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Post by hacklover on Dec 27, 2009 23:38:16 GMT
We have the most adorable lurcher puppy who is 10 weeks old. He is a gorgeous intelligent dog and fits into out lifestyle perfectly. Until bedtime!!!!! It doesnt sleep and turns into the puppy from hell. It howls and barks and crys and screams sometimes for four hours or more. Tried ignoring him, lettin him out for a pee, hot water bottle, clock, toys, jumper of mine, slappin the horse n hound on my hand to shock him, EVERYTHING!!!!! Im at my wits end now as this has been going on for two weeks and no sign of gettin better. I dont like upsettin him as he is so lovely. Im not lettin him sleep in the bedrooms. I have tried lettin him sleep less during the day and playing with him. I dont know what else to try. Any ideas?  If anyone can find the answer to what works, I will be so eternally grateful. Thanks in advance. |
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Post by hacklover on Dec 27, 2009 23:39:19 GMT
and also tried a water spray, but that is a great game for him!!
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Post by hacklover on Dec 27, 2009 23:42:44 GMT
and he is fed James Wellbeloved at 8am. 1pm and 6.30pm. Not really given many treats during the day as i wondered about the sugar (!) Tried puttin him to bed and reassuring him till he sleeps. Works for a couple of hours. Someone must have a solution!! please  |
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Milliesmum
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COCKERP00S RULE!!!
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Post by Milliesmum on Dec 27, 2009 23:47:17 GMT
Right. Consistency is the key.
Send him out to pee. Then put him where he sleeps. Tell him it's bed time. Then walk away, and DON'T GO BACK!!!! He will bark cry and throw a paddy. IGNORE HIM!!!!! DO NOT GO BACK ON ANY ACCOUNT!!!!! He will paddy some more, you must not go back! He may do this for a couple of nights. He has learned that if he cries and barks you will go back to him. He has to learn that once you are in bed that is where you will stay no matter what. It may well take a few nights for the message to sink in, but it is the only way, trust me. If you go downstairs to him you will be back to square one and it will undo everything, you have to be consistent.
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Post by hacklover on Dec 27, 2009 23:54:08 GMT
i know that its like negative reinforcement scenario, but hes been like this for almost two weeks and last night we just did the horse and hound shock treatment for him. But dont like that cos i think he may be too young to understand it.
What about a cage. Personally I hate them, but if he feels more secure. I also have two cats that are very friendly with him, so its not like hes on his own.
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Milliesmum
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COCKERP00S RULE!!!
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Post by Milliesmum on Dec 27, 2009 23:59:32 GMT
I think it's because you've tried different things. He wants your attention, and negative attention (ie a telling off) is better than no attention at all. I don't think there's an easy way, you have to stick him out and that will probably mean a good few disturbed nights. He knows by playing up he can get you to come back.
Millie has a cage, and doesn't mind being in it, but we only use it for travelling in the car. Although when she was small, we had the cage up in the kitchen with the door open, and that was her 'time out' place and she would put herself in there when the kids were getting on her nerves. If you want him to spend all night in it you will have to start in the day time with short spells and reward him for being in there, and gradually build up the amount of time, so it's not a quick solution.
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Post by hacklover on Dec 28, 2009 0:11:32 GMT
in the car he is an angel. learnt very quickly to sit and stay there, but i do put his bed blanket on the seat so hes happy. I also praise him and he has a 'chewy' treat to keep him occupied. I know hes a little young, but I even tried tirin him out with a pigs ear last night. He cried between chewing!!!! He is currently on his back with his flabby belly exposed, fasto in my net curtains!!! lol.
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joey
Full Member
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Post by joey on Dec 28, 2009 0:30:28 GMT
These are plug in available from vets or pharmacies this would suit your dog plug in one our before bed worth a try its called DAP
A lot of people have dogs that are frightened of fireworks and other loud noises, become anxious when left alone, or have difficulty travelling. Developed by a team of French scientists, the Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) is an innovative product designed to help your dog cope with these forms of anxiety and stress. 3 to 5 days after birthing, a bit*h secretes appeasing pheromones to provide her pups with a feeling of comfort and safety. The DAP Diffuser works like a plug-in air freshener, emitting an odourless, synthetic version of those pheromones into the dog’s environment, producing a calming atmosphere with no sedative effect and maintaining the dog’s ability to interact and play.
