First night woes...

2338 Views 20 Replies 12 Participants Last post by middleofnowhere, Jun 4, 2008

DarkEquine

Discussion Starter · Jun 1, 2008

Just got new pup yesterday! He's absolutely gorgeous! Will post photos when my camera decides to transfer them!
He wasn't at all scared when we embarked on the hour's drive from the breeders to home. Slept the entire way. Had a romp in the backyard and did his business where he was supposed to. Met the cat (a lot sooner than we expected!) and enjoyed his first and 2nd meal meal with vigour! Didn't drink much but I expect he was just excited.

But...when the sun went down...he turned into a very different pup.
Once the little man had had his dinner (soaked supacoat "kibble" and egg yolk - as per request of the breeder) and did his business out in the garden, we settled him into his crate (which is in the laundry) and went into the kitchen.

We were in view of the crate the entire time, we thought it would help if he could see what we were doing. As soon as we left the room - he started screaming. All-out, ****-for-leather...screaming! At first we thought he got scared, being in the dark, so we turned the light on and played some gentle music. Well, he didn't shut up for long enough to actually hear it! We tried to ignore him so he'd figure we weren't going to come running every time he wanted it, but that just made him get louder. After an hour or two, we got him out and took him for a potty break and some water. Nope. Put him back in and he started again. After half an hour we gave in and brought him into the kitchen. He wouldn't settle, and was wimpering even when he was curled next to our legs. Finally the time came when we all had to go to bed. I gave him his supper (Milk and honey - as per request) took him out one last time and went to bed.

He did not sleep all night! Nor did we. Took him out at 2am then at 6am. Didn't do anything and then did his business in his bed. In between he cried all night. Had the hiccups in the morning, the poor dear. Had breakfast and let him out. He was still whining and won't stop, even though he was out and about and with us. Not interested in his toys anymore either.

I am wondering what the heck we're doing wrong! Can anyone help us before our pup is sick from anxiety?

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MayzieGSD

· #2 · Jun 1, 2008

2

The night I got Mayzie at 8 weeks old she was crated right next to our bed and she cried the whole night. The second night, we put her in the crate by our bed again and she was quiet all night and never cried again after that.

I would suggest ignoring him but giving him a couple potty breaks throughout the night and he'll learn that crying doesn't help and start to sleep through the night. Sometimes it helps if you put something with your scent in the crate with them and something to snuggle with because he probably misses sleeping with his brothers and sisters

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scannergirl

· #3 · Jun 1, 2008

I found the TV helped Lucy a lot the first couple of nights. She sleeps in the LR downstairs and we are all upstairs. She was more vocal the first couple of nights, but not like you describe.
I think it's a pretty big adjustment leaving the litter, but Lucy was a tad older than some- we got her at ten weeks. How old is your pup?
When is your first vet appointment? I might want to consult the vet just to make sure there's nothing physical going on and that this is a normal adjustment. You are a new mommy, you're entitled to a vet call.
Oh, and

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BowWowMeow

· #4 · Jun 1, 2008

Oh dear. The screaming is normal but the anxiety afterwards is not. In fact, it sounds like Rafi's behavior when I first adopted him (he had separation anxiety). He also go hiccups, threw up, became destructive when separated from me and moaned and groaned and carried on at length when we were reunited. I slowly got him used to being alone. That may be what you need to do with your pup too.

Normally what is suggested is not to leave him separate from you but instead to gate him into the room with you when you're awake and then crate him in your room, next to your bed (close enough to sleep with your fingers through the crate) at night. Leaving the litter and mama is very traumatic for pups and some have more trouble with it than others.

And I know you didn't ask about this but...milk and honey? I would never give my dogs cows milk (dogs are often lactose intolerant) and honey (sugar) is a stimulant and too much of it can give diarrhea. That seems like a recipe for an upset tummy.

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MaggieRoseLee

· #5 · Jun 1, 2008

The screaming is a NORMAL reaction from a scared teeny baby trying to tell his new beloved humans that HE'S RIGHT HERE DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE RIGHT HERE CAN'T YOU HEAR ME WHY AREN'T YOU COMING!!!!!!!!!

I always crate my pups in the room I am in. So that way they don't get FRANTIC trying to get to me in their normal pack behavior. So beside my bed at night.

I've found that when I leave the house entirely, no humans for the pup to hear and want to get together with, they very quickly quiet down and sleep (as long as they are well exercised).

mastercabman

· #6 · Jun 1, 2008

when we got oliver,it was easy.he cried for about 15 minutes the first night.then the second night he did it again for about 10 minutes.after that,never again.
as for annie? not so easy,first,all night!,second night,all night!
so we moved her to the bedroom next to our bed,and she did ok for the next few nights.
some pups do better right away and some don't.i would try to put the crate in your bedroom and see if that helps.

Cooper&me

· #7 · Jun 1, 2008

I wanted to ask about the milk and honey too????????????

Sherush

· #8 · Jun 1, 2008

Jesse at 8 weeks we had him in a crate beside our bed, he cried like you wouldn't believe (we did everything, our scent, toys, chews, blanket, clock) after a few nights not as much but had us up every couple of hours, it was killing my sleep patterns. At 10 weeks I was so sleep deprived we put Jesse in bed with us, that was the ticket and we started to be able to sleep finally and he is still is in bed with us and will always be and we can sleep 8-10 hours (he is 6.75 months old). We planned on this anyways but later in his life, our old Saint Bernad slept with us. I like the idea of my dog out of a cage at night in my room for my protection (hubby is at work some nights)

middleofnowhere

· #9 · Jun 1, 2008

I hope he's better now. Keep him with you. get a cable tie and use that to one leg of your bed if he doesn't like the crate even close to you. But oh keep him with you. (What the heck, I'd scream if you tossed me in the laundry room too!)

