Tough Night

Cal · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:41 am Post subject: Tough Night

I guess you could say it came to a head when my wife called him a "stupid dog". Stupidhead, dumbdumb, even dumbass I can take, but I draw the line at Stupid dog. Anyways, I regress... Mad

We put him in his crate again last night, but this time, the wifey really needed the sleep, and Huck was not having any of that... He was crying in his cage for about an hour, and just when I was ready to give in, (I was fully dressed to take him outside) he stopped. But an hour later, he started back up again.

The wifey was pressuring me to sit next to his crate and comfort him, and I wanted to be steadfast and not acknowledge what he was doing. When he started crying for the second time, I waited for a tiny break in the crying, then took him outside. This was around 2:30 AM. When we came back in, I gave in and slept with him on the living room floor for the rest of the night... I did eventually move to the couch and he slept through the night, on his blanket next to the couch. He finally woke me up around 6:30.

My question is: Did I give in? Is sleeping with him in the LR good while he is only 8 weeks (as I can't make this a permanent thing)? Moving him to sleep in the bedroom is not an option as my wife is somewhat allergic and we agreed to keep that as the "safe room" in the house where she can always retreat to when she needs to (not to say Huck is not allowed in there, just not to sleep).

Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!

Trene · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:52 am Post subject:

ohhhh noooo... I don't know if Sky cried when she was that little the crate was so far away from the bedroom, and we keep the door shut. My husband did get up with her at 2:30 every nite to let her out until she could hold it. But after she got big enough, and one nite the bedroom door was open I heard her crying, she's been in our room (bed) ever since.

Cal · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:57 am Post subject:

Trene · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 11:36 am Post subject:

That's awesome.... Just suks having to get up in the middle of the night, but that wasn't my "job". Good luck. Maybe he'll stop crying once he realizes you are always there for him.

sterlingsmom · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject:

awww...it's too bad he can't be in his crate in your room. Sterling used to be a howler at night. I put the crate by the bed where if she started, I could put my fingers in the crate and whisper, "shhhhh. Lay down." This worked after only a couple of nights. Within a week, I could put the crate in the other room and whisper and say lay down, and she would.
The allergies....I was TERRIBLY allergic to Sterling when I brought her home. I lived the first 60 days in a fog taking Benadryl when I was home. My body eventually built up a tollerance, and I've had no problems since.
Maybe for a week you could sleep on the couch with the crate next to you and do what I suggested? I'm all too familiar with my SO being VERY unhappy with our dogs when they don't sleep at night....thankfully, they are through the worst of it.
Keep us posted!

nurse88 · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:25 pm Post subject:

KD must be too used to sleeping during the day. She will only sleep 4-5 hours a night. I might get lucky with 6 but never more. She is only 5 months, but I just can't let her cry some nights. I would get up with her at 2 AM and then take her out at 5 AM and start getting ready for work. She is in the crate alot due to her not being able to hold it overnight, but what else can we do?? I am new to dogs, KD is my first, but I would like to sleep in sometimes. So far, she has only let me sleep until 5:30 AM and that was only once since we got her in October. We even got a King size bed so she could, eventually, sleep with us. She has no problems in the morning or before bedtime, but it has been 3 months and still not holding her pee overnight.

sterlingsmom · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:31 pm Post subject:

Colt is six months and still doesn't hold it overnight. Sterling was about 7 months before sleeping through the night...and I attribute that to exersizing late at night, taking her water away by 7:30 p.m., and letting her sleep in the bed with us. Now, at 9.5 months, she won't get up unless I MAKE her...even after 12 hours Wink

Last night, we set the alarm for midnight, took Colt out, put him right back in the crate, and he slept until 7 a.m. We figure 7 straight hours is better than going to bed at 10 p.m. and having to get up at 2 or 3 a.m. We get much better rest this way.
Be patient. It will happen Smile

anne · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:33 pm Post subject:

Cal,
Yes you did give in.... but that's OK if you are OK with it....
Here is what I tell my puppy people to do:
First few days/weeks home, crate goes in the bedroom. It's a bit of a shock for those pups not used to being moved around to have to be away from their littermates for the first time. Hearing you breath is comforting. Since you can't put the crate in the bedroom I would have crated him in the LR and sleep on the couch. As he gets more comfortable, I would move back into the bedroom. Done correctly should only take a week or so.
They often do have to go in the middle of the night. When you hear them moving around (but hopefully before crying) take the pup out in a BUSINESS LIKE FASHION, no playing, no nothing, take pup out, make sure he potties (a properly raised one will go immediately when feet hit the grass) and right back in. No eye contact, no petting, no nothing, put him back in his crate and good night. If he fusses, then ignore. You will know at that point it's not because he has to go. You probably should have taken him out that first time he got quiet, but no big deal.

Cal · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 1:25 pm Post subject:

[quote="anne"]Cal,
Yes you did give in.... but that's OK if you are OK with it....
Here is what I tell my puppy people to do:
First few days/weeks home, crate goes in the bedroom. It's a bit of a shock for those pups not used to being moved around to have to be away from their littermates for the first time. Hearing you breath is comforting. Since you can't put the crate in the bedroom I would have crated him in the LR and sleep on the couch. As he gets more comfortable, I would move back into the bedroom. Done correctly should only take a week or so.
They often do have to go in the middle of the night. When you hear them moving around (but hopefully before crying) take the pup out in a BUSINESS LIKE FASHION, no playing, no nothing, take pup out, make sure he potties (a properly raised one will go immediately when feet hit the grass) and right back in. No eye contact, no petting, no nothing, put him back in his crate and good night. If he fusses, then ignore. You will know at that point it's not because he has to go. You probably should have taken him out that first time he got quiet, but no big deal.[/quote]

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely try that... the only reason I did not take him out the first time is because I had already taken him out right before I crated him for the night and he did both outside, therefore, I knew he wasn't crying becuase he needed to go out, he just wanted to be with us, and I knew that... I was just trying to do the best I could to ignore it. Whenever he cries 3 hours or so after I put him in the crate, I always take him out.

Regardless, I'll give putting the crate in the Living Room a shot while I sleep on the couch for a week and see how that works out. Thanks everyone!

WeimerHeimer · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:54 pm Post subject:

I remember the two week we had Britta, no one in the house got any sleep. After the second week it was like the switch got turned and she knew that when the lights where being turned off for the night it was time for the crate. It was hard, but I never gave in to letting her out once we were in bed for the night. Stand your ground, she'll get use to it.