Our 8 week miniture schnauzer gave me about 4 hours sleep last night, I just could shut her whining and crying out of my head!  It wasn't just whining it sounded more like shouting and a bit like she had a bird in the crate with her that she was chasing around, a real high pitched tweeting sound!

I even ended up sleeping on the kitchen floor at 4 this morning, not the comfiest night i've ever had!!  Any ideas what I can do to help tonight?  Do I really need to shut all the doors and just ignore her??

Any help greatly appreciated.............please!!!

Ignoring her is one option - another is to put the crate in your bedroom overnight.

With my boy although it was 4 years ago now.  I actually had his cage in the living room and I stayed down there until he eventually went to sleep, then crept upstairs and we had a great nights sleep.  It did take about 3 weeks before he finally settled down without me having to do this!

hi sarah

we have had 2 puppies in the past 8 months and we did the same with both of ours.

dont go to bed untill 11ish or as late as possible.

make sure pup has had his last wee for the night.

leave a television or radio on in the same room very quite

couple of toys in the crate with him

Leave him and do not go back to him un less he is constantly yelping for an hour.

be prepared to get up at 5.30 - 6.oo for the firsdt few months.

good luck, if i can be of any other help please send message

Regards

lisa

feed the puppy late as well the fast feed at 9,30 like baby they will sleep on a full tummy,

a heat pad from pet at home to keep it warm though the cold nights.

radio.

a small gravy bist to say be good and leave ,this is one treat the dogs know that a bis and be good means that i am going out of the room,

but it early days it could take up to a week to settal in

>I even ended up sleeping on the kitchen floor at 4 this morning, not the comfiest night i've ever had!!  Any ideas what I can do to help tonight?

YES!! :D ................take a mattress down tonight, it's far more comfy :D

or do what i do- puppy on the bed, works wonders!

I found all of the above useful, but also playing with the pup before going to bed, just until they're starting to get tired, and then I find they are easier to settle down, at least for a few hours!! I have been known to play with them and then let them out at 3 or 4am just so they will sleep till about 7am!!

Puppy on bed works great, fine if you don't mind adult dog on bed!:rolleyes:

I have found best thing is to settle pup down in crate about 11, our have always then slept till about 4 or 5. They have never wet or messed in their crate, but don't usually want to go back to sleep either!!! Mind this was in summer, light mornings.

I have always taken puppies upstairs in a cage, then when they wake they can be dashed outside to go to the loo.

My first Corgi was playful after going out - and I used to put her on the bed and play with her until she fell asleep, then I put her back in the cage. Unfortunately one night I fell back to sleep before she did - and ever since then she  slept on the bad.

My two Miniature Schnauzers sleep on the bed - I got Daisy as an 8 week old puppy and most nights she slept through without waking up......at five years old, she refuses to get out of bed until her breakfast is ready:rolleyes:

Hi Sarah

possibly a little late in on this for you now but I never leave pups to cry or howl - IMO it is more than enough trauma for a tiny little thing to have lost it's mother, siblings, "humans" and familiar surroundings in one fell swoop without leaving it to be further distressed and lonely in a completely strange place and without any form of contact with you.

I would recommend that you either find a more comfy spot than the kitchen floor to sleep along side your new addition to the family or as others have suggested, take the puppy into your bedroom with you (what I personally do).  Over a period of a couple of weeks should you prefer then you could start slowly introducing the puppy to extended periods alone during the night having followed the other excellent advice first of feeding, toiletting and playing with the puppy to tire it out before leaving alone.

As has also been suggested you will probably be best planning on getting no more than 5 hours sleep at a time as such a young puppy will have insufficient bladder and bowel control to hold out for longer than that :P

Good luck and enjoy your new family companion - the puppy stage passes all to quickly!
regards, Teri :)

tough love is what I recommend!

I know how difficult the first few weeks can be, but beleive me the biggest mistake you will make is going to the pup when he's crying.
He will assosiate crying with getting your attention.
I have a breed that is VERY well known to be vocal so I did have a really hard time at first.
I basically put the pup in its crate and leave.
No amount of crying will get me back in there, the only time I do go back in is to let them out for a wee, as you know pup cannot be expected to hold it in all night long.
But even then I give them no attention, just let them do their business then back to bed

Some may not agree with my approach but it has never let me down.
I would say the crying went on for about a week but as soon as the pup realises thats its not getting anywhere with the noise, they quiet down for the night and go to sleep

But if you don't give the puppy cause to cry then there is no association with attention :)

Different strokes of course for different folks!

very true Teri

but thats just my approach and I find it works well for me

> but thats just my approach and  I find it works well for me

I believe you - it's just that I prefer to adopt an approach that works well for the puppy :)

Dont get me wrong, I when I said me I didnt mean it to sound like i do it to make my life easier lol
Ive just realised how that sounded!

