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27Ceasar
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02-06-2016, 07:00 PM

Help with sleeping problems

If I'm in the wrong section please excuse.

We have a male German Shepherd puppy for 1 week now. The puppy is 9 weeks old. For the 1st week the puppy was sleeping in our bedroom on his own bed. We now want to move him to another room in the house.

We placed his bed and blanket with his toys and stuff in the new room and closed the door. There is a dim light on in the room. I sat with him until he fell asleep and then left. About 30 minutes later he woke up and started crying, he was scratching the door to get out. He keeps on moaning and crying and scratching the door until one of us comes and opens it. He had his food and water earlier, he did do his number 1 and 2. So its not that he wants to go outside.

I need help, please !

How do I get him to sleep in his new place ?
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tawneywolf
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02-06-2016, 07:18 PM
First of all he is used to the company and warmth of his litter mates, first week has gone well because you replicated it, all of a sudden he is shut away in a dark room and is scared and wants his mum/siblings/anyone.
So go back to where you started with him in your room till he settles again, then start moving the bed gradually out of the room, so if it was next to your bed, move it further away, till eventually he is outside the bedroom, keep going till he is where you want him to be
When my babies go to their new families I ask them specifically to sleep on the couch for the first few days with their puppy next to them until the pup is feeling a bit more confident and a bit less lost and bewildered. If at all possible the families visit their puppy before they take him home, so they know each other, but thats not always an option. Once they've got their puppy established in the home then they can start moving the goalposts and establishing the routine they wish to follow.
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Moobli
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02-06-2016, 07:25 PM
Good advice from Tawneywolf. Is there a reason why he cannot continue to sleep on his own bed in your room? German shepherds are very bonded to their owners and enjoy being close. They do not do well when shut away from the family.

I own GSDs - and have for many years - and my dogs have beds throughout the house and can choose their own sleeping area when they are mature. As pups, I always have them in my bedroom for the first few months, to ensure they feel secure and it also makes house-training much easier.
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27Ceasar
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02-06-2016, 07:31 PM
Originally Posted by tawneywolf View Post
First of all he is used to the company and warmth of his litter mates, first week has gone well because you replicated it, all of a sudden he is shut away in a dark room and is scared and wants his mum/siblings/anyone.
So go back to where you started with him in your room till he settles again, then start moving the bed gradually out of the room, so if it was next to your bed, move it further away, till eventually he is outside the bedroom, keep going till he is where you want him to be
When my babies go to their new families I ask them specifically to sleep on the couch for the first few days with their puppy next to them until the pup is feeling a bit more confident and a bit less lost and bewildered. If at all possible the families visit their puppy before they take him home, so they know each other, but thats not always an option. Once they've got their puppy established in the home then they can start moving the goalposts and establishing the routine they wish to follow.
I will try your suggestion. Problem is the other room in right on the other side of the house from where he is sleeping now.
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27Ceasar
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02-06-2016, 07:31 PM
Originally Posted by Moobli View Post
Good advice from Tawneywolf. Is there a reason why he cannot continue to sleep on his own bed in your room? German shepherds are very bonded to their owners and enjoy being close. They do not do well when shut away from the family.

I own GSDs - and have for many years - and my dogs have beds throughout the house and can choose their own sleeping area when they are mature. As pups, I always have them in my bedroom for the first few months, to ensure they feel secure and it also makes house-training much easier.
No particular reason apart from the fact that he wants to chew everything in the bedroom. He chews everything like my shoes; our bed; the blankets and even the carpet. He gets a very good brand of food and 3 times a day as per the instructions of the Vet.
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tawneywolf
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02-06-2016, 07:49 PM
Give him a nice bone to chew on, its natural for him to want to chew on everything as he will be teething now. Get a large crate and put his bed in it with the door open, gradually make it so the door is closed for a short time when he is in it (5 minutes max at first) then extend the length of time the door is shut, so he is chilled about it and there is no stress to him, that way he won't chew stuff as much, although really its your fault for leaving stuff where he can get to it, he is 9 weeks old and has no idea he's not meant to do this. Have you had a dog before
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Moobli
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02-06-2016, 08:01 PM
Originally Posted by 27Ceasar View Post
No particular reason apart from the fact that he wants to chew everything in the bedroom. He chews everything like my shoes; our bed; the blankets and even the carpet. He gets a very good brand of food and 3 times a day as per the instructions of the Vet.
I would put his bed in a roomy crate and encourage him to use it as a den (feed him in it, reward him when he is being quiet and good in it and as TW has said close him in the crate for very short periods of time initially until he is happy to go in with the door closed at night. Have the crate by your bed, and stuff a kong with some of his food or some treats and encourage him to work out how to get the food out of the kong - that will keep him occupied. Make sure you have legitimate dog toys for him to chew on - kongs, raw bones (never cooked), nylabone etc. Also make sure your rooms are "puppy proofed" so there is nothing lying around that he can chew.

He is just a baby and he will look to you to teach him (kindly) what is and what is not acceptable.
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27Ceasar
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03-06-2016, 05:35 AM
Originally Posted by tawneywolf View Post
Give him a nice bone to chew on, its natural for him to want to chew on everything as he will be teething now. Get a large crate and put his bed in it with the door open, gradually make it so the door is closed for a short time when he is in it (5 minutes max at first) then extend the length of time the door is shut, so he is chilled about it and there is no stress to him, that way he won't chew stuff as much, although really its your fault for leaving stuff where he can get to it, he is 9 weeks old and has no idea he's not meant to do this. Have you had a dog before
I will try the crate suggestion.

My shoes I agree I can put somewhere else. The fact is he chews on everything; our bed; the blankets; the carpet; the curtains;etc

Yes I had dogs before. None of them were like this. All of them we did the same. Slept the 1st week in our bedroom and then they were moved to another room. They were whining a little bit for the 1st night but accepted it. I must mentioned that I always only had 1 dog at a time.
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27Ceasar
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03-06-2016, 05:38 AM
Originally Posted by Moobli View Post
I would put his bed in a roomy crate and encourage him to use it as a den (feed him in it, reward him when he is being quiet and good in it and as TW has said close him in the crate for very short periods of time initially until he is happy to go in with the door closed at night. Have the crate by your bed, and stuff a kong with some of his food or some treats and encourage him to work out how to get the food out of the kong - that will keep him occupied. Make sure you have legitimate dog toys for him to chew on - kongs, raw bones (never cooked), nylabone etc. Also make sure your rooms are "puppy proofed" so there is nothing lying around that he can chew.

He is just a baby and he will look to you to teach him (kindly) what is and what is not acceptable.
He has lots of stuff to chew on and also lots of toys to play with.

Problem is not putting stuff away in the room because he will chew on anything.
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Moobli
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03-06-2016, 08:17 AM
Originally Posted by 27Ceasar View Post
He has lots of stuff to chew on and also lots of toys to play with.

Problem is not putting stuff away in the room because he will chew on anything.
When does he chew your things? If you are with him when he is doing this, redirect his play on to one of his own toys and remove the other item. If he is chewing while you are not there, then pop him in his crate when you are not around to supervise.

Are you doing much with him in terms of training and play? Mental stimulation and early simple training (for just a couple of minutes at a time a few times a day) can go a long way to tiring a puppy's busy brain and therefore encourage rest and sleep when you cannot occupy him. Are you taking him out for trips in the car? In your arms to see new situations etc?

Do you have any photos of your pup? Would love to see them. What is his name?
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