You have your new puppy / dog and things have gone well all day what a great feeling. Night time arrives and everyone is tired out, its time for bed. Suddenly the howling starts, things aren’t going quite as you planned. How do you stop your puppy from crying, whats wrong with him, how are you going to get any sleep! The crying and howling has become your priority! This reminds you of having a newborn, what does the crying mean. Your puppy is in an unfamiliar place, and taken from his mother and siblings, hes suffering from separation anxiety. The only way he can communicate his loneliness and fear is by crying and howling. So what next? COMFORT HIM AND MAKE HIM FEEL SECURE.
Tire Puppy out before bed
Don’t let your puppy take a nap before bedtime, make sure he is active and running around to wear him out. If he is ready to fall over asleep the minute you put him in his bed or crate, your puppy will be too tired to cry. This is one of the best ways to stop your puppy from crying at bedtime. Make sure he has a comfortable place that he is safe and secure and put him to bed.
Limit Food and Water before bed
Cut your puppy off from food and water an hour before bedtime. If he goes to bed with a full stomach and bladder, you’ll be getting up more than once during the night to let him out. If you are early to bed and late to rise, you’ll probably have to make at least one trip to keep him from going to the bathroom in the house. Try ensure you take puppy to the bathroom once during the night and keep to a routine.
Keep Puppy Close
If possible, let the puppy sleep in your room with you. Experts say letting puppy sleep in your room makes him feel part of the pack and that provides security. Try not let a puppy or dog sleep on your bed, dogs must understand you are the pack leader and get the best place to sleep. Put your puppy on the floor beside your bed on a soft dog bed or in a crate if you are crate-training. Crate Training can be very useful when you are going out during the day to keep puppy safe and is also useful at bed time. Most dogs like to have their very own space.
Music to calm the Soul
Playing music or having a TV on can provide comfort to your puppy on his first night home. Music or the TV can relieve your puppy or dogs stress levels and cause him to relax and sometimes even fall asleep.
The Crying continues
When the crying won’t stop, the howling, whimpers and wails keep coming from your new bundle of joy! Think, what are the possible distresses he is signaling. Does your puppy need the toilet? A USEFUL TIP – A puppy can “hold on” about an hour longer than his age in months. A four-month-old puppy for example can make it only five hours before urgently needing a bathroom break.
If your puppy has already been to the bathroom, perhaps a quick pat and kind calm words (a pat and a gentle word should do the trick). If he continues to whine and you have done everything and assessed everything that could be upsetting him, a very gentle shake by the scruff and a firm “hush” could be in order. This is what his mum would do when the puppy is misbehaving. Some trainers think filling a plastic bottle with marbles and shaking it each time your puppy howls, with an accompanying “hush” as a way to stop your puppy from crying. The noise makes your puppy take notice then the command he will learn what is required to stop the noise happening.
Just remember with a puppy or Dog, consistency is key. Make a plan of action and a use a specific method of discipline and stick with it. Do not swap and change, it takes time but will work in the end. CONSISTENCY IS KEY!
