Worst Night Yet…

[Ninabeana26]

So we got Dallas on Thursday & although crate training has practically broke my heart (hearing him whine but trying to hold out on letting him out) he has been improving. He has been quieting down when we say "shhh" & has been falling asleep after only 5 minutes or so of whining. I took several individuals ideas and bought him a big fluffy teddy bear as a "crate buddy" which he slept on the first night it was in his crate (Sunday). Last night…was the worst & it seems like a giant step backwards

I took him out to potty (he peed & pooped) then put him in his crate as I have done every night since we brought him home. Instead of quieting down when we said "shhh" it seemed he got louder. Normally at night his whines are kind of quiet but last night they were screams. He sounded like he was being murdered or something! :eek: After 5 minutes I decided to take him outside again to be sure he didn't have to go potty again. After 10 minutes outside & him just basically sitting in the grass & running under my feet, I put him back in the crate. Same problem, even worse if possible. He just did not want to be in that darn thing & was making it verbally known to both mommy & daddy.

Finally by 12:30 (35 minutes of whining & loud screaming) my boyfriend couldn't take it & said to put him on the bed. I did & he was immediately quiet. After maybe 10 minutes he fell asleep & I gently put him back in the crate. Hah. He woke up in the process and went ballistic again!

He obviously ended up sleeping in bed with us because by then it was 1 AM & I wake up around 6:10 AM for work. I took him out around 4 AM when he began walking around the bed & he peed then fell asleep again. I took him out again at 6:15 AM & immediately put him in the crate afterwards since I know Mark is too heavy of a sleeper to wake up if he hears Dallas shredding something in the bedroom, or hopping off the bed, etc. He whined & whined & whined the entire 30 minutes I was getting ready for work, whether he could see me or not. I left for work with him eating a cookie in his crate but I guarantee that once finished he continued to whine.

What am I doing wrong?!?! I tried covering the crate with a blanket on all sides, didn't work. I tried covering all but the one facing us, that didn't work. I tried warming up his crate buddy (thinking he was maybe cold) but that didn't work either. :mad: Please for my sanity & my sleep, can anyone recommend something else? Is it normal for them to backtrack after doing so well at night in the crate? This was worse night by far, way worse than even his first night with us. HELPPPP!

[dash]

I am the worst one to comment since our dogs just sleep in our bed. But I will anyway. Jazzysmom is probably the master at crate training so I am sure she has some great advice as well.

I think it is to soon to expect him to sleep all night in the crate alone. Since his screaming worked for him–you got up and took him out, and then you put him in bed with you--I have a feeling you are in for it again tonight. Once he is let out and put to bed he stays in bed. However, if he wakes up several hours later I would assume he has to pee. Shhushhing him is still attention. You need to completely ignore him.

Good luck. If you need a break we will gladly take him from you.

[hdolbow]

welcome to my world! lol shes not sleeping like she did before with the towels covering her cage.. she got up at 3 this morning.. good luck though

[Mia]

@Ninabeana26:

Finally by 12:30 (35 minutes of whining & loud screaming) my boyfriend couldn't take it & said to put him on the bed. I did & he was immediately quiet. After maybe 10 minutes he fell asleep & I gently put him back in the crate. Hah. He woke up in the process and went ballistic again!

lol well of course they'll fall right asleep, Nike does that too, I think I surely didn't help when we put him in our bed when he was sick the 1st few days lol…ahhh will power I wish they sold that on Ebay!!! And of course I can't get any sleep since he is nuzzled up against me and if he moves Mia goes insane growling like it's WW3. I can't wait to read the suggestions, as this is new for me too, Mia was 3 1/2 months so it's a totally diffrent scene for us this time around. Mia was such an angel at night now that I look back.

[Duke]

@dash:

I am the worst one to comment since our dogs just sleep in our bed. But I will anyway. Jazzysmom is probably the master at crate training so I am sure she has some great advice as well.

I think it is to soon to expect him to sleep all night in the crate alone. Since his screaming worked for him–you got up and took him out, and then you put him in bed with you--I have a feeling you are in for it again tonight. Once he is let out and put to bed he stays in bed. However, if he wakes up several hours later I would assume he has to pee. Shhushhing him is still attention. You need to completely ignore him.

Good luck. If you need a break we will gladly take him from you.

