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 Hysterical puppy howls through the night - please help
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| Author | Topic: Hysterical puppy howls through the night - please help |
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LovingLab New Member  Posts: 1 |
posted 01-30-2004 10:49 PM
 
Hi there, I'm new to this great forum... hope someone out there can help me out for advice. We adopted a (now 4-month-old) lab/terrier mix from a shelter six weeks ago, and she has extreme separation anxiety... she gets hysterical when placed in the crate, even with toys and kong etc, and immediately vomits or poops (even though she's been walked and "emptied" immediately beforehand) then smears it everywhere and kicks it out onto the floor. I only have to leave her in there for 30 mins for this to happen. We tried crating her from the day we brought her home, but gave up after a week of non-stop howling. She also insists on sleeping with my husband and I - on the pillow between us - or she gets just as hysterical. I've been experimenting with a tie-down leash in the kitchen - she has access to water, toys, her bed, her "pooping corner" and a low heater - but she still howls through the night. We can't keep her in bed with us any longer, as she's getting bigger and we're getting exhausted. We only have a studio apartment, so the night-long howling is unbelievably stressful. Please advise... It's now 1:45 a.m. and she's at it again. I got out of bed to write this out of desperation. I love her with all my heart, and refuse to give up on this... IP: Logged |
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charmedagain Member  Posts: 790 |
posted 01-31-2004 03:18 AM
Hi U can try placing a ticking clock under her bedding or you can place a pice of old clothing or cloth with either your's or your husbands scent on it this should help the pup settle as this gives them the sence of security and helps them feel at ease. Never give in to a howling or whining pup as this can make them think mmm hang on when i do this i get the attention i want so they will carry on doing it. mike. IP: Logged |
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Nik Member Posts: 115 |
posted 01-31-2004 05:07 AM
Hi, welcome  Howling is one of the worst things they can do as it's not only you who goes without sleep, but your neighbours too probably. I found i couldn't get to sleep even when mine had quietened down a little cause I was laying there thinking 'if he starts again he's gonna wake the neighbours up, again'. I sypathise as I ended up spending 2 weeks on the sofa with mine after his howling on the first 2 nights. I left him till 1.30am both nights then went into him and we both got on the sofa. People told me I was wrong and I was making life hard for myself... but they were wrong. After 2 weeks, on the friday (as I knew neighbours didn't have to get up early for work on the saturday) I put him in his bed and went to bed. He howled for half an hour and that was it till morning. He had the biggest praise of his life. The next night was a bit harder as he howled on n off for about an hour but I resisted and that was that... he's been absolutly brilliant since The only advice I can give is to not make a big deal about going to bed but for it to be like a ritual. I go stuff his Kong, return to the front room to turn things off (tv, pc, fire & whatnot), back into the kitchen, turn the radio on then over to his bisciut tin. At this point he leaps into his bed and waits for his good night treats. I offer him his bisciut, stroke his head, say 'here's your kong beautiful, night night' and leave the room turning the light out on the way. 2 minutes later I hear him banging his kong about which makes me smile. How I did it was to give him the pillow I'd (we'd) been sleeping on for the last 2 weeks and my nightshirt. This might seem a tad extreme to some people as I had to buy a new pillow for me, but most people have a spare and we all have more night clothes. After a couple of weeks I threw out my nightshirt and he didn't even notice as his bed was his now and he didn't need my scent anymore to feel safe. Oh, I also left the light on to start with. I phased this out by going out a bit before it got dark so he was home alone in the dark as I wasn't there to trun the light on. I TOTALLY beleive in giving things time to work now. Go with your instincts and find something that works for both of you nomatter how rediculous it might seem to everyone else. People swear by crates, but after 3-4 days I gave mine back as it really wasn't working for us. So yeah, 2 weeks of sleeping with him in another room (not the bedroom) and ignoring him more each night till in the end he was sleeping on the floor, then filling his bed (the place you want him to sleep in alone) with my scent worked for me. I'll stop babbling now Good Luck IP: Logged |
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Karriesue Member Posts: 277 |
posted 02-01-2004 10:28 AM
The above advice was really good. I just want to add that there are trainers/behaviorists that can help you with seperation anxiety. Make sure you check their credentials and how much experience they have had. Another thing you will want to ask is how much experience with seperation anxiety they have had. The one trainer/behaviorist I used to use said she dealt with this problem alot. SA unfortuntely is not uncommon. I thought I would throw the trainer/behaviorist idea out there for you to consider. Good luck with your dog. [This message has been edited by Karriesue (edited 02-01-2004).] IP: Logged |
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