Advice re night sleeping 15 weeks

[resipsa]

Hi all. My first post here. We have a 15 week old male Vizsla. He sleeps in his crate downstairs. He has nailed toilet training but still wakes every 2-3 hours in the night because, I assume, he’s lonely. He doesn’t need to go out between 11pm and 7am. He cries/barks at about 2/3am and again 4/5am but settles if we speak to him or sleep on the couch next to him. It’s exhausting. We need to knock it on the head but how best to do that? Take the crate upstairs so he is closer or is that just storing up a problem for later as ultimately we want him to sleep downstairs? Or get a monitor and try talking to him through it? Any thoughts from anyone who has been in the same boat? Thanks.

He's a baby and wants/needs company. Either sleep downstairs with him or move his crate into your bedroom.
It won't create problems for the future. My puppies slept alongside me and are happy to be left on their own. Although they do still sleep in my bedroom, but that's my choice. Once your puppy is older and feeling more secure, you can start moving him out of your room onto the landing and eventually downstairs.

100% agree with the first poster. He's crying because he's scared and a baby.

I have multiple dogs, so in theory could leave young puppies in the kitchen with them at night - but I choose not to because it's good to have young puppies nearby I think. It's good for building that bond but also to help them settle and for them to learn separation when they are ready.

I agree too. Dogs naturally wake in the night. And he’s not happy enough without you yet to fall back asleep. It’ll pass. Sleep near him for now.

Yep, what everyone else said. Either someone needs to sleep downstairs with him, or move him upstairs with the idea of slowly transitioning downstairs as he gets more settled.

Move his crate to the bedroom. My almost 9 week old is now happily entering her crate and going straight to sleep with no fussing simply because we are near. You can slowly move it later but right now he’s a baby and until you picked him up he had never been alone a moment in his life, it’s going to take time!

Agree with all the other posters.. the anti crate brigade haven't joined in yet..

Thanks everyone 😀

One of us slept downstairs with our dog until he was 6 months old. Luckily we had a proper bed in the study so it wasn't too difficult! Our dog was ok at night from about 6 months onwards. However he refused to be in the crate when left alone so we gave that up.

Hang in there - he's still a baby

Just to add you may find you like having him up there more than you expect to. My pup slept in the bed with me from the second night because I couldn't bear him crying. This morning I woke up with him resting his soft chin across my cheek. I could have stayed like that all day.

i think you need to accept that some level of separation anxiety is inevitable due to his breed.
we have a Weimaraner who is similar in temperament.

the first three/four months were spent with someone sleeping downstairs with him, until he was better with toilet training. Then he came up with us.
it was the only way 😂

Having said that, baby puppies are much like human babies. What works for one absolutely doesn’t work with another.

but please don’t force a separation if he’s not happy.
that’s a sure fire way to created separation problems