CertainlySpoiled

· #10 · Jun 1, 2008

I guess I'm sort of lucky when it comes to first night woes!?!? Emma only would wimper on the first night when she had to go potty (which was a tiring every 2 hours), but her crate was next to my bed and she had a couple of baby blankets she snuggled with and still snuggles with at almost 11 months.

Elle, was a bit rougher then Emma, she was 8 weeks old, and wanted to be held all night, which made her cry out a few times when crated, but she also had blankets and still does at 2 yrs old...might sound wierd, but she gnaws on the ends of her blankies until she's asleep.

DarkEquine

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 1, 2008

I wasn't too sure about the milk and honey at first either, but apparently that's what the breeder's been feeding them for supper. Most of the time it's kibble and egg yolk.

Our boy turned 8 weeks old on Wednesday, and we're due for his second innoculation next week.

We are determined not to give in to the sleeping by the bed idea. Our last stud dog slept by the bed on his first night and...that was it. He became a house dog and we litterally had to carry him outside to go to the bathroom. Since this little one has a kennel waiting for him when he gets old enough, I really would like to train him to be comfortable in his own company (not for too long, of course!) We are keeping him as close as we can to use during the day, though.

He's collapsed at my feet at the moment - exhausted, the poor thing.

BowWowMeow

· #12 · Jun 1, 2008

So you're saying that she's going to be an outside dog? I'm confused here. If you're saying she has an outside kennel that she will be put in when she's old enough, I don't see how having her sleep by the bed when she's a tiny, scared baby will affect that. She is going through a huge life change right now!

My dogs have always slept in my room and have no issues going outside. Some were more independent than others but that had less to do with me and more to do with them. I've had several that enjoyed being outside without me and several that didn't.

BowWowMeow

· #13 · Jun 1, 2008

As for the milk and honey thing--how much milk and honey is she actually getting? This is in lieu of one of her three daily meals?

DarkEquine

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jun 1, 2008

I will talk through the sleeping in the bedroom thing with my parents - but I'm not sure that it's being apart that he's worried about anymore.
We've got the crate in the kitchen now and even when we're sitting right next to him he's yiping at us. He just doesn't like his crate.

Now...here's the instructions we got from the breeders: "Morning feed: soaked puppy pellets with egg yolk and mince...Midday feed: same as morning but without egg. Consider adding a raw marrow bone or biscuit if he's home alone...Evening feed: as above but add a calcium supplement and some vegemite (if using daily heartworm we give this with evening meal)...Supper: a drink of warm milk and honey goes down well, particuarly on cold nights! Note: at any meal, introduce veggies and pasta into desired diet - gives variation. Stews and leftovers are a big hit."

Fodder

· #15 · Jun 1, 2008

that sounds like a very odd diet. your parents used to raise gsd right, what do they think of it?

DarkEquine

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jun 1, 2008

they trust the breeder, as he has raised wonderful gsd's in the past. We really didn't want to change his diet dramatically anyway as that really would give him an upset stomach.
Anyway, so far the second night is going MUCH better than the first. He's complaining occasionally, but then going back to sleeping or playing with his new teddy. But, that being said, we havn't left the room much yet!

MaggieRoseLee

· #17 · Jun 1, 2008

Hey, DarkEquine do you live 'Down Under'???? Too cool if you do.

Can you add that to your 'My Stuff' and 'My Profile'? It helps sometimes when we make hints and suggestions if we know where people live. Just generally live, we don't need your street and house address!!!

Cassidy's Mom

· #18 · Jun 1, 2008

Originally Posted By: DarkEquineWe are determined not to give in to the sleeping by the bed idea. Our last stud dog slept by the bed on his first night and...that was it. He became a house dog and we litterally had to carry him outside to go to the bathroom. Since this little one has a kennel waiting for him when he gets old enough, I really would like to train him to be comfortable in his own company (not for too long, of course!)

What's wrong with him being a house dog?

All my GSDs have been house dogs. At first I had their crate right next to the bed which helped them settle down at night, and then when they got older and needed a bigger crate I moved it across the room. But they still sleep in our bedroom at night. They don't need to be crated anymore now that they are long past the housebreaking and chewing phases, but they like their crates, and I like being able to sleep in on the weekend. They stay quietly in their crates until I get up, even as late as 8:30 or 9:00 AM, instead of jumping on the bed and licking our faces at 5:00 in the morning.

And even though they sleep in the bedroom with us, sometimes they prefer to hang out outside when we're home, and when we're at work they are perfectly happy to go to their garage pen. They have beds out there and a dog door to an outside run.

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DarkEquine

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jun 2, 2008

Yeah, I'm an Aussie. Sure, I'll add that to my profile...

DarkEquine

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jun 3, 2008

Update!! Pup is sooo much more comfortable - he quite likes his crate now. His night-time routine is: rough play-time finishes around 5:00pm - so mum can greet him when she comes home. Then it's dinner-time and he goes out to do his business.

The most action from then on happens in the kitchen - so he's found a great spot underneath the table and just watches us. A little play-time and then supper around 8:30pm and he does his business. (He's getting good at that!! Bounding out and bounding back quick-as-lightning - too cold!)
A little more rest beneath mum's feet and he toddles off on his own accord into his crate. We turn the radio off and turn the light out, leaving the door open until he falls asleep, which isn't very long!

Toilet breaks are at 10:30pm when mum goes to bed, 4am when dad gets up to go to work (he's on brekky radio) and 7am when I get up. Do we need to add more, or is that enough for a 8.5 week old pup?

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