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toby whines way too much?

2K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Piper 
#1 ·
Okay, so 'whining' is normal as I've read, but his pattern has been at 10 or so I put him to bed (walk him downstairs to let him potty) he starts whining when I put him in his cage as usual but usually goes to bed, then at 2-3 he starts whining big time, I've been taking him out to pee cos I assumed it was bathroom related (and he does go) then I put him back in and go back to sleep then at 6 he starts up again, then 2-3 hours later starts up again. It's really killing my sleep should I just expect this? I don't let him eat or drink anything after 7. I've got his crate completely covered up with blankets so he can't see us and i've been slapping a newspaper outside the crate when he starts doing that to try and get him to be quiet sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Should I just completely ignore him? He's approximately 6 3/4weeks now, I'm thinking I should of waited longer before getting him ??? anyways, any advice would be appreciated.
 
#3 ·
can you move the crate into your bedroom?

I think he probably needs to potty when he whines (mid-night and at 6 AM)... so for now, you're going to have to adjust your sleep schedule accordingly.

The rule of thumb is that you can expect a puppy to have to relieve itself after its age in months plus one, so for a puppy that young, you can expect him to hold it 3 hours or so.
 
G
#4 ·
Why are you slapping the crate? This is a BABY. You do not want to punish him for letting you know that he has to go potty. You will probably have several more weeks of interrupted sleep. Just remember to be very BUSINESS LIKE in the middle of the night. Go out to potty and go right back to bed. Do not play with or engage your puppy.
 
#5 ·
Toby is a baby and you have to expect he'll need you to care for him 24 hours a day - yes, even at night. He was separated from his littermates too early if you have him so young, so you have an even more important job to do in easing his anxiety and making him feel safe and secure. Please put away the newspaper and try comforting your baby instead. When my Cassie would whine at night (between potty times) I would sit next to her crate for a minute and let her nuzzle my fingers, she would quiet right down and I would go back to bed. I slept with a soft dog toy in my bed a few nights to get my scent on it and now she has that toy in her crate overnight, she stays quiet all night now.

Yeah, broken sleep sucks, it's a part of parenting. You've got only a couple more weeks before she's ready to "sleep through the night" - which may sound endless, but it's really a very short amount of time when you think of all the years of joy you'll share.
 
#6 ·
I got my puppy at six weeks to although I wanted to wait until 8. He whined a lot the first week but if I had already recently taken him potty then I would just talk to him quietly telling him it's ok and sometimes just ignoring him. Also when I would have to leave him for a while during the day (just to run the kiddos to school) I would put him in the crate with a safe toy and turn the T.V. on. It has only been a few weeks and he is doing awesome with the crate now.
 
#7 ·
Puppies should not be separated from their mother and littermates until they are 8 weeks of age so yes, you got him too young. However, what is done is done. No, you shouldn't be slapping the crate and yes, you should be taking him out every few hours. He is 6 weeks old. He can probably barely hold it for longer than an hour so getting a couple of hours out of him is pretty good.
 
#8 ·
I got Rider at 6 weeks and I made a point to set my alarm for every 3 hours PERIOD. I took him out. The first two weeks seemed like forever but we made it through. He never messed in the house after the 3rd day home and he took to his crate extremely fast. I would also recommend filling an empty 2 liter bottle with hot water and covering it with a towel to simulate sleeping on his littermates. It worked like a charm for Rider.

Patience. You will be able to start building how long they can hold it and you will be able to sleep again.
 
#9 ·
As Piper and Dani said, you have a couple of rough weeks, sleep-wise, but IT GETS BETTER!

We got Misty at 6 weeks, and she needed to go out every few hours (at night) for the first week or so. Gradually over the next couple of weeks, she got to where she would sleep through the night. Now, at 18 1/2 weeks, she goes 8-10 hours at night no problem.

From a positive perspective, you are using the crate, which is excellent. You seem to be doing everything right; I totally understand how you feel. I remember being totally exhausted and stressed for 3 to 4 weeks after we got Misty (sort of like when our daughter was born -- only much shorter in duration! :) )

Just hang in there, the suffering will diminish, and your pup will be sleeping through the night before you know it. For now, I think 3-4 hours is about as much as you can expect (based on my experience with Misty). And this is just what you describe -- to bed at 10 PM, up at 2 or 3 AM, up again around 6 AM, then up for good 8-9 AM (10 to 11 hours total in the crate). This sounds real similar to Misty, though we never tried for that extra 2-3 hours after 6 AM -- we just got up with her at 6 AM and fed her (and then she'd nap, about an hour after eating, for a couple more hours).

Steve
 
#10 ·
thanks for all your advice, we took Toby to a vet today to make sure nothing was wrong, it turns out he coccidia, which is a parasite of the intestines. He got it from some litter from a cat I had that had been staying with me for a few weeks but left. I hadn't cleaned the litter box and he had gotten into it. It turns out my baby Toby was sick, this parasite makes it's difficult for him to eat and absorb food resulting in diarrhea. This also explains why when he was eating he kept wanting more and more. We also got a ticking clock for him and a fermone (sp) spray that is specially formulated to smell like a mother's breast milk that you spray in . This spray is supposed to make it easy for him to sleep because it smells like a mother doggie. She also gave us some vitamins for him to take a special pill to help him sleep better. Today for a few hours I put him in his cage (with the spray, minus the pill) and he was out for a good two hours. She also said we weren't feeding him enough. I felt so horrible like a bad parent but hopefully we're on the right track now! Thanks again!
 
#11 ·
Glad to hear Toby's on the mend. I hope with him being more comfortable once you kick the coccidia he starts to adapt to the crate a bit better. Sounds like you're doing all you can to get him feeling happy and anxiety free in there. Just my opinion, take it or leave it, but I would use a sleep inducing pill as a very, very, very last resort.
 
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