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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

How long will she howl for:-( help please!

31 replies

RosieLig · 24/01/2014 10:51

Our puppy is 11 weeks,we've had her for 12 days. She goes in her crate at night but she howls and howls. We've done everything radio/hot water bottle/ one of my tops/lights on/lights off/got her up for a pee/left her to cry. Nothing seems to help except us actually being there, then she stops.

I'm beside myself with it now, we don't want her sleeping in our room but I can see how people go down that route!

It's really spoiling my enjoyment of her, leaving me stressed and tired. Last night she howled from 11pm until 4 am when my husband went and slept on the sofa. We're exhausted and worried we're making things worse as there's no improvement.

Help please!

OP posts:

Floralnomad · 24/01/2014 10:55

Is she used to a crate before you got her ,maybe she would be happier just left in a room with a stair gate at the door ie downstairs loo ,utility room .

Racerider · 24/01/2014 11:00

Do you put her in the crate in the day ? Just an idea , get her used to it for short periods ?
Our trainer said make her like the crate, give her treats in there
I'm exhausted after 5 nights but we haven't had much howling at all compared to you and it's got better each night.
Poor you what a shame.

Goldencity1 · 24/01/2014 11:02

I have never had this as my dogs sleep in our room....not on the bed, but in dog beds.

If she wasn't used to a crate before you got her, she perhaps now sees it as where she goes when she is going to be lonely. You could try leaving the door to it open so she can use it if she wants, but has the freedom to move about. It is hard for puppies to go from sleeping in a heap with their mum and siblings to sleeping all alone, no wonder they howl.

ender · 24/01/2014 11:07

I felt the same as you about dog in bedroom until we got an 8 month rescue GSD that barked and howled in the night. Neighbours complained and we were exhausted so we let him sleep in our bedroom and were amazed. Not a peep out of him from 11pm till 7am and he was much calmer in the mornings. Now, six months later, he's decided he'd prefer to stay downstairs and sleeps all night on the sofa and I quite miss him being in the bedroom

Original poster

RosieLig · 24/01/2014 11:55

Thanks! Yes she was in a crate but I think it was left open and she was paper trained.

She's slept all morning as she's exhausted!

OP posts:

MelanieCheeks · 24/01/2014 13:30

We had the same problem with Minnie - had to move her crate to our bedroom as the neighbours were complaining. It's still there! We keep saying - oh we must move the crate now that she's older.

SpicyPear · 25/01/2014 09:32

You could move the crate to the bedroom initially then gradually move it a bit further away every week or so to slowly get her accustomed to the separation.

HavantGuard · 25/01/2014 09:35

Stop crating her

needastrongone · 25/01/2014 10:06

Or sleep downstairs with her and gradually move further away each night. She's a baby, and scared and wants your reassurance.

We did this with oor first dog, it only took three nights and he was happy being left.

needastrongone · 25/01/2014 10:13

In addition, crate train her gradually, lots of treats in crate, meals in crate, toys, clicker train to like the crate, kikopup has some great videos on Youtube.

ggirl · 25/01/2014 10:19

12 nights!! I'm amazed you have lasted so long, I'd have had her in the bedroom by now

Catsmamma · 25/01/2014 11:03

our labs and retrievery sorts are happy to be crated...we make sure they are "empty" last thing at night, and then into the crate and then while they are small someone sleeps by the crate....any protests just get a "shhoooosh, be quiet" in stern voice...usually three to four days and they are happy.

...also we cover the crate with a big blanket to make it a cosy dark den.

When they are so tiny we try to get them to bed about midnight/1am with the expectation they will be squeaking for a wee at five or six, ouuuffff!!

Before we had the crate we used the utility room, but neither of our GSD boys would put up with being annexed from the family....Keller created merry hell at bedtimes for weeks, we gave up, put a basket in the dining room, left the radio on for him and slept all night

HavantGuard · 25/01/2014 12:46

Why persist with something that isn't making her happy and isn't making you happy?

Preferthedogtothekids · 26/01/2014 13:56

She's a tiny baby :-( left alone all night after having the reassurance of her mum and siblings. Dogs are a social animal and their young only feel secure and safe when they have protectors around them.

I find it really strange that a board full of Mums who cherish and nurture their human babies can't figure out that a tinby baby dog needs the same care.

