Puppy sleeping ( or not!)

[burntoutmum]

Hi

Puppy is 11 weeks tomorrow, she's a mini schnauzer / mini poodle cross. She's doing really well in lots of aspects, she goes outside for the toilet - has done since we got her, comes when she's called, fits into the family really well and seems happy and content.

We've managed to leave her for short amounts of time during the day, in her crate. When we come back, she's settled and calm.

However!! We are struggling with nights. She gets very distressed , last night we persevered for 3 hours but she was not happy in her crate, she wee'd and poo'd in there. We only came to her when she was quiet ( she had phases of calm). In the end I came and slept on the sofa - crate in same room- and she pretty much instantly settled down and slept for hours.

Obviously this worked last night, but I don't want to spend forever on the sofa!! I have read that it's recommended that you put the crate in your bedroom, is it?! If we do that will we end up with her expecting to stay in our room for ever?

She seems pretty intelligent , I wonder if the reason she settles during the day is that she knows we've gone out so we're not in the house? And at night she knows we're there so can't cope with not being near to us? Or is trying to wrap us round her little finger?!!!!

Her crate is small ( 60x 40cm) , cosy with a cushion, blanket, her favourite soft toy and a few chewy ones. I've tried covering it with another blanket, but she pulls it through

We could try without the crate, by making her her own space, probably in the utility room.

We've had her since Monday so it's very early days! She had her second set of vaccinations on Wednesday so she'll be able to go for short walks from next Wednesday, hoping that an evening walk may wear her out. I have been taking her outside with her ball in the evenings to try and tire her.

Any tips or ideas would be great! Thanks

We were having the same sort of problem with ours and persevered for a few nights however caved and put her in a crate in our room. We've all slept soundly since then!

I plan to gradually move her out once she's calm but I think it's only natural that a baby separated from everything it knows feels distressed when left.

Some people let them cry it out but I couldn't!

Another option is when they cry go to them and take outside for a possible toilet break then back in the crate. Do this without any fuss or saying anything to the puppy. You will have to repeat several times but they do get it in the end that night time is for sleeping or a quick toilet break and not for playing.

If she is peeing and pooing in the crate you then need to take her out for a toilet break anyway so she obviously cried because she needed to toilet and thus was upset because she had to go in the crate. Mine needed several toilet breaks at night until he got older (some sleep through but many don't until they are older and have better toilet control).

She wee'd and poo'd really early, only very recently been out

My parents have her brother and he's not been using a crate, instead as free roam of their kitchen, he's settling very well at night. Might try that.

A few people on the puppy thread have found their puppy pee/poo's soon after coming back inside.

Trying without the crate is worth a go. You just have to find what works best for your puppy and household as they are all different.

We are going to leave her for a short time this afternoon so instead of the crate are going to see how she gets on loose. She then has the option to sleep where she likes to be during the day, so she may be happier.

I knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park, that it would be hard early on. Just determined not to give in and make a rod for our own backs later on!!

My pup has a crate in the bedroom, and has never cried at night, although I did used to take her out around 4 am. She goes through the night now. If you have the crate in the bedroom, once your pup is a bit older you can start moving it out by degrees, so that he or she ends up sleeping where you want them. THe puppy stage soon passes, and as they get a bit older the peeing, pooing and crying at night stops as they get into your family routine and settle down, it seems like hell at the time though, I know.

Making sure your puppy is not distressed at night during the early days is not making a rod for your own back. It's entirely possible to either have her in your room or to sleep downstairs with her at first then when she's more settled gradually move her to where you want her to sleep long term or retreat back to your bedroom.

Remember she's still just a baby and has recently gone from being with her mum and litter mates 24/7 to a strange new place with new people and is being expected to cope sleeping completely alone for the first time in her life.

There's absolutely no need to let a puppy cry at night (or in the crate during the day) and doing so can cause issues further down the line.

If there's room in your bedroom for a the crate then I'd move it in there and when she gets restless pop her out without any fuss (just some gentle praise when she goes outside) then straight back to bed. As she gets a bit older she'll stop needing to go out at night and will be very settled into the nighttime routine, at that point I'd start gradually moving the crate to wherever you want her to sleep long term.

We slept on the sofa next to the crate for the first few nights then went up half way through the night. She was 4 months when we got her though so a bit older.

I'd be tempted to either: stay on sofa for a while; crate in bedroom or leave in the kitchen if you have a door (we don't!). It's whatever works best for you I think.

Good luck.

Thanks everyone

We're going to try the leaving her out of her crate tonight I think, and if it fails then move her upstairs into our room, where im fairly certain she'll settle well