Finley's First Night

[wendy]

Hi everyone,        we made it through the first night - Finley was fantastic put him in his puppy pen in our room at about 11.00 created for a bit and then settled down, woke about 3am for the toilet and wanted to play settled down very quickly when we ignored him went back to sleep until 5.45 - I did not get much sleep was excited about him finally arriving, David did not get much sleep because his sinus were playing up (humans!!!!).  So Finley was the only one to get good sleep

Just put him in his puppy pen so I could do some jobs creating merry hell just had to go and get him shaking like a leaf got him on my lap while typing this any advice about teaching him to be on his own for short periods

[Shirley]

Hi Wendy

That's so typical, isn't it!  He sleeps and you're the ones awake     Glad he seems to be settling so well.  

I wonder if he was hearing noises that were unfamiliar (hoover, washing machine spinning??) and that's what was making him shake?   Everything will be very new for him and it'll take him a little while to get used to all changes.  

As for leaving him on his own in the pen for short times, has he got things to play with and chew in there with him? Also if you want him to spend time in there it's important never to take him out while he's kicking up as fuss - wait for a lull in the tantrum, even if it's only a 5 second lull   .  If you let him out while he's barking and yelping he'll see it as his ticket out of there and will continue to do it  

I'm sure there will be someone along soon with more suggestions   Enjoys the first full day with your new baby  

[suki1964]

Wendy, just a thought, but were you in the same room as well? I know Alfie will create blue murder if I pop him in his so I can clean the floor, yet settles down in seconds if I leave the room. Ok so its taken a few weeks to get this far. What I done was too leave him for maybe just two minutes before going back, slowly extending the time till he was happy enough to be on his own for a couple of hours. And have to agree with Shirley, I never let him out when he was in full voice.

But at the end of the day its his first day at home and everyting is new and strange to him, Maybe leave it a day or two before you try again, but in the mean time use the pen as the place where he gets fed and treats.