House training and sleeping arrangements

[Gemma1977]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi. Our 9 week old Norfolk terrier has been sleeping in a crate in our room for two weeks and we decided last night to try moving her crate downstairs, where we'd like her to eventually sleep permanently.

Well she fell asleep at 9.30pm, woke at 10.30pm for a toilet break, the same happened at 1.30am. Then, as our bedroom is in the attic, i didn't hear her quick enough, and i came down at 3.30am to find that she'd soiled her bed and everything in it. Ended up on the sofa with her on my lap.

Do we stick it out and keep trying downstairs, sleeping on the sofa, or take the crate back upstairs?
Thanks.

 

[Tinytom]

I would take the crate back upstairs as she is so young ...

 

[JoanneF]

If she is settled enough to sleep alone without becoming distressed (because for me, that would be the most important factor in making your choice) then I think you have two options.

Either keep her in your room where you can hear her until she can last all night, or set your alarm for sometime between 1.30 and 3.30 to take her out again.

 

[Gemma1977]

Thanks for that. She was sleeping about four hours at a time upstairs.

 

[Finsky]

There is no hard rules about your sleeping arrangement and what they should be...entirely your thing and what works for your pup and you.
When we had our older 'pup', I slept with her from day one on settee with her about 8 months until we moved to sleep into bed. We have always slept with our dogs, mainly for our pleasure as there nothing nicer than have little living 'hot water bottle' next to you. And few months later the second pup arrived and I was back on the settee again...now with a pup AND the older one. Younger one is now a year old and I'm still sleeping downstairs...either camping on floor or sleeping on settee. But I enjoy it and we haven't experienced a single cry from either of them, other than cry for wanting to go out for have some fun at the middle of the night
Younger one has now started to change and sleep much more longer periods at the time (typical teenager) so time has come to start the progress moving back upstairs into proper bed.
What I would probably do in your shoes is to try a daytime arrangement and otherwise go back upstairs but this time do the change in stages.
If possible...try to have regular nap downstairs so she gets used to the idea it is ok to sleep downstairs too. And then when you go to bed, have her grate moved further away from you in stages. 9 weeks is still so very young..she is still a baby
Edit to add; sleeping with your dog to settle it down do not make them clingy..not with terriers anyway. At certain age they start showing their independent streak and even if you would want to sleep with her, she will choose her sleeping arrangements herself.
Mine do swap and change their places through the night and have now regular arrangement who sleep and which part of the bed with me and what part of the night....they have their baskets and a grate, and settee and middle and the floors...and and ..basically they do as their like and I don't mind as long as long as we are all safe and sound and I get my sleep!

 

[Ari_RR]

My 2 cents - I would sleep on the sofa downstairs for a bit.
Quicker and easier to grab her and run out in the middle of the night this way. Plus - I would imagine she uses the crate during the day too, so this avoids carrying the crate up and down...

 

[Gemma1977]

Ari-RR - yes she does use the crate when its downstairs, otherwise she's happy enough in the other bed she has.

Finsky - thanks, i understand what works for one isnt right for another, we just have to find what suits us.

 

[JudyN]

She's still an absolute baby, so I'd move the crate back upstairs and leave it there till she consistently goes through the night. Though bear in mind that she might sleep less soundly when you do move her back downstairs and so need to go out in the night.

From what you've said, she would have been 7 weeks old when you got her. Were you aware that it's illegal to sell a puppy under 8 weeks of age in the UK?

 

[Tinytom]

Could you get another crate so you have one upstairs and one downstairs

 

[Gemma1977]

Judy N - we were told that she was almost 9 weeks when we bought her, but the vet said more like 7 weeks as she was small.

Tinytom - have thought about that.....