Please help- puppy nightmare!

[HoneyMonster1]

Hi all,

We have had dogs all our life, but this is our first time experiencing this problem so any advice would be appreciated!

4 days ago we got a Flat Coated Retriever puppy. In the day she is sweet as anything, a lovely dog. However, at night it is a different story. She has to sleep downstairs, and she has a cage but it is left open. However, every night as we go to bed she starts the most awful crying. This is not normal puppy crying-as-taken-from-home, but full on hysterical barking, whining, howling and crying. For the past 4 nights we have got very little sleep and clearly she is very upset. We really can't allow her to come upstairs with us, and we keep reading conflicting advice- go downstairs, don't let them get to upset, don't go downstairs ever, it gets them in to bad habits.

We are desperate for any solutions as not only are we being driven mad, she is clearly very unhappy at night and that is really not what we want!

 

[Clodagh]

I would shut her in the cage, put a blanket over the sides, make sure she has done all she needs to do and is not hungry. Leave another dog in the room with her, leave the radio on very low and walk away. Ignore. Accept you will get no sleep.
You do need to use the cage during the day as well, every treat and every meal, every sleep and every happy time should be associated with the cage, it is not a punishment den.

 

[HoneyMonster1]

That's just the thing- in the day time she is perfectly happy to be in the cage, will go in there to sleep, play etc. I will try the blanket and radio though, thank you!

 

[Chiffy]

I have had Flatcoats for 30 years, wonderful intelligent trainable dogs. My dogs never come upstairs. As said above, work on the crate being a nice place to be. I do not go down if they cry. Take outside late and get up early.
I had one puppy that my daughter collected from the breeder, she stayed the night with her before being brought to me. The puppy howled and they took it to bed with them. I was not impressed! It would make my job harder, I thought. But I did not go to her the next night and she soon got the idea.
The only thing I would say is I don't have 'only' dogs, meaning a single dog. So ther is another dog for company. If yours is alone, the radio is good, things to snuggle with etc. Make a happy den. Good luck and persevere. Flatcoats are intelligent and will take advantage!

 

[Alec Swan]

The last thing that I would do would be to shut her in a cage, that will most likely worsen matters. Have you considered leaving a radio or even the television on for her? Failing that, a cheap and cheerful loudly ticking clock has much the same effect. Sometimes, for puppies, silence is deafening.

Alec.

 

[Sandstone1]

The last thing that I would do would be to shut her in a cage, that will most likely worsen matters. Have you considered leaving a radio or even the television on for her? Failing that, a cheap and cheerful loudly ticking clock has much the same effect. Sometimes, for puppies, silence is deafening.

Alec.

Exactly, if you shut her in it will cause more problems. Leave a small light on and a radio on a talking station like radio 4. It's early days and she is only a pup.

 

[Chiffy]

Time and again on posts like this there are the people who believe in crates and those that don't!
Your choice.

 

[quagga]

I have to say I would disagree with the above, ignoring her is not helping and she is clearly very upset (this might end up exacerbating the issue as she's learning that being alone at night is traumatic). She's a tiny baby removed from her mother and siblings and terrified! I'd either have her in the room or would sleep downstairs with her for a night or two, then would work on moving further away, firstly staying in sight, then out of sight until you have her comfortable alone at night. I've never had any problems using this method - as long as the puppy is happy at every stage there is no reason why the tolerance to being left can't be built up slowly rather than suddenly.

 

[Fellewell]

Sorry but the line which read about her being sweet and lovely but at night it's a different story is not right. She is still sweet and lovely but she's alone and vulnerable without the warmth and security of her litter-mates. She didn't ask to come and live with you, the onus is on you to accommodate her. It's no good being all over her during the day and expecting her to be ok when this suddenly stops. Allow her to spend time alone during the day so that she can become accustomed to it gradually. Don't get annoyed with her, try sleeping downstairs for a couple of nights. Not in the same room but in an adjoining room with the door closed. You can talk to her and reassure her through the door, do this once, she'll know you're there anyway. If you snore, so much the better! You should only need to be there a couple of nights.

 

[ponyparty]

quagga - agree. we had our pup in a (closed) crate, in our room, at first, so we could hear him if he needed a wee in the night. when he stopped waking in the night to go for a wee, and had settled in, and was used to being apart from us for periods of time (done gradually - just being in the other room, then increasing time to 10 mins, then going out for 10 mins etc etc, always giving a treat before going out...), then we moved him downstairs. when downstairs, he was (and still is!) in the kitchen, with his crate with blanket over it, crate is always open so he goes in and out as he pleases. it is a very stressful time for a puppy and being left completely alone, with no humans or other dogs, is unnatural for them, so it will take time to get used to. he also now has a dog flap so can let himself in and out if he needs to, though appreciate this isn't a possibility for everyone.
ticking clock - good idea, also give him something to chew as chewing releases "comfort" endorphins.

 

[HoneyMonster1]

Sorry if I phrased that wrong- didn't mean at all she wasn't lovely at night, just meant that she wasn't the calm and collected puppy that she seems to be in the day! We do leave her for short periods in it in the day whilst in other rooms and she is absolutely fine. Light is on at night but makes no difference. Seems like the radio is a consensus idea so will try that tonight. We have been sitting with her downstairs, not talking to her but just sitting quietly and she goes straight to sleep, because we do appreciate that she came from a big litter and will be very upset away from all the other puppies as well. Just was looking for any other ideas, not trying to complain! Thank you for everyone's ideas, will let you know if any work!!

 

[ponyparty]

You don't sound like you're moaning - you sound like a concerned owner hope she settles into a routine soon, for your sake and hers!

 

[Peter7917]

I'm not a fan of leaving puppies alone at night and don't personally feel it will create bad habits having them in the bedroom in the early days.

I crate in my bedroom, next to the bed in the very beginning so I can settle them and take them out when they need the toilet. After a week or so the crate will go at the other side of the bedroom, then onto the landing outside the bedroom until eventually the crate is downstairs and once old enough and trusted overnight they get free roam of the downstairs. Done this with all my dogs, all will sleep downstairs fine and none have seperation issues.