How to Help a Puppy Who Cries to Sleep on the Bed
Puppies are adorable additions to any household, but they require time to adapt and patience on the owner's part is needed. One problem you may have is a pup that whines next to the bed at night. They might do this for a few reasons, such as needing to go to the bathroom or general anxiety over being in a new environment. Or, the puppy may simply want to sleep on the bed with its new best friend. Luckily, there are some steps that will tame that whiny pup, so that you and your puppy can get a good night's sleep.
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Instructions
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Purchase a crate for your puppy, if you haven't done so already, and set it by your bed. Put a blanket and a few dog toys in the crate to comfort your puppy. Crates help establish limits for the puppy and can prevent damage your pup can cause to the home while you are asleep or gone.
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Play with your puppy right before you head to bed. This will help your dog use up some of its energy and will wear it out and get it ready for sleep. Try a long game of tug-of-war with a chew rope or running around in your yard. You can even introduce your puppy to a game of fetch, but don't expect the puppy to grasp the game right away.
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Place a clock that ticks in the crate with your puppy at bedtime. Throw a small towel in the dryer for a few minutes and place it in the crate as well. The ticking will soothe the pup and the warmth from the towel will give it something comforting to snuggle up to.
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Take the puppy out for a quick walk when it begins whining. Puppies have little to no bladder control and you should plan to take them out once or twice during the night for their first few weeks in a new home. As your puppy grows and gets house trained it should be able to make it through the night without a trip outside.
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Firmly say something to your pup when it begins whining. Say its name and tell it no---for example "No Rover". Gently tap the cage to affirm that it is doing wrong. Don't kick or hit the cage or yell as this will scare the puppy and may cause more whining.
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Tips & Warnings
Most puppies just need some time to get acclimated to their surroundings, so you may have to deal with whining for the first few weeks, but it should subside if you continue with these steps.
You can try having your puppy sleep in the bed with you, which can be comforting to them, but only if you want to enforce the behavior that it is OK to sleep on your bed.
Try letting the pup sleep in the bed with you at the beginning of the night, then slowly move them back to the crate and they may only wake up for a second then fall right back to sleep.
For the first few weeks you can even wear earplugs and simply let your puppy tire themselves out, eventually they will get the concept of bedtime and have less separation anxiety.
References
- Photo Credit Small retriever puppy is sleeping image by Yulia Podlesnova from Fotolia.com
