sleepless nights help!

[helenwarby]

We have just brought home our first cocker she is 8 weeks and is everything we hoped she would be.... apart from the howling and what sounds like screaming in the night. The first night wasn't too bad but the second and third have got progessively worse . Last night she cried for 4 hours! She sleeps dowstairs in the kitchen in a fenced off area in a crate with the crate door open. She has a heat pad, the radio on, one of my jumpers that i've been wearing and some of her toys. I'm dreading going to bed tonight. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[bracken]

Poor baby  they can take a while to settle. We had dreadful problems with Rosie she eventually came upstairs and now sleeps soundly 
Sorry thats not much help  I hope you manage to get some sleep soon 

[seaangler]

Sorry to hear of your problem also...We had the same problem at first...Night after night tride all sorts of things hot water bottle ticking clock...Ect...Just gave up in the end ...and now peggy sleeps on the bed....I know we are just to soft....Chris

P.S Have you tride haveing the radio on but on talk not music..mite help....

[6thSense]

It depends what your happy with really. We have some upstairs and some downstairs at night and have no problems, but I do think it's because they have each other. I AM NOT SUGGESTING YOU GET ANOTHER ONE! I'm just explaining how it works for us. Do you leave her for short amounts of time during the day as it can be hard for a pup who is with you all day and then has to spend all night alone. Also does she have access to her kennel during the day so she can see it as somewhere safe and warm that she can go to when she wants to. Otherwise I think it's just something that you have to stick at. Don't give in unless your happy to or you will make matters worse. Hope my gablings can be some help. 

[supergirl]

It depends what your happy with really. We have some upstairs and some downstairs at night and have no problems, but I do think it's because they have each other. I AM NOT SUGGESTING YOU GET ANOTHER ONE! I'm just explaining how it works for us. Do you leave her for short amounts of time during the day as it can be hard for a pup who is with you all day and then has to spend all night alone. Also does she have access to her kennel during the day so she can see it as somewhere safe and warm that she can go to when she wants to. Otherwise I think it's just something that you have to stick at. Don't give in unless your happy to or you will make matters worse. Hope my gablings can be some help. 

Loads of people think its a bad idea to have a puppy in the bedroom, but have to admit that with each one of my puppies, I've started them off in a box by the side of my bed which was big enough for a blanket and one puppy pad.  That way if they wake up and are frightened you can just reach your hand out of bed to comfort them and you don't have to get out of bed.  Did this for about 4/5 days and then they went to sleep downstairs at night.  In those 4-5 days I spent time getting them used to their crate, feeding in there, and leaving toys & treats and sleeping in there during the day, so that when it came to that first night downstairs it wasn't all new to them.  Plus I would get up for all of them if they needed to loo in the middle of the night.  Out of 3 puppies only one has been difficult - Roly used to wake up very early in the morning needing the loo (about 3am), but that was due to his food not agreeing with him and needing the loo more often.  a change of food has sorted that. 

Indie my first dog preferred to sleep downstairs even though she started off upstairs, Misha my 2nd dog sleeps upstairs with me only because she was waking Roly up to play, but will sleep downstairs without any problem, and Roly sleeps downstairs in his crate - however he is still an early riser, normally about 6-6.30am.

Just have to find what works for you.

[Mrs JT]

I know how you feel only too well.   We brought home our pup just over 3 weeks ago and she was around 9 weeks old then.  The first night she was in her crate in the kitchen and cried for approx 20mins and after that she was fine and slept the rest on the night.  Think she was tired from her 2 hour journey to our house.

The second and third nights were much worse.  We still had her in her crate in the kitchen and she howled the second night for maybe an hour or so.  It involved my hubby and I spending time sitting on the kitchen floor beside the crate in the middle of the night to settle her.  She eventually settled (only after we had spend a great deal of time sitting on the cold floor).

The third night was worse again, and after an hour and a half of crying and howling we eventually took her crate to the upstairs landing just outside our bedroom door.  She settled almost instantly and was calm for the remainder of the night.

I guess you will have to find whatever suits you.  My hubby is still adamant that she will not be sleeping in our bedroom, and for us this has worked well.  She had settled at the other end of our hall in her crate and there has been very little disturbance during the night for the last two and half weeks.

Hope you find a solution that will suit you.  The crate is certainly a Godsend, however, think that the main thing at this early stage is that they are comforted by knowing you are close by; we have certainly found this to have helped.

Best wishes - hope you have a good sleep soon!!!!!

[seaangler]

Or a possibility as to the post above start her of in the bedroom and each night move her slowly a bit at a time out side the bedroom until she is out on the landing and down staires...If this mite help to solve the problem....chris

[Spaniel Ears]

I had the same problem when Roxy arrived home and after 3 nights of no sleep, I took the crate into the bedroom.  I put her in there, shut the door and she went sound asleep and didn't wake all night.  She slept soundly every night after that.  I did used to take her out for a wee if she woke up though.

After about 4 - 6 weeks of doing this, i moved her to the kitchen and left her with the crate door open at night and she was as good as gold.  Never had a peep out of her.

Having a puppie upstairs is not for everyone though and I am not suggesting that you have to do this.  Just sharing how I dealt with it.  You can get heated comforters and ones with simulated heartbeats also to help them. 