I was thinking the same thing, dash. You have to really try hard to ignore all the screaming. If puppy gets what he wants by screaming, he has learned that screaming works. I went thru this 2 years in a row, Duke 2 years ago and Daisy last year. It's really rough on everyone. We sleep upstrairs, crates are downstairs. We shut our bedroom doors and tried real hard to ignore the puppy. Another suggestion … make sure you get the puppy exercised - wear him out - don't let the puppy nap before you go to bed. It'll be a good workout for you too, playing with the pup. Then of course, the last thing you do is take pup outside to pee & poop.

My sympathies to you and everyone wanting a good night sleep - but like having a baby - It will take time before a good solid routine develops.

[lvoss]

What is your routine before his bed time? What may have changed between Sunday and Monday is how tired he was. On the weekend it is easier to really tire them out since we are home with them. During the week when we work, we come home and are more exhausted ourselves and don't always do as good a job at using up all that puppy energy.

Also, now that he knows that screaming works, he will probably try it again. If he is whining, crying, or outright screaming and you open the crate they learn really quick that those behaviors work. If he is doing those things wait for a moment where he has stopped, usually when you are standing near the crate they will pause so don't open that crate door until you get that pause.

[Ninabeana26]

@lvoss:

What is your routine before his bed time?

Before bed routine:

8:30 AM-9PM: Mark & I ate dinner. We gave him a greenie & put him in the crate during dinner because otherwise he will try to get our food & literally no matter how many times we say no & gently push him from the table, he comes right back at it.

9PM - 1030PM: We were watching TV during this time. He was playing for a little while but probably around 10 PM he fell asleep on Mark's chest. I have tried keeping him up before bed to play but he just tires out I guess (?) I always take him out right before placing him in his crate & even carry him to the potty place & then from the potty place to his crate so he doesn't get the idea that it's playtime again.

Would it be a bad idea to place his crate in the guestroom (on the other side of the apartment) so he can scream but not disturb our sleep? I was told keeping him where he can see us helps. Plus, it has allowed me to know when to take him out to potty.

[Duke]

Well for now the routine of watching TV for an hour an a half might be worth interrupting to play with the puppy instead. Getting him so pooped out, that by the time you have to go to bed, he'll be too tired and hope the screaming is short lived and he falls asleep.

I would pick up the water bowl 45 minutes before bed so pup doesn't fill up on it before bed - taking the pup out one last time before lights out will help to eliminate the water he had already consumed. Also, just take the puppy outside when you wake up. lvoss's suggestion to wait for puppy to quiet before taking him out is excellent.

I would put the crate wherever you want. I kept the crate in the same place the dogs stay when I'm not home. It is conspicuously located in my family room - I hardly notice it anymore - ha ha

[tanza]

I agree with everyone that has said that now that he has figured out that it worked to scream and get out.. it is like going back to step one…
However, while putting the crate in another room might let you have some sleep, that might work, but remember if he really does need to potty, you will never hear that either.. and he will end up soiling the crate.... IMO

[Kebasmom]

I have been very lucky so far. We picked up our pup on Saturday and we let her ride out of the crate the first half of the ride and then put her in the crate the other half - yup there was some serious screamin' a goin' on. We made sure she played a lot that evening and then into the crate at bed time. Mucho screaming. THEN - I went to the Pet expo in Baltimore and found this huge stuffed dog that holds this big round plastic thing, it's made by Snugglesafe. You microwave the plastic thing for 2 and a half minutes and put it inside the stuffed dog. I put that thing in the crate with the puppy. She whined for just a couple of minutes and curled up right in the middle of the big stuffed dog and conked out!! That was at 11 PM she didn't wake up until around 4AM when she needed a potty break. I guess she was just cold the first night. Last two nights have been great. This Snugglesafe thing is like the snuggle puppy without the heartbeat thing. Oh, and the stuffed dog part is washable.

I'd post a picture of the new puppy but I haven't figure that out yet. She's a trindle.

