[Rob_w]

Hi all,

I stumbled across this group. Some of the posts have definitely given me hope and have been really, really helpful. Thank you. 😊.

We picked up a 10 week old Toy Cockapoo this week (11 weeks tomorrow) we are currently 3 days in. Maisie is our first family dog and we're trying our best but new to it all.

We have a crate, but our girl seems to hate it. We have tried to associate it with treats and toys etc. I always treat and praise Maisie for going in. The problem being as soon as the door closes she literally panics and just cries.

The first night I put her down at 10.40, she cried a bit but was asleep by 11pm. I thought we had cracked it. Then she woke at 1.30am, I let her out for a wee and popped her back in and cried solid until 2.30am, this was so loud my 8 year old son couldn't sleep (me and my wife are use to the sleep deprivation as he was a difficult baby). Before than sleeping to 5am, when I again let her out for a wee. She was wide awake this time so I got up with her rather than let her wake my son again.

Last night she went down at 10.50pm but cried until gone 12.30am. I thought she may have needed a wee (clean in her crate no pads no accidents) I let her out after over an hour of non-stop crying. She didn't go but settled very quickly once I put her back in the crate. Then woke at 2am, had a wee and settled without crying. Before waking at 5.30am.

One of the problems we have is, despite the broken night our girl barely sleeps through the day at all. Is this normal? I have an 8 year old son who I think is over stimulating her and making it difficult to sleep.

And...just wondering should I be waking her, rather than responding to her night calls to potty? Are we encouraging her to cry?

How often should she be napping during the day? And should we crate her during the day to sleep? Or leave the crate in our conservatory with the door opened and covered and put her out there and leave her to enter the crate and self settle? We've been letting her sleep in the frontroom on a cushion with us during the day but not sure if this is why she struggles with the crate and attachment issues....

I have been putting the crate in the kitchen and covering it with a blanket.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Puffin]

Hi Rob, firstly I would never take a baby from its mother and expect it to be alone through the night. Likewise with a puppy .
I have always (since 1964) had a new puppy with me in a box by my bed (until now where health issues made it unsafe for me to carry a puppy on the stairs during the night so I slept on the sofa with my last one ) .
If your puppy is next to you, your breathing and smell will be comforting and in a small space a puppy will be reluctant to soil in its bed so will cry to go out,you can hear it and it can be taken out when needed . This all helps with house training. I slept on the sofa for a month with my last puppy then when I started going up to bed I came down in the night to take her out based on a pattern of when she had been waking when I was downstairs .It is also a good idea to put a safe cuddly toy in with a new puppy , it will be a surrogate for missing siblings. Puffin has a teddy and 3 squirrels .
I believe puppies that are 'forced' to be alone and cry for the protection of their dam are more likely to grow up with separation anxiety because they have learnt to associate being alone with fear.

My Puffin loves her crate, it is her safe place to go to when a noise scares her and now aged 8 months she takes herself to bed at 8pm, I take her out at 10 to relieve herself when I go to bed and then cover the crate and she sleeps silently till 6:30 when I go down .

I get my puppy used to being alone in their crate during the day. When the puppy has been fed, had a play, taken not let out (so I can be sure she is empty) I put her in the crate with her cosy toy in the kitchen where she can see me doing jobs like preparing food, no word no eye contact . I open the crate door after about 15 mins (not if the puppy is making a noise only when quiet) then gradually increase the time and also start to go in and out of the room when she has got used to the first stage .

Puppies sleep in the day when tired and normally need no prompting falling asleep on the spot (which may be a flower bed as with a pervious puppy) . They are more likely to sleep after excercise/food.
If your puppy is very new to your house, it may not yet have bonded with you and could be anxious and insecure so less likely to sleep , it is a good idea to sit on the floor where you look small and not a threat and play with your puppy to help the bonding and make it feel more relaxed.

Having a puppy is hard work but this stage only lasts for a comparatively short time and the rewards make it all worth it.

 

[Rob_w]

Thank you, I really appreciate this. I'll try the things you have mentioned. 😊

 

[2ndhandgal]

Super post from Puffin - the only bits I would add are that your pups needs lots of quiet time apart from your 8 year old so they can get the rest they need and they need to learn that crates are food places slowly and carefully so it might be too early to be closing the door in the day at the moment