16wks - surely I should be allowed to sleep now?

[OldEnglishSheepDog]

I'm honestly at the end. Pup has slept through ONCE since we got him. When he wakes for a wee it can take an hour to resettle him. Much of the time I find myself sleeping on the sofa with him on my lap.

I'm currently stood in the living room afraid to move as he will start whining the moment I do. I am on the fb page everyone recommends and am following advice.

Can't fit crate upstairs so to be with him means being downstairs. Stopped bedding down on the sofa a couple of weeks ago as it felt like I was creating an expectation.

I have woken up in my own bed once since I got him. He is taken out around 10pm and settles reasonably quickly, it's when he wakes that us the problem.

Right now, despite all the planning, I am wishing we'd never got him. I am clearly incapable of looking after him and he can't be happy to be whining this much. It's not his fault but I don't know how to fix it.

I'd definitely stop!

I'm wondering about where you say that it takes an hour to re-settle him - how?
You also imply that it's hard to get him back in the crate... why?

I've put my DH into another quieter room for the time being with some good earplugs, he seems fine. Bit of a grumpy so & so anyway.The DD 16 can sleep through a thunderstorm. pups do have a particularly ear piercing squeak! Our little girl sounds like she's practising scales! 😬
Tell everyone you're toughing it out tonight for everyone's sake and to get to bed nice and early! Good luck! Might take a few nights.....bank holiday end of the week!

villianousbroodmare (your name is awesome by the way). I presume you just mean at night, not during the day?! I'm not sure I have that much self-control!

It has been occasionally hard to get him back in the crate; it was worst when I was sleeping next to him as he wanted to get on the sofa with me so he would push past me and try to jump up there. It's not so much of a problem now that there's no bedding to entice him. Now he will often try to skip past me as I close the door; he'll have a quick wander round and then go back of his own accord. I think he just likes to do things on his own terms!

Tinkobell it is PAINFUL isn't it! But I think I'm starting to learn the difference between distress and annoyance. Most of his is annoyance I think.

Anyway, if anyone is around tonight I shall no doubt be updating as I go!

Well, if you want an obedient dog I think it's important not to turn your voice into so much floral flannel! It's particularly important to never ever repeat a command, and if you want to maintain any kind of response to the animal's own name, to use it only when you expect attention and not when whispering sweet nothing's etc. A good idea is to use a nickname. This obviously all applies night and day. If you don't mind about recall or obedience then keep talking!

You really need to call the shots at night especially. I would use a lead to take him out for night pees and just clip it on wordlessly, shuffle out to the loo spot, stay there boringly, say nothing unless a pee or poop is swiftly produced in which case low key celebration, then immediately back to crate, in, collar and lead off, close door and gone.

"nothings"... bloody illiterate autocorrect!

Jeez sounds so hard. Dpup was with us from 12 weeks and we had her in her crate on dds bed for 4 nights. In her crate in our room for 3 and then downstairs alone with blanket over crate
Genuinely didn’t consider she’d need toilet in the night (oops) but she never whines or barks

She’s now in crate in lounge from 10/12pm until 7/8:30am and never ever makes a peep. She is asleep when we go down

Tiny chihuahua

OK villainousbroodmare I shall try to reign it in! I hear what you're saying about the lead but I think that might just create another point of difficulty - if I just pick him up it should send the same message (I'm in charge) without the faff. I will try to just carry, not cuddle!

I am pretty quiet at night (because I'm knackered) but I will make sure that I'm not saying a word.

It's interesting that no-one has come on and said I need to keep cuddling him and being with him - that's been the message from the FB group.

Tonight I go hardcore. He's put himself in his crate now and is sleeping. I will pick him up for a wee around 10.30pm and pop him back, then cover the crate and go. And not come back. Gulp.

This is definitely the right thing to do and not cruel and confusing??

Definitely!

It's interesting that no-one has come on and said I need to keep cuddling him and being with him - that's been the message from the FB group.

He's over 16 weeks so has had weeks to settle in so staying with him and cuddling him now at night is just a reward for crying. Remember you want to reward the behaviour you want and to 'ignore' the behaviour you don't.

I always remember one morning going into a newsagent's for a paper. The lady at the till was yawning and looked exhausted. I made some sympathetic remark and she said that the dog had had her up all night. I asked if she had a new puppy, or if he was ill. She replied no, that he is six years old and he just whines, cuddles and looks for interaction all night, and then blissfully slumbers all day. I've never forgotten it! I bet she's still doing it, too.

Oh God! That will be me! Right. Determined head is on. Wish me luck.

5 minutes of yapping so far. Will need to apologise to the neighbours tomorrow.

Descended into howling.

He may be slowing down. I feel incredibly guilty.

Nope. Not slowing down. Ramping up. God I hope these walls are reasonably sound proof.

Be strong.

My dog sleeps with us in our bed every night and has done since the second night we got her, she loves curling up beside us and doesn't want to get up in the morning!

If it was only me, I'd happily have him on my bed but.. ahem... how would you ever....? Anyway, he's not really able to get downstairs by himself yet so I wouldn't want him potentially roaming about up there.

We have to put her in the kitchen with a bone then let her in after!

DH went down and took him out for a wee. Straight back into crate afterwards. Figured it would be better for him to go than me.

He's quieter now but still whining.

I feel awful. Is he going to hate me in the morning?

Ilovepixie love the thought of a drawer by the bed with a packet of condoms and a bone!

Hard though it is, ignore him

You'll have a few nights at most and then he'll learn.

Ignore ignore ignore

Ilovepixie love the thought of a drawer by the bed with a packet of condoms and a bone!

He has stopped. I think. That was the best part of an hour. Do I get up for an early wee with him do you think? I think he could go straight through but might be pushing it for the first night.

Oh bugger He's started again.

Ignore him. It’s hard but he will just be so pleased to see you in the morning that he won’t even know that you ignored him in the night. Make sure you don’t make any fuss of him until he’s been out for a wee as we ended up with a puppy who greeted us with wet feet in the mornings!

He's STILL GOING. There was a brief five minute respite but apparently he was just taking a break.