Help! First Night Horror, 8wk puppy whining

[myst]

but is not the crate suppose to be a safe place for the puppy? would think getting splatted by water from nowhere would not make the crate very safe.

[Anne]

Originally Posted by mindue

I have a 8 week pup. got him when he was 7 weeks. he has been whining and crying constantly for a week. i just purchased a squirt gun. not a super soaker, but a small water gun. before he gets a squirt, i say ssshhhhh and give him a squirt. i have only been doing this for a day, but there is a DRASTIC difference in his crying. much much less whining and crying.

Well I guess for the rest of his life he will associate shhh with a bqad experience so I hope he doesn't turn into a barker for you.

Personally I don't believe in corrections such as this for baby puppies. He is crying because he is alone and missing his mother and litter mates. Poor little pupper. He is looking for comfort and what he gets instead is a squirt of water.

[Dimitri]

i was fortunate to not have my little brat cry and whine all night long. though i got him while i was in the process of moving into my condo and painting it. I had him in a temp crate (shopping cart with lot of towels as bedding). when he did whine a couple of times during the night, i would take him outside to make sure that he didn't need to go to the bathroom and put him right away back into his crate. he did try to continue crying again, but i put my hand up to the crate and he went back to sleep within a few minutes. even at 13 weeks old, he does whine in his crate on the odd occassion, but I ignore it for the most part... mind you that i often crate my boy with a meaty bone for him to chew on which helps with the transition alot.

[Nyla's Mom]

This is definently normal puppy behavior. What else you might want to try is to buy a bigger stuffed animal, bear or at some pet stores they have mini rottweiler stuffed animal dogs( some are tug so they expand) but put it in the crate with your pup, it's most likely it's missing it's mom & siblings about now and needs something to snuggle up to & keep him/her warm & not so lonely.

[RottieMom51503]

Has anyone tried a radio at night for their whinning pups? Maybe it's just mine but when mine where whinning I would come out to the living, Take the pup outside to take a potty break and put him in a crate in the living room and turn on a radio loud enough for the pup to feel a little vibration off the speakers but not loud enough to keep me up. Daphne never whinned unless she really needed something, even her first night she didn't Whine. Bear was a complete crybaby for the first month but as soon as I turned the radio on he quit. Of course this might explain is howling along with Mariah Careys high pitched Voice in the car.

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by mindue

...he has been whining and crying constantly for a week. i just purchased a squirt gun...a small water gun. before he gets a squirt, i say ssshhhhh and give him a squirt. i have only been doing this for a day, but there is a DRASTIC difference in his crying.

How are you differentiating between his whining for the sake of whining and whining because he may have to relieve himself?

The rule of thumb is puppies have bladder and bowel control for 1 hour/4 weeks of life + 1. Thus, an 8 week old puppy should be taken to his or latrine spot every 3 hours or so. Are you doing this?

[Jaggerfur1]

I just went through this with my pup when we first got him home. The first week he would cry and cry. I had the kennel next to my bed and he continued. No matter how much he cried I did not take him out. Now he loves his crate and goes in there by himself.

Another thing I did was put a blanket or towel across the top (I have the open metal crate) and he stopped crying, my husband told me to do that and I was like he is not a bird but it worked wonders for me and finally got some sleep.

[mrs1885]

Originally Posted by mindue
...he has been whining and crying constantly for a week. i just purchased a squirt gun...a small water gun. before he gets a squirt, i say ssshhhhh and give him a squirt. i have only been doing this for a day, but there is a DRASTIC difference in his crying.

What a horrible thing to do. He has been taken from his mother and litter mates - the only thing he has known yet in his life - and in response to his lonelyness and confusion you spray him with a squirt gun? Can you imagine a child being taken from it's mother and siblings and getting sprayed in the face with a water gun for crying? Of course there is a difference in his crying. The poor little guy is terrified of you. How do you expect to bond with a dog that fears you? He's still a little puppy for crying out loud.

To the OP - Rotties are very smart dogs. If you continually take them out of the kennel when they cry, they associate crying with getting out. You have to let them cry through it. And they will. The kennel should be a good place. Try some of the ideas here you have been given - minus spraying them with a water gun - and you will see a difference. It's a trying time, but one that comes with most puppies. You will get through it!!