[Ninabeana26]

I just got back from Petsmart where I bought this after reading tons of reviews. It is pretty tiny but I figured for $9 I'll give it a try. If this doesn't work perhaps I will try to find a snuggle puppy online somewhere. The website is sold out but I'm sure other pet websites sell them as well…

[Vanessa]

@Ninabeana26:

I just got back from Petsmart where I bought this after reading tons of reviews. It is pretty tiny but I figured for $9 I'll give it a try. If this doesn't work perhaps I will try to find a snuggle puppy online somewhere. The website is sold out but I'm sure other pet websites sell them as well…

OAH NO!!!!!
I purchased that same one and after only 5 seconds in the microwave it burned. Almost caught on fire!!!!
Be super careful. I ended up taking that darn stuff out of it and replaced it with a sock of rice. The rice you can put in the microwave for 20 seconds and it does fine.

[lvoss]

I agree with Pat, moving him to another room is not going to fix the problem and then you won't know when he really does need to go out. I will also warn you that my dogs are loud enough that there is no room far enough away that they will not be heard. Nicky literally sounds like an emergency vehicle siren when he howls.

Though the Snuggle Puppies are sold out they do have the Comfort Puppies which do not have the warmth but do have the heartbeat. But again, now that screaming worked it is going to be like starting all over again.

[Vanessa]

I remember those days….we ended up giving in too. Chance just wouldn't calm down! For over 2 hrs he screamed. Alex and I just couldn't take it anymore. Basenji's are just too darn determined to get what they want. Especially sleeping in the bed. Once they get to sleep with you, there is no turning back. Your stuck with em. Just wait...when your pup gets older, they take the WHOLE bed! LOL

[lvoss]

I also forgot to add that if Dallas is falling asleep at 10pm then that is when you should all go to bed. Otherwise, you are giving him a 30 minute nap to recharge and be ready for his tantrum in the crate.

[Ninabeana26]

@Vanessa:

OAH NO!!!!!
I purchased that same one and after only 5 seconds in the microwave it burned. Almost caught on fire!!!!
Be super careful. I ended up taking that darn stuff out of it and replaced it with a sock of rice. The rice you can put in the microwave for 20 seconds and it does fine.

Oh my. I hope it doesn't catch on fire…now you have me really nervous!!! :eek:

I actually found a snuggle puppy online (not from their website obviously) & they have like 3-4 left so...maybe I should just buy it & not risk them being gone by tomorrow (?)

I so regret letting him come into bed last night now! Starting from scratch...oh my. Thing is, we will eventually allow him to sleep in bed with us vs. in his crate but we want to wait until he is house trained & also he is okay with sleeping/being in his crate regardless.

[Ninabeana26]

@lvoss:

I also forgot to add that if Dallas is falling asleep at 10pm then that is when you should all go to bed. Otherwise, you are giving him a 30 minute nap to recharge and be ready for his tantrum in the crate.

I love the choice of the word "tantrum" because that is exactly what I thought of last night. I mean, he was heaving his little body against the crate wall & sticking his paws out the side of the crate. It reminded me of a 3 year old laying on the floor pounding fists & screaming!

Tonight I will try to keep him active until 10:30 but if he falls asleep at 10 then we could probably do the same. We just like some of the 10 PM shows. I guess we need to get over the watching TV thing now that we have a furbaby :p

[sharronhurlbut]

My b's sleep with me.
Do you think he can't sleep through the night and will wet the bed?
I know crate training is important, but is so nice to have a dog snuggling with you.

[Nexa]

@Ninabeana26:

Thing is, we will eventually allow him to sleep in bed with us vs. in his crate but we want to wait until he is house trained & also he is okay with sleeping/being in his crate regardless.

We made it just over a month with Nexa in the crate. After about a month of her crying in the crate before she fell asleep and waking up early we decided to try letting her in the bed. It was the best night sleep ever. She didn't move all night, I think she realized that the bed was a privilege. My wife was completely against having a dog in the bed, especially under the covers. Now Nexa AND Leo sleep in the bed, usually under the covers. B's win again:D Also, they are crated when we go to work, and we didn't think it was fair to crate during the day and at night. They both do great in the crate during the day.

[Ninabeana26]

@sharronhurlbut:

Do you think he can't sleep through the night and will wet the bed?

Yea…pretty much. I think last night went pretty well because when he woke up he moved a little, which in turn woke me up & I immediately took him out. I did actually buy a small thing of those potty pads so if we were to leave him out I would hope if I didn't wake up that he'd go on it. However, I'm more worried about getting off the bed & finding something to chew to shreds while we're sleeping...furniture...the carpet? As a B owner I'm sure you know what I'm talking about! Haha