marcy 07-11-2005, 09:21 AM Dev and I adopted a puppy out of shelter this weekend. He is 5 weeks old. We're exhausted. We just can't get him to sleep at night. It literally is like having a newborn in the house. He sleeps a lot, but for short stretches and then plays but also for short stretches. We realize that he's very, very young, but are searching for ideas on comforting him to sleep at night.
We tried a small kennel, but he cried and cried and cried. We figured okay... he cries... lets move him to the kitchen and he'll learn to stop crying in a couple of days. However, we read not to do that with lil lil puppies as they are incapable of crate training at this age and need the closeness/affection/attention from you that they cannot get from their momma and littermates due to whatever reason. So we then changed our minds and brought him back to our room last night. We papered the entire room and figured things would be better.
Not so... he cried and cried unless Dev was actually sitting on the floor with him... we read that if you give them a ticking clock wrapped up that comforts them... well at 2am we didn't have one in the house... so Dev took off his watch that has a VERY soft tick to it wrapped it up and gave that... this did actually comfort him, but not for very long... about 20 mins...
Dev eventually moved downstairs to the livingroom with him... but we are searching for ideas here.
I am going to stop and get an old fashioned alarm clock after work today for him. I also read this morning about a hot water bottle wrapped in a tshirt that smells like you... so I'll get a hot water bottle too... any other ideas?
We're so so so tired!!!
deb100855 07-11-2005, 10:23 AM Congrats on your new addition! I have an 8 week old puppy I got 2 weeks ago.
As you wrote puppies do want to be with you. They are used to being with their mom and all their litter mates. The lady I got mine from said they like to be wrapped up like new born infants do. I wrapped mine up in a towel and took her to bed with me the first week. I did have a few little accidents on the bed sheets, but they are so small they don't even soak through the mattress cover and I was able to just launder the bed clothes - no damage to the mattress.
I've known people to diaper their pups or older dogs who have lost bowel/bladder control.
My son-in-law's mother had her youngest son sleep on the floor with the puppy till it was old enough to sleep alone.
Mine stays in her crate all night long now. There will often be a little present in there in the morning, and I have to change her bedding because sometimes she wets it, but she's in there from about 10pm till about 6am. Just like a baby, I put her in there after she falls asleep in my lap. I also gave her a stuffed animal to sleep with. Luckily puppies mature way faster than human infants: D
During the day when I go to work I leave her in the kitchen with a baby gate across the door. I leave water and her crate open for her to sleep in. I come home at lunch to let her out. Most of the time there's a mess on the kitchen floor when I come home, but it's tile, so no problem. I also leave the TV on during the day, and I have cats, although I don't think they pay her much mind.
What kind of puppy did you get and what did you name him? Mine is a beagle and my daughter named her Padme Amadilla - after the Star Wars character.
By the way, so far the best toy I've found for her, and she is small so it works, is a toothbrush! She loves it better than all her other toys!
marcy 07-11-2005, 10:26 AM Heh great name!
So... if we actually sleep with him... he might sleep?
We got a husky/lab mix and we named him Zeus. He's absolutely adorable... will try to figure out how to post a pic here... but we're so so so freaking tired!!!!
marcy 07-11-2005, 10:31 AM http://guyp.badne.ws/kiwi/Picture.jpg
deb100855 07-11-2005, 10:33 AM LOL - you responded as I was still editing :p Your puppy is going to be BIG! I had a lab mix that my daughter took with her when she moved. He is ADORABLE!
deb100855 07-11-2005, 10:35 AM Here's a pic of me/with my puppy :)
http://www.geocities.com/dheckenkamp/PattyMaenMe.jpg
he shoe next to Zeus is a good indicator of how big he is! MIne is about as long as the shoe - lol.