I have to say that I am a big softie and for some time now she has  been sleeping on the bed, but that was after she reached 8 months old and had been through her first season.  It was my choice to let her on the bed, rather than her crying for it. 

[Sarah16]

I know how you feel, especially if you have children who need to go to school the next day. It does get better though, with Mollie first night not to bad, then the next night howling on and off all night. I think we made it worse keep going down to her rather than leave to settle on her own. After 4 days of going up and down to her, we decided to change how we dealt with her in the evening. We used a box that we put in one end of the crate as we thought that maybe the crate was too big and made her feel lonely at night. We then put all her bedding in the box with heat pad and teddy so it was a more snug fit. I placed a ticking clock out side the crate and a large blanket over the top of the crate with one side open to give a cave effect. I also about an hour before bedtime I would play with her to wear her out (I found if i did this too near to bedtime she was still too much on a high to settle). I used to then put her outside and stick her to bed about ten minutes before bedtime and she would settle alot better. If she cried in the night I went down let her outside without saying anything, then put her to bed and ignore her is she started to howl again - after 2 days she was sleeping through from 11pm to 7pm with one trip outside around 3am.

I'm not saying its the right way, but it worked for us (daughter has asthma so Mollie can't sleep upstairs). We will be going through it again in 5 weeks when we get our new puppy, so it hasn't put me off.

[mcphee]

Poor poppet. My friend with a bitch  (Rufus' darling ) had the same problem . I hope it sorts it self out. My horror slept through the night in his crate, from day 1 four years ago. However, he is a  now a willful black hunter, and the bitch is beautifully obedient! Could you move her bed somewhere where she could at least hear or see you until she is confident that you are still there?

[Cob-Web]

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

With Molo as a pup, (and the various adult dogs who have passed through our house) I have always spent the first few nights asleep with them downstairs so that they get used to their new environment with the reassurance of me close by.....

[helenwarby]

Thanks everyone for a quick reply . If I had my way she'd bi in my bedroom but my husband is not convinced . I think I wil go for a compromise and try the couch option tonight.

[LouiseH]

Thanks everyone for a quick reply . If I had my way she'd bi in my bedroom but my husband is not convinced . I think I wil go for a compromise and try the couch option tonight.

Not a good idea I am afraid - puppies are like children - they will soon learn how to get what they want. By giving in and sleeping downstairs the puppy has won and this could be the start of a slippery slope.

I brought a very noisy 8 week old puppy home on Saturday, during the first evening we didn't allow him in the living room he was confined to the kitchen and I spent most of the time in and out washing up, making tea etc. At bedtime he went in his crate and I shut the door and turned out the light - he cried and howled for what seemed like forever - then it all went quiet and he slept until the morning. Sunday during the day he was put in the crate 3 or 4 times for a short nap, each time he howled but I left him and he only got let out when he was quiet. Sunday night he went back in his crate and he howled on and off for about an hour but I just left him - today he has been a little angel, he sometimes whimpers when I leave him alone in the kitchen but I make sure I only go back when it is quiet and give lots of praise.

ANY attention given whilst the puppy is howling or crying - even your presence is considered a reward for howling 

If you do the cold turkey method the result will be much quicker - she'll be sleeping through long before you would even get the crate off the landing!

I must sound like a terrible cocker Mum but we have had several puppies of the years and they are very clever underneath that cuddly disguise  !

[Cob-Web]

Thanks everyone for a quick reply . If I had my way she'd bi in my bedroom but my husband is not convinced . I think I wil go for a compromise and try the couch option tonight.

Not a good idea I am afraid - puppies are like children - they will soon learn how to get what they want. By giving in and sleeping downstairs the puppy has won and this could be the start of a slippery slope.

I think it depends on the pup and the household - Molo didn't "learn" anything through me sleeping with him downstairs for the first few nights, other than our house wasn't quite as scary as he thought   
I have done it with various dogs that have been to stay -and with Bonnee when she arrived; I cannot listen to a distressed animal for hours - especially a baby that I have taken away from everything that makes them feel safe 

[LouiseH]

I think it depends on the pup and the household - Molo didn't "learn" anything through me sleeping with him downstairs for the first few nights, other than our house wasn't quite as scary as he thought   
I have done it with various dogs that have been to stay -and with Bonnee when she arrived; I cannot listen to a distressed animal for hours - especially a baby that I have taken away from everything that makes them feel safe 

I guess it depends on how long you want to drag it out for. IMHO quickest is best for the sake of the dog (and the neighbours! ) I would also disagree that the puppy is actually distressed...obviously it's not nice to listen to a puppy crying but in my experience it has never gone on for "hours" as the puppy soon gets tired. It also depends on how the situation has been dealt with before, for example if you have been going downstairs to comfort puppy (and by doing so rewarding it's efforts of crying and howling) it will take twice as long as it would have done via the cold turkey method on the first night. I also feel it helps them to deal with other similar life situations too, for example staying with family or being away from home, not to mention being left while you have to go out etc.

As a breeder out of all of my puppy owners who have done the crate in the bedroom method I think only 1 has ever got the crate to the kitchen - but they still had crying over several nights it just took longer than usual. Others still have the dog in the bedroom. If people want the dog in the bedroom I don't have a problem with it, but to confuse a puppy into thinking it has won can't be useful for your pack leader role. Perhaps I am a harsh Mummy  but my dogs would tell you otherwise