helping my puppy settle in

[mrsp86]

hi looking for advice i got my puppy 2 nights sgo on the first night he was great slept in the dining room all night not a peep however last night he was yelping constantly . i have spoken to a few people who recomended a dog cage that i can put in the dining room for at night time to help him feel more secure i wass told to put his bed in it and to give him a teddy to replica his mum what do you guys think

[LabMomHouston]

I used a crate...toys...beds...and slept in the living room with my puppy for almost 2 months. She still cried. Not constantly, but she did always have to do the 3am potty run and then she was usually up a bit after that until she settled back down. I think crates are the best way to train puppies and her potty training came along very fast and I do believe it was a result of using the crate as well.

[Aurelia]

I use to use hot bottle and a little radio with clasical music. I also slept in the living room so my puppy felt secure. I even let him sleep next to me on the floor so he could touch my hand. He is now independent and happy. No problems ever. Good luck it is so lovely to have puppy.

[Jespah]

You need to get the puppy used to you leaving him in a way that reassures him that you will come back. It is very important that you do this gradually otherwise it may lead to severe bouts of separation anxiety.

Keep in mind that until two days ago he was always with his mom and brothers/sisters. It can come as a big shock going from constant company to being left on his own for 8+ hours at night.

I would recommend you use a crate, but it isn't essential.

Start with leaving him in a room on his own for 15 mins...then 30 mins...the 1 hr gradually doubling the length of time up to 3 or 4 hours. Each time you return give him plenty of attention / treats and praise. This gradual process should take several days.

You must be consistent and, like with children, don’t go running every time he cries - only go back once he has settled down.

[2dogscrzy4ball]

Definately a crate is the way to go! My dogs did great but my springer spaniel liked it even better when I put a sheet over her crate so it made her feel more secure!

[SW_DF27]

All my dogs are crated at night and when were not home. With Havoc they youngest I made the mistake of letting her in the bed with us when she was little so when she got a little bigger she wanted to cry when she was in the crate but that only lasted a couple of nights and I also put a blanket over the crate so they sleep better!

[Loubird]

A crate ids deffo the way forward!

I have a mini daxie - and he howled!! We got a crate & put him in our bedroom. When he cried I clicked my fingers - just to let him know that we were there. After a while he got to know that the crate means sleep - & is perfect!!

Tried & tested... it works! just takes a little patience

Good luck!!

[Tuckerdad]

I used a crate, and put one or two toys in it, and a I put an alarm clock next to it, so he would think it was his mom's heart beat.

[CerbiesMom]

Brigit, my mini-doxie, did not do well in the crate. You're lucky Loubird. WE had to get one of the puppy pens, it's set up in the living room. Brigit would pee and poo in her kennel, but not in the pen. She's a bit of a backwards puppy. I think she'd been caged too much by her breeder, and she knew she came out when she'd potty in there. Now she runs and plays in her pen with all her toys, and we finally can leave her bed in and she doesn't tear it up at night.

[tasmine]

we sort of failed?my husband slept downstairs with our puppy in her crate she was good with this,until left on her own at night.so we took the crate upstairs to our room she sleeps great now!!she is not in her crate anymore(got two heavy to carry upstairs)she now sleeps in her basket in the bedroom and wakes us up around 6am for a wee!

[sonni123]

it will take a while for your puppy to properly settle (my pup took around 3weeks before he didnt make a sound at bed time) I used a crate for security and started with a blanket over the top, light on and left the radio playing softly, when pup becomes more secure i removed these "comforters" one by one. It takes time, be patient and dont give into the temptation of letting pup into bedroom or you will only create more problems. Another tip, make sure pup is tired before bed time with a good game about half hour before bed.:)