# ANXIOUS & TIRED!! Night time yelping, separation anxiety, potty training HELP



## milo811 (Aug 15, 2009)

1st time pet owner, lots of questions. Got an 8wk old lab mix, 6 lbs from the shelter 4 days ago. Have a crate, placed in family room – has access to that room only. Been taking it outside every 2 hours to eliminate. Don’t know if hubby and I are doing things correctly, any suggestions and feedback recommended. I feel like I have been confined to the family room for the past 4 days and have gotten little sleep.
• Night time: my biggest concern/frustration. How do I get him to sleep in his crate in family room, me in my bedroom, not yelp, and limit the potty need? I am also wondering whether it was too big of a shock to him to have left him completely by himself so suddenly and ignoring him? Spent the 1st 3 nts sleeping on the sofa in the family room while he slept in the crate w/door not locked. He didn’t yelp and would come out of crate every 2-3 hour and I would take him outside to pee. 4th nt, wanted to sleep in my own room thus after he fell asleep, placed him in crate, and closed the door. 2 hour later, he started yelping. Took him out to eliminate, placed him back in crate – started yelping. I ignored him, closed the door, and tried to go back to sleep. He would eventually stop yelping after 10-15 mins. The events repeated itself every 2 hours and I became so anxious with his yelping that I didn’t really sleep much. Is it okay for me to continue just leaving him in the crate and ignoring him? Am I stressing him out too much? Should I move the crate to the bedroom? Will he be confused with where his place is at?
• How do I get him to stop yelping every time I leave the family room? I close the door to the room behind me and it thinks I left him. I get anxious and quickly do what I need to do so I can return to the room.
• How do I get him to be in the crate w/out yelping? When we ate, we placed him in his crate and closed the door. We are sitting in clear view. However, he starts yelping and wants to be let out. I told him to be quiet but that didn’t do anything. We didn’t let him out until we were done eating, we ignored him, but it caused me a lot of anxiety and I couldn’t even eat.
• How to leave the house w/out him yelping? I put him in the crate, closed the door, and he started yelping. I left anyways to run my errands; took 30 minutes. When I came back and pulled into the driveway, I could hear him yelping – don’t know if he yelped the whole time. 
He doesn’t really seem to like his crate. I don’t know if it is too hot in there or if he still need the warm contact. He either likes to sleep by my feet or on the fireplace hearth. I have to actually pick him up after he falls asleep and place him in the crate. He will not go in there by himself, I have to lure him with a treat or toy. 

Any help would be great. I am someone who likes to get my sleep. Without it, I cannot function and is very cranky.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

Keep luring him into the crate.

Keep taking him outdoors often. At 8 weeks he can't hold it, so when he's gotta go, he's gotta go! If you will stand by him, and name his behavior (go pee pee, or Go poopy), and when he is finished give him a tasty food reward, within 10 days or so, your pup will eliminate on command. Don't expect a lot of control until 10 to 12 weeks, tho.

At night put the crate right beside your bed, where you can dangle your fingers and he can smell you. This way you will 1) hear him when he wakes up to go out, and 2) he will settle and most likely be quiet. Covering the crate with a sheet can help too.

Once he is a little older and used to the crate if you want to let him sleep in a different room, he will adjust to that.

Find a puppy training class NOW, and get into it as soon as he has his vaccines.


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## Andie (Jun 4, 2009)

Ah i felt so sorry for you when I read your post because I know exactly how you're feeing. I was in the same position as you back in March and it really does get better and easier with time.
First of all we found it helped to have the crate in the bedroom with us for a few weeks until she settled in and felt more at home in the house. Just hearing us breathing in the same room seemed to calm her down. We also found it soothed her a bit to have an old t shirt that had been worn by me for a day in the crate with her as well,that was some great advice that someone gave me on this forum.
When we moved the crate down to the living room she didnt make any fuss at all.They do grow in confidence as they get older and you'll find that you wont worry so much about everything. Your puppy is still really young and has only just left her litter mates,she just needs to get used to you all and settle in to her new home. Make sure you take loads of photos cos they grow so quickly!

Me again! forgot to mention that sometimes leaving the tv or radio on when you go out can help. Also a kong filled with natural yoghurt and then frozen for a few hours is good because it would keep Molly occupied for half an hour while she tried to lick it all out. 
Hope it all starts to get better for you soon, its awful not getting enough sleep!


