Puppy night time issues

[catseyes]

Hi all im new here and have a 9 week old newf called lumpkin. We are having some problems with him at night.

He has the kitchen to himself as that is where he choses to go to sleep, we have a bed, blanky that smells of mum, soft toy, ticking clock, radio on and chewies with him.

He settles ok but once he wakes up and realises we arent there he barks and will do so for hours, our breeder has said tough love let him get used to being there and not give attention to him for the barking.

He does the same if i go out to walk my other dog for 20 mins barks constantly and even if i put him in there for 5 mins for a shower.. any tips that might help me?
Thank you x

 

[Puppypeoplenj]

It's tough. We're working on this, too. I'd start out with small amounts of time and come back and gradually lengthen his time alone.

About sleeping in the kitchen, though, he might just miss you. It is unnatural for a dog, especially a puppy so young, to sleep alone. A wolf would sleep with his pack, and your puppy would prefer to sleep with you. Are you crate-training? I would recommend it for potty-training, and put the crate in your bedroom so you can hear when he needs to get up at night.

Welcome to you and Lumpkin! They are so cute when they're that small! Our puppy is 19 weeks, and it's crazy how quickly they grow!

 

[catseyes]

Hiya, we had him in the crate in our bedroom for the first few nights and he really freaked out just didnt take to it, plus our bedroom is upstairs and dont want a newf doing the stairs daily through out his life.

The kitchen is where he goes to sleep on his own, where he eats, drinks and chooses to be, the floor is tiles which he prefers as it was tiles in the puppy pen at the breeders.

The other pups in the litter are all sleeping through the night with the odd cry but lumpkin barks and barks and howls for hours on end. Its hard as i want to go down to calm and settle him but by doing that im gonna teach him that barking gets me to come to him which i dont want.

My other dog is crate trained and she is fine, me and hubby have always had dogs but never had one with the stress that lumpkin has at being left, either at night or if i go out for 20 mins.

He takes himself to bed about 10pm so we go to bed then, leave the radio on and hes ok for a few hours til he wakes and realises we arent there.

 

[Jager's Mom]

Crate training seemed to be the key for us. Also, if your other dog is already crate trained, put the crates near one another.

Practicing crate training during the day (when you leave for a few hours and when you are home).

 

[catseyes]

He was awful in the crate biting clawing and got his paw stuck sticking it through the bottom trying to get out.

My other dog is kept in the bedroom with us as that is how she was brought up, we had another dog an old english sheepdog who was blind so had to keep him close and she is used to the bedroom.

We tried both downstairs and they just want to play constantly, they dont cuddle.

We're using the kitchen as if it was the crate for night times and when im out.. its not a big room either.

 

[Mariek]

We kept Jethro downstairs from day one (same reasons as you re: the stairs). He had a crate with a pen attached (what was the kids play pen when they were little). He rarely slept in the crate though, preferring to sleep on the cool laminate floor in the pen).

We took turns the first 4 nights sleeping on the sofa close by him then left him and went back to sleeping upstairs as normal. We would come down in the night once or twice to let him out to pee. He did initially bark when we went upstairs but we found he would bark for about 15 minutes or so then tail off and stop completely. It seems like forever when they're doing it though!

Now he's used to it he's fine (99.9% of the time) and happily pootles off to his pen when we say "go to your place". For the most part he's settled overnight till he gets up to be let out around 6am.

Stick with it, it'll get easier!

 

[catseyes]

Hello i recognise that screen name!!

I think he's just going to take time just hard knowing whether hes crying as he wants to go out for a wee or for attention.. either way by going to him its reinforcing barking = human with me.

See all the other puppy owners on fb saying how they are sleeping through the night and not crying and makes me feel im messing it all up somehow.

 

[ElvisTheNewf]

Poor thing. 9 weeks is still pretty young for these guys, so he's probably lonely and missing his littermates.

I can't say enough nice things about crate training. The kitchen may just be too much space for him right now to settle down and feel safe. My newf is 6 and still goes to his crate when he's feeling insecure.

How long does he go at night between potty breaks? It may help to get him on a certain schedule so he starts to learn when to expect you'll be back. He'll eventually learn that you always come back, but it may take awhile.

 

[Mariek]

See all the other puppy owners on fb saying how they are sleeping through the night and not crying and makes me feel im messing it all up somehow.

