Question for those who know what their talking about with puppies...?

Question

I just got a chihauhua two days ago and at night I have to put her in a cage to sleep because she is so small and she could get hurt. I have not been able to get any sleep since. She barks and wines all night until I take you out, what should I do? I really need some sleep!!!!!

Answer 1

You are doing the most loving thing possible by crating her at night for her own protection. It's also very important for her emotional health. Puppies who are properly crate-trained have MUCH lower incidence of behavioral problems throughout their lives....not to mention the fact that they can't accidentally kill themselves in the numerous ways we see commonly happen. You're a good puppy mom. :-)
(NOT crate-training a puppy is what is cruel. Would a responsible parent allow an 18-month old child to run around in the house unattended???....of course not!! They are kept in a crib or a playpen unless an adult is right there with them. A dog crate is no different....it serves the exact same purpose, as well as provides the basic 'den' instincts/needs of dogs.)

Don't worry....she'll stop. It's not hurting her physically or psychologically.....I promise. Make sure she has a (safe) stuffed toy to snuggle up with. Some people put a ticking clock (careful you don't accidentally set the alarm!), wrapped in a towel or blankie, in the crate with the pup. That simulates the calming rhythmic sound of a heartbeat when she cuddles up with it. Don't use a heating pad....she could die if she bites into the cord, and they can cause severe burns to a chihuahua's tender skin. As long as the room temperature is comfortable for you, it is for her, too....assuming she has adequate bedding to curl up in if she needs to. Hot water bottles are also not recommended, as leakage can cause burns (or hypothermia when the water cools...since she can't get away from the wet bedding to dry off.)

You can also put the crate in another part of the house. If she knows you are nearby and can hear you stirring or talking, that alone will make her whine and cry for you. If you aren't close, she'll soon curl up and stop. (Do not keep her and the crate in your room with you....that will only make matters worse.)

P.S. Normally, it is not advisable to leave food in with a pup in a crate overnight (because it is unfair to the physiological urges of the puppy and thus makes housetraining more difficult.) The exception is tiny toy breeds like chihuahuas, Yorkies, etc. Their blood sugar can drop too low if they don't eat every few hours, so you should leave a few kibbles in there for her. If you have any further questions, please ask your veterinarian when you take her in for her new-puppy visit. (You HAVE scheduled one for ASAP, right?)

P.P.S. It is crucial....and I do mean CRUCIAL....that you not 'baby' her too much as people with these little dogs so often do. If you make her emotionally dependent upon being able to sleep with/near you, etc., you are only setting her (and yourself) up for a psychological disaster later on. At some point in her or your life, there WILL be a time when it will be necessary to be apart. The sooner she learns that the world can indeed function like that and that she won't die if you're apart, and that you WILL come back, the better off she'll be. Periodic "doggy-daycare" (when she's older) at your DVM's office or a grooming shop is a good idea, for that very reason. I cringe every time a person tells me, "But Doc, she's never spent the night away from me" when faced with a mandatory hospital stay to save her life, or when the owner has to suddenly go out of town for a family emergency and can't take her along. People who do that to their dogs (make the dogs that dependent upon them) are being the most selfish, imo. You don't want her first time being away from you to be for surgery, illness, or otherwise associated with anything unpleasant.

And yes....unless you train her to wee-wee pads (I'll defer that discussion to someone else if that's what you want to do), you should get up at least once or twice a night to take her out to potty. It is important that you do this more frequently than she has the physiological urge to have an 'accident.' You want ALL 'accidents' to happen only on grass, so that when she feels the urge in the future, the first thing she'll automatically do is look around and wonder, 'Where's the grass so I can go potty?" Do not talk to her and do not play with her during these times (doing so will only confuse her as to the purpose of the grass.) Just make sure you see her do her thing, then pick her up and love on her to tell her how wonderful she is for making a peepee or poopoo in the grass, then return her to immediately to bed. A consistent routine is imperative.

Answer 2

Hi Samantha:
From all my experiences with puppies the best cure I have found is patience. The puppy is missing her mother and ant other pups that were left behind.
You could try putting an alarm clock under her bedding where she sleeps as sometimes the ticking resembles the mothers heart beat. You could also heat up a plush toy that isn't to much bigger than the pup (put it in a heating pad for a while or by something that will make it warm). Make sure there is nothing on the toy the pup can chew off.
Lastly, have the cage near you so if she does wake up, the sound of your voice will reassure her that she is o.k.
If all else fails do what I always do, bring the pup in bed with you
and let her know that she is not alone.
Thanks
iamjustrandy

Answer 3

It will be awhile before you get any sleep nomatter what you do. For the first few nights make sure to set your alarm every 3 hours to take her out of her cage to go potty. Dogs dont like to potty where they sleep and that could be another reason she cries. I got my puppy (a mini dachshund so I understand your fears since she is so small) a little bed and I put baby gates up to close off just the hallway...she has her bed at one end and puppy pads at the other... this way I don't need to wake up every few hours she gets out of bed on her own to go potty then she goes back to bed. I also leave her some food and water out (since she is a puppy she should eat at will). The first few nights were loud ones and I got no sleep at all... but dogs are smart and once they learn the routine bedtime won't be so difficult. Now when I go to bed I take her to her bed and turn off the lights (I do leave the light in the kitchen on as her night light)... she doesn't cry anymore until 6am when she wants to play. =) Good luck!

