[keeley19]

Hi,
I am new to this so would appreciate the help! I adopted a male German shepherd puppy from a shelter last week he is about 9 or 10 weeks old! We already have a female (Lucy) that is about 5 years old and previously had a GSD cross (zara) for about 12 years so we have experience with the breed but never with a pup this young. Both dogs always slept outside and there was never a problem, they had good size kennels and a good size garden so it was never a problem. We have kept the new pup inside at night for the past week but last night we tried to put him outside in his kennel but he just cried all night, he is afraid of the dark and Lucy keeps her distance at night from him and wont sleep in her kennel because it is so close to the pups. I tried to put him outside tonight but I ended up having to bring him in and sleep in my room! He scratches the door and cries if we leave him in the kitchen! Would anyone have advise on how to approach this? And I would appreciate no BS comments about how leaving a dog outside is cruel, Its Ireland 95% of dogs sleep outside. Thanks in advance!!

 

[OUbrat79]

Let him whine. He will get over it in a couple nights. By bringing him back in you are teaching him if he makes enough noise he will get what he wants.


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[BowWowMeow]

Let him sleep inside until he is older and more secure! He is just a baby puppy after all. You are on a forum dominated by people from North America, btw, so don't expect a lot of empathy on the sleep outside thing. What's the big deal about having him sleep inside, anyway?

 

[Castlemaid]

I'd be very concerned about leaving your puppy unsupervised outside with the female since she does not like the pup.

 

[kjdreyer]

It's probably not too much different than crate training, so I agree with sticking with it rather than bringing him back in. Are you worried about bothering neighbors? And I know you said to shut it about the sleeping outside thing, but is that something you could work on later, after he's really settled in to his new home? Not criticizing the kennel, and maybe I'm a soft American , but 9 or 10 weeks is just such a baby! Good luck!

 

[keeley19]

Thanks for the reply's! Ah the female does like the pup but doesn't really know what to make of him they always play during the day but at night the pup will bark when lucy comes out of the darkness and scares her away! Lucy is very timid! As for sleeping inside my dad gets allergies from having dogs indoors and he doesn't see the need for it considering how well his previous dogs lived and they all slept outdoors and there was never a problem! Plus the security part people don't tend to break into houses if there is a large German Shepherd in the garden ha!

 

[AugustGSD]

I got my pup when we was 12 weeks (he is now almost 10 months), and he did the exact same. I had my pup in my living room [in his crate] and I just ignored the crying. Its normal for anyone to be nervous in a new setting, including a puppy. If you let him cry, he will calm down eventually. My dog kept it up for about 3 solid nights, but the third night he got quiet faster, and he'd cry less gradually every night. By the end of the week he was fine. It was hard to not go to him, but its important not to.

 

[JackandMattie]

I'm not going to find fault. Mine sleep indoors, but I will happily admit that my recently departed dear senior Mattie would have preferred to sleep out of doors! We just have too many coyotes and venomous snakes where I live to have allowed it.

I agree with the others. Give the pup time to adjust. Let him cry it out, and as long as he's safely kenneled, he will be just fine


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[vseagle]

Two puppies are easier to keep than one. They have each other for company and since dogs are pack animals, this is their nature. Pack animals want and need to be a part of the family, i.e. "pack". Another puppy might be a good idea to consider and both being young they would easily bond with one another for a lifetime. I've found a pet door to be very useful for pets that are companion animals. I leave my pet door open during the day and at night I bring in my 3 large dogs and close down the pet door for the night. This way no one feels shut out, lonely, unwanted and not understanding why.

 

[VickyHilton]

I am simply suckered in by the lovely colloquial drawl of your writing and want your cute tiny pup to be as happy outside in a kennel as mine was inside (next to my bed, able to potty a couple of times a night with a moment of whining). Coddling aside, your pup has some room to potty and is not exposed to the extremes as mine would be in winter...so, tough it out for a few nights. You do plan to have your dog an integral part of your and your family's daily life, right?

 

[JPF]

I don't see the point of leaving a dog outside to sleep. Oh wait, thats "BS". Sorry but not many will agree with you about this.

 

[dpc134]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having your dog sleep outside. As long as you have proper food, water, shelter, and companionship, your dog will develop happy and healthy being outside. People in America criticize people for leaving their dogs outside because they assume they are not being taken care of. People in Ireland are smarter than that
I agree with the others about letting the dog whine and do not give in. Dogs are smart and will soon learn that whining is not going to get them anything, so they will stop. Some dogs will take a day or two and some may take weeks. Good luck!