Used to do what you suggest Huskygirl and told my puppy owners to do the same at all costs...... but now.......... I have the babe in a small crate by the bed and we all sleep well.
It  helps with toilet training too.. pup wakes, snivels, pop it out to pee, dont engage the pup, pop it back and all off to sleep again... ah bliss.
No point getting older if you dont get wiser ( and get a better night sleep!)

IMO it is more than enough trauma for a tiny little thing to have lost it's mother, siblings, "humans" and familiar surroundings in one fell swoop without leaving it to be further distressed and lonely in a completely strange place and without any form of contact with you.

I think this is so important to consider, just imagine what a strange time this is for a pup without having to be shut away in a room on thier own for hours on end.  I've never know anyone who adopted the pup by the bed in a crate or their own bed from the word go to have any probelms - I've known lots of people have problems who have adopted the shut them in the kitchen and don't go to them no matter what approach.  After she's settled in you can always gradually move the crate or bed to the landing or down stairs if that's what you want.

I think it's less stressful for all concerned but most importantly least stressful option for the pup. :-)

> possibly a little late in on this for you now but I never leave pups to cry or howl - IMO it is more than enough trauma for a tiny little thing to have lost it's mother, siblings, "humans" and familiar surroundings in one fell swoop without leaving it to be further distressed and lonely in a completely strange place and without any form of contact with you.

That's how I felt - hence on Dorain's first night when he cried I took a mattress in and slept next to him, and he was fine after that. By the time I got Duibh, Dorain had graduated to sleeping in my room anyway (my decision not his ;) ) so Duibh had his crate in my room to begin with - but he was actually much worse for crying; he always seemed to be an anxious, insecure puppy. :( But either of them as adults are quite happy sleeping downstairs if needs be. :)

Hi there

I always have puppies in the bedroom in a box or crate with me.  As soon as I hear the puppy moving I get up and take them downstairs to go outside for a wee. 

For the first 8 weeks of a puppies life it is with its mother and siblings.  The first night away from siblings etc., is very traumatic for a puppy hence it is better to settle it beside you.  I'd personally never leave a puppy to cry.  I dont think that is fair.  You can move the crate or bed to where you want it to be over a period of a couple of months once the puppy has settled in and knows this is its home.

Kind regards
Spettadog

Did the letting the pup cry with my first one and would never do it again.  Since then we have always let them sleep in a crate in the bedroom, as they get used to being on their own gradually moving the crate away from the bed until they eventually are on the landing with the other dogs and go on from there

My husband worked late last night and had to drive 125 miles home and got in at 12.30.  Puppy went to bed at 10.30 and cried until he got in, I didn't think it weas fair to not let him sleep so I gave in and slept in the kitchen!!  Everyone had a great nights sleep (including puppy).............other than me who has a very stiff back this morning!!

Am I creating a rod for my own back?????

If you don't want dogs in bedrooms then sleeping downstairs near pup may be the best option.  Depending on your house layout a baby gate on the kitchen door so you can sleep in the living room and speak to her may be a better or the next step.

Just a quick update...........night 6 and Lola slept through from 11 until 7!  She's not even 9 weeks yet, maybe it's a one-off but I hope not, I feel more like a human being again after a nights sleep!

Just a quick update...........night 6 and Lola slept through from 11 until 7!  She's not even 9 weeks yet, maybe it's a one-off but I hope not, I feel more like a human being again after a proper nights sleep in my own bed and not on the kitchen floor!

Is it not strange that she doesn't wake up for a trip to the toilet??

Long may it continue...................

Is it not strange that she doesn't wake up for a trip to the toilet??

It may be that, some nights, she may still  need to go out in the middle of the night. Our pup only needed to go out in the middle of the night on odd occasions after his first week with us. I would hear him whining or giving the odd bark so would take him out on his lead, praise enormously for going and then pop him back in his crate without making a fuss. Now and again he would make a noise but not produce anything :) so I just took him back in without saying anything and popped him back in his crate. Our only real interaction was when he went to the toilet - the rest of the time I didn't make a fuss or speak to him at all and he soon learnt that making a noise when not needing to go out didn't produce any attention and was therefore boring enough to not worth bothering with :).

To feel like a human being again with her not yet 9 weeks old is great - fingers crossed that your status as a human being continues :D :D