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Reassurance please!

993 views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  Bettanygirl 
#1 ·
Hi chaps, we have recently had a new arrival in our house, Millie the black lab. Shes 8 weeks old and we've had her now for 3 days. I just wanted to check we were doings things correctly really.

We have set her up a little den (decided against a crate) in the kitchen and filled in with all her toys and a filled kong, a radio and a ticking clock and our old tshirts. When shes really tired shes quite happy sleeping in there with the baby gate locked (covered with a sheet so she can't see out), but when shes wide awake she cries when we leave her. We have made sure we have never gone to her and waited till she pipes down until we go in and congratulate her. On the occassions we have gone in when shes cried we have ignored her and made a cup of tea or something and left her.

At night we have really tired her out and put her in her bed, she slept from 10.30 - 1.30 then screamed the house down but we didn't go to her. I went down at 3 to let her go to the toilet. Then she screamed the house down for 30 miuntes until she settled at 4ish until 6am.

Are we doing everything right? How long will she cry in the night for? Is there anything we can do so she doesn't cry when we leave the room?

Special bond already starting to appear, its been an emotional couple of days but well worth it!
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like you are doing things all right!

It will get better, the screaming when left thing. Try leaving her with a food treat before you leg it, something that takes a while to eat so you are gone before she has noticed!

Night time will get better too.... no point telling you a time frame as each pup is different. With our two... we had 3 nights with Huds and 3 months with Pasco! Infact Pasco never really settled at night bless him till we gave in and he sleeps in our room now!
 
#3 ·
Sounds like you're doing everything right :D

You'll maybe need to get up a couple of times a night with her for a bit. When she woke at 1.30 after 3 hours sleep, she probably needed the loo and then same again closer to dawn. I was up a couple of times a night to begin with. I was absolutely shattered, but I felt it really helped me with toilet training faster - limited scope for accidents day and night! Then what I did, was start staying up really late and getting up mega early. So, would get pup out for last pee/poo at back of midnight and then up again at 6am, then gradually stretched out the time from then.

I noticed a big difference when I started cutting down the number of feeds she was having (and I also didn't leave her with water overnight).

With the yodelling when left - I tackled this by always putting her in her crate/den when she fell asleep even when I was in, and then go off and get on with things.... even though I was so tired I was tempted to just sit down beside her and fall asleep too! Then, I started pulling doors closed behind me as I was going around the house, so she couldn't follow me absolutely everywhere and realised I would literally be back in 2 seconds. She'd yodell a bit at night after being out for toilet break. I have a neighbour who complains about the slightest noise, so I couldn't leave her to scream. I'd put her back in the crate(den) and then sit in a chair nearby but with NO interaction and not looking at her. As she drifted off to sleep, I sneaked out and back to my own bed. After a week or so, I was able to pop her back in and just leave her.
 
#4 ·
brilliant thanks for the responses guys. LAst night she went to bed a bit later at 11 and cried for the toilet at 3 then had a little paddy when I put her back to bed to I went down adn made a drink but ignored her and she slept till 5.45. Getting better every day.

She still panics when I leave her alone when shes wide awake though. When shes sleepy shes happy to be alone for an hour or more. I guess this will just naturally get better as long as I don't respond to the crying?
 
#5 ·
Sounds like you are doing very well indeed :D

HenryKelly said:
She still panics when I leave her alone when shes wide awake though.
Don't forget she isn't in a panic she is protesting saying "Hey!!! I am awake and I want some attention!!!" be careful not to feel guilty and give in, it will be worth it in the long run :wink:

P.S. Can we have some piccies, pleeeaaassssseeee :)
 
#7 ·
Ideally not even going into the room, but this isn't always possible or practical.... so going into the kitchen and putting the kettle on or whatever is fine IMO (well that's the sort of thing I did anyway) and just continue as you are without giving any interaction until all is quiet.
 
#8 ·
We are just going through the same thing! Sounds like you are being much braver than we are at leaving her during the day.

We let little Sunnyside fall asleep after her last feed and play then take her out to toilet last thing before we go up (about half 10/11) get up about 2:30/3am to take her out for a very sleepy wee and then pop her back in her crate until she wakes up about 6ish when we have realised she really does need to go to the toilet! Recently she has started falling back to sleep again after this morning break for a couple of hours which is great!

I posted loads about leaving her in house as was freaking out by her yelping/crying and had SO many helpful replies that I have definitly got braver and now up to leaving her for 30-40 mins with exciting kong and the cricket on which strangely seems to calm her somewhat ;)

Sounds like you doing a fab job and you can definitly be reassured that we are going through exactly the same thing!!

p.s If anyone can puh lease tell me in very simple forms how to post some pics I would love the help!! I keep searching the forums and have uploaded pics to photobucket but am clueless as to next step!
 
#9 ·
HA! I've been using the cricket too! She'll probably go nuts when the Ashes finishes!

Sounds like your doing really well too, it really helps knowing other people are doing similar things to you, this is our first one so we are googling every five minutes to check why shes doing something.

I've mostly been tiring her out before leaving her so think I might be cheating a little bit. When you leave her for 30-40 minutes is she awake when you leave and awake the whole time? I've left her chewing a toy but knowing shes about to nod off. I might start trying when shes wide awake too.

I find it so hard to leave her crying (which has got less and less) but I've got to go back to work in 3 weeks so need to know she can last till lunchtime by herself.

I guess we could be of some use to each other of the next few weeks! Keep up the good work!
 
#10 ·
Yes Sunny is our first pup too (my first dog) - we are also mad on the googling :) Well no I am - my husband keeps telling me to step away from the internet!!

We went out for nearly an hour today and she was snoozing when we came back and the crate was dry (yay!) But we are doing the same as you - tiring her out, taking her out to toilet and then putting her in crate with her kong and a puppy biscuit. At first we were following a book that suggested doing crate time with us in the same room with crate door closed and we found that really hard as we were hearing her cry and were not supposed to look at her! Fortunately after posting on here I was advised that lab puppies may find this harder than actually leaving the house as they can tell you are in and are trying to get to you etc. Whatever the case if I actually leave the house my own stress levels are madly reduced and so far she has just been snoozing and calm when we get back.

We are both teachers so have to go back to work in 3 weeks also so I have to build up her time alone - have interviewed a couple of puppy sitters today though who are going to pop in twice a day to play with her and take her out to toilet so am feeling marginally less stressed than before at the thought of returning to work!

Would be great to compare notes with another new puppy owner so message me anytime :)
 
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