Wonderful forum! Picked up lots of hints already!

We've had our Heinz 57 variety for 4 days! He's 8 weeks old and doing all the things that everyone talks about! We've invested in a crate and he hates it at night - crying, whining and getting into a real state! Having read some of the hints, I'm about to change its location in the house to see if that helps, and trying the radio on etc, but my main question is - he really likes the closeness with us and last night at 5am, I could stand the crying no longer and my husband and I committed the cardinal sin of letting him cuddle up to us on the bed clothes - he fell asleep after 30 seconds! What sort of problems are we creating for later on if we decided we didn't mind this now? Have other owners allowed this to a certain age and had any experience of retraining the older puppy?

(In case this is relevant to any answers, we do intend on having him neutered just as soon as there's anything to do it to!!)

4th July - well we moved the crate to the living-room and left him to it with some music on. I didn't hear him until past 6am - so a success I think!

Have you tried having his crate beside your bed? That way he won't feel so abandoned at night.
:)

Thank-you for this suggestion - we have considered it but it will have to be a last option I think because the bedroom isn't big enough! We're actually going to move the crate tonight into the living room where he often goes to sleep so he must feel comfortable in there, and we'll leave the radio on and see if that helps.

If you don't want him to sleep in your bed when he's all grown up - then you mustn't let him do it as a puppy. The whining can get unbearable. Perhaps the compromise is to put his crate on your room and let him sleep in there at night. It's where my boys sleep and we've never had a distrurbed night from them - other than the needing to go out for a wee when very very young and the odd up-chuck if they've eaten something that hasn't agreed with them:D

Letting him do it now then trying to retrain is just delaying the inevitable and won't make it any easier.

My boys do now get the very occasional treat of being allowed on the bed - only for one to go to his crate anyway coz he's happy there and for the other to find a cool spot on the floor. The better way rounbd though imho:D

good luck with your new baby.

Pam n the boys

Thanks for replying - could you see my response above...

hi
its always tempting to give in to a pup whining as they can get so loud and distressed and you also have the neighbours to think about,my sisters pup cried every night for 3 weeks she never got up to him and now he doe'snt make a sound and does'nt get up until at least 10 am,no matter whats going on around him! i think its up to the individual if you would rather comfort him thats fine,i think the golden rules are don't let them do anything as a pup that you would'nt want them to do as an adult dog as bad habits are hard to break. what you have to think about is would you still want him on your bed when he's an adult ,moulting and a bit smelly what about when he has a bad belly you just have to consider things what suits you may not suit someone else ,i would rather put ear plugs in and not give in, try leaving a piece of your old clothing with him have you tried leaving him without the crate,it will all come together in the end good luck and enjoy!

jackie

Thanks for replying - yes moulting and smelly is not appealing - we'll continue with the crate and buy ear plus - which I see have been suggested on other answers. It is quite distressing though to see him so unhappy. The puppy books say: "don't push them into a crate, let them want to go".....and then the next chapter says " when they whine and cry, on no account take them out"! Talk about diverse!

I now pay the price of letting a pup on the bed and share my bed with two snoring monsters. one human one canine! :D

we were silly and let her up when she wasnt even crying in the night downstairs!!!!!

Thanks for replying - seems ear plugs might be your answer too!

my boyfriend already has them!!!!
luckily I was already immune to it because of the racket he makes :D

Only 2 snoring monsters - luxury :)

One a bad night all 3 dogs snore, HE snores and if The Small One comes in, he snores too.

How we haven't yet been tested for sound pollution I don't know.

:D

PS Ash sleeps on my feet, Taz & Chester on the floor.

Oh, and don't forget that cats

We have a crate for our puppy spaniel and he his in his all night, what we did to make him feel that this was his space his to let him have his dinners and water in there, we leave it open in the day but continue in placing food and drink there.

then at night we say nite nite Murpy and make sure his water his in there and we dont hear a peep out of him.

You could try this if you havent done the above, it also stops the puppy having a wee at night as well as long as you have taken him for a wee before he go's in, and take him out as soon as you get up, your puppy starts to learn to hold it longer and they dont like to wee in their bed anyway, give it a go and let us know how you get on.

Amanda & Andy & Murphy

LOL...you think you've got it bad....try HUBBY snoring....two GSD's two cats...and a stupid bird screeching down your ear!!!
It's terrible isn't it?

Anyway, to the original poster, It is awful when you've got a pup crying, and i've tried everything...not a lot has helped me, but it's different for different dogs and owners of course! Unfortunately, after having pups, who have screamed during the night, and I've taken them up to bed with me....even though I never have the dogs in my bedroom...I decided, I'd be stronger with my last German shepherd bitch pup. She had her last 'empty' around midnight, and then went into her crate....after that, she stayed there until 6 am (she was 11 wks old) she did cry for the first night, but after that, she was fine, and went to her crate willingly when she was tired.
It's awful to hear your 'baby' crying....I had hubby telling me to stop being so soft!! But i really think, ignoring my pup was the best thing I could have done. She adapted quicker than my others 6, who have all had me spoiling them rotten!!

Take care, hope you get a good nights sleep!!

Lisa

hi my 14 week old rottie pup whined for three weeks we got him when he was 6 weeks(too young) he was put in his cage at 12am and first he was waking at 5 now hubby lets him out at seven he took three weeks of howling then it stopped i leave the light on and the radio but he was sick and spent one night in the living room and we were back to square one i had people threatening me with rspca because the howling was so loud but after three really bad days the night howling has stopped and the day time cage time have just a 2min whine but every day he has 2 hour long trips to the cage to get him used to it but be firm fair and consistant and it will work i personally dont like dogs on beds as my doberman got possesive and eventually bit me for trying to get on my own bed which resulted in him being put to sleep so i tend to keep all dog downstairs

Lisa

I hope you mean a feathred bird :D

I slept downstairs for 3 weeks with my pup. Me on settee her on floor. After that I slept on settee with her outside the room in the hall - OK! Next night same. Next night went back to my real bed and all OK! Thank goodness. We had tried the crate unsuccessfully and I really wasn't keen on it at all. I thought I might be creating a rod for my own back, but it all worked out fine in the end.

Katrina