What to do with Puppy at night time

[ryukatt]

Hello, we have a new puppy who of course doesn't like being left alone, the main issue at the moment is just night times. We currently have a crate inside a playpen, where we always leave the crate door open, have a few toys in playpen and a bed in playpen too as well as crate with a mattress. However every night is non stop howling for past week since we got him (currently 9 weeks). Is it right for us to let him howl all night? We can't leave him on his own open as he will bite things he shouldn't still, just worried about traumatising.

We do still do the usual leaving him alone during day in playpen which he is actually fine with most of the time, take him for toilet and play with him before bed.

Put in blankets/hoodies that you've slept in/worn so he can smell your scent. Cover the crate with blankets/throws you've used so it's a nest and not open to the top.

There's an episode of Dogs Behaving Very Badly from earlier this year that covers this.

Do they have a blanket from their former home for comfort? Poor things in a new environment, away from litter mates, they will settle soon.

https://cbtdogbehaviour.com/new-puppy-crying-at-night/

https://themuttyprofessor.co.uk/blog/to-crate-or-not-to-crate-your-dog/

Im my opinion they feel safer and more secure in an enclosed crate. From the first night we put DPup in her crate alongside a cuddly lamb toy designed specially to comfort puppies (makes a heartbeat noise like mum’s and has a compartment for a microwaveable heat pack) which seemed to work really well. Also had a blanket from her litter for comfort purposes alongside a lick mat to keep her busy and settle her down. She slept right through the night from the beginning - a few minutes of barking/whining which we’d just ignore and she’d quickly settle herself.

Absolutely not acceptable to leave him to howl - you'll end up ingraining some pretty severe (negative) behaviours around being in the crate and also abandonment. You either need to move the crate upstairs to you, or someone sleep downstairs with him.

Please do not cover the crate, dogs can overheat in it when it gets hot and they overheat quickly. If you're not sleeping in the room with them you may well miss the warning signs.

You need to sleep nearer to him and reassure him that you’re close by. If he wakes up, take him out to pee without saying anything other than your command word and then put him back in his crate. If he wakes again, give him a settle command and see if he goes back to sleep. Rinse, repeat until he learns to sleep through.

He is a new born at this stage and you need to allow for this.

Could doing this not make puppy too attached and get used to sleeping with us around, or something that will get easier as they get older to move them downstairs

We put another crate in our bedroom and our pup slept in there from day one, never any issues. Still sleeps in there now at night, we don’t even shut the door.

He’s a baby - there’s no such thing as too attached at this stage. He needs to feel safe in order to develop emotionally. Feeling abandoned is much more likely to cause separation anxiety.

Once he’s settled with you and become comfortable with his bed, you can gradually move it further away but for now, he needs to feel safe.

Okay seems like what we should be doing is having him in his crate in our room till he is older. Should we just do this until we feel like he can be on howls own without biting things he shouldn’t?

You’ll be doing that for an awfully long time then…!

Try it and see how it goes. If he’s happy in a crate in your room at night, you might find it’s the best solution and leave him there. There’s no rule that says dogs have to sleep downstairs.

Free range is brilliant if you can do it, using dog gates instead of crating.

We've never crated any of ours. We've reared 9 puppies over the last 40 plus years and never had any issues with sleep disturbance after the first night or two. One of us will sleep downstairs on the sofa for the first few nights after pup leaves its mum. Puppy will be in the kitchen, behind a dog gate but it can hear us nearby and be reassured. And no, free range puppies don't wreck the house, provided you are careful about what is left within their reach initially.

In our experience, free range pups toilet train very quickly and learn adult behaviours early on. All of ours have become very calm dogs that will settle easily.

Thanks all for advice so far, will give everything a bit of a go and see how it goes! Def a mix of opinion but I guess each dog is different :)

I think it depends on the breed, our previous dog, a Phalene toy, slept in the utility room with our border collies, absolutely fine.... apart from he chewed wires! When his favourite died,he came into our bedroom, they both had their own bed the far end each side of the wardrobes.. she died,he hated being alone, got another BC ,got another one now she will be 2 in July,got her at 7 weeks. She was in a crate next to our bed,so when she whimpered in the night,so we could take her out side for toileting. When she was older,on our bed.

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I think if you've left him howling for a week in the crate then he's very unlikely to ever settle in a crate. My understanding is that it has to be introduced very slowly. It will only hold very negative connotations for him now. No judgement as we also got some absolutely terrible advice to leave them crying for first couple of nights, it was a nightmare. We threw away the crate, put a little dog bed in our room and he settled immediately. He's remained there happily ever since.

Do the same thing you’d do with a baby - it don’t jsut leave him to cry it out poor little thibg

either crate in your room or sleep downstairs with him

Honestly I just took mine to bed with me (sleeping on the sofa) - he was happy as anything, took him out for wees every few hours, then after a few weeks he moved into his own bed. He is 12 next week, happily sleeps in his own bed. Can't fathom why it is advised to put them in a crate and leave them to be terrified, absolutely barbaric.

Our little toy dog,we had his car crate in the living room,he went in there during the day to sleep.we didn't make him.One BC now goes under the dining room table and the other under my DH recliner, for naps. during the day.

Thanks for the advice everyone, we’ve moved him into our room on his bed last night where he slept happily. We didn’t leave him to howl before in his pen would go and see him but of course this isn’t a solution. :)

That sounds good @ryukatt
Things will fall into place in the coming days as he settles. It's early days, and it does get easier.
Don't forget there are puppy and adolescent survival threads if you want moral support - they really are helpful and you'll get to know a lovely bunch of people.
Enjoy your pup - he'll grow up fast!

Great news OP

He’s only a baby. My dh slept downstairs with puppy for the first few weeks to help him settle and to help with toilet training. Dog did then happily sleep in crate. Now sleeps on our bed though and everyone sleeps well.

Great news @ryukatt! He may not want to stay there forever - having him in your room doesn't necessarily mean you're committed to him being there for life (so if you're worrying about that, try not to).

Also, we are all still awaiting the obligatory pup photo 😁

Of course! He’s a very handsome Show Cocker Spaniel :)

What a beauty! His markings/colourings are gorgeous.