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aunty
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Post by aunty on Dec 28, 2009 9:06:15 GMT
My mother had a puppy like this quite a few years ago. She did all you did before bed, and Bea would do the same, scream, howl, chew everything, for hours!. She mentioned it to the vet, and he said that she could not possibly put up with it, so he prescribed a 3 week course of A C P!. She was only on a light dose, but it worked, she gave it to her 1/2 hr before bed, played with her like mad, and gave her something light to eat before settling her down, it worked a treat, and by 2 weeks, was having her supper and sliding of to bed without being told!
I have had lurchers for years, they are notoriously naughty for going to bed, but mine all pile into bed with me ( not good I know), but even then I have been known to get up in the night to play with them when they did not settle, until they were sleepy again! Good luck , it will get better.
Edited to say, A C P should only be given under strict instructions from your vet, as lurchers and long dogs etc, can overreact to drugs.
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Post by squidgetmidget on Dec 28, 2009 11:10:15 GMT
MM has it spot on. i would avoid all the harsh things like water sprays and the H&H treatment as the puppy will not understand what you are getting at. DAP is another great idea. i advise all new puppy owners to crate train their puppies, not only is it great for bedtimes but also for when they need to be left alone unsupervised. you must not give in or like MM said, you will be back to square one. you are completely right about treats, the sugar contents etc will cause excitability so use his/her normal diet as treats. when you are sat infront the tv of an evening, do not allow the puppy to rest too, have a good play session before bedtime. leaving the tv/radio/music on can help too. also make sure when you do go down in the morning that the puppy isnt making a noise. as even though you needed to go down anyway and its not the crying that made you do it, the puppy will think he got you down by crying. so wait until he/she is quiet for a minute then appear so the puppy can combine his/her silence with the appearance of you. people with new puppies also make the mistake of spending every living moment with them (with i completely understand as they are so cute!) but it does not encourage the puppy to be able to be comfortable in his/her own company. it is a good idea to not ensure they are by your side every moment of the day, also get the puppy used to you leaving the room he/she is in, shutting the door so they cant follow you then randomly reappearing. do not let the puppy follow you around constantly. even though having food near bedtime is not great for toileting reasons, it may help if you used a toy like a kong with a very small amount of paste in it and give it to the puppy when you go to bed, so for the first 5, 10, 15, 30 mins (depends on attention span!!) the puppy is fixated on something other than the fact you are leaving him/her.
hope all that helps. you should speak to you vets/vet nurses as this is exactly what we are hear for! x
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Post by squidgetmidget on Dec 28, 2009 11:16:42 GMT
one other thing!!!! you should not make a big deal about him/her being left as this will only confirm to the puppy that there is reason to be worried, anxious etc. for about 20 mins before you want to go to bed, it can help to completely ignore the puppy in preparation for being left alone. this is the same for when they are left during the day. then it is not as much as a shock as it would be if you were intensely interacting and then suddenly say right im off to bed! bit of a shocker for the puppy!! so it needs to be gradual x
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Post by brindlerainbow on Dec 28, 2009 13:11:43 GMT
Milliesmum is right you need to ignore him even when he's howling the house down,everytime you go back to him you are rewarding him for howling!!!!
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dazycutter
Happy to help
The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his Tongue.
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Post by dazycutter on Dec 28, 2009 13:14:28 GMT
I swear by crates.. all my babies get crate trained. Dont make it a nasty or bad place to be.. feed him in it and reward him for being in it.
start gradualy by putting him in it for a hour at a time and big rewards when he comes out.
They feel safe and secure in crates and although all my adults no longer go in them, if I ever put one up, they all cram inside.
and as MM said.. never ever go back and shout or comfort him when he is being naughty, its just rewarding his bad behaviour ..
good luck.