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## Trixie (Feb 27, 2008)

I always find the most amusing part of posts like this to be "I told him to be quiet, but that did nothing!" Well, no kidding. Puppies don't understand "be quiet". 

It gets better when you enroll in a puppy class, the puppy gets older and you learn to manage your expectations.

And there is no "separation anxiety" going on here. That is a medical condition that is about 1000 times worse than anything you describe and generally needs treatment with meds. The good news is that everything you describe is totally, 100 normal puppy behavior. Learning this really helped me to manage my expectations so that we could deal with our pups development and training.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

> =milo811;606464]
> • Night time: my biggest concern/frustration. How do I get him to sleep in his crate in family room, me in my bedroom, not yelp, and limit the potty need? I am also wondering whether it was too big of a shock to him to have left him completely by himself so suddenly and ignoring him?


Yes. He's a baby, separated from mom and siblings, and terrified of being alone. Put the crate next to your bed.



> Spent the 1st 3 nts sleeping on the sofa in the family room while he slept in the crate w/door not locked. He didn’t yelp and would come out of crate every 2-3 hour and I would take him outside to pee.


See? Your presense reassures and comforts him. 



> Should I move the crate to the bedroom? Will he be confused with where his place is at?


Yes to moving the crate to the bedroom, and no, he's not going to be confused.



> • How do I get him to stop yelping every time I leave the family room? I close the door to the room behind me and it thinks I left him. I get anxious and quickly do what I need to do so I can return to the room.


I have a crate in every room of the house (except the bathroom!). My puppy would literally scream when I walked out of her sight. I ignored it. Before leaving the room her crate or ex-pen was in to go elsewhere briefly, I'd say the same phrase, "I'll be right back." It didn't take long for her to stop the screaming yelps. I gradually stayed out of her sight for longer and longer periods of time, and she was just fine.



> • How do I get him to be in the crate w/out yelping? When we ate, we placed him in his crate and closed the door. We are sitting in clear view. However, he starts yelping and wants to be let out. I told him to be quiet but that didn’t do anything. We didn’t let him out until we were done eating, we ignored him, but it caused me a lot of anxiety and I couldn’t even eat.


He's a baby and doesn't like to be alone. Bring him into the room you're in, so he can see you - in his crate or an ex-pen. 



> • How to leave the house w/out him yelping? I put him in the crate, closed the door, and he started yelping. I left anyways to run my errands; took 30 minutes. When I came back and pulled into the driveway, I could hear him yelping – don’t know if he yelped the whole time.


Puppies sleep about 20 hrs. a day. Make your coming and going very low key. 




> He doesn’t really seem to like his crate. I don’t know if it is too hot in there or if he still need the warm contact. He either likes to sleep by my feet or on the fireplace hearth. I have to actually pick him up after he falls asleep and place him in the crate. He will not go in there by himself, I have to lure him with a treat or toy.


Too hot in the crate? Is it plastic? Try the wire crates - you can always throw a blanket over it. Make his crate a great place to be. Feed him in his crate, give him toys, treats.



> Any help would be great. I am someone who likes to get my sleep. Without it, I cannot function and is very cranky.


LOL I like my sleep, too, and I sure feel cranky when sleep deprived! The good news is this won't last forever! Enjoy your baby while he's still a baby!


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## Trin (Aug 13, 2009)

One thing I think helped ours (although we got her from a shelter at 6 months of age so we kinda missed the stage you're at now!!!), is to leave the pup with something that makes them feel secure. A security blanket if you will. For ours - it seems to be her Kong (although nowadays she will be OK being left without it, too). 

Almost all dogs' moods will lift when they are left with a food item. Have you tried leaving your pup with a stuffed Kong? That way, it distracts them from the fact you are leaving the room or house - and by the time they realize you've left they may be a little calmer. 

We stuff ours with a variety of things - but our little Kaylee is very partial to some squished-up Omega Treats (chicken, duck or salmon!) that are stuffed up into a Kong.

Watch out that whatever treats you may do this with - that they are suitable for a young pup......many treats aren't.

I feel your pain - but puppies at that age get older so quickly and are developing almost daily. Within a month or two, you will come on in leaps and bounds and you will vaguely remember the days when you had to go out to potty sixteen times a day!! 

Trin...


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