Puppy Coming- Sleep Question

[Anonymous]

I foster a lot of puppies, easily in the dozens by now. This is my standard advice for anyone getting a puppy. Do whatever it takes, to make your life easier. For me, that’s sleeping with my puppies. It’s been years since I’ve had a puppy not sleep through the night, beyond maybe the first couple of days.

You have to put yourself in the puppy’s shoes a little bit. They have been taken away from everything they know, and put into a completely new environment. Their security comes from being with their pack, and you are it. Secure puppies relax faster, sleep deeply, and tend to not wake up frequently. Additionally, you have the benefit of knowing when they’re awake, and whether they’re getting antsy.

Not everyone wants a dog in bed with them. A perfectly acceptable alternative is to crate them near you. Being able to sense your presence is calming. You can leave a comforting smell in there, for instance, something he was sent from the breeder, or a worn T shirt. If it’s cold in the room, a hot water bottle

[Anonymous]

Posted too soon.

Anyway, you can leave a hot water bottle in the crate with them as well.

What I would never recommend, is leaving a puppy all alone, right from the start. It’s hugely stressful to them, and IMO, it’s hard for them to communicate to you what they want, if you’re not even there.

As adults, my dogs come to me for whatever they want. They have access to me at all times I’m home. This becomes especially important when you have sick dogs. You need to know when they have a need, and they need to know that they can count on you to understand that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Posted too soon.

Anyway, you can leave a hot water bottle in the crate with them as well.

What I would never recommend, is leaving a puppy all alone, right from the start. It’s hugely stressful to them, and IMO, it’s hard for them to communicate to you what they want, if you’re not even there.

As adults, my dogs come to me for whatever they want. They have access to me at all times I’m home. This becomes especially important when you have sick dogs. You need to know when they have a need, and they need to know that they can count on you to understand that.

+1

All our puppies have settled really quickly when they sleep in our bedroom (at first in crate). We bought this for our last puppy and she loved it.
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/snuggle-puppy-biscuit
We also had a playpen in the kitchen/living area so they could be put somewhere safe while I was making dinner etc..

[Anonymous]

sorry I realize that link doesn't work, this one should!

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/smartpetlove-snuggle-puppy-behavioral-aid-brown-toy

[Anonymous]

I slept on the floor next to the crate for a few nights and then I was able to move back to my bed with no crying.

[Anonymous]

I got my puppy at 8 weeks old. She slept in the crate in our family room, where we want her eventually. I slept next to her for about 6 weeks. I had to get up at least once to let her out to pee. Around 14 weeks she started sleeping through the night till 7am, and I was back to my bed. Looking back if I had to do it again I wouldn’t introduce her to her day bed, which confused her where to sleep at night. I wouldn’t let my kids sleep with her outside the crate, which made her unwilling to go back to her crate when the kids couldn’t sleep with her. Anyway, decide on what you want and stick with the plan, so your dog develops a good habit/pattern and your life is much easier. Oh, buy a crate for her adult size so you don’t have to keep upgrading. If you ask me, keep her diet simple too. Don’t waste your money on “nutritious” treats, and don’t treat your dog like a human baby in terms food variety. Less is more, in dog food varieties. As for quantity, not over feeding your dog will not only help with his/her health but also help you train the dog. Kibble is a perfect treat for training purposes. Obviously I had too much time right now so I wrote all this. I am not an expert but hopefully my very limited experience will help you a little. I learned a lot from this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of dog? I read all these horror stories, but relate to very little of it. My 4 month old has been house trained since 11 weeks and didn't even have a bad first week with sleep. He sleeps 11pm to 7:30am and has for some time. The larger breeds seem to do better with puppyhood in my experience, partially perhaps because they have greater bladder capacity.

+1 We got our lab at 8 weeks. She got up twice the first night, once the 2nd and 3rd night, and slept through the night after that. We started with a crate on each level but now only have one in our bedroom for overnight. We are not fans of puppies being left on a different level overnight but that’s personal preference. Our dog wants to be where the people are and would be miserable if she was left downstairs at night.

Yup! Mine is a Golden and we got him at 9 weeks. Similar sleep pattern. Had never slept fewer than 7 hrs at a go and now routinely does 10. We live in a large condo and debated where to keep the crate. Settled on the living room, but that's basically "where the people are." We use the beds for sleeping, but the action is in the main space. We close off the crate with a dark sheet when it is really sleep time. But yeah, PP, it's been a breeze so read different experiences. Around 3 months with our pup I started feeling like maybe we should add to the puppy family...

Same here. Not all of them wake up at night past the first couple nights. I have owned a lot of puppies in my (longish) life and I do let them sleep with me the first night. I just feel for their loss on the first day away from mom and siblings. Never had a problem adapting to the crate from day 2 on. Of all my pups throughout the decades, one woke at night for longer than a couple days. She is my most nervous personality. My current little one (four months) is a sleepy head and won't ever get out of bed before 8am. If I pick her up early and plop her outside, she just stretches and runs back in to go back to bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of dog? I read all these horror stories, but relate to very little of it. My 4 month old has been house trained since 11 weeks and didn't even have a bad first week with sleep. He sleeps 11pm to 7:30am and has for some time. The larger breeds seem to do better with puppyhood in my experience, partially perhaps because they have greater bladder capacity.

+1 We got our lab at 8 weeks. She got up twice the first night, once the 2nd and 3rd night, and slept through the night after that. We started with a crate on each level but now only have one in our bedroom for overnight. We are not fans of puppies being left on a different level overnight but that’s personal preference. Our dog wants to be where the people are and would be miserable if she was left downstairs at night.

Yup! Mine is a Golden and we got him at 9 weeks. Similar sleep pattern. Had never slept fewer than 7 hrs at a go and now routinely does 10. We live in a large condo and debated where to keep the crate. Settled on the living room, but that's basically "where the people are." We use the beds for sleeping, but the action is in the main space. We close off the crate with a dark sheet when it is really sleep time. But yeah, PP, it's been a breeze so read different experiences. Around 3 months with our pup I started feeling like maybe we should add to the puppy family...

Same here. Not all of them wake up at night past the first couple nights. I have owned a lot of puppies in my (longish) life and I do let them sleep with me the first night. I just feel for their loss on the first day away from mom and siblings. Never had a problem adapting to the crate from day 2 on. Of all my pups throughout the decades, one woke at night for longer than a couple days. She is my most nervous personality. My current little one (four months) is a sleepy head and won't ever get out of bed before 8am. If I pick her up early and plop her outside, she just stretches and runs back in to go back to bed.

Sounds like my last foster puppy If I made her, she'd get out of the bed, go do her business, eat, and then get back in bed, to sleep until oh, about 10:30. If circumstances had been different, I would have kept her.

[Anonymous]

I was really lucky in that my puppy slept through the night and was pee pad trained in under a week. I slept next to her crate for the first few days and after that she was fine. I'd always drape a light blanket over the crate and she has her own blankie and her favorite toy which I'd keep in there exclusively. She slept in her crate for a year on my vet's recommendation, and now she sleeps with me. She'll let me sleep till noon unless she really, really needs to go. She still loves her crate though, and she naps there or goes to hang out in there when she wants her space.
I think it's highly dependent on the dog. Just love them and be patient.