# First nights at home



## weez74 (Feb 9, 2011)

Hi,

We're collecting our new puppy on Saturday. We have bought a crate, a vet bed and lots of new puppy books. But my husband and I have now had a bit of a disagreement. I've read in a couple of books that you should let the puppy spend its first few nights in a box in your room. My husband says that if he'd thought the puppy would be in our room at all (we both agree that dogs should not be allowed upstairs), he never would have agreed to having a puppy. 

What do you think? Will the puppy be okay downstairs in her crate straight away? Will we be setting ourselves up for more trouble that way because she won't learn to settle quickly? Or will she be fine?

Louise


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

I was quite firm about this and Flo had an open crate in the utility room from day 1 and I still put her in the utility room every night when we go to bed and shut the door. She is not allowed upstairs where we have carpets and where the kids toys and clothes are usually all over the floor(!!!!)

We still have a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs, which we got when she was a puppy to stop her going upstairs, although we never have to close it now. She doesn't try to come upstairs at all now.

Some have the dog bed upstairs and some allow the dog to sleep on their bed.

Nothing wrong with any approach as long as everyone is happy and everyone agrees. The puppy dog will just get used to whatever you decide but generally it's best to be consistent.

Some people recommend having a new puppy upstairs for the first few nights while it gets used to it's new surroundings. I suppose a compromise might be to camp out downstairs for the first few nights.

I love Flo to bits and would like nothing more than to hug her all night but she is already quite clingy with me (a velcro dog) and if she also slept near me and didn't learn to be on her own a bit I suspect she wouldn't cope at all if I wasn't around


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## RubyCockapoo (Feb 5, 2011)

Hi - I'm new here too. I'm not greatly experienced and Ruby is our first dog too. We put her in her crate from the first night, crate door open but in the kitchen with the door shut and newspaper on the floor.

We tended to stay up until 11:30 to 12 every night and then down at 5:30 to 6am every morning. But she never peed in the kitchen, and slept through, still does at 7 months

Ruby is a very high energy dog and from the time she woke up to going to bed, she NEVER stopped until she hit 5/6 months. Now she crashes out a fair bit, but she gets walks out off the lead now

We took the decision to allow her upstairs (or we changed our minds) and she hasn't been in a crate since 5/6 months - we close her in the kitchen when we go out, but she has the run of the house the rest of the time

Have fun, they're tiring but more than worth the effort!


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

depends on you, some people crate from day one for the hole night, others crate but get up about 2 or 3 am to let the pup out for a pee. others keep them in their room for the first week or too till they feel they can go all night without needing out for a pee. 

i dont think there is a right or wrong way.

however dog in your bedroom full time i dont agree with


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## Sazzle (Jan 26, 2011)

I picked my puppy up last Saturday so we're now on night number five, and he's been in the kitchen in a puppy playpen lined with newspaper and containing his bed since the first night. 

He whined for 15-20 mins the first night and then every hour and a half after that but it's got less each night. Last night (night four) he whined for 5 mins and then all I heard after that was him playing with a toy at about 4.30 in the morning. 

When he whines I've ignored him as attention will reward that behaviour. I figure that he's safe and warm, and that he has to learn somehow so start as we mean to go on. It doesn't seem to have done him any harm so far....he's a very happy little puppy. It does make me feel guilty when I hear him whining, but I think have to resist the temptation to give him attention if he's going to settle in the long term. He's getting plenty of attention the rest of the time after all.

That's my experience anyway....good luck with whatever you decide is for the best!


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## weez74 (Feb 9, 2011)

*Thanks for the advice*

Thanks everyone for the quick responses! I feel a lot better as a part of me was expecting you all to say "oh my goodness, you are so cruel thinking of putting her straight into a crate downstairs on her own!".

I definitely don't want her upstairs on a permanent basis - I agree with the theory that dogs must learn their place in your pack and I have two young children so for theirs and the dog's sake I want to be able to give them separate play areas for some of the time anyway. 

I think we will go back to the original plan of putting her in the crate in the kitchen straight away (does the hot water bottle and ticking clock thing really work?), as my husband feels very strongly about it. I'm not sure I will hear her crying though (big old house) so maybe I'll set an alarm to go down a few times in the first couple of nights to let her out. 

I really want to get her started on the right foot - I'm not normally a worrier, but until we get her home and get to know her, it's a fear of the unknown, I guess!

Thanks again

Louise


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## alfiedoo (Sep 6, 2010)

hi Louise
Our puppy is now 7 months and I had the same concerns as you when we brought him home at 8 weeks. We put Alfie in his crate in kitchen from 1st night and had about 30 mins whining before he settled. He woke at 3am and I got up and took him into garden for a wee giving him no attention at all. The next night was worse and he whined for well over an hour and a half!! We didn't go down to him because we knew he didn't need to go out and was safe. (it was torture and bit like having to teach your child to fall asleep themselves without cuddles) From night 3 we never had another whimper out of him and he slept right through from then onwards. Our breeder gave us a blanket with his mother abd siblings scent on (very smelly) but really think this helped to settle Alf in his new home! Maybe ask your breeder if they could do this for you. Good luck and this site is fab for advice to new puppy owners!


