[aaronkneeland]

What do I do. My 9 week old AB female won't sleep any longer than about 1.5 hours at a time. I have never had a dog that sleeps this little through the night. She gets up each time and wants to play for like an hour each time. I am at whits end. She is terrible in a crate also. She sits and growls/barks the whole time. Help!

 

[angie7349]

How much play time do you spend with her during the day....I am guessing that she is not getting enough exercise during the day to make her tired at night.....As for her crate, put a pair of pj's in there to help her love it, treats, make is a pleasant experience to be in the crate...feed her in there, I would give her a treat everytime she went in but I would begin to taper off so she doesn't become spoiled.

 

[gazar]

She is terrible in a crate also. She sits and growls/barks the whole time. Help!

My sister-inlaw had this prolem with her dog. We put a light blanket over the crate so that her dog could not see out and like a miracle, her dog settled right down.

 

[aaronkneeland]

We play with her a lot. She actually has another puppy to play with also, so she seems pretty worn out when I out her in her crate. But like clockwork, 2 hours later she is up and barking. We have been trying the light blanket idea since day 1 and it only seems to help a little. Without the blanket, she wont even let us leave when shes falling asleep, with the blanket she ddoes let us leave because she cant see us.

 

[gazar]

We play with her a lot. She actually has another puppy to play with also, so she seems pretty worn out when I out her in her crate. But like clockwork, 2 hours later she is up and barking. We have been trying the light blanket idea since day 1 and it only seems to help a little. Without the blanket, she wont even let us leave when shes falling asleep, with the blanket she ddoes let us leave because she cant see us.

If I am correct on this, being that she is only nine weeks old, she is still in that baby puppy stage. They do wake up every two or three hours. They are used to waking up with mom and nursing and now there is not any mom there to comfort her when she does wake up and no mom to nurse from. This is a real adjustment for a pup and it does take time. I cannot remember how old they are before they start sleeping through the night, but I do know that it does take awhile, plus she also needs potty time during the night and this may be waking her up also.

 

[aaronkneeland]

I was hoping that was all it was, just being a pup. I hadn't read anything that said anyone else had this problem. I picked her up on thursday and she was living with the mother until then. From what I watched, they were not seperated, and one of the other pups was still nursing(maybe just habit, it was only for a second). so this could very well be the case.

 

[Hank da Tank]

Hank was a mess when he was a pup. He would never sleep and when we would put him in his crate he would not shut up. Ive had dogs that are persistent and will bark for 15 minutes or so but he would go at it for hours if you would let him. Finally one of us would give in and go get him let him sleep with us and wake up with a room full of poop.

 

[Tinkerbell]

Try giving him somthing to snuggle with - a soft and warm stuffed toy or something. I've also heard that a ticking clock in the room can mimic the mothers heartbeat and sooth an anxious pup.

When you let him out in the night, leave the lights off (if possible), don't talk to the pup, and deffinantly don't initiate play. As little stimulation as possible will help the pup learn that night time is sleep time. A really good play session right before bed should help him wind down at night too.

Good luck, and remember, sleepless nights don't last forever!

 

[Thor]

Getting enough exercise was a good point. A walk before bed would be beneficial, even with all the romping around. The clock worked good for Zeus when he was young. Covering the crate is another good call. I think routine is important, very important. Dogs like knowing what to expect. Put to bed and rise at the same time every day. Last, there are some great vitmains that help your dog sleep (among many other health benefits). http://www.pettogethers.net/replmain.asp?repid=1025

 

[apbtgurl26]

Koda was the same way when we first got him. He's spoiled rotten, so he would be in the bed with us, and like you said, every two hours I would wake up to him playing tug of war with my hair! :twisted: I'd say it took him a good 2-3 weeks of being without his mother/siblings before he stopped. I'd just give it some time & things should get better! I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Bustersmommy]

Put a small clock in the crate hidden under blankets or bed,the ticking soothes them as it resembles the mothers heart beat.Also put a shirt that you have worn into the crate,the sent will make her feel more secure as if you were there with her.Pups that young will get up often as they cant hold themselves for long periods of time.In the middle of the night when she starts crying or barking let her out to potty and put her right back into the crate,avoid putting on any lights and say very little to her this way she knows it is not play time only potty time.If you react to her barking or crying while in the crate she will know that this behavior gets your attention, ignore her unless it is to let her out to potty.Best of luck to you

 

[BRQZ33]

Chief has a idea

when she wakes up play with her for awhile then try and feed her add ice cube of ground beef they say that its a good diet for the dog to have cook it with water and use the water as gravy also then she should be going to sleep shortly but dont do it everytime she wakes up ... i had that problem with my dog about him waking up but i notice when he got a good meal he would go to sleep

 

[SexyBlueChapps]

everyone said good advice...
Just try to bear with it for a little awhile, she is adjusting to her new lifestyle without her mom and littermates. Stick a cozy blanket in the dryer for 5 minutes and put it in her crate at night...that might help!!
She will get used to it, and soon look at her crate as a place of rest and relaxation!