottle with him. I was lucky in that we had Beth (10) sit in his bed with him when he arrived the first day so that he fell asleep in it and he has since then realised its his comfy bed complete with all the soft toys that he plays with during the day. The first week was murder I felt like I had a hangover everyday. It was so hard not to go to him that first week but we perservered and now can sleep in peace. He had to be left alone from day 6 for a few hours and I believe that he howled then as the neighbour asked me what sort of pup I had got. But he has gradually got used to being alone.

I bring the bed into the living room so he can fall asleep knowing we are in the same room, then carry him into the kitchen (he lies there like he's in a sudan chair) and leave the door open. He occasionally wakes up then finally falls deep asleep usually 10ish and that it we close the door till morning.

Patience and Im sure that he will settle down. Best of luck.

I agree with Kate, buy a dog crate from argos £40, put a blanket in half and newspaper the other half, cover the crate with a blanket (even the front) all the way round so that he feels secure, you can buy a water dish wich fixes on the bars of the crate, buy some nylon bones and chewy sort of toys to put in there. Be sure to associate the crate with good things though, feeding, treats etc. My pup has been with us for 2 weeks now and he hasn't howled a single night, i set my alarm and take him out in the garden in the early hours, just praise for doing his 'business'!! and in the morning 7.00am his bed is dry!!! I've house trained him by putting him out, no newspaper just constantly watching for11 days and am so, so pleased with him, he now barks to go in the garden and for the last 3 days he has been clean!!he always sleeps in it in the day although it isn't locked, If we need the front door open he goes in it with a kong, this way theres no way he will 'bolt' into the street!! Hope this helps, Good luck! (by the way I have a bull terrier pup 10 weeks old)

Hi Teeny, so you've found the quickest way to house-train as well! Nothing works faster than concentrating entirely on your pup for a fortnight. I always tell buyers to take 2 weeks off work, and only do housework when the pup's asleep. When it's awake you must watch the pup all the time and you'll soon learn its little signals for when it needs to puddle/poo.

You're doing great! :)

Glyn
one other point , just remember every pup is different so dont worry if you feel that because other pups are fine then yours should be too .
Remember they are all different just like children and although it feels such hard work at the moment , pup will settle down and you will wonder what all the fuss was about
Now get the earplugs and the whisky out :D
Lel
Hope you get some sleep tonight

Teeny...

You're doing great....Well done!!

I only wish more dog owners would be so responsible!

Keep up the good work :)

Lisa

Well I do sympathise, and know EXACTLY how you feel. We got our GSD pup 10 weeks ago, and we tried allsorts, crate, basket, radio etc etc. And she howled screamed and barked literally ALL NIGHT, without a break. I too was at my wits end and after 4 nights I slept downstairs on the couch in the living room with her. She was fine. Between us, my husband and I took turns for the next two weeks, before we tried sleeping downstairs, but shut her out of the room. She was fine for two nights doing this, and we then went back to sleeping in our beds (heaven!) and she's been fine ever since.

At least this way you get some sleep and are not "strung out" through lack of sleep as well as stressed. It helped us enormously and worked out fine in the end.

Good luck

Kat

We have pup with us upstairs from day one and he was never any trouble -
he has been great all round actually - makes you glad you did the research for the right pup and the right breeder
:)
Lel

Hi Glyn :)

Hows it going then? Are you still awake :D

Glyn
how was she last night ?
Lel
Just a thought but have you tried a night light

aya lel
she was just the same last night,
she has tried to sleep all day trying my hardest to keep her awake,
though don't hold much hope,for tonight anyway,
just like to thank you for your help and cheering me up (;
(very tired drunk and sedated cocker owner)
glyn

hi alec
still awake ,
the dogs sleeping though (during the day ): )
i'll do it im determined now it's amazing how such a sweet little thing can be so much trouble,
glyn

thanks for your reply kat,
i am doing my very best and trying everything i can to settle her in
just like to say thnx to everyone who has tried to help,
(still very tired cocker owner)
glyn

Someone has probably suggested this already, but as there are rather a large number of responses I'll put it down anyway.

My 7 week old weimaraner pup too cried initially and the best advice I read was to ignore her in the day when she's trying to get my attention. Therefore I was sat in the lounge on and off all day whilst she was looning around and either looking at me or generally trying to get my attention I sat with a book up and pretended to read it. I say pretend because my husband kept laughing at me 'cos I felt so guilty for ignoring her, and was trying to watch her from the corner of my eye, that I couldn't read a single paragraph!! Once she realised that she was ok without me all the time (even though I was still in the room with her) she slept through no probs.

Worth a try at least!

Stinks.

thnx stinkypup
tried so many things,
im willing to try that aswell,saying that she did seem to be a little better last night,
woke me at about 3:30am then seemed to settle down again,
and when i did get up at7:30 she was still asleep so i fussed over her like you wouldn't believe,
if your reading this LEL
I THINK IM GETTING THERE ..............YIP.EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE,
(Feeling happier cocker owner)

:D
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you
by the way when i said try the earplugs and the whiskey i meant for you not for pup :D
Lel