Night time

[cockerdoo]

Hi everyone, please can you help me - we collected Autumn a golden cocker on Sunday and so far both nights she has barked the house down each time we have put her in her cage at night.  I have tried to do everything that I have read, put lost of blankets, soft toys, a bit of my clothing, put a blanket over the cage etc!! She has also had water in there and because she is going crazy the water has spilt all over the paper and bedding.  She is really getting herself in a state barking almost all through the night and in the end - and I know I shouldn't have given in  but we put her in a box next to our bed and she slept for about 4 hours like that with my hand dangling down inside the box  

Apart from that she has been very good, cottoned on straight away to toileting outside and eating everything up I have given her.  I know it has only been 2 nights but I am already dreading bed time.  She does go in her cage in the daytime but as soon as I close the door she gets upset.  Please any ideas
I really want everything to go well and for me to get it right.  She came from a litter of 9 pups and also 5 other adult cockers in the house so she obviously had all of them with her at night.  I also have 2 greyhounds but they don't like her getting close to them and are a bit wary of her!  Thank you for any help Tina

[twiceover2]

Having a new puppy is hard work, isn't it?  I don't think putting her in the box next to your bed was such a bad thing if it meant you all got some sleep.  If it was me, I would carry on with this for a couple of nights, then move to putting her in her crate by the bed then after a couple of weeks (hopefully) move the crate back downstairs. 

Barney used to bark and whine when we first put him to bed but we eventually found the best thing to do was ignore it rather than getting up and trying to make things better.  He would settle after 5-10 mins.

In the meantime I would give her lots of treats every time she goes in her crate during the day and also give her a treat when settling her into it at night so that she enjoys going in there.  Do you have a puupy kong?  You could give her this stuffed with egg/a bit of cheese/frozen yoghurt or even just kibble and while she's occupied close the door and open it again before she has finished, so she doesn't have time to get upset.  Then just gradually extend the time you leave the door closed.

It's also a good idea to make sure she is really tired at bedtime so play lots of games, let her have a run in the garden etc and make sure she's been to the loo.

[HelenS]

We had this same problem with Cupar when he first came home, and couldnt bear listening to his crying SO we abandoned the crate and bought a doggy bed for him which we placed outside our bedroom door on the landing and peace perfect peace....he has slept there ever since. He never comes into the bedroom. I think he just couldnt stand being alone and had to know we were right there.  Who says dogs have to be in crates? IMO we adapt to whats best for us and the dog for a happy life 

[Danni and Freya]

For Freyas first few days she was next to the bed with my hand for reassurance if needed, so I could hear her if she needed the loo. Then moved to the end of the bed so she could hear and smell me, and I could still hear her. After a week or so it was moved to the lounge with no issues. My advice is do whatever works at the beginning as lack of sleep for both of you can cause far more issues than giving them a bit of reassurance

[maddy74]

Willow sleeps next to our bed in a crate and has done from day one. She used to cry but its a case of being consistent its hard. She was better at night when we were with her but putting her in there in the day was awful andf reduced me to tears on occasions she howled like she was in pain 

Have you tried putting a stuffed kong in there?

[cockerdoo]

Thank you so much for all your replies it really helps knowing other people have gone through the same problems    I think I am now going to take her crate upstairs to be beside our bed and see if that works - wish me luck 

[jessandme]

Just wanted to say that I do hope you got some sleep last night!

We had very similar problems with Jess - we moved the crate up to our bedroom after people on here suggested that, and it was so wonderful to get a full night's sleep.   

In our case although the crate has moved back downstairs, and is her special place that is just for her - she doesn't sleep there at night, but at the foot of our bed. (Although she has on occasion after a chilly night been discovered at the foot of the bed, but under the duvet in the morning    )   

[Patp]

Hi,

I must admit I slept on the settee for the first couple of nights and she was in her crate in the lounge.  After that she was fine.  I put a childs night light in the room and I never switched on the main light if I had to let her out.  I also put newspaper down just in case of any accidents and after the first 2 nights we never heard a peep from her (although she now sleeps like this on our bed!)



