Question:I have a 7wk old puppy who will wake up every two hours and whine and howl until someone picks him up. I do not want to get into the habbit of giving him attention when he howls but if we ignore him he gets very upset and poops all over! He whines whenever he is put into his crate or playpen, even if i am standing right there. I do not want him sleeping on the bed. We tried a hot water bottle but it did not work. I really need to get some sleep! Please help!
Answers:
Puppies are cunning little guys *L* They will try every trick in the book to get you to pay attention to them. But..as you seem aware of, any time you DO pick him up, that will lead him to think that if he whines, you'll be there to pick him up.
The crate is a very important factor in this. It should always be big enough so that they can stand and turn a 180 in it. Consider it as a puppy's bedroom. Always keep the door to the crate open so that if he's tired or needs to get away, he always has his "bedroom to go into". Fill the crate with soft blankets, toys, etc and keep food and water bowls that can't tip over easily at the back of the crate. If the puppy's been bad or needs to go to bed (ie. you are going to bed for the night), lock the puppy up and DON'T answer to him when he cries. You might feel bad or think the puppy will hate its crate but its not true. If you got sent to your room as a kid, you'd never hate your room *L*
If a puppy can see you, he will only cry more so its important to stay out of sight. Putting a blanket over the crate is a pretty good way to tell the puppy "Go to sleep" but use it only when hes being put to bed. When he's quiet, members of your family need to be quiet as well to respect his sleep and keep him asleep. Always, ALWAYS take him out before putting him in his crate for a period of time.
Is the puppy's crate in another room from your bedroom? My mom had a puppy that was kept in a crate in the kitchen. She would never stop crying through the night. Finally, my mom brought the crate into her bedroom and then would lock the puppy in it at night. The puppy never cried since (and that 'puppy' is 11 now hehehe..)
A routine is very important. The puppy needs a schedule which basically composes of going out, play..nap...go out..play and nap. Try to play with your puppy before you are going to bed and tire him out. If he cries when you put him in the crate, ignore him and do not respond to him verbally or physically. This will sound hard to do but he has to learn that he cannot have attention all the time. You've got to sleep too! *L*
It will probably take a few nights before he will stop, because it sounds like at this point, he's had people run to his rescue whenever he cries so he already has it in his head that his crying will solve his problems.
The main thing is, lock him up in a crate when you are going out or going to bed and then build a routine so that the puppy gets used to it. Always make sure there are lots of cuddling and playtimes in this routine but keep the routine the same. Eventually, your puppy should realize that when hes in his crate, its sleeping or relaxing time, and its the same for everybody involved. Just remember to not respond to him when he cries in there and he will eventually give up the habit.
Hope this helps :)
my grandma and grandpa has a dog that does that im not sure why but mabe you should try to comfort it
He is very little. You might try leaving on a radio or TV set. He will poop all over anyway - he's so young. Just tell him good night firmly. Perhaps you could get him a stuffed animal just for bedtime.
Call ceaser millan, the dog whisperer or watch his show for a similar case in which you could benefit from.
that happened to me too u need to let him sleep next to u on ur bed and give him a little toy
It's like a baby. If/When he wakes up at night, take him potty and put him back into his crate. He is still very young and not expected to sleep through the night. You can also remove his water dish about 3 hours before bed time and feed him 4 hours before bed time. That way it can all go through his body earlier.
You are right, you don't want to get him in the habbit of getting attention when he whines. So just take him potty and put him back into his crate. You don't even need to say anything too him.
Also, don't allow him to sleep on your bed until he is potty trained.
Try letting him sleep with you they love being close to you and they feel comforted.
If he is going to the bathroom all over the house you need to take im out to go before you go alseep put him in his crate at night no matter if he cries ignore him i had the same problem with my 2 month old siberean huskie who would always crie at night it worked for me mabye it will work for you
Seven weeks is very young for a pup to have left his mother. He's still adjusting to being from with her. Put some of your clothes in his bed He'll find it comforting My dog sleeps on my dirty clothes. Try wrapping the hot water bottle in one of your nightgowns and then play some soft music.