Bassetfeet · 26/01/2014 16:02

One of my old gals did this. And had a poo and wee every night in the kitchen.this went on months .
She was stressed obviously. So brought her basket upstairs next my bed and she settled immediately. Not long after she decided herself to sleep downstairs. I left all doors open so she had a choice. Some dogs get very upset left alone .
I know it isn't good advice but like our children you make your choice. Hope all gets resolved for you all .

Ps some nights rarely mark you ...I would feel a nose in my back during the night for a cuddle. A quick hop under the duvet for ten minutes and a contented sigh . She always went back to her bed . A highly strung dog but very very loved .

HavantGuard · 26/01/2014 16:07

To be fair to the OP, most pups sleep alone once they're away from their mum and though I'm not a fan of them, many dogs settle quickly and well in crates. The point is that if they are so distressed after trying for 12 nights and crying for hours at a time maybe they are one of the dogs that it doesn't work for.

catsrus · 26/01/2014 16:16

I've had dogs for over 25 yrs, we only did this with one of them - I hated it. After that I either had the pup in the bedroom or slept downstairs until they were settled. None of them stayed in the bedroom full time, nor did I sleep on the sofa forever - its just a transition. With the last pup the dcs and I took it in turns to sleep on the sofa with her on a rota basis - they didn't need any persuasion :-) I never used a crate but the layout of the house worked in our favour so we could confine then to a smaller, tiled, room when we needed to.

ashtrayheart · 26/01/2014 16:19

We gave up and let ours sleep in our bed room. Much easier

TooMuchRain · 27/01/2014 12:39

11 weeks seems very young for her to feel safe on her own. I let mine sleep in a box in the bedroom at the beginning (but kept her crate in the kitchen so she got used to it) - it was also easier for me because when she needed to wee during the night I could hear her and take her out.

basildonbond · 27/01/2014 20:00

We got our pup when he was 8 weeks and for the first few nights I slept downstairs on the sofa next to his crate

We never had any howling - for the first couple of nights he needed a 3am loo trip to the garden, the next couple of nights he started waking but settled back down again v quickly with a bit of reassurance. I decided he was fine on his own when he'd slept through from midnight to 6am two nights in a row.

Now he goes to bed at about 9 and sleeps soundly until 7 (later at weekends). We had a blip with toilet training after his second lot of jabs but other than that he's not had any accidents in his crate overnight

I didn't want to have him in our room, partly because I wanted the cats to have a safe haven upstairs, but equally I didn't want him distressed at being on his own and thankfully the approach we took worked for him

HindsightisaMarvellousThing · 27/01/2014 20:03

Our most recent pup hated the crate and wouldn't settle in it at all. She just wanted to be with us or the older dogs. So we let her do just that and it was fine.

minxthemanx · 28/01/2014 19:23

Thank God for this thread with sensible advice. We have taken in a beagle that had to be rehomed - picked him up Sunday. He's a gorgeous animal, lovely temperament and a big softie (nearly 2). Last night was hideous, he barked and barked downstairs in his crate, and wet his bed. The previous owners said he was crate trained, but he would not settle last night. I gave up at 1.30am, and let him have the run of the kitchen, hall, landing and stairs, but no rooms. He slept without a peep on the landing. Tonight his crate door will be left open, and if he wants to sleep on a blanket on the landing, that's fine.......... I don't get why people are so hung up about crates. We never used them when I was a kid and had dogs. Yet when I spoke to dog owners at school today ........"you must persevere with the crate, don't give in....." Sheesh!

TooMuchRain · 30/01/2014 17:54

Congratulations on your new dog minx! I think crates can work really well but not always for every dog. I have a beagle too and each time we have moved house she has wanted to sleep outside the bedroom for the first couple of nights, it's just comforting.

EvenBetter · 01/02/2014 17:55

We're trying to encourage our puppy to howl

Original poster

RosieLig · 02/02/2014 20:19

Hi all!

Thanks for all your posts. Yes it is interesting that I would never let a baby do this but I was encouraged to let my puppy cry :-(

Anyway, we abandoned the crate and she slept straight through in her bed next to the Aga. Thank goodness!

She's such a sweetie I feel quite guilty about leaving her to cry now. I'm still glad we didn't resort to our bedroom though, she's an unbelievable snorer!

Now we just need to try and get her to stop pooing and peeing in the kitchen overnight! Any tips?!

Thanks!

OP posts:

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