Hello I'm new and so is my Pup!

[LouietheChi]

Hello! We have 2 girls, nearly 4 and nearly 8. We also have a 2 yr old British short hair cat whom we adore! On Friday we added a 9 week old chihuahua to the brood. We're smitten but he is really struggling at night. We leave him in the kitchen, in an open crate with a puppy pad on the floor. He is so upset. And so loud. On and off all night. First night he really disturbed my youngest who was crying. Last night she was brave. But seriously, for such a small dog his is LOUD.
So tonight, we're closing the crate door, putting a towel over it, adding a ticking clock and a soft toy.
Are there any other tips?
Earlier I was preparing dinner and DH was bathing the girls so I closes him off in the kitchen WITH ME and he was even crying hard at this.

Also, he currently asleep on the sofa next to me. Has been for 2 hours. Most he's slept all day. Should I wake him for play so he doesn't have the energy to cry all night?

Thanks in advance!

I started my puppy off in his crate in the bedroom, so when he created I could talk him down.
I gradually moved him to the landing and then into the kitchen. It took 10 days in all.

Good luck with settling him tonight and yes, I would have a bit of a play with him now.

9 weeks old is very, very young (especially for a chi, decent breeders don't generally let them go until they're 12 weeks old and it's actually part of the British Chihuahua Club's code of ethics) and it's a huge ask to expect him to go from being with his mum and siblings to sleeping all alone.

My dogs sleep in on my bed so I just start as I mean to go on with a new pup and have them sleep next to me on the bed. If I decided to have them sleep elsewhere in the long run though I'd do it gradually, starting with them in with me and slowly moving them further away until they were happily sleeping wherever it was I'd picked for them to go.

It's funny you say that it's young because I do feel he is tiny (but I'm not sure if that's more to do with stature) but EVERY single chihuahua I viewed online was ready from 8 weeks.

EVERY single chihuahua I viewed online was ready from 8 weeks

Unfortunately chis are very popular with both puppy farms and BYBs due to their popularity and the high prices pups can go for. Changes are most, if not all, breeders advertising puppies for sale online are going to be one or the other and either want the puppies gone as soon as possible to maximise profit and the latter probably don't realise they shouldn't go at 8 weeks like larger pups.

I wouldn't call his breeder a puppy farm or a back yard breeder to be honest. She was a nice lady who knew a lot about the breed. We have all his papers and he's been well cared for. Vet checked, wormed, vacs, microchipped.
And I don't expect him to go through the night, I'm just helping him on his way. I don't want him on my bed. My parents did that with out dog and she ruined their sleep forever more.

As for last night, we shut him in his crate and he slept much better. We let him out at 2 and 6 and he had no accidents in it. Progress!

Tips still appreciated though, could be a fluke!

Congratulations on your newest addition. What is he called?

Where does he sleep during the day?

We have not long got a JRT puppy and we've found he sleeps better in his crate if he also sleeps in it during the day. We have him out to play and have cuddles etc and when he seems tired we pop him back in his crate and he sleeps well. He has even started going in there on his own now which is great.

We also have a fleece over the top of the crate, just leaving the door open so he can see out.

Is the crate big or small if it's big he might find it too much.

Stick with it, it's early days yet.