2 things I need help with please?

Hi, the 1st is bedtimes, he won't settle in his crate unless he is already asleep, but he mostly likes to be snuggled to sleep and as cute as this is it's not doing him any favours. He ended up sleeping in our bed last night and he slept all the way through the night because he wouldn't settle in his crate and just kept whining which sounded absolutely heartbreaking The thing is, as he is only 6 weeks old is he too young to leave in another room? Sorry, never had a pup this young before.

The other thing i have concerns about is he has started growling and i'm not sure what to do about it. He has only done this twice and both times it was when I brought him in from outside. How do I nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand, don't know what to do and I don't want to handle it all wrong and make matters worse

woody was crated at 8 weeks, i know it sounds harsh but you need to ignore the crying otherwise that how they learn to get their own way, 2 nights of crying resulted in me keeping my bedroom as my sanctuary.not experienced the growling but am sure someone can advise there

I haven't crate trained but the advice is above. You have to ignore the crying, even though it's heartbreaking he'll soon learn that whinning doesn't mean fuss. May take a couple of nights but he'll get there.

Is it a play growl? Mine does it a lot, she is 2ish, they do make an array of strange noises x

Just ignore the crying otherwise he wil carry on doing it, it's hard but he will stop after a couple of nights

As has been said, ignore the crying, he'll get the message within a few nights. I posted here when charlie was about 9ish weeks cos I was worried cos he started growling at me. I now know it's just his way of talking. He does it when he says hello, he does it if I talk to him, but I've never heard him growl aggressively. It has caused problems when he's done it to strangers in greeting, but I quickly tel them that its just how he says hello. Plus Max is so young, I doubt very much that he's growling seriously, it's probably just his way of talking to you.

Totally agree with the above .... just leave him to cry, and he will soon settle and learn ( sounds harsh, but it does work ) It's horrible to hear them cry but well worth it. Make sure he's got a comfy bed and maybe a soft toy to snuggle up to as a sort of surrogate sibling

With the growling, my RoXy did this as a young pup and I was quite concerned also. In our case she would growl if we picked her up to move her from somewhere she wanted to be but was'nt allowed ( such as the lounge or daughters bed etc... ) We were told to stand our ground and she would grow out of it which she did. S'pose she was just trying to push the boudaries and see if she could get her own way ( which she could'nt )

Keep an eye on it though, and see how you go.

It also help to put a blanket or sheet over the crate.

Thanks so much everyone. Will it be ok to leave him downstairs? Or is he too little? He does have a monkey in his his crate and a nice soft fleece, I could also try something 1 of us has been wearing too I guess. We gave in again last night But tonight we will be strong!

As for the growling I now think it is playful as he is usually in scatty mode when he does it and he is wagging his tail It's all fun and games getting to know this cute lil fella

hi ya..

the first 2 nights we had Winston home ( he was only 6 weeks old ) we put him in his crate and he howled and cried and yapped all night. It was SO hard to ignore...he had come from 9 brothers and sisters, and I just wanted to pick him up and cuddle him. But guess what... after that he has slept right through ever since! Same as when he comes in in the afternoon he has to stay in the back part for a bit first, he usually has a sleep. Well the same thing, he would stare through the glass door with a sad pathetic look.. so hard to ignore.. now he goes straight into his crate and has a nap..then about 2 hours later we let him in the lounge...because he knows we won't let him in.. so why bother?? You just have to be consistent.

Good luck !!

I'm going through the same thing with Bella just now and they are similar ages (she is 7 weeks tomorrow) I had given up crate training Millie cause of the crying and let her sleep in my bed, which she now thinks is hers and she lets me sleep there lol. Ive been putting a hot waterbottle under her blanket and last night put a blanket over the crate and she slept all night. fingers crossed it works again tonight

Dempsey was the same when he was first left in his crate. What I used to do was I'd let him go to sleep on my lap when he was nice & tired & then lay him gently in his crate. Although he would wake up about 2 hours later & cry, I just left him alone & he'd settle pretty quickly. The crying only lasted about 3 or 4 nights & then he was fine. I also used to get up at 4am (my oh's on permanent early shift so I had to get up then anyway) and let him into the garden for a pee, then I'd play with him for 10-15 minutes & let him fall asleep again before I put him back in his crate. Funny enough, he never cried after the early morning pee!

The growling, well of course it depends on what sort of a growl it is. If it's play, then there's no problem. If it's aggressive (very unlikely at that age) or irritable then you'll need to nip it in the bud. When he growls, just say a firm "No!" and walk away from him. Don't look at him or interract in any way. After a minute or so, call him over & praise him when he comes to you. That way, he'll see that he's ignored if he growls, but gets fuss when he does something good - positive reinforcement!

Vanessa, thanks hun, we will be strong and consistent with him tonight. We will leave him downstairs in his crate and see how that goes, we now know he can go all night without needing the loo as he has done it for the past 2 nights cos he was sleeping with us, just know it's gonna break my heart though but it will be worth it.

Millie and Bella (sorry don't know ur name ) Bless, hope ur methods work tonight for u hun Good luck

Caryll, I do think he might need to be cuddled to sleep then put in his crate. As for the growling, we're still not 100% sure if he's playing or not He has done it a few more times and it is always when we're outside and we pick him up to bring him indoors as we have a couple of steps he can't get up on his own yet bless him. Don't understand cos he loves being picked up and cuddled so really confused about this 1

Thanks all for your help, I will let u know how things go

tjhoe68 wrote: As for the growling, we're still not 100% sure if he's playing or not He has done it a few more times and it is always when we're outside and we pick him up to bring him indoors as we have a couple of steps he can't get up on his own yet bless him.

It could just be that he doesn't want to come in, and he's trying his luck! Just be firm & he'll soon realise it isn't acceptable. At that age, it's VERY unlikely to be aggression, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Ok thanks hun Makes me feel better, I did think it a bit strange for him to be aggressive at such a young age.

He's found his voice now and it's so cute, he barked for the 1st time today while playing with my hubby, soooo sweet

Caryll wrote:

tjhoe68 wrote: As for the growling, we're still not 100% sure if he's playing or not He has done it a few more times and it is always when we're outside and we pick him up to bring him indoors as we have a couple of steps he can't get up on his own yet bless him.

It could just be that he doesn't want to come in, and he's trying his luck! Just be firm & he'll soon realise it isn't acceptable. At that age, it's VERY unlikely to be aggression, so I wouldn't worry about that.

I agree...he is prob trying his luck. He obviously enjoys it out there and is his way of letting you know "HEY, i don't wanna go". As I mentioned above, my girl used to do this when we moved her from somewhere she wanted to be. Just tell him NO and continue to pick him up and move him where you intended and hopefully he will grow out of it like my girl did.

Thanks hun will do then

On a good note, we put him in his crate downstairs last night and he slept right through til 7 we're so pleased

tjhoe68 wrote:Thanks hun will do then

On a good note, we put him in his crate downstairs last night and he slept right through til 7 we're so pleased

Thats good news

I know and we feel so much better after having a good nights sleep

Thats great news. Its soo funny and cute hearing them bark and talk

glad it is going well for you all!!

Caroline, yep totally agree, verrry cute
Thanks Vanessa, me too