Hi everyone,

I am getting a puppy in about 5 weeks, can't wait, only problem is my house is all open plan, now I am going to buy a cage, but my 15 month old baby is still waking up at least once during the night.  Will the pup sleep through or will it be a case of seeing to the baby then going to see the pup.  I know it seems like a really stupid question but you lot might have some ideas.

Thanks Julie

I know its no help ( sorry) but it will really depend on the pup, you just have to go to any puppy classes to see that their all so different, we recently had 2 puppies from the same litter in our class and one would sleep through anything and the other was being woken up by their very quiet central heating coming on in the morning.
I work shifts and our pup has never woken up with me coming and going at strange times if thats any reassurance.

Steve

Thanks Steve,

I know it was a bit of a stupid question, I will probably get the puppy that wakes up at the slightest sound, but these things happen, I haven't had a decent nights sleep for 15 months so whats another year or so!!!!!!  I havent actually chosen the puppy yet I am going in 3 weeks to choose her, any suggestions on what to look for?  I have read all the books telling you what you should look for but advice off somebody is better.

Julie

Puppies, like babies, get used to what is the norm for the house they live in. Babies who are crept around wake at the smallest noise, those who are allowed to, or have to, put up with the noise of a lively household, sleep through anything, pups are the same.

Hi Jackie,

Thanks for the advice I understand what you are saying, builders have been in this morning and baby slept right through.  (Any ideas on how to get her to sleep right through night)!!!!  Ha ha only kidding.

So when I get the pup in a few weeks and the baby wakes during night if the pup starts crying will I just ignore it.

Julie

i would suggest ignoring the baby and the puppy during the night unless of course the crying sounds like they are in distress. I treat my baby like puppies and it worked for me, if you go to your baby/-puppy when it crys then they learn to cry to get a response.........a couple of nights of ignoring them usually does the trick.

Hi maxisleepi,

I will try ignoring the baby tonight then hopefully I will have the baby 'trained' before we bring the puppy home.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Julie

All three of my boys (children) were nightmares until they were at LEAST 2 years old  - probably longer - waking EVERY night.  I could never ignore them crying and I woke at the least little sound.  Their Dad however, sleeps through anything and on the very odd occasion I wasn't home (in hospital for a week once) they never woke him in the night!!!! I am sure, if I could have ignored them they would have slept through sooner.  When Saffy was a puppy, my youngest was still waking in the night, but luckily she stayed quiet (Thank God!).  Good luck with your new pup, when she arrives.

Fiona

I think I must be the same as you as I think the baby just murmurs in her sleep and I am awake. Oh lets hope my pup is like yours and sleeps right through if baby wakes up.

Don't forget though it could work both ways. The pup could wake up the baby until it is used to being alone at night. Some pups are better than others, but most do cry for a while for the first couple of nights, which could disturb your baby's sleep patterns, but it will be important not to go down to the pup to get it too be quiet. My other dog never took to being alone at night and after 6 months or so of her crying and barking for hours on end every single night i had to relent (she somehow managed to break out of the crate, cause merry hell and rip the carpet to shreds by the door!) and let her sleep in with me and shes been quiet ever since. I think that was an extreme case though as my next pup only cried on the first and second night and is now perfect at night. What breed are you getting?

We are getting a weimaraner, and as I haven't had any experience of owning one I don't know what she will be like first night in cage.  Gosh I hope she won't be like your puppy, 6 months urgh!!!!!!!!!!!!  Where in your room does she sleep.  What breed is yours? 

Please make sure that you "alone" train your Weimaraner right from the word go, starting by incremental steps with seconds out of the room and then increasing to minutes etc by using a cage or a gate.  One of the main reasons weimaraners end up in rescue is because of severe separation anxiety as owners have allowed their dogs to follow them around from room to room and never left them!  You must do this in order that your dog grows up to be a competent and confident adult that can be left for a few hours without destroying the room, howling, barking etc which will then lead to complaints from neighbours and with the possible risk of Environmental Health being involved.

It can be very flattering and ego boosting for some owners when they say "my dog won't let me go anywhere without him" but it makes for an unhappy dog and relationship in the long run.

regards

my 2 dogs only wake my hubby at the weekends when home (big softie) but the dont wake me up or the kids through  the week  they both sleep on the bed with us (greatdane  staffie)

Hi

I got my weimaraner at the weekend and she has me up 4 times in the night to go toilet.
the crate wont fit in the bedroom and feel mean leaving her in kitchen as so cold in there at night,
so sleeps in bed with me but not wee or poo once in the house. leave her sometimes in crate
when i go out, but feel realy mean now as tape her today when i was out for 15mins
and she cryed the whole time, so going to take her with me now when out.

only woke me 2 times lastnight for toilet so hopefully wont be long for she sleeps allnight.