Good luck!

Pat

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I've got a bed next to my bed for Charlie and did from day one. I'm quite lucky as he can't actually bark to make any noise lol. However he didn't cry at all. I made sure I played games with him before bed to tire him out. Then I'd take him to bed and put him on his bed. If he woke up during the might I'd use a torch and he'd come back into his bed where I'd tickle his belly and off to bed he'd go.

He now sleeps on the bed, on his bed or on the floor.

[cockerdoo]

Hi everyone - just thought I would let you know how we got on last night!  Took the cage upstairs like some of you suggested and settled Autumn in after a short while of crying she settled down and went to sleep  she did wake up though quite a few times through the night crying and each time I just put my hand through the cage bars and reassured her and then she went back to sleep. It was so good to get some sleep, although I did feel bad because when we got up this morning she had done a small wee in the cage so she was probably crying for that.

Today I have tried to encourage her into her cage with a kong stuffed with cheese, she licked it for a few minutes then started crying loudly   I will persevere with it but am finding it hard - she loves her basket and will sleep in that but I need to use the cage for when I go out or am working in the grooming salon ( she can come in with me once she has had her jabs)  I thought I was going to be really strict but one look from those doe eyes and I am putty in her paws

[supergirl]

When both mine were pups I had a box by the side of the bed so that if they woke up I could just put my hand out to reassure them.  I had a puppy pad at one end and some bedding at the other so if they were caught short they could go to the loo.  When they're that little they're only very tiny wees 

Downstairs I had a crate and all meals were fed in there and I would leave surprise food treats in there, so that they would see the crate as a rewarding place to go.  If the dogs fell asleep in the crate or were eating a treat there I would close the door for a few moments all the while staying close by.  Sometimes you just have to get a cup of tea and a magazine and just sit beside the crate.  I eventually moved the dogs down stairs after about 3-4 days.  Yes they did cry but they settled much quicker as they had had time to get used to the crate during the day.  Its important not to give the kong and then shut the door, but to leave it open until the dog settles down with the treat and wait until the dog is more interested in what she is doing, then quietly shut the crate door but stay close by sitting on the floor.  Gradually increase the time, just a few secs at a time, and then a few minutes at a time.  Do you put her basket in the crate?

All puppies are different and some will take a bit longer than others, but they all get there eventually

[Roxy cocker]

Hi cockerdoo,

Just a few days ago we posted the exact same problem about roxy our cocker pup.  We were close to handing her back as we couldnt take it anymore.

We got some good advice like you are getting on here and day by day she is getting better.  We have got her downstairs now with minimal whimpering and then shevsettlesed.  She has got used to having her kong when its bedtime, it really helped take her mind off us leaving the room.

Another thing that really helped although seems simple is to tire her out loads with training, she gets visibly mentally tired and curls up on the floor when werevwatching tv, we let her nap a bit but then keep her going til its our bedtime, she has now started to walk off to her cage in the other room to get some rest!

She cries at about 4am still but its not the howl it used to be. I get up, put her outside and stand with her, she wees and then i put her back in her cage and give her a treat and go to bed, never saying a word to her to keep her as calm as possible.

Keep up and unwill find it gets better after it gets worse, thats what we found anyway.

[maddy74]

roxy cocker and cockerdoo, you will get there I promise. Willow had me in tears on many occasions, more so when I left her in the day in the crate. I would put her in the crate and she would howl, left her and she continued to howl, sat in the hallway in tears on a few occasions. Came home and listened at letterbox, howling like crazy, then when I let her out of her crate she would snuggle into me still crying and looking all sad, i didnt think it would ever get better but it did. 

As I said above she is in our room so she has never been as bad at night cuz we are with her. She is still in our room but we always planned it that way anyway.

Keep up the good work, it will be worth it in the end.....