[melissajaye]

My dog sleeps most of the day, but is awake a good part of the night whining at me from his crate.
I have tried keeping him awake during the day. He has no interest in playing.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have considered buying him a calming collar, since he is new to the home.

 

[Kathyy]

The first couple weeks with a new dog are weird for everybody, how long has he been with you? Lost sleep and worrying are normal. If he isn't playing then likely he is completely unsettled still. Take him for short walks to get used to the neighborhood and consider feeding him from a food puzzle so he is up and having some fun for a few minutes. Maybe that will help him with day and night.

 

[melissajaye]

He is 8 weeks old; I have had him 4 1/2 days. He has no leash training so walking him isn't really an option. Not to mention that he doesn't really want to move around much at all. He doesn't even explore the house. He will not come out of his kennel. I have to pick him up to take him outside. I'm worried that if he keeps being this way he will learn he has to be picked up out of his kennel that he can't just walk out on his own. I have opened the kennel door and sat down across the room. He lays on the bed inside the kennel and either watches me or goes to sleep. I sat on the floor with kennel door open for 4 hours and nothing but naps or watches me; with hardwood floors those 4 hours were very uncomfortable. He has an activity ball that slowly feeds him treats, but he honestly has no interest in it. Perhaps he just doesn't like the treat, if so I bought 4 bags of them and they're useless. I want to start slowly training him like to use the bell to go outside, sit, lay down; just simple commands, but without him having any interest in the world around him or treats I am stuck.
Overnight he is in his kennel with several toys, a water bowl (I don't put a whole lot in the bowl for overnight), and his activity ball. I have read in several places that it is not good for you to scold dogs inside their kennel, so to remove myself from temptation of scolding him for crying I have started wearing earplugs to bed. Half way through the night I will take my earplugs out and if he is crying I wait for him to be quiet at least 15-20 seconds before I get up to take him outside, if he is quiet when I take my earplugs out I get up and take him out. The last two nights when I have woken up he is quiet. Half the time when I take him outside in the middle of the night he will sit down where I sit him and just stare at me, sometimes he will walk around a bit and go potty. The first night with him he was completely quiet other than the sounds of him chewing on his stuffed alligator. The second night he whined all the way through. I kept calmly talking to him. The third night I decided that I would try the silent treatment, this is where I decided to start wearing the earplugs. He was a bit whiny but not as bad compared to the night before. The fourth night he was slightly whiny at the start of going to bed, but from then on I couldn't hear him through the earplugs. I plan on tonight trying it without the earplugs and see how he is truly doing.
During the day I like to keep him in the same room with me. Usually the kitchen because it has the door to outside right there. He lays under the table and either sleeps, or plays with himself and his toys. If I try to join in the play stops. I have baby gates up to control his wondering, but he doesn't explore any further than under the kitchen table.

I know he is still adjusting to the new home and the separation. I think he is slowly warming up to me as he wags his tail when I pet him or when I walk into the room.
Also, I work 7 1/2 hours every Saturday. I can't come home and let him out during my shift; I don't have the extra money to hire someone; my neighbors aren't friendly; my boyfriend works an ever changing schedule, so I don't really have any other choice but to keep him in his kennel all day. Its a large kennel, built for Great Danes. He is not a Great Dane, but he is going to be a BIG dog.

 

[Lillith]

Have you had him to the vet? It is kind of unusual for an 8 week old puppy to not want to play with you and not want to explore...I mean, some puppies can be that way, especially when they are new to the home, and they do sleep 20+ hours a day when they are that young, but completely disinterested is kind of strange. Where did this puppy come from? Does he eat and drink normally?

As for the whining, that is normal. It goes away after a while. At 8 weeks old, I would suggest a potty break halfway through the night, as their little bladders can't hold it that long.

Do you have a divider in the crate to make it smaller so he can't pee on one side and then lay down on the other? You don't want the pup peeing in his crate. Instead, attach an x-pen to the crate so he can have a space outside of the crate to potty when you are gone at work. Put potty pads down on the floor. The puppy will not be able to hold it for 7.5 hours yet, so he needs to have another option, otherwise you may have a crate-soiler. When he is older (say around 6-9 months) he will probably be able to hold it for a full work day. When the pup is fully potty trained, he can have the whole crate, too.

Puppies can go for walks and start on leash training! You can start in your yard, provided you know no unvaccinated dogs have been there. At 8 weeks, your pup probably hasn't finished his vaccinations yet, so going for walks in public spaces isn't a good idea, but you can still go to 'safe' places where risk of infection is minimal. You can start a puppy obedience class (provided all dogs are vaccinated, of course). You can work on leash training in your house.

 

[melissajaye]

I did take him to the vet. He said everything was fine; hydrated and all labs normal. He is drinking and eating his kibble fine. The vet and I both agreed this could all very well be part of him being separated from mom, 7 siblings, and 2 adult dogs. Today he actually came to me and curled up on my lap.
I have been getting up mid night and taking him out to pee every night. I take him out every 3-4 hours during the day, as well as first thing in the morning and just prior to me going to bed.
He is slowly becoming more interested in the world around him. I am trying to find a treat he likes then I'll dive into training him.

As for the crate divider, do you know where I can find one? I bought a crate that would be big enough for him full grown. I thought about getting a small one, but didn't want to have to end up buying two; one for puppy and one for full grown dog. The crate I have is sized for an adult Great Dane. Here is a link to the crate I bought. https://www.chewy.com/frisco-xx-large-heavy-duty-double/dp/125054

 

[Lillith]

I did take him to the vet. He said everything was fine; hydrated and all labs normal. He is drinking and eating his kibble fine. The vet and I both agreed this could all very well be part of him being separated from mom, 7 siblings, and 2 adult dogs. Today he actually came to me and curled up on my lap.
I have been getting up mid night and taking him out to pee every night. I take him out every 3-4 hours during the day, as well as first thing in the morning and just prior to me going to bed.
He is slowly becoming more interested in the world around him. I am trying to find a treat he likes then I'll dive into training him.

As for the crate divider, do you know where I can find one? I bought a crate that would be big enough for him full grown. I thought about getting a small one, but didn't want to have to end up buying two; one for puppy and one for full grown dog. The crate I have is sized for an adult Great Dane. Here is a link to the crate I bought. https://www.chewy.com/frisco-xx-large-heavy-duty-double/dp/125054

Usually crates come with one. Sure it wasn't in the box? You can probably find a replacement on Amazon or Chewy or something.