Loulu

My dog is a border collie, a breed which has a tendency to be neurotic, and megan takes that to the extremes! She has her bed in the corner, but she has a tendency to sneak onto my bed occaisionally but i haven't the heart to tell her to get off. (it can be quite warm on the cold nights too!) As she is housetrained and doesn't chew i didn't need the crate i didn't need to worry about fitting that in here. My other dog is a golden retriever and is so laid back compared to meg. She loves going into her crate at night and she hasn't really been a problem at all apart from the first night. I should think a weimeraner, being a gundog may be similar and you will probably only have a few sleepless nights at the most, although i'm afraid i can't speak for your baby! If only kids were as easy to train!!!!

Hi lucyand meg,

I hope you are right about the weimaraner being the same as the golden retreiver eg sleeping in crate, although the weimy in the other post doesn't seem to be getting used to the crate at all, but it takes time I suppose. The thing that people keep telling me is DON'T go down to the puppy if she is crying (that in itself is going to be hard) how do you know if the pup is crying for attention or crying to go to the toilet?  Hard!!!!!

Julie

  lou lou--id harden yourself and leave your puppy for a while--or it will end up as a seperation anxiety case, then youll never get anything done.--well unless the dog goes too !

Hi Dizzy
I know i should but she such a sweetie , and ive waited so long for her. when shes tired you have to carry her like a baby then
when shes asleep you can put her anywhere and she stays asleep. she does go to her crate if im busy in the house and i feed
her in her crate and her water is there to, but this was the second time i have left her and locked her in. i taped her as i leave she crying
and when i return she still crying and i felt horrible today as she cryed the whole time i was out. so i will start buy locking her in when im in the kitchen busy so hopefully she will no sometimes i will be there. the only trouble is when i did this the other day my 2 year old little boy
lets her out and says mummy my porche is crying and your not listering and she only a baby. so what do i say to that, an she follows him round all day its soooo cute when you watch them together. going to brag somemore you know when you get a puppy and you have to train them not to bite you as your not a chew toy, well when you play with porche she doesent bite she pretends to but realy softly.
well she going to be so clever.
Loulu

I cant help you much about your pup.but i can with your baby :)
I have 2 kids aged 12 and 8,i stopped getting up at night to the both of them at 8 weeks old,at that age they dont need a night feed anymore so when they woke up all i did was pop their dummy back in and went back to bed,my daughter stopped waking up within 3 days and my son took a week,your toddler knows that if she cries you will tend to her,pups are no different,both baby and pup will settle into a better routine if you dont run to them at every wimper.
I dont understand these mums that have black circles under their eyes due to lack of sleep complaining that their kids are waking them 10 times a night and yet they go to them each time which is just reinforcing their kids bad sleeping patterns.
I dont remember either of my kids waking thru the night EVER unless they were sick.All of my friends are having babies at the moment and i give them all the same advice as above and all babes are sleeping thru,so it's not a case of me being lucky with my kids,i have never pandered to them and they have grown up to be strong,independant kids.
May i ask why your child is waking up in the night and what do you do to settle her? My sister's baby was waking up every night but she couldnt ignore her so i went over to stay,made my sister wear ear plugs and poof within 4 days her 4 mth. old was sleeping thru the night,all i did when she woke up was creep in quietly,musnt let them know you are there,popped her dummy in and left,she then woke up 20 minutes later i repeated the process this might be a bit harder with a older kid like yours,my kids had got rid of their dummys by that age,so maybe the only option would be to try hard to ignore her,also no bottles,they should be given up by 1 year old as they dont need the nutrition of babypowder after that.Stay strong ;) i betcha she will be sleeping thru within a week,geez i would be a walking zombie if i had broken sleep everynight for 15mths. you will feel like a new person after having a few unbroken nights sleep,please let me know how it works out.

christine

Hi Christine,

I will try that about putting her dummy back in instead of giving her a little drink!  I have got a 10 and 12 year old but they slept right through from about the fourth week so no problems there.

Thanks Julie

Jules it might be a good idea to have a stash of dummies near her cot,i remember rummaging around,crawling under the cot trying to find the elusive tiny dummy,by that time the baby usually knows you are there as you make so much noise trying to find the darn thing,LOL It must have been a sight watching me crawl into their bedroom on my tummy,like a ninja,LOL trying to be quiet,the baby would have only seen a hand pop up infront of their face holding a dummy,i'm surprised they didnt start screamimg out of fright
Definatly no drinky,winkies you naughty girl ;) she doesnt need it. If you stay firm everything will work out.
Geez i wish i could be as tough with my pups as i was with my kids,on the first night home with our pup,i only lasted thru 20min. of whimpering,i then crumbled and let her sleep in my bedroom and she has been there ever since :rolleyes: i even put up with the wee puddles each and every morning as i couldnt bring myself to crate her,i hate those things.It did give us an excuse to re-carpet the house tho ;)

Good luck Jules,you can do it :D
please keep us updated.

christine
         xxx

Hi Jules

I completely symphathise, and can remember that feeling of walking around in almost a permanent zomby state with my daughter.  Unfortunately, it took us several years to sort things out.  She is now 6 1/2 so we are over that.  Have you read Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems, by Dr. Richard Ferber?  It makes an interesting read.

