Puppy up at night for cuddles

[Madsometimes]

I know we are doing everything wrong, so please put me on the right tracks.

We got our cocker cross puppy last Saturday and getting him to sleep is proving to be a real toughie. He has a travel box which we are using as his crate. He goes into the crate during the day for naps, and sleeps in it at night. The crate is in our kitchen which is gated. He goes crazy if we close the crate door, but the kitchen gate is locked (which he hates).

During the day he loves taking himself off for naps, but at night he hates sleeping on his own. In fact he is usually totally shattered in the day time, because of his night time antics.

He also follows us around constantly, and when we sit down in the evening he begs for a lap. If we refuse to let him up for a cuddle he curls around our feet to sleep.

We are paper training him, and he has a puppy pad in the kitchen for wees. He tends to have a separate place for poos, which is in the next room. Therefore when he cries at night, we do go to him to see if he needs a poo. He is not perfect with wees and poos but has never soiled his crate.

Last night, he went to bed at 11:30 pm and got up at 2 am. Then he had a mad half hour of playing which he followed up with a poo at 2:30. By 3 am he was still crying when I left the kitchen, so dh came down and said we should leave him cry. He cried from 3 to 4 am and then fell asleep but woke up again just before 6.

Every night since Saturday I have had about 4 hours sleep, and I am starting to feel very grumpy. Added to this, he is the puppy which is not good with his puppy food, so I think that he is hungry. However, last night he did eat well, so maybe food has nothing to do with it.

Dh thinks we should go cold turkey with the crying and let him howl all night if that is what it takes. I'm not so sure, because of the neighbours and the children. Also, if he howls for hours, then maybe he will have another wee or poo to do! He is 9 weeks.

Please don't flame me, I am feeling rather sleep deprived!

Actually last night was much better than previous evenings. I had put a hot water bottle and his mummy's blanket into his crate previously, but last night I added the top I had been wearing that day, left the radio on low and put a ticking clock nearby.

I put him into the kitchen at 9:30 pm which I knew was a little early, but dh was away and I just HAD to go to bed myself. He fretted for about 20 minutes and then went to sleep. I did not feel too worried about the neighbours because it was still early. I feel asleep and woke up at 1 am. I went downstairs to him, he had not done a wee that I could see, and I let him out to the front room, where he likes to poo. He had not pooed much yesterday, so I knew he had one to do.

I'm afraid he did play a little, but did a poo by 1:30 am. Then I popped him back into the crate in his kitchen, ignored his whines and went back to bed. I woke up at 6:30, he was still asleep, but I have chickens to let out. All in all, I am feeling so much more positive today, a good night's sleep is marvellous . Patch has also been much more wakeful today, he had a nap from when I came back from school run, and has just woken up.

I do allow him on my lap, in fact he is on it as I type. I just didn't want him to associate my lap with sleep. (Oh dear, and he is falling asleep)!

I was also feeling very negative yesterday because a fox had been trying to attack my chooks in their eglu run. It had really frightened them, and they had attacked each other drawing blood, which is not good at all. Then yesterday both of them were off their food, and one was coughing. I thought that was the end of them, but today they are more themselves. However, it does mean that we have to delay introducing Patch to them. They have seen each other, but only from a distance. Actually, it was Patch who was terrified, not the chickens. He was in the conservatory and the chickens were in the garden. He peered at them through the door, and started shaking. We had to whisk him away for a cuddling session. He is quite nervous of the garden now, which is partly why we are doing paper training - plus that is what his breeder did (and sub zero temperatures are a clincher).

Madsometimes - it's perfectly okay for them to sleep during the day. They are like very young babies at this age, and need lots of rest

p.s thanks, Daisy.

I'm sure if kid started her own thread with the title 'Is it okay to leave a 9 week pup alone all day?' there would be a fairly overwhelming response.

Most people will not even have seen this thread.

Sorry, OP - have stopped hijacking now...

have to agree it is not ideal to leave a 9week puppy alone for 8hrs a day kid why did you get a dog if you are out all day?

madsometimes - indeed puppies are like babies and need guidence/sleep training - no real advice but it will get better

madsometimes - sounds like you are following all the tricks in the book to comfort your puppy and it sounds like it is working, well done.

daisydotandgertie - My puppy is insured, we are aware of the costs of owning a dog. Our previous dog had to be put to sleep at 14 years old, we had him for 13 years. He wasn't insured so we did have bills to pay for him occassionally.

My puppy does sleep all through the night now, well he wakes around 4 for toilet break and then sleeps through till 7.
During the day, he is using puppy pads. Most of the time he goes on the pad, sometimes he goes on the floor (not carpeted).

I'm not going to post on this thread anymore. I have said all I have to say, I can't and won't even try to defend my actions. I am not the only person in the world that leaves a puppy alone all day. I do care for him, so do my family, so he stays.

How very

Just because you're not the only person who does something, doesn't make it right - or even legal in your case.

That puppy had a bad start in life and is now going to have a hellish life - but you're too stubborn to do the right thing and rehome.

Shame on you.

just picked up this thread an di can't believe some people.

well done bella for saying what most owners think.

I am a dog walker and have my own business employing others. I also use one of the empolyees for my dogs on days i can't take them with me or if i am out for any longer than 3 hours. To me that is a cost you factor into having a dog, i work on average of £25 per week for first dog, and reducded rate for second, third etc.
i think thats a good figure to work around.

I have to say though i don't understand why you have a dog if you are leaving it for so long so reguarly.

Sorry to add to the thread hijack - but to put perspective onto this for kid. When I got my last puppy I worked just mornings (9-1) for 2 weeks and still got a dog walker to come in halfway through the morning and spend an hour playing with him - letting him in the garden. After that she came in twice a day as I worked from 9 to 5. Once he was old enough he was out with her for 4 hrs a day (she takes him home for lunch with her) - he is never left for more than 2.5hrs alone during the day.

How can you think it is ok to leave a dog all day

I do know others that do this tho - doesn't make it right... Dog walking is just one of the costs you have to factor in before deciding to get a dog if you work full time.

Sorry - for hijack.

Agree with Bella, Iggy etc. I used a dog walker when I had a puppy and I had to work. She used to come in, play with him, clean up mess and take him outside etc etc, stay at least an hour. I still use a dog walker (5 year old GSD) now on days when I can't give him enough of a walk, dogs need exercise and stimulation.

You just can't leave a dog all day, you should of got a cat or a fish.

kid - you are not the only person but it still doesnt make it right

why on earth did you get a dog if you are never there daytime?

you should have got a hamster - they wouldnt give a toss if you were there during the day!!!

I wouldn't waste your breathe girls.

This is all about what kid wants and not what is best for the dog.

We would all love to have a dog but know we are not ready due to having other animals that couldn't live with a dog and young children. We got guinea pigs instead.

kid

I am just going to say one more thing.

You know that what you doing is wrong. You said so in your earlier post - you volunteered that you were just trying to make yourself feel better about the situation.

It will only get worse. At the moment that puppy has an excellent chance of making a brilliant pet for someone.

Leave him alone all day for months, years on end and he will almost certainly develop behavioural issues. He may even beoome aggressive. 'Cocker rage' is a well documented phenomenom. At that point he will be almost impossible to rehome and may even end up being put to sleep.

Please do the right thing. Please.