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Post by hacklover on Dec 28, 2009 20:27:54 GMT
thanks so much for all your help. keep it coming. I need support before I go nuts!!!
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tanya1989
Junior Member
Golden Glory
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Post by tanya1989 on Dec 29, 2009 3:13:22 GMT
what about a radio?
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Post by Philippa on Dec 29, 2009 15:43:52 GMT
we just did the horse and hound shock treatment for him. But dont like that cos i think he may be too young to understand it. What you threatened to readvertise him??? lol Sorry, couldn't resist. Unfortunately most of us dog owners have been through this scenario at some point - Millies mum is spot on - you must ignore him. Cruel to be kind i'm afraid. Hope he improves. There is nothing worse than laying listening to them howl. Ours are all crated anytime we are out or in bed. They have no issues. They are in the big lintran dog crates (Lee says we could be the lintran showroom in our kitchen!!) |
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Post by hacklover on Dec 29, 2009 20:59:56 GMT
what about lettin him sleep in my sons room. i dont mind, but bit worried about peeing! the dog i mean!
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Post by squidgetmidget on Dec 30, 2009 20:50:40 GMT
NO! thats exactly like letting him in your room, like MM and i have previously said, you will just encourage the behaviour and you will be even more likely to get your puppy suffering from separation anxiety if it can not learn to spend time alone x
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Post by hacklover on Dec 30, 2009 23:22:53 GMT
oh dear!! I have been naughty. He slept in my sons room. not a thing on the floor and he slept till 8am this morning (both of them!) . I actually dont mind as long as he is clean most of the time. I also have a plan to crate train him during the day for upto three hours. He can come to work with me a couple of times a week and then my hubby and then at home for a few hours on his own twice a week. Is this any good???
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Milliesmum
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Post by Milliesmum on Dec 30, 2009 23:26:36 GMT
If you're happy to have him sleeping in a bedroom, and that works for you, then that's fine. It's just that if you do ever have to leave him, or anyone looks after him for you (holidays etc.), you are going to have the same problem. Because he won't have built the confidence to cope on his own.
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jilly
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Post by jilly on Dec 31, 2009 7:55:46 GMT
you will find that if you get a crate he will treat it as "his place" and be quite content to go in. if you leave the door open throughout the day he will get used to it being there and you will find that he will go in it to sleep by himself eventually.you just have to keep trying and remember IGNORE !!
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dazycutter
Happy to help
The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his Tongue.
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Post by dazycutter on Dec 31, 2009 16:00:38 GMT
I have jsut given one f my crates to a friend who has a new puppy that cried all night... 2 days later and some advice, puppy goes in it of his own accord to sleep and is quiet all night now... it does work... they are delighted and didnt realise it was so easy... Whenever they cant find puppy, there he is in the crate asleep... :-)
I dont mind mine sleeping with me, but only after they have been trainined to be left and usually if one of them is not well.
be strong and train him now.. it will pay huge dividends in later life..
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Post by squidgetmidget on Jan 1, 2010 16:48:38 GMT
i told a lady where i work to crate her puppy and not let it sleep in a bedroom. she ignored me. now the 7month old dog has huge separation issues and destroys the house when left alone. it may be a quick fix to let him sleep in the bedroom but you will regret it later on.
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Post by princessstacie22 on Jan 7, 2010 13:07:31 GMT
We have had our dog in a crate from day one.
Has he had his jabs yet??
What are his excercise routines like?
MM has hit the nail on the head though. you have to be cruel to be kind
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Post by pipspears on Jan 7, 2010 23:34:50 GMT
my mum crate trained her lab as i did with my sibeerian husky they are worth there weight in gold, we use them if we have visitors etc and for bed they know wenits 10pm its bed time n usualy the y get in before 10pm its not a cruel thing its giving your pup his own place and boundrys, you put your son in a cot as a baby did you run to him all night?? i bet not your pup is an animal remember that look up alpha training its a great look on trianing form the dogs point of veiw
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