should I be letting puppy nap on my lap so much?

[Spotty528]

Dp is 10 weeks old, been with us since Friday so very very early days.

He’s had 2 nights here and cried for 10 mins in his pen at 9pm then not a peep out of him until we’ve woken him up at 6am. He’s using his puppy pad to pee and poo on during the night. I’d planned on taking him out during the night but it seems madness too disturb him.

Anyway, during the day we’re taking him outside every 20mins and he’s weeing a lot!! Same with poos.

So I feel like that’s all going well. He’s not liking his pen during the day though, he cries when we put him in it and generally won’t settle in there. I’ve let him nap on my lap for 2 hours this afternoon! I’m worried he’ll be howling for me tonight now he’s got a taste for it!

I’m thinking of leaving him in his pen tomorrow and going out for half an hour. (Once he’s been fed, watered, played with etc). If we’re in the room with him he just won’t settle so I’m wondering what he’ll do when we’re not here.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? I’m a first time puppy parent and I’m feeling so daugnted/overwhelmed.

[Spotty528]

Sorry I forgot the most important detail!

[Costacoffeeplease]

I’m sorry but you should be taking him out during the night, puppy pads just confuse them and let them think it’s ok to pee and poo indoors. He must be waking up if there’s pee and poo there in the morning so you need to be able to hear him, or set an alarm

[pigsDOfly]

Agree with not using puppy pads as it's not setting the behaviour you want, which is that weeing and pooing indoors is not acceptable.

Also, leaving a ten week old puppy for half an hour is way too long imo.

If he won't settle when you're nearby he won't settle when you leave him. By leaving him for so long at such a young age you're risking creating a dog who ends up with separation anxiety.

You need to work up the amount of time you leave him very slowly so that he can adjust. At ten weeks he's a very tiny baby who has just left his mum and siblings; he needs longer to adjust to that before you start leaving him for longer periods.

Also he's very cute.

[Spotty528]

Well I left him for half an hour,I had to do the school run. I gave him a kong and filmed him. He cried for 4 minutes then settled down on his bed with toy.

He slept through again without a peep. I’m not sleeping at the minute and I don’t hear him get up to wee.

[pigsDOfly]

Glad it worked out ok when you left him.

He's obviously happy if he's got his kong. My dog has a treat ball with a small amount of fresh chicken in it. When she knows I'm going out and she's going to get chicken she practically shoves me out the door.

[Spotty528]

I’m so pleased with him. He’s settled himself to sleep this afternoon and I left him for another 30 minutes to do the school pick up. He licked the kong for 5 minutes, cried for 5 then got into bed, chewed his toy, bit more of the kong and no accidents.

[Jolonglegs]

Start as you mean to continue. Do you want it on your lap when its fully grown? How about when you visit other people?

[PrincessHoneysuckle]

Your pup is gorgeous

[Spotty528]

I’d be happy for him to snooze on my lap when he’s older as long as he’s able to settle in his bed too. Because he did settle on his own this afternoon I think I’ll keep doing that. He seems to need us to be out of the room though.

[Spotty528]

PrincessHoneysuckle thankyou!

[Spidey66]

Omg he's gorgeous x

[MuttsNutts]

Oh my...too cute! 😍

[Spotty528]

Here’s the monkey in his favourite spot

[stucknoue]

You are doing the right thing, start as you mean to go on. We used a puppy pad until 22 weeks or so but by then he stopped going in the night.

[Spotty528]

Yeh I’m really pained to wake him during the night. I don’t know what time he’s weeing, he’d then have to settle back to sleep which would wake DS and the cats are in the kitchen so it’d be a right ball ache. Lots of people tell me that eventually just stop needing to use them. He’s doing really well during the day, only 1 accident today and he actually took himself outside for a poo. I’ve never had a puppy before so I hope I’m not doing it all wrong.