marcy 07-11-2005, 10:39 AM We also have a Jack Russell named Maci. He's as big as she is... and likely weighs a smidge more... he's like baby huey LOL! Dev says Zeus sleeps for 1 to 2 hours at most at night and then wants attention and play for about 30mins before going back to sleep... he thinks that this pattern will continue even if Zeus is brought into the bed... Thoughts?
marcy 07-11-2005, 10:53 AM LOL! Amina... yes there is a strong family resemblence hahahah
deb100855 07-11-2005, 10:55 AM [QUOTE=Amina315]He looks just like you and Dev...lol!!![QUOTE]
LOL@Amina :p
Mine slept when I took her to bed with me. I still had to get up once with her to take her out, but I wrapped her back up and went right back to bed with her. No play! After a day or two she got the idea that we weren't playing in the middle of the night, and like Amina says, in the last week she's started sleeping through most of the night - or at least entertaining herself when she wakes up in her crate!
whiterose 07-11-2005, 10:59 AM If you don't mind him wanting to always sleep with you, then bring him into your bed. But beware, old habits die hard and he'll grow to really like that really well. And my experience when my dog was a puppy that it didn't matter what we did, he wasn't going to sleep during the night anyway. So, just like with a human baby, we trained him to eventually go to sleep on his own in his own space and I'm glad we did that. It does wear you out because you can't get any rest. But, if you go to him every time, he will learn just how to push your buttons and get what he wants -- just like human babies do. :)
I agree with the idea about the ticking clock and hot water bottle. You may also try a stuffed animal that looks like a dog. Or, how about your other dog sleeping with him? Is he ready for that?
Your puppy is adorable Marcy. I miss having a dog. Mine died about 4 years ago and my daughter wants one, but I'm not ready yet.... and it's because of the kind of thing you two are going through right now. :)
Chatterbox 07-11-2005, 11:03 AM Marcy, I got a big laugh that the picture you posted was of the puppy that will not let you sleep sound asleep!!! (Obviously resting in preparation for keeping you up all night!)
marcy 07-11-2005, 11:03 AM Kat what you are saying makes perfect sense to me and those were the exact reasons that we originally planned to kennel him in the kitchen and hope he'd learn to sleep through the night... sorta like Ferberizing a baby lol! Not to mention that it is one thing to sleep with a 7 pound Jack Russell and another altogether to sleep with a 70 to 80 pound dog! We'd need a bigger bed LOL!!!
But we read that he was incapable of "learning" this at 5 weeks and worried about traumatizing him... think we won't?
Stuffed animal is a good idea... we are always hesitant of those kinds of objects with dogs as we have small kids in the house and want to avoid toy confusion. However... if we just put this dog (and it were bigger... ;)) in the kennel with him... not taking out to play... this might make a lovely littermate subsitute...
marcy 07-11-2005, 11:05 AM Marcy, I got a big laugh that the picture you posted was of the puppy that will not let you sleep sound asleep!!! (Obviously resting in preparation for keeping you up all night!)
NO FREAKING KIDDING!!!! I said the same thing to him all day yesterday... sleep well lil puppy... big night of harrasment in front of you... you need your strength!
LOL!
Carazy 07-11-2005, 12:45 PM Marcy, unfortunately I don't have any advise, just wanted to say he really looks totally adorable - and quite a handful too, lol :D
marcy 07-12-2005, 09:02 AM Seeing WR's post reminded me to give an update... thanks for the advice kiddies...
We diapered up teh puppy and brought him to bed. I'm well rested. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We realize we may have a battle gettin him out soon, but we were too tired to do another night of crying. :p
whiterose 07-12-2005, 12:05 PM Hey, sometimes you just gotta get some rest. I don't blame you.
Chatterbox 07-13-2005, 02:42 PM Wow! A diaper!!! What a great idea, Marcy! I wish I had that when Candy was a baby. We'd bring her up on the bed to play with her, she'd stop, look us right in the eye, and pee! One night, I had to change the sheets three times!!! Now I'm sitting here with a giant "Duh!" stamped on my head!!!
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