# Help! Puppy won't sleep at night



## [email protected] (Jul 20, 2007)

Hello!









I am a new puppy parent! I have a new maltese/yorkie puppy named Ashley. She is 11 weeks old and the sweetest puppy ever. She loves to give kisses, listens to me when I say 'No', or 'Give', and is working on leash and pad training. She gets along well with my cat and has adjusted very nicely to her new home. 

I am in need of some advice on how to get a few more hours of sleep. Here is some background: I work during the day. I have been working on putting Ashley on a routine. We get out of bed around 530AM and go for a short walk and play time on the grass. While I am at work, Ashley plays and sleeps in her play pen which is in my bedroom. The play pen has a puppy pad in it, a soft beach towel, tons of toys, food, water, and soft cushy bed if she chooses to sleep in. It seems like a very inviting play pen and she is great with it during the day. I have Easy Listening tunes playing softly for her which she seems to enjoy and calms her. I come home at lunch and we play and cuddle some more. After work, we play for several hours (5PM to 9PM) which includes another short walk and play time on the grass. By 9PM she is fast asleep. I've adjusted my schedule to go to bed when she sleeps at 9PM. And she does sleep with me in my bed. 

She'll wake up around 11PM needing to use her puppy pad, but will usually fall right back asleep. 

Anytime between 1AM and 3AM, she is wide awake and ready to play...ususally with my nose or arm. Those teeth are sharp! There seems to be nothing that I can do to calm her down. She wants to play! I've puppy proofed my bedroom and I've let her run around on the floor during this time with her toys while I try to go back to sleep. That will work for a short amount of time before she is whimpering to get back on the bed (and play some more with my nose or chin). I'll put her back in her play pen which is right next to my bed, but that causes her to bark and cry some more. I've tried to ignore her, but she doesn't let up. She gets really sad and emotional. If she sees me, she will continue to make noise until I pick her up. She does not stop. 

The only way I've been able to somewhat solve this is to put her in her playpen and I go sleep in the guest room. If she does not see me, her whimpering stops within a few short minutes and she'll play or fall back to sleep. Its not a great solution, but it has been working for the time being. 

Are the days when I can get a full night's sleep in my own bed over? The guest bed is cheap and hurts my back!







Will she outgrow her midnight play? Do I need to do something different? I was thinking of moving her play pen...is that the right thing to do? Or will that change cause her anxiety? 

I look forward to any advice you can provide. 

Thank you!


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## MrCuppy (Jun 12, 2007)

I can empathize with you! When I first got Cupcake, she would wake at 2am and want to play. She would even literally sit right next to my head and stare at me, waiting for some movement, after which time she would begin licking me. I gave up and just got up and played with her for a while (and then sleepwalked through the next day).







Fortunately, after some time (maybe 2 or 3 months), she started sleeping through the night and has done so since then. She occasionally wakes and starts barking when she thinks she hears someone outside of the house, but this doesn't happen too often. 

One thing that I might suggest is to take Ashley out for a walk or playtime in the evening, and get her good and tired. If she gets a lot of exercise, it is more likely that she'll be too pooped to play in the middle of the night. But I think that a part of your problem is just due to the boundless energy that puppies seem to have. Hopefully she'll grow out of it in time. Good luck!

-Tim


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## bellasmommy (May 8, 2005)

Bella has always slept well, but I hear that usually if puppies keep you awake it won't last forever. Good luck, and welcome!


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## my ragamuffin (Apr 16, 2007)

Hello and congratulations on your new puppy. They are so much fun! I have the opposite problem with my new pup (5 months old). He will only sleep is he sees me. If I am not in the room, he will bark for hours, until I go get him.
Why don't you put him to bed in another room other than yours for sleeping. Maybe just maybe he will sleep through night. If he has to potty through the night he will bark. You can take him potty and than put him back to bed away from you. Sounds to me like this would work. Change his sleeping place, not yours. Remember whatever habit you start now, will be very hard to break later.
Things will get better I promise. 
Good luck, and enjoy your new baby!


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## msmagnolia (Sep 8, 2004)

I've had a lot of success with crating the puppy at night. Don't worry, once they get used to sleeping at night they can return to sleeping by you in the bed. 

Get a small crate that they can turn around in, but not so large that they can potty in the crate.
Cover the top and sides with a towel to make it nice and dark. Do not cover the front.
Place the crate on the bed with you, or on a chair or chest right next to the bed.
When puppy fusses to come out wiggle your fingers in the door of the crate so that they can see you and taste your fingers, and say firmly, but not loudly, "quiet"
If the puppy usually goes outside during the night you may have to continue that for a few more weeks. Take puppy to the potty area but don't talk or play with puppy except to give quiet praise for doing their business.

I have had very good success training 4 different dogs (1 bichon, 3 maltese). I haven't had to let them cry or fuss because as long as they can see me they seem to be fine. I don't let my maltese sleep with me, so they love their little crates. Once puppy gets used to the routine I'm sure you can let it back in the bed with you.

Good luck! Going without sleep is no fun!


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## [email protected] (Jul 20, 2007)

Thank you all so much for your great ideas and support! It is super nice to know many of you went through the same thing with your little puppies.

I took Ashley on a 30 minute walk last night. I could tell she was getting tired as her steps got slower and slower. We had to take a few breaks, but finally made it back home. And she was pooped! There were minimal playful biting attacks and she even ignored the cat. She fell asleep and was out like a light. 

She woke up around 1AM wanting to play and bite, but her demeanor was so much different than the other nights. So much more mellow. So much more manageable. We spent 20 minutes training 'NO biting' and 'Good Girl' when she chose her toys over my arm. It was working! By 1:30AM she was content playing with her toys and I was able to go back to sleep--IN MY OWN BED--Wahoooooo!









She laid there the rest of the night; slept on and off and mostly kept her dead down. It was unbelievable. I tried so hard not to move or shake the bed with celebration. 

Thank you!


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## totallytotontuffy (May 16, 2007)

I used the small crate on the bed too and it worked like a charm for both of mine. I think they feel better if they can see you and be next to you.


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## LoriJo (Jul 19, 2006)

> I used the small crate on the bed too and it worked like a charm for both of mine. I think they feel better if they can see you and be next to you.[/B]


That's what I do with Gracie.


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## ShilohsMom (Jun 25, 2007)

Welcome to SM







I am using the crate with Shiloh and we have to let him out once to go to the bathroom at 5:30 am or so.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

I don't have advice for you because our sleeping arrangement is that Ollie sleeps down in the kitchen for now (our house is teeny-tiny so he's really not all that far away). He's a great sleeper now (he's 10 mos), but for quite a while he'd get me up at 4:30 am to go potty and then I'd have to go back to sleep on the couch because if I went back upstairs and tried to leave him in the kitchen he'd have a fit. That was no fun. But eventually he adjusted to my schedule--and my family's schedule. My hubby actually gets up at 5:00 and gets ready for his day and Ollie stays sleeping through it. Ollie is my alarm clock and gets me up by 7am if I'm not up already. I'll take that any day over 4:30 and when my kids are back in school when summer is over I have to get up early anyway. So what I'm saying is just be firm whatever you decide to do and stick with your plan and he'll eventually adjust. It does take time, sometimes months! Again, I was very sleep deprived for a long time--you can ask the others here on the board! Something I did with Ollie and I do to this day is I put one of my t-shirts in his crate (his crate door stays open, by the way. He doesn't roam at night). He likes having mommy's scent near him and sleeps with his little nose on my t-shirt. Good luck and hope you get some rest!!


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