Please go to sleep!

Diana5241 · 07-25-2008, 10:41 AM

My house has become husband vs. dog each night. Gizmo's been with us three weeks and (once asleep) does a good job of sleeping through the night. Getting him to sleep, however, always results in a barrage of barking.

We put him to bed in his crate, with a towel for bedding and a sheet over it for darkness. We also have a little radio on for him so it's not so quiet downstairs. Before "bedtime" we make sure to have about 30 min of vigorous activity and then 15-30 min, lights off, with the family quietly winding down on the couch.

I think he's doing pretty well, but my husband's still frustrated that he barks for about 10 min every night. It's a very loud, hyper bark, but we ignore it and Gizmo eventually goes to sleep.

Being that he's still so little (13 weeks), I told my hubby that it's natural and he'll soon grow out of it.... Can anyone share experiences that I can share with him? How soon is reasonable to expect a quiet bedtime?

THANKS!

Mac'N'Roe · 07-25-2008, 11:29 AM

awww, cute little thing he is. You may want to try having him sleep in the crate in your bedroom. He probably just doesn't like being alone. I had two puppies this age...one was quiet, the other would scream her head off. I had them crated downstairs as well. Eventually, I put them in the bedroom with me and that seemed to quiet things down. I moved though, and they now sleep in the kitchen. I haven't had trouble with this.

Oh, and 10 minutes isn't that long. Try 6 hours of it...then you have something to complain about

. My Roe yelped for two nights straight...then I put her upstairs with me...not in the bed. Just crated in our room. That seemed to help.

TooneyDogs · 07-25-2008, 11:38 AM

You're right that this is natural. Tell your hubby that puppies have a great fear of being left alone and being socially isolated. Their survival instinct kicks in knowing that separation from the pack could put their life in danger. As they get older and wiser (about 1 year) they learn that being alone is OK. You can fix the problem by bringing the puppy into the bedroom with you (being with the rest of the pack) and by teaching confidence which can shorten the timeframe considerably.

Westhighlander · 07-25-2008, 01:04 PM

Tell him 10 minutes is a walk in the park.

CalamityJane · 07-25-2008, 01:10 PM

I third the "crate in the bedroom" suggestion. This has worked with all our puppies. We learned on the first one. We had his crate in the kitchen, and that first night started out terribly. I endured it for about 30 minutes, then went and got the puppy, crate and all, brought it into the bedroom, put the crate on the floor beside my bed, and we all went to sleep.

They don't even have to be in the bed with you, just to be in the same room is usually enough. It is very scary for the baby to feel like he/she is "all alone" without any security of the "pack".

Good Luck.