What advice if any, can anyone give me on the acceptable time to leave an 8 month old pup downstairs overnite ??
up to now she has slept in my bedroom, but i can see now , even though its a bit late , it was a mistake... any sound or movement she is up barking i think ive had 1 full nites sleep since she arrived, would it be cruel at this age to leave her downstairs ?? if so , i will put up with the barking as it was my mistake .....any advice please ....

bev

If it's any help, I put my dogs (and pups, when I've had them) to bed at about 10.30 - 11pm (when I go to bed) and I don't hear a sound from them till I let them out when I get up at 7am. Unless one of them needs to go out, either through being unwell or because I was careless and didn't watch to make sure all had 'performed' last thing!

Nothing wrong in letting a dog sleep in your bedroom, that in itself won't start the barking, unless you mean the dog is now downstairs and barking to get you to go to it? Sorry, not clear if the dog is at present up stairs or down.

I always start pups off in the bedroom and then gradually move them downstairs after about 2 - 3 weeks, as by then they are more confident and knowtheir new home :) Have you tried gradually moving the crate or bed to the landing and then downstairs rather than doing it suddenly?

Lindsay
X

hi lindsay, she is still in the bedroom.. sorry if i dint make it clear

bev

I am a big believer in using the crate, especially at night. I'm sure your little girl will fuss for the first couple of nights but will get used to being alone, even on a different floor, and eventually sleeping though the night. Make sure though all bathroom duties are done before settling in for the night. Used correctly, the crate is great for puppies--helps with toilet training, learning to sleep though the night, keeping calm and generally keeping out of trouble. In fact my three year old Ridgeback will light up when we happen to pull out her "private room" and whine for it to be set up so she can lie down in it!

Hi Bev,

Please don't feel guilty about anything. You did what you thought was best at the time. I'm on my first ever puppy too and she is also currently 8 months. The best piece of advice anyone ever gave me about her was to make sure she fit around MY lifestyle, not make my lifestyle fit around my dog. I think it's natural to always feel guilty and worry but really, dogs will pretty much accept (eventually!) what you give them and follow the routine you set. There is nothing wrong with leaving an 8mo old alone over night. Gosh - 8 months is pretty big, not a baby puppy anymore! Not that I'm saying it's wrong to have your dog sleep in your bedroom but if you decide that you would like her to sleep downstairs, then there is nothing cruel in that. My puppy actually slept "outside" in a laundry shed from when she first came. We tried her indoors but she actually preferred her outside bed (I think because she had constant access to the garden) - I think also because it was mid-summer at the time we first got her. I used to really worry and feel guilty but she was happy. She is also left alone during the day (again in the garden with access to the shed for shelter & her bed) when I work and she has adapted very well. No separation anxiety issues (so far!) and she generally amuses herself or sleeps. It is only in the last few days that we have started letting her sleep indoors overnight, because it is now mid-winter in NZ and very cold. I'm sure she would still be fine in the shed (we give her tons of wool blankets on a raised bed + a hot water bottle, and the vet and breeders both think it's fine) but I felt too guilty and so now, she's indoors. She sleeps in the living room, on her beanbag and she has adapted to the change very well.
So anyway, it is not cruel in anyway to leave your 8 mo overnight. Mine goes down around 10pm and doesn't stir until we are up and around at 6-7am, later on weekends (she is a very lazy dog!). You just need to make sure that she does a wee last thing before bedtime, otherwise she will be getting you up at 5am to go outside!
But as someone else said, I don't know if changing places will solve your barking problem as I don't think it's the bedroom that's the cause of that. You might have to work on something else to change her noise sensitivity.
Good luck!
Hsin-Yi

hi everyone, well the last 2 nites i left rosie downstairs in the kitchen in her basket all comfy with toys etc, she barked for a couple of mins as if to say hey where you going , after that she never made a sound bless her, she is now sat on my comp desk while im writing this , thanks for everyones advice .. i feel so much better for a good nites sleep, and dont feel guilty either , its great to be able to share your problems ...
thanks again

bev ..

Hi,  no advice I'm afraid but just to say I sympathise as I'm in the same boat - my dog slept downstairs in her crate until she was around 14months quite happily, she was usually in there long before I went up to bed. Then she suddenly became very anxious about the crate/being alone (I'm not sure which) and it was so bad (shaking and panting ) that I allowed her to sleep in my bedroom - she loves it but as time has gone on she has become more and more sensitive to noise or movement at night and she wakes me several times a night barking.   I am probably going to try getting her to sleep downstairs when my neighbours go on holiday so I don't have to worry about any whining bothering them at night.  I  don't suppose this will sort the barking though so I'll be watching out for any advice given in response to your post.

i have to say i have and would never have my dog sleeping in my room its just not practical its not a place for a dog, we all love our dogs for there is a limit and theres notning wrong with a dog sleeping on its own downstairs they are at the end of the day animals and if you make the fatal mistake of allowing them to sleep upstairs its going to be a very hard habit to break, my dog never goes up the stairs because there is absolutely no need theres nothing up there for her anyway, so she very content to stay downstairs as she does'nt even know upstairs exists, and also going  up and down stairs is very bad for their joints so my advice to anyone getting a puppy and have a picture of bliss with the pup laid fast asleep next to them on your bed don't do it start off how you mean to go on sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind and let them whine for a few nights its for your own sake in the long run, it just crazy to go without sleep cos you have a barkin gdog in yur room good grief what next!!!

j

It's good to hear things are OK now rosiepoppin, sometimes just sharing problems can help massively can't it :)

Lindsay
X

i am also glad to hear your sorting out your problem, you know puppies are far tougher than we give them credit for i sometimes think as owners we are too afraid to leave them on their own, have major problems with which food to feed, and now the lastest fad of ignoring bad behaviour and then we wonder why they have seperation anxiety, become fussy eaters and are badly behaved all these problems are usually unwittenly inflicted on them by humans by being OTT!!
j