[warrior1]

My boy is 5mts old now. We got him at 8weeks. i kept his crate downstairs so I wouldnt't hear him cyring. I got up every few hours to put him out and placed him right back in. Keeping the same bedtime and pee times. Whining lasted only a week. When he outgrew his "baby crate" and needed the bigger one, I then put him in my bedroom next to our bed. No more crying!!! This is my second time around so I tried not to make the same mistakes I did with my 10 year old guy. Good luck, just be consistant!

[VANCOUVERISLANDROT]

Originally Posted by mindue

I have a 8 week pup. got him when he was 7 weeks. he has been whining and crying constantly for a week. i just purchased a squirt gun. not a super soaker, but a small water gun. before he gets a squirt, i say ssshhhhh and give him a squirt. i have only been doing this for a day, but there is a DRASTIC difference in his crying. much much less whining and crying.

I wouldn't recommend this at all! That's my opinion but to me you're doing nothing but instilling even more fear into your already scared puppy. Their kennel is suppossed to be a safe haven for them, not a torture chamber. To the original op, I would highly recommend ignoring this advice.

It's honestly just something you will have to ride out as horrible as it is. I remember lying in bed balling my eyes out because Oscar's cries, shrieks, howling etc was seriously breaking my heart. My dh kept telling me to just persevere, I wanted to take him out of the cage but my dh wouldn't let me. Was the best thing in the end and my dh was totally right. If I had taken him out, we would've eventually had to go through the ordeal anyway and it would've taken much longer! We didn't sleep for a good 2 weeks really. It sucks while you're doing it BUT it does get better and you will be glad to that made it through. I kept the kennel at the end of our bed because that seemed to keep him calmer for sure (we tried other rooms, was worse). On really bad nights I would lie on the bed upside down and sleep with my fingers through the grates so he could smell me. That totally helped for a couple days until he settled into a routine. We also had to get up at least 2x per night for potty breaks, we set the schedule. When they're just screaming like that, you can't tell what's a legitimate pee cry or not. So we set our clocks for every 3-4 hours I believe.

You'll be sleep deprived but it will be worth it in the end, trust me. Oscar's 11 m/o and LOVES his crate, still sleeps in it etc. Crating is for your dogs safety and well being! Make their bed an enjoyable area, fill it with safe toys, treat him when he goes in etc. We still to this day give Oscar a kong filled with goodies for him to beat on and eat. He runs to his crate when it's time to leave for work in the mornings.

[Jaggerfur1]

I missed the water gun statement - that is horrible. Do not follow that advice whatever you do.

[Diane Heller-Vaccaro]

I have the secret to end puppy whining. I purchased a CD called Canine Lullabies. It is a mix of heartbeat therapy and nursery rythms. I swear I just brought my puppy home Sunday night after an exhausting weekend at the breeders, of course as soon as I put him in the crate the crying began and not only crying and whining...howling too. I remember the CD and I put it on and with in 10 minutes he was sound a sleep I use it all the time.

here is the link with the info:

www.caninelullabies.com

It really works there are samples of the songs. Tested by the Humane Societies & members of the American Boarding Kennels Association.

[myst]

Wow I listened and read and was totally amazed! thank you for posting that info. Oh and I am off to order it now:)

[Paulos]

AngelBunny warrior1, and Dimitri's post's were right-on the mark. Besides all the training techniques discussed here, there is the need to take care of your pup's needs. Yes...that includes getting up a few times during the night to let it take care of business. I hope you are doing this for your pup.

[Diane Heller-Vaccaro]

Yes, I still get up twice during the night but this CD has made a world of difference. I came across the CD in a magazine and at first I thought yeah, right and when I listened to the sample on my pc I noticed that my cats came around and layed on top of the computer desk and even Asa stopped chewing is bone and started drifting off. I ordered the CD about a month prior to Tango's arrival. I was amazed when I put the CD in and he actually stopped crying and went to sleep within 10 minutes. I use the CD when I put him in the crate for a break (my break) and when he is alone or sleeping. I love this CD and highly recommended it to all puppy owners.