How to get new puppy to sleep at night

[lizt]

Hello, new to paw talk dog forums - i just brought home an 8 week old doxie puppy, and need help in the best way to get her to sleep through the night with out her crying. we have a nice doggie bed for her, b/c she is so small, that we don't want her in the bed for fear of smooshing her. but if we put her in the doggie bed, she cries all night.
help? tips? big thanks!

liz

[Z Car Barbie]

Quote: Originally Posted by lizt Hello, new to paw talk dog forums - i just brought home an 8 week old doxie puppy, and need help in the best way to get her to sleep through the night with out her crying. we have a nice doggie bed for her, b/c she is so small, that we don't want her in the bed for fear of smooshing her. but if we put her in the doggie bed, she cries all night. help? tips? big thanks! liz

Hi, Liz! Congrats on your new puppy! As to your current problem, this thread might be beneficial, as well as several others. I've personally found that when you put a puppy in a crate (or a cardboard or similar box), placing a hot water bottle in there sort of simulates the warmth they're accustomed to from their mother and siblings, and adding a small blanket or sheet and a few small (puppy-safe) stuffed animals definitely helps. I feel that the sooner you start crating, the better, because if the puppy has slept in the bed with you at all prior to crating, it might be difficult for it to adjust to the crate.

Also, when your puppy starts teething, I would not continue with the hot water bottle (because it might chew on the rubberized bottle and that's definitely not safe), but would put a small rawhide chew in the crate with the puppy, as well as other store-bought chew toys (may also help to avoid damage to your furnishings and other belongings while the puppy isn't confined to the crate).

[lizt]

thanks for the link it's very helpful
but what if the puppy is crying in her crate and its time to take her out? does she still think that crying will get her attention?
and does this mean the really cute doggie bed will not get used b/c she's gonna sleep on her carrier crate?
thanks again!

[Scarlette]

She is crying because she's been with her littermates and mom her whole life and now she's alone and probably scared. All puppies take awhile to adjust to being on their own. Try leaving a night light on so that she's not quite so scared at night in the dark. A puppy safe stuffed animal is a good idea so she doesn't feel so alone. Some people use a wind up clock and the ticking noise reminds the puppy of it's mother's heart beat when they snuggle.

As far as the bed, just put it in the crate with her (if it fits). Take her outside right before bed, let her go potty then put her in the crate. She will most likely cry but don't give into it because she will quickly learn that crying = attention and escape from the crate. If she wakes up at night and cries then she most likely has to go potty....most puppies need to go right after they wake up. Take her outside to potty then put her back in the crate.

Congrats on the new puppy and good luck. Most puppies will stop crying after a few nights.

[PicOlio]

Disclaimer: In my adult years, I've not had to care for "small dogs" much at all so my methods may not be a good match.

Things I've found that work well include the following:

Swimming/bathing if possible before bed time. I'd let me dogs, that weren't planning to sleep when they should (or at least when I should lol) go swimming for a while before bed time. If it was too cold to swim outside we would do showers or bathtime inside... no soap since you never want to bathe a dog too much, just water. This almost always resulted in a good long "nap" afterwards. Whether it being swimming or something else...anything to tucker them out is the goal.

Heart Beats - Just like with real babies, if you can create the sound of a heartbeat it may help the baby to rest. Any soft rythmic tone should do the trick but you could go all out and buy one of those battery operated pillows that create the tone for you ...

For teething I cannot recommend enough "frozen things". A wet cloth tossed in the freezer makes an excellent treat. Anything they like, that can be successfully frozen, will really help to soothe the pain which is really what they are trying to do. Cold helps those sore gums a ton.

Nevertheless.... regardless what you do... babies just never sleep long enough... so give it time. Puppies grow up fast ...sleep will come in the near future naturally. For this reason it is important to take care of YOU now beyond the measures taken to try and get puppy to sleep. Make sure you can get the required naps for yourself and if you have someone else able to help share the load....take advantage of it.

[AprilsMom]

Hey Lizt,
I have a Doxie as well. Doxies are very :blob4: hyper doggies. So, I found a solution that helped her.

The first night I had April home. All she wanted to do was cry, she did not want to sleep. I kept her fenced up in my kitchen and I had a clock ticking. However, she still would not relax. Finally, I got up in the middle of the night and tried to console her. (not the smartest thing to do, because then she expects it all the time). But, she finally went to sleep, I put her in her bed, with a stuffed animal, that was bigger then her, and she finally went to sleep.

The next night, I wore her out, ran her all over, introduced her to many new things, and she was having a blast. When it was time for bed, I again had the clock and stuffed animal and she went right to sleep.

The third night, and all the nights after, she found that when she goes to sleep, even though she is by herself at night, I come to see her in the morning. She got used to that. So, now she goes to sleep no problem.

[jmb9101]

Quote: Originally Posted by PicOlio For teething I cannot recommend enough "frozen things". A wet cloth tossed in the freezer makes an excellent treat. Anything they like, that can be successfully frozen, will really help to soothe the pain which is really what they are trying to do. Cold helps those sore gums a ton.

Great advice all around Deb!

I did just want to add though...that there are some websites where you can get a nice little ice tray the shape of a bone so you can freeze the water into a cute bone ice cube...I think Jefferspet online sells them...but most petstores sell them too. Just incase she starts becoming a chewer...you wouldnt want her to eat part of the cloth...Harlie our girl, she will eat anything...even her own blankets, so we cant let her have them...but a huge bone ice cube works wonders. And they cant get an obstruction by an icecube...

The cloth would be a great idea if she doesnt tend to be a major chewer like my two.

~Melissa