This made me think of parenting forums. There are always those 'my kids slept through thr night at 2 weeks old/walked at 9 months/can recite the alphabet at 10weeks' parents and its the same with dog owners. I guarantee there are more who are feeling like you than there are people who are breezing through it (not that there aren't any, all puppies like all kids are different). He'll eventually learn that you're always coming back so it will lessen. You can try leaving him for increments of time in the day so he's used to you going away and returning.

 

[DAWNMERIE]

What I will mention is a fan (maybe outside of the gate) It keeps them cool and the noise I think calms them some. Just food for thought

 

[NinaA]

Nine weeks is awfully young. You can expect problems. Crate training helps here. All our dogs sleep in the kitchen and the company is what they need. Fortunately, and this is one of the reason for spreading out the ages. I always have one dog who is a few years older than the pup, and that dog will sleep by the crate. After a night or two of my sleeping on the couch to listen, the pup only cries when it's pee time. I've done this many times. You might also consider that he may like it in the kitchen but he may like it better where you all and the other dog are sleeping. It's worth a try. He's awfully small to be separated from "family" so just be patient.

 

[dreamchaser456]

9 weeks is very young and he's now alone for the first time. I would work during the day on getting him used to his crate, door open feed in the crate, special treats in the crate. Once he's comfortable with that, you can begin to close the door for short times. All 3 of mine sleep in our bedroom on the second floor. I teach my pups the proper way to do stairs, on a leash at first, only with me and only once up and down a day. Once they know the stair rules (no running, no playing, no passing people or other pets) and they're at least 4-5 months old then I let them have access to the steps with me to control the amount of time on steps. That way you could have the crate in the room with you, pup will be happier being part of the family too. My 11 year old girl still does the stairs daily with no problems. If that's not an option at all, you might try an old baby ben style clock that ticks in the room with the pup when he's alone.

 

[catseyes]

He hates the crate and i would worry about him injuring himself hes that bad in it. We had him with us for a few nights and he wouldnt settle at all. I dont want him to have to do the stairs repeatedly to the bedroom either.

The kitchen is small and i have a crate in there for him the placement of it makes a small corner that he like to squash into.

I like the fan idea thank you. It is early days he has only been here a week tomo.. he was the clingy one of the litter and am following the breeders tough love recommendation of letting him cry it out.

He can go 4-5 hours without a pee but poos are hit and miss as we think they might be stress related. He goes out at 9.30pm, if hes quiet 1.30am, then 5am when hubby goes to work and again at 7am when we get up.

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

9 weeks is very, very young. Just a small baby. At what age did he come to you?

If you can't have him upstairs with you, someone really ought to sleep down there nearby him to make him feel more secure. If you're worried about stairs, you can carry him until he becomes too heavy. But I would teach him, starting now, how to use the stairs, otherwise you can end up creating an unnecessary phobia of them. So, put him on lead and teach him to calmly walk up and down them.

When my girl came home (at 9 weeks) I took her out to potty at 9pm before I went to bed then set the alarm for 11pm, 1am, 3am and then finally got up for the day and another potty at 5am. During the day, I took her out to potty after every drink of water, every meal, every play time and every nap, then just in between so that she never went 2 hours without a potty break and was constantly supervised. If I couldn't see her or watch her for whatever reason, into the gated laundry room or crate she went. I set her up for success. She had MAYBE two pee accidents her entire puppyhood and no poo accidents, simply because I was constantly on top of the potty situation. As she grew, I stretched the time between potty breaks by increments of 15 minutes until such time as that she was 100% potty trained and mature enough to sleep through the night without needing to go.

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

Hit enter before I was done....

If he's having accidents (which is entirely unsurprising, given that he has to wait several hours between potty breaks at only 9 weeks of age) he needs to go out more frequently.

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

I'm also going to call "bull puckey" on whoever it was that told you all the other 9 week old pups in his litter are sleeping through the night. A 9 week old Newf puppy is biologically incapable of holding their bladder for 8+ hours at that age. Rest assured, every single puppy in his litter is waking in the night and/or having accidents.

