CockersOnline Forum

Cocker Specific Discussion => Puppies => Topic started by: JohnMcL on April 08, 2021, 01:34:58 PM

Title: What a night
Post by: JohnMcL on April 08, 2021, 01:34:58 PM
 Hi,
Well Peanut had us over last night; at 4am we met the screaming banshee in her, howling, attempted barking at full pelt, I heard the neighbours awake!
We need to change routine urgently, can you suggest anything please? She’s 8.5 weeks and been here for 6 days.
She’s in her crate when she sleeps, if she doesn’t take herself to the crate in the day I carry her over. We’ve kept the crate door open as we’ve made downstairs puppy safe.
Usually I get up at 4am to take her out for a wee and put her back in bed with no fuss, I go back to bed upstairs. Last night she howled for an hour, I can see through a camera that she’s not in trouble and that she wants to play! After 50 mins with no break in noise she was still full pelt howling/screaming and as bad as I felt I left her until she was quiet. That took another hour. As soon as she was quiet I crept downstairs to find her wagging her tail and ready to play, I thought she’d have tired herself out but no. She hadn’t come out of her crate, we put a wee pad about a metre from the crate door in case she gets caught short and she’d used it.
I fed breakfast an hour early, played fetch with her and laid her down in the crate, she slept straight away.

My wife thinks I should sleep on the sofa for a few nights so that Peanut knows somebody is nearby. I’m not sure what to do. What we need to avoid is having two working adults shattered with no sleep.

Moving the crate upstairs is not a good idea as we would have to close the crate door for safety reasons (cottage, low windows, steps etc.). I don’t want to encourage weeing in the crate so like the door open.

I’ve given in and bought a metal play pen so that it can be hooked onto the crate and pads can be put down. I feel that’s a step backwards but my wife says Peanut is a baby who has had 5 days of fantastic behaviour but she’s a baby and potty training will take longer with many backwards and forward steps. Wife’s view is that she’s not getting up at 4am so I’m doing Peegate shift!

I’ve bought the playpen as it might come in handy in the garden or as a stair gate but I intend to continue with 4am Peegate. I’m ok about sleeping on sofa, it’s comfy  :lol:

Thanks.

John
Title: Re: What a night
Post by: bizzylizzy on April 08, 2021, 03:53:15 PM
Deep breath and remember this won‘t last forever, in a few weeks it‘ll all be forgotten (honest!)
Peanut really is very young still and although she‘s been quiet  up until now, a few disturbed nights are quite normal. I did actually sleep on the couch for the first few nights with the crate next to me (hanging over the side of the couch with a hand holding a little paw through the bars!  :lol2:). I eventually started moving the crate a bit further away. Next step was going back upstairs with a baby phone set up so I could hear him and, as you have done, I waited until he was quiet before I went to look on him.
Other things that sometimes help are an old jumper of yours for her to cuddle up to in the crate, some music or a radio playing quietly, or even a not too hot water bottle.
Its always going to be a dilema as to how far you let the distress get before you intervene but I think you have to just follow your gut instinct - I remember on about day 3, Humphrey working himself up into such a state that I pushed a little bowl of water through the bars of the crate, he took a couple of slurps and fell asleep over the bowl, exhausted! I also gave him a puppy Kong with a bit of liver sausage in which he used to lick and fall asleep over, it worked a bit like a baby‘s dummy.
However lively she is though, she needs to learn that night time isn‘t for attention or playing, so keep cuddles, playing, even talking to a minimum,, if she needs to go out then let her go with as little fuss and as quietly as you can.  :luv:
Title: Re: What a night
Post by: cazza on April 09, 2021, 07:35:15 AM
Hi John - did Peanut come home with a blanket / towel from the breeder? Ash did and I had that in the crate with her.

We didn’t use puppy pads. I put her to bed around 10pm. She was taken out again at 1am for a wee and back to crate (door shut) no fuss made. Same again at 4am then I was up by 6.30am

We then moved the 4am wee to 3.30am, crate dry for 2 nights so then moved it to 3am and so on.

We are now on 1am wee and dry crate until I get up at 6.30am - as she grows so does her bladder and so she can go a little longer.

This doesn’t last for long and this is partly why I took the first 2 weeks off work. I must admit this week I am shattered, but it is working with Ash.

Hope you find a solution for you and Peanut  :luv:

Ooo other things I do - she is in the kitchen and the door is ajar with the hall light on so a little light going into the kitchen.

I also put a heated snuggle pad in her crate under her blanket, bought off Amazon for approximately £13.