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

what we have always done is send a blanket to the dreeder to be put in with mum and pups, so that can be put in her bed, also a teashirt you have slept in for a couple of night means she has your sent with her so she doesnt think she is on her own.


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## AndreaS (Oct 21, 2010)

We have been crating Ruby at night downstairs since the day we got her. At the recommendation of someone at her vet, they said no food or water after 6:00. Have her go to the bathroom one last time around 10:00 and she will be good for the night. We cover her crate with a blanket and haven't had a problem with her at night at all. Good luck!


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## Dawny (Mar 28, 2010)

hi i think its all down to personal choice, wispa was in our room and on the bed from day 1 and no pee in the bedroom. we put a dog bed in the corner and she soon learnt that her bed was better than ours. its lovely to wake up to her as soon as the alarm goes off, she is so happy to see us.


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

We also have Dylan in our room. He used to sleep downstairs but I don't use a crate and our house is open plan, so with free run of the house he was weeing and pooing at night and we couldn't get him house-trained. As soon as we moved him into our room he was clean all the time. He has his own bed, but my husband confesses to allowing him in for a cuddle every morning from 6-7 am! He never disturbs me - always goes to hubby. Yes, he's spoilt - but he's so great to spoil 
Louise, I bet your hubby will mellow too once he falls in love with the pup!


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## Enneirda. (Mar 5, 2010)

You can have the pup down stairs. (I prefer to have them in bed with me lol) But it will do no harm to her, and if that's the way it's going to be you need to start it now, it would be cruel to let her get a taste of sleeping in your room, and she'll only scream louder when you take it away.

I've heard the clock and hot water bottle too. Also; soft music, a big stuffed animal ('Lo loved her huge blue rabbit, she was lay fully one it lol) a bean bag (sock with rice ect) that's been heated up and covered with a towel, it'll keep heat for hours.


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## weez74 (Feb 9, 2011)

Thanks for all the help. I am resisting the temptation to get Rosie a stuffed toy, purely because I think it's a bit mean to expect her to differentiate between her toys and the kids' toys. If Mickey Mouse or Tigger gets chewed, life won't be worth living! I think I will definitely try the hot water bottle though, and something that smells of the litter and of me.

It has made me laugh looking into all of this, because it seems as though lots of the advice, from you guys and from the books, is so similar to the baby advice I got given when my children were born! Don't make eye contact with them during the night if you get up to them, don't respond to all cries, keep things consistent..... I'm just having another baby really!

Louise


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## terrym2442 (Jan 17, 2011)

Dawn,
We're bringing our new puppy home next month and I'd like him to be in our room at night. How did you prevent him from peeing on your bed the first night? I was thinking of keeping him in a small crate next to the bed until he can "hold it" all night before introducing him to the bed.

Thanks,
Terry


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

terrym2442 said:


> Dawn,
> We're bringing our new puppy home next month and I'd like him to be in our room at night. How did you prevent him from peeing on your bed the first night? I was thinking of keeping him in a small crate next to the bed until he can "hold it" all night before introducing him to the bed.
> 
> Thanks,
> Terry


crate is a good idea. bust as he is so wee he wont be able to get on the bed with out you lifting him. 

we used a colapsable fabric crate for when Delta was in my room the first week or 2


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## Enneirda. (Mar 5, 2010)

> I'm just having another baby really!


You got that right! the little one may have fur, but it's oddly just about the same thing care wise lol.


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## Enneirda. (Mar 5, 2010)

> We're bringing our new puppy home next month and I'd like him to be in our room at night. How did you prevent him from peeing on your bed the first night? I was thinking of keeping him in a small crate next to the bed until he can "hold it" all night before introducing him to the bed.


That's what I did with my 'Lo girl, she had a crate with a blanket and rabbit on one side, a pad (which she would NEVER use lol) on the other. After about a week, I moved her onto the bed in a carrier so I could hear her better because she didn't need the space if she never used the pad. Then about 3 months I let her sleep with me and poodle D'Artagnan.


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## Dawny (Mar 28, 2010)

terrym2442 said:


> Dawn,
> We're bringing our new puppy home next month and I'd like him to be in our room at night. How did you prevent him from peeing on your bed the first night? I was thinking of keeping him in a small crate next to the bed until he can "hold it" all night before introducing him to the bed.
> 
> Thanks,
> Terry


hi Terry, wispa slept on the end of the bed and when she got up and came up to us and wimpered a little i new it was time to take her out, that only lasted a week and then she was dry until 6am ish. also they dont like to pee where they sleep. hope this is of some help!


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## terrym2442 (Jan 17, 2011)

Thanks, guys. I'm intrigued with the collapsible fabric crate idea on the bed. I'll probably either try that or the crate next to the bed. I hope this stage doesn't last too long. I'm grumpy if I get up in the middle of the night cuz I never can fall back asleep. : D


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