 

[Thehallk]

I can tell that you feel hesitant to use a crate, but the suggestion to get your puppy used to it during the day can really help. Something like treats, or raw bones, or a peanut butter filled kong with you sitting nearby with the crate door closed for something like 5 to 10 minutes will help. You would be nearby to ensure he doesn't hurt himself and to let him know that you are close. He really does sound lonely. We had Gilly in a second floor apartment that had no elevator, so until she was about 50 pounds, I carried her up and down the stairs for all but one or two of her potty breaks (the first week, this was every two to three hours, including at night, whether she was whining or not). I am glad I taught her to do the stairs because even when she was older she still barrelled down the stairs dangerously for the longest time, but it would have been worse if started later. But, if you have a "no dogs upstairs" rule, then maybe you don't want to start that anyways. If it's just concern about his joints, personally I'd just carry him up and down most of the time. She stayed in our room with us only until we were sure she would be safe in her crate (which we had partitioned for her safety and comfort to about a quarter of its original size) and until she was comfortable in her crate, then we moved her a little farther away and ultimately into a room farther away from us, where we wanted the crate to be. It took time and she exhibited many of the same signs as your pup. She was a few weeks older though. It took me several days (with me in the house or in the room, just sitting calmly reading not doing anything "fun"and her in the crate, closed door) before I knew she would settle and I could leave her. Now, if you're not comfortable with him in your room and you're not comfortable with him in his crate, but you don't want her to cry...you'll have to make some sacrifices at first, like sleeping in the kitchen. Either you or the pup is going to have to do something "uncomfortable" for the first little while until everyone trusts each other and feels safe. The first weeks can feel like forever, but in the scheme of things they're very short and his crying will stop relatively quickly. He's still just learning that you're his new family and whether or not he can trust you, and that he's lonely. Potty training might take longer though...


Also, ultimately Gilly didn't LOVE her crate, and after she was house trained and I knew I could trust her not to eat random things, she was left out of her crate at night and now she goes wherever she wants in the house. But, the crate or the kitchen will be the best place for your pup to house train...the smaller the area the better - maybe you an cordon off a smaller part of your kitchen, so the pup feels like it's his own room and will be more hesitant to pee or poop in his "crate".

 

[catseyes]

He has no issues with toileting, every few hours he goes out. No accidents during the day same as you out after food, play, sleep etc etc.

We got him at 8 weeks old and spent the first 4 nights with him downstairs and it made him worse.. the night we left him alone was the best night we had. I have no problem taking him out every few hours but if he's crying he is going to think im going because he is crying.

I know he is a baby, i know its all new to him. The other puppy owners are the ones i have spoken to, one pup went to bed at 9.30pm and stayed quiet until 5am with one wee on paper. In contact with others who have some crying, t its just lumpkin who barks so much.

I know how to crate train, ive had dogs forever but we dont want to take that route and im not happy with the stairs our bedroom gets very hot and wouldnt be suitabel for a newf, kitchen is cooler and tiled.

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

You did say that he has poo accidents, hence my comments. Pups do love attention, but if you go downstairs when he starts crying, if you do it right, you won't encourage him to do inapproproiate barking. When he cries, go downstairs and without a word, without petting, simply put him on lead to go out to potty. Make a potty cue word or prhase for him (I said "go potty" for my girl and still use it today as it helps with getting her to hurry up if need be) and let that be the only thing you say to him outside. When he does potty, praise, pats and praise some more. Then take him back inside, and wordlessly put him back into the kitchen. Let him know that potty time is "all business". If you take him out to potty and he doesn't, simply take him back inside and put him away, again, no words, no pats.

You're not babying him or creating bad habits by being attentive to his needs. As you can tell, I was pretty fanatical about potty breaks and got up frequently in the night for her and do you know what? By about 5 months, she was sleeping soundly through the night without any bother, downstairs in her crate, for ever more. It didn't encourage any bad habits, it only reinforced good ones.

 

[catseyes]

I use the kitchen as a crate. When i take him out in the night its quietly then i sit with him til he nods off, just sit there no talking.

The breeder has said he was the clingy pup and to not give in to his attention seeking as that is what it is the bark is different.

If we sleep in the same room he doesnt sleep and neither do we.. the best night was the first we left him alone in the kitchen he went all night with no crying and no messing and no wees. He was taken out twice during the night and it was perfect. Last night he wanted attention at 1am.

I cant physically carry him up and down stairs when he gets heavier.