Puppy advice requested, please!!
Discussion
We’ve just acquired a 9-week old Jack Russell puppy.
She’s fine during the day, and we have got the peeing and pooing under control, and she now does that all outside.
At night, however, she hates being left alone downstairs. She howls & howls all night, pees and poos all over her run and none of us are getting any sleep. She sleeps in a sort of cage about 4ft x 4ft in the laundry room.
She has not spent any time alone at night it seems, what with being with her brothers and sisters, and she obviously feels a little insecure.
We do not want this dog to control our lives, and at present we are leaving her downstairs to howl. I know it’s not very fair, but I fell if we go down and take her out for a wee she will see that we have done that not because she needs a wee but because she has been howling and we have come down to comfort her.
I don’t want her to think that if she howls we’ll come running.
So, what do we do? Do we
1. Go down and take her outside and then stick her back in her run. (Not something I relish! The thought of taking her out for a pee at 3.00am sounds like a fab idea!) Or
2. Ignore her howls, suffer the mess in the morning and hope that she grows out of it over the next week or so?
Any advice from people who have been in the same predicament is gratefully welcomed!
Cheers
Sleepyman (aka diddyman!)
She’s fine during the day, and we have got the peeing and pooing under control, and she now does that all outside.
At night, however, she hates being left alone downstairs. She howls & howls all night, pees and poos all over her run and none of us are getting any sleep. She sleeps in a sort of cage about 4ft x 4ft in the laundry room.
She has not spent any time alone at night it seems, what with being with her brothers and sisters, and she obviously feels a little insecure.
We do not want this dog to control our lives, and at present we are leaving her downstairs to howl. I know it’s not very fair, but I fell if we go down and take her out for a wee she will see that we have done that not because she needs a wee but because she has been howling and we have come down to comfort her.
I don’t want her to think that if she howls we’ll come running.
So, what do we do? Do we
1. Go down and take her outside and then stick her back in her run. (Not something I relish! The thought of taking her out for a pee at 3.00am sounds like a fab idea!) Or
2. Ignore her howls, suffer the mess in the morning and hope that she grows out of it over the next week or so?
Any advice from people who have been in the same predicament is gratefully welcomed!
Cheers
Sleepyman (aka diddyman!)
As a breed, the Jack Russell is particularly gregarious - they hate being cooped up and left alone at any time. At nine weeks your puppy is going through a very traumatic period - just separated from the litter, it hasn't bonded with you yet. So long as you give it plenty of love and attention at other times, this period will pass, the dog will get used to its surroundings and everything will work out fine. The puddles and piles are just something you have to learn to live with until the dog is a little more mature. You buy puppy - you clean up pooh. T'was ever thus.
My girlfriend relented on ours (we have a Jack Russell and a Staffy). First they were allowed run of the lower floor at night. Then she moved their bed into our bedroom. Now I regularly wake up in the morning to find two dogs on the bed! Do not weaken!
Jack Russells are fantastic companions and you have made a very good choice - it'll be your best mate for years.
My girlfriend relented on ours (we have a Jack Russell and a Staffy). First they were allowed run of the lower floor at night. Then she moved their bed into our bedroom. Now I regularly wake up in the morning to find two dogs on the bed! Do not weaken!
Jack Russells are fantastic companions and you have made a very good choice - it'll be your best mate for years.
Ignore her howls, suffer the mess in the morning and hope that she grows out of it over the next week or so?
Don't forget the earplugs!!
Now what you have here is a wee puppy that has to learn a new life quickly.
However it is not a human baby!!!
It isn't very nice at the time but if you are firm and don't relent then things will settle down.
A cage is a good thing and not only to confine pup, once older she will use this as a refuge when she wants some piece and quiet. Make sure that EVERONE knows to leave pup/dog alone when in cage. A dog has to know whats human stuff and whats dog stuff.
MoJo.
Don't forget the earplugs!!
Now what you have here is a wee puppy that has to learn a new life quickly.
However it is not a human baby!!!
It isn't very nice at the time but if you are firm and don't relent then things will settle down.
A cage is a good thing and not only to confine pup, once older she will use this as a refuge when she wants some piece and quiet. Make sure that EVERONE knows to leave pup/dog alone when in cage. A dog has to know whats human stuff and whats dog stuff.
MoJo.
Mon Ami Mate said:
As a breed, the Jack Russell is particularly gregarious - they hate being cooped up and left alone at any time. At nine weeks your puppy is going through a very traumatic period - just separated from the litter, it hasn't bonded with you yet. So long as you give it plenty of love and attention at other times, this period will pass, the dog will get used to its surroundings and everything will work out fine. The puddles and piles are just something you have to learn to live with until the dog is a little more mature. You buy puppy - you clean up pooh. T'was ever thus.