The first thing you need to do is make sure the puppy is fed at least 2-3 hours before bed so he won't poo in the middle of the night. Make sure he has gone potty at least 20 minutes before he is put to bed, and that he gets an extra trip outside (just in case) right before bed. Now with that problem solved, you need to make sure you are consistent with crate training your pup, by putting him in there any time he will be alone, including when you're just going to leave the room. Some dogs are harder pressed to get used to being alone, especially since your puppy is so young, but if he whines you'll just have to ignore him until he stops. Sometimes it helps to give your dog a toy or a special treat every time you put him in the kennel, so he'll associate it with a good thing. Another thing you can try is sitting in front of the kennel and petting the puppy until he falls asleep, which will help him adjust to the idea that it's his place. Unfotunately there's very little else that can be done, but to be patient and maybe invest in some ear plugs.
tough love..i would try a play pen type thing first. you can put some potty pads down for him to go on if he chooses to. but if he starts whinning at night first i would ignore it for about 5-10 min. make sure all the lights are off in the house and no one is moving around. I would put him in the room next to you if you can at first, eventually you could move him into your room. I would get something that makes a big noise that will scare him. I like to use a bottle with coins in it..It makes a big noise and usually scares the crap out of them. when he whines you shake it and say "NO". he will stop for probably like 5 seconds and then start again. most puppies are very smart so he will get the idea after a few times. Just keep doing it. This also works with other training things to. but i think its harsh enough. If you don't want to say "NO" at him then just shake it a few times. It should work. i've used it on my foster dogs before and i usually have pretty good outcomes. good luck and congrats on the new puppy
my dog also whined all night in her crate. You should not have to put up with it. I learned to ignore my dog because if i gave her attention, she would think if she whined she could get anything she wanted. Now what confuses me is your dog poops everywhere when you dont pick him up? when he whines does he want to go to the bathroom? all i can say is ignore him, i know its hard! if you need to play a radio beside the crate or pen. You can also put a blanket over the crate so he cant see you and wont be tempted to whine. i put my puppy in a seperate room when she was in the crate and let her whine for a little while. i only would take her out once she stopped whining.
good luck!
He is too young to be away from his mother. He misses her and his siblings, and is afriad at night. That is one of the very good reasons for not getting such a young puppy, and especially not as a single pup. However, since you are in this situation already, try building up his confidence and place a ticking clock in his crate or bed with him or at least close enough that he can hear the tick. A large furry stuffed animal will probably help as well, with maybe a few his size too. This will
1) Allow him to hear the clock tick and to him it will sound like his mother and/or siblings heartbeat.
2) The stuffed animals should make him feel less lonely.
Now, are you sure he doesn't have to go potty this often? Don't feed or give him water for at least 2 - 3 hours efore bed. If worse comes to worse, you'll just have to get up every 2 hours, relax him, and put him back to bed. Like I said, that is a great reason to not get a 7 week old puppy. They are cute, but some behaviors are very annoying.
Your new puppy is probably scared because your house is unfamiliar. Try turning on the TV or give it a toy. Also give him soft bedding and try to keep him comfortable.And you should buy thoe little pads for the dog to poop on or bring him outside for awhile. Give him attention but not too much.
My dog did the same thing when he was little. I put him in a small box next to the bed and hung my hand over the side of the bed when he would cry. I also wore an old t-shirt a couple nights in a row so it smelled like me, and then I rolled it up and put it in the box with him. He out grew the crying pretty quickly.
About the poopoo problem - don't give him access to food for atleast 4 hours before you want him to go to sleep. Take him out 20-30 min after he eats dinner and once again 30 min before bed.
He's an infant dog. A puppy can "hold it" about an hour for every month old they are... so your puppy can "hold it" just under 2 hours and will have to potty.
Wear him out in the evening, restrict food/water for about 2 hours before YOUR bedtime. Give him a nap just before you go to bed then wake him up to go out and potty. Set your alarm to take him out again in 2 hours BEFORE he wakes up and starts yelling. If he yells and he's already pottied, has had a lil sip of water... ignore him. He needs to go out on your schedule.
Frankly, I leave my pups in a pen with potty pads until they are about 12 weeks old and can hold it a decent amount of time. I do NOT respond to barking or howling... and my dogs learn really young that it will not get them attention.
The way I trained my rotties...put them into their "house" (crate),keep them in the room with you during the day. Walk out a few times so he gets used to you coming in and out of the room. Do not let small children bother him when he is in his house, as he will soon feel "safe" in there. It will be his and no one elses.
well u should rub his tummy and kiss him and tell u love him then give him so treats then put him on your bed put on the TV then rub his head and back then he fall a sleep then u go to sleep
Unfortunately, a 7 week-old puppy is too young to be away from his litter.
Now that this is a done deal, I would suggest that you give a soft plush animal and maybe some heartbeat "white noise."
Good luck.
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