Answer 4

Put a cloth over the cage, make sure that you do not respond to her at all. By telling her to be quiet or checking on her, you are giving the attention that she wants.

Also, put her in a room where you are unable to hear her and shut the door. Eventually she will stop doing it when she realizes that she is not going to get the attention that she is trying to get.

Another suggestion is take the cage to bed with you, put it on a nightstand. Sometimes just being able to see you will calm her down until she gets older and isn't as scared. If she is just a small puppy she is used to being with her mother or siblings. She is confused, being able to see you may help her be a little more comfortable!

Answer 5

I have 2 small dogs and 2 large dogs at the present. I assure you that after raising, training and loving dogs for at 57 years I think I can offer a couple of suggestions. First I should tell you that most of the smaller dogs are very needy, so you really have to be ready to take care of them. They often don't do well when left alone or in cages, believe me I have tried it all. I made a bed for one making sure it comfortable, then at night I placed her by my bed. After about 2 or 3 weeks the wining stopped at night, she just needed to be near me. Another dog I have almost killed herself getting out of the cage when she was a puppy. I bought her a regular small dog bed an put it in my room. She would not sleep in the dog bed, she preferred the floor but she did quiet down. Now one sleeps on the dog bed and the other sleeps on a small blanket. One of them, my small poodle would cry when I left my home this drove me nuts. Now she only cries when I return, she can bark but it is like she rather cry to get my attention. Good Luck, but I must share with you first get rid of the cage and second - nothing can compare to the love they give me in return., Patience and trying new things helps, but her main thing is to be close to you.

Answer 6

Puppies cry for the first night or two but it is only because of seperation from the litter. In a litter they all sleep huddled up together so it is important to make the environment similar so the pup will adapt. A wind up clock mimics the heartbeat and will soothe a pup to sleep. A hot water bottle wrapped up in the bedding will also help a pup sleep. Depending on what age the pup is as to how well they will adjust. It should only take a few nights and the pup will have forgotten all about the litter and will accept you as his new family.

Answer 7

Well, first of all, she may be too young to make it a whole nite in the cage without a potty run. Our Border Collie was about 4 months old before she could get thru the nite without waking me up to go outside.

Make sure she has gone potty right before you put her to "bed" for the nite. You need to see her go, not just send her out... this is really important. Once you know she has gone, put her straight to the crate to bed. She should be able to make it at least 2 hours before really needing to go and any whining before then is just from disliking her crate situation. But give it time and she will settle down, usually within the first week.

Just make sure you keep an ear open at nite if she's really young, cuz she will need to go out some in the nite until her little bladder muscles are able to hold it longer... usually 4 to 6 months.

Answer 8

I'm sure there'll be ten million people telling you you're cruel, but what you're doing is anything but. Puppies can easily injure themselves if left unsupervised, especially in the dark of night.

An hour or so before bed, I would take away food and limit water so that she won't have to relieve herself constantly during the night. Before bed make sure that you have given her ample time to relieve herself.

I would ignore the barking and whining. It sounds like she is doing it because she knows you will eventually give in. Ignore her long enough and she will eventually quiet down. Draping a towel or blanket over the cage so that she cannot see outside would definitely help. That's what we do at the vet's office for dogs that are particularly yippy or scared.

Answer 9

well, what we did with my puppy we put him also in a cage and put a toy and a blanket with him.We also covered the cage with a blanket and put the cage near my bed so he knew he wasn't alone. That might help, if not then try putting him in another room but still in the cage. Don't get her used to being taken out when she wines she will think this is the routine

Answer 10

In her bed, put an item of your clothing and a teddy bear for her to snuggle into. A ticking clock works well as well. Just make sure the alarm is turned off (Don't laugh at that - I know of a person who forgot to and the poor pup was woken up to the bell). Make sure the bed is one that will wrap up around her so she feels safe.
I tend to agree with the "no cage" unless it is large one that allows her to move around, with lots of paper to soak up "accidents"

It usually takes a few days for a pup to settle in, and though it may be hard, if you are sure she is warm, fed, toileted and comfortable - ignore the winging. Even put her and her pen, etc in a different draught free room with the door closed.