Sleeping arrangements - Our new staff puppy sleeps in a cage located in a kitchen. All of us have attended his crys at night (about every hour). I wonder if this is the right thing to do? or should we leave him for longer periods?

Thanks

Paul

i know it sounds harsh but every time you go to him you are rreinforcing the message that crying gets him attention.in the perfect puppy book by gwen bailey she gives excellent advice on this.when i got my first pup i used to pander to his every cry, but i'm now on my 5th and she cried a bit the first night, but has now realised it doesn't get her anywhere, although she does do a different cry if she needs to go out, and obviously then i do get up and take her out!its so hard to resist them, but as long as they been fed and toileted etc they should begin to regard their cage as a safe chill out place.good luck!:)

Hi I agree with miloos said. :)
make sure he is warm ,well fed and watered! and that he has plenty of toys and chewy things to keep him busy and that he has been out side to wee and try and encourage him to go longer good luck!

hi kate,
hows the expectant mum?my choc pups doing really well and bossing all the others about already.bet you can't wait for them to be born.all the best:)

Hi
I too would agree that this is more than likely the best way to handle a puppy crying through the night. However, when we got our pup, the first night she obviously cried, it is hard to just leave a crying pup, so I went to her, but I didn't enter the utility room until she was quiet. Then when I went in I sat with her and comforted her for a few minutes, she then settled down to sleep for several more hours. The first two nights were like this the third, fourth and fifth she cried only once about 3 or 4 a.m. At no time did I take her out for a wee, and she was clean each night, just a wee on the paper in the morning. I did the same each night only going in when she was quiet and spending only a moment with her, on the sixth night she slept right through and was dry and she has done so ever since. I accept that this wouldn't work with every pup and also I was taking a chance that she would just keep crying after I left, had she done so I definitely would have left her to cry, but she didn't and so it worked.
Best of luck
Bev

Hi Paul,

My Staffie is 6 months old now and to be honest I'd be harsh if you can.
Ignore the pup everytime you go down you are telling the pup (in doggie language) that if he/she cries you will come!

We ignored Sal (hard and not pleasant from our point of view but essential in the long run) It went on for about 4 or 5 nights that's all but after that nothing and for weeks now she knows the routine of bed and once she's had her dish of warm milk and a biscuit she knows it's bed time and pops out for a wee then lies down.

I know it's hard but Staffords are not stupid and at least try and make the pretense of being in charge ;)
As long as the pups safe and warm, let things be.

What's the pup called?

Karen

My pup is now 12 weeks old. He has a crate in the living room. For the first few nights, I slept next to his crate. The first night he took about 20 minutes to settle down, then woke me twice to go outside. The next night he only woke me once and since then he has slept through. I was happy to take him outside rather than make him go in his crate so he didn't think that going inside was acceptable.
I think sleeping next to him showed him that he hadn't been abandoned, but I ignored his cries so that he learnt to settle down and sleep.

HTH,

Sarah

My staffie is now 1 year old! I never attended to her cries in the beginning. When she arrived at the house I would put some of my old boots or a shirt inside of her basket and leave her to cry a little. This seems to help a little to reasure her that I am somewhere eventhough she can not see me. I would put them in a routine the same way as a child by letting them eat and go out at different intervals during the night. I will adjust this intervals until we are down to 1 in the middle of the night and early morning. Because of our business does this suits both me and the new arrival. I arrive late and only go to bed after midnight. I take her out then and again when I get up at six. Only sometimes would she have a little "accident" in the house during the night if she can't manage to wake me up.

I found a large furry toy in her bed and a ticking clock helped settle our little one :)