puppy screams

[Fi1805]

I brought home Isla yesterday and she's very sweet. But overnight she screamed and screamed and bites her crate and rattles it and sounds so distrssed that ive spent all night crying.

She likes going in her crate, i put lots of goodies in there and she settles for half an hour then she wakes up and screams relentlessly for half an hour. She hates not being able to get out, when she's calm i let her out for toilet and a cuddle and she goes looks sleepy so i encourage her back in and she snuggles down but shes off again in half an hour.

I'm so upset, its so traumatic hearing her distress. I got a towel with her mum's scent and a teddy and i left the radio on. Im on the sofa next to the crate.

Please help me. I dont know what to do.

[LindaM]

Ooo sorry it is so difficult, but the first night with any puppy always is. The crate has to be a place she likes to be and also you need to be consistent with these dogs but the first night is always hard.

You must be disappointed and utterly worn out. I'm sure the other more experienced people will come in here.

When we got Lukey home he would have stayed awake all day and it was only by putting him in his cage he would go to sleep. He had a moulded dog bed in there too.

Wish I could help more but I have always found the first night to be the worst with all my pups (Lukes is our first GSD pup).

It's hard to think straight when you are very tired too.

[sweetdude]

Hey,
Congrats on the new arrival to the family, was it the pups first night?
If so it's ok for pups to cry for the first 2 days, my pup kept waking up every 30mins as weep for the first 2 nights and was crying like mad.

Just let him get used to you're home and then it will eventually fade away. I now take my pup to the toilet at 10pm, 1am and 5am and now he's stopped whining completely at night.

He is just in a new surrounding away from his siblings and mum so it's ok for him to cry. Watch in a couple of days he will turn into a explored running you're house crazy lol
Hope this helps

[Fi1805]

Hi Sweetdude

I read your thread about your pup turning you into a zombie! It did give me a bit of hope but until we try another night I do feel a bit depressed.

Yes, last night was her first night at home. She's been so chilled all day, I really didnt expect her shriek like something from the Exorcist. It was horrible.

Hi LindaM - I'm just so exhausted I don't know what to do with myself. I just pray that tonight will be better. She settled for a couple of hours between 6 and 8 when I left her crate open. She came out once but went back in herself and snuggled back down again.

I'm worried that my neighbors will slap me with an asbo for noise disruption or something.

[zetstaff]

Awwwww bless ya, it does get better honest. You just have to persevere but it'll be worth it.

If she settles better with the cage door open, why not leave it open?

She's just been taken from everything that's familiar to her, mum + littermates aren't there anymore, she just needs a bit of time to settle. Some take longer than others, but you will get there.

You have to start as you mean to go on, so if she's going to sleep downstairs, don't cave in + take her to your bedroom.

Just stick with it + try leaving the crate open

[Fi1805]

Originally Posted by zetstaff

If she settles better with the cage door open, why not leave it open?

I will definitely try that tonight. I'm willing to give anything a shot. I wondered about DAP diffuser things - has anybody tried them?

[Caryll]

I haven't tried the diffusers myself, but others have with reasonably good successates.

But you know, this behaviour is not only normal but quite understandable. She's never been alone before, and she will feel a bit lonely & insecure for a few days. What I do is get some foam ear plugs. One night I wear them & the next night my oh wears them (so at least one of us hears the alarm clock in the morning!).

I know it's hard & heartbreaking, but it will get better. As she settles down with you she will gain confidence & realise that she isn't being abandoned every night.

[Stuart]

Its all been said,.. its a natural thing and may well go on for a few nights, there is really not a lot that can be done to help,..you could try either,...

.... bringing the crate into your room where Isla feels within a `pack` again.

.. leave a radio on close to her crate, so she hears others.

... maybe a childrens toy two way radio, so you can talk to her when she cries without getting out of bed, I knew someone who did this with great success

...or get up often and let her outside,.. this will [a] help toilet train her,..and [b] break up the night so she doesnt feel so apart

[sami]

Never been able to do it myself, my dogs have always had full run of the house and most have by choice slept in the bedroom. Spent many puppy nights sleeping with my arm out of the bed sleepily reasuring a puppy. Even in the bedroom they wake you up but its not as bad as when they are downstairs.

If you are going to stick to the crate downstairs you will have to put up with it for a few nights.

[Broxi Bear]

Hi, the one thing I would say is don't despair, we went through exactly the same thing with Cooper only a few weeks ago, the first 4 nights were awful, to listen to him you would think we were killing him! and it was very up setting for the family. Like you, we were worried about how loud he was and we were worried about how the neighbours would react, however, they assured us that they could not hear him, that helped. What we did during the night was leave the radio on (he started off down stairs), we have now moved him up to our bedroom and have a second crate in there.
He is now 10 weeks old and is great at night, the only time he will make a noise is to let us know that he wants out, which is about 2 times during the night, 1ish and 3ish, then my wife is getting up half 5 and he goes then.

She will improve, it will be hard but we have all been here and I promise you it will get better, it just may take a few days of walking about like a zombie but you will get there

BB xx