We got our pup a year ago, and like you, I was concerned that I would again be suffering disrupted nights and that the pup might disturb my daughter.  Poppy (the pup) has the utility room (right underneath my bedroom, so I can pretty much hear everything) and we decided that we would shut her in there at 11.00 and not go down to her until 6.00am - the noise for the first 4 nights was a nightmare and I did neary crack and go down to her (my firmer husband was adament that we should not).  After the first 4 nights she has rarely made a noise and now sleeps through from 9.45pm to 6.45am every night!  Obviously, we spent sometime lengthening her nights, but it all worked out fine.

Best of luck with them both!
Karen

Hi Karen,

What is your dog?  I bet a lot of people of reading this is thinking she should've waited until the baby was out of the waking up through night stage, but I thought the baby would be sleeping right through by now, and I have had my name on a waiting list for the puppy, so it hasn't quite worked out like I anticipated, but I guess things never do!!! 

Julie

Julie

Poppy is  mini schnauzer.  What breed do you have your name down for?

I know people say having a dog is like having another child, but in reality it is nothing like the hard work of a baby - IMO.  Admittedly, there are those few months where house training, chewing. playing and training take up a considerably amount of effort.  I found that once my dog was 4ish months old the workload eased massively.  OK we still have to play with her, walk her, feed her etc., but really she pretty much fits in with family life now.  My daughter really is her main entertainer and somedays devotes hours to her playing, tick and hide & seek etc.

It is hard work, but well worth the reward.  Have you had a dog before?
Bye the way the book I recommended is excellent and is published by DK

Karen.

Hi Karen,

We are getting a weimaraner bitch puppy.  I will definitely get that book.  I have had a german shepherd before.  Thanks for all your help. Julie

In my experience, you see to whichever wakes first! If the baby wakes, you deal with that, but don't make a big deal of it. If the pup wakes (less likely, in my experience), deal with that. Don't tiptoe around - even now I find the noise of someone trying to be quiet is more disturbing than someone behaving normally! Babies can sleep in a carrycot through parties if it is what they are used to. So can puppies.

My baby thought dummies were evil things and they caused more trouble than they were worth! Avoid them if you possibly can!
:)

Jean what i meant about being quiet was,so the baby doesnt realise you are there,i can guarantee as soon as she see's mum in the room she will sit up like a bolt and be wide awake,whereas if she sneaks in pops dummy in mouth and sneaks out the baby will go back to sleep without having the stimulation of mum in the room.
I agree regarding try and make their environment relativaly noisy so they dont wake up to a pin dropping  but not when it comes to the point we are discussing.

Christine

glad im not the only one that had to creep under the cot at night looking for dummys lol half asleep, havent done that in a long time thank god finds it him self now.

Hi all hate to be bearer of bad views but my rottie is a year old next month and is still caged due to chewing and still howls the place down every night and believe me ive tried everything even letting him upstairs and he whined if i closed my eyes,im thinking of getting aproffesionals advise but on the upside i have a26mth old boy who since day one has woke if the dog howls and believe me its loud but the dog will wake if baby crys and then he starts howling again, believe me a this mo im sitting here dreading bed as i know the howling will start give me babies any day

I think I am dreading getting this puppy, ha ha only joking, I am worried now though!!!So your dog still whines and howls after a year, I think I would get professional advice, that would drive me potty, (says me who hasn't even got a dog yet) and watch my new addition to the family might be the same urgh, no more sleep!!  I thought baby was bad waking up once during night.

Rem,it sounds like something is drastically wrong with your rottie.How many walks per day does he get?why do you have to use a crate?have you tried letting him sleep in your bedroom BUT not in the dreaded crate? It sounds like he is bored and craves human companionship,do you give him Raw Meaty Bones to chew on DAILY?This should definatly curb the "chewing"!

Please reply further and maybe we can help.

christine

rotties do have an inbuilt thing to protect and serve more so than other dogs and if they are crated up they cannot do that properly. It would be better to allow your dog to have access to an area where there is nothing much to chew of importance and he probaly won't chew if he feels he's on guard i originally had my rotties penned up when they were young but now my male rot sleeps on the landing at the top of the stairs and he feels really important that he has a job to do and he never moves all night and never chews anything but then again i leave nothing for him to chew. I don't mean to offend the weimeraner people but a few years ago a friend of mine wanted a weim and she was advised against it as she worked full time, weimeraners are apparently not very good at being left and prefer human company alot of the time i know that some of this is thro training  so start as you mean to go on, if puppy is going to be left alone at certain times of the day then start straight away so it gets used to that as normal routine from day 1. don't panda to puppy i always treat my pups as i would an adult dog (within reason).