My girlfriend relented on ours (we have a Jack Russell and a Staffy). First they were allowed run of the lower floor at night. Then she moved their bed into our bedroom. Now I regularly wake up in the morning to find two dogs on the bed! Do not weaken!
Jack Russells are fantastic companions and you have made a very good choice - it'll be your best mate for years.
Upstairs is definitely out of bounds!And always will be.
I just don't want her to become so traumatised by being left alone at night that it turns her into some neurotic clingy thing for the rest of her life (like my mother's!)
Children are fine at night - oldest would sleep through a nuclear war and youngets cuurently sleeping in our attic room as she is alight sleeper and her bedroom is above the howling chamber! My wife and I, however, are not getting any sleep, though hark! I hear footprints in our bedroom! It's alive!
I just don't know whether I should capitulate and go down to er in the middle of the night and make things potetnailly worse, or just leave her to howl and crap! I don,t have a problem clearing up the poo (after all it is contained within the cage), but she makes a bit of a mess of herself in the process.
Trooper2 said:
Try leaving a radio on in the room where the puppy is sleeping,it works sometimes.
And post a picture of the little terrier, if you feel like it. Jack Russels are great dogs.
that dogs gonna' have more energy than 2 bouncing smillies
I'll post one tomorrow, when I am in the office.
Can't wait for 3 weeks time when she is allowed outside properly and can burn off some of her excess energy! being cooped up in the house ain't much fun for her, I am sure!
There is a theory that you should let the dog sleep on something that you used to wear, they find the smell comforting. In addition, a not too hot, hot water bottle stuffed into said item of clothing can make them feel better, at this age they're used to having their siblings around and the warmth of the bottle is similar. As some one else said, leaving a radio on can help too - probably better tuned to Radio 4 not Rock FM! 
As others have said, you *have* to leave the dog alone, if not it will learn that howling is rewarded by a visit from its master.
As others have said, you *have* to leave the dog alone, if not it will learn that howling is rewarded by a visit from its master.
chim_girl said:
There is a theory that you should let the dog sleep on something that you used to wear, they find the smell comforting.
Just don't give it a fleece!!
My dog got rather attached to my fleece and decided it was the next best thing to lady dog. I lost two fleeces in the end.
Don't give in......
I found a CD of gentle relaxing classical music worked well for the labradors as puppies. They had each other but still howled at first. Und .. a old T-shirt mit your scent on it also worked mit these dogs. We never had a problem mit our stroppy cat.
Speaking of cats ... read disturbing article in paper this morning about missing moggies.... it seems urban fox are killing them...
Speaking of cats ... read disturbing article in paper this morning about missing moggies.... it seems urban fox are killing them...
I had a Westie, it made our Jack Russell look like some old, decrepid thing from the walking dead. Neurotic wasn't the world, psychotic wasn't the word. I don't know QUITE what was wrong with it! I did absolutely love it though, the westie and the JR used to come out riding with us all the time! They look sweet and innocent, but they are VERY hyper.
My Dachshund was just the same, she used to howl all night long. So I had her in my bedroom, she's not clingy at all though now (She's 2), she'll sleep downstairs with the lab and weimeraner or she'll sleep in with me. Pretty much does as she pleases, but with a JR I'd leave it to howl. Make it comfortable, put quite a few blankets etc. In with it.
Good luck, they do grow out of it.
My Dachshund was just the same, she used to howl all night long. So I had her in my bedroom, she's not clingy at all though now (She's 2), she'll sleep downstairs with the lab and weimeraner or she'll sleep in with me. Pretty much does as she pleases, but with a JR I'd leave it to howl. Make it comfortable, put quite a few blankets etc. In with it.
Good luck, they do grow out of it.
[quote=Mon Ami Mate]
My girlfriend relented on ours (we have a Jack Russell and a Staffy). First they were allowed run of the lower floor at night. Then she moved their bed into our bedroom. Now I regularly wake up in the morning to find two dogs on the bed! Do not weaken!
quote]
been there, done that, got dog hair all over the tee shirt!
And when 18lbs of dog takes a running jump to get on to the bed at 3AM, and lands on yer knackers
you'll know the meaning of pain!
My girlfriend relented on ours (we have a Jack Russell and a Staffy). First they were allowed run of the lower floor at night. Then she moved their bed into our bedroom. Now I regularly wake up in the morning to find two dogs on the bed! Do not weaken!
quote]
been there, done that, got dog hair all over the tee shirt! And when 18lbs of dog takes a running jump to get on to the bed at 3AM, and lands on yer knackers
you'll know the meaning of pain! 
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