# 9 month puppy suddenly won't sleep!



## sammylou100 (Jun 11, 2012)

Good morning, I'm a newbie & think this forum is going to be SO helpful with my pup. We've had Monty (a chihuahua, mini dachshund cross) for 6 months. We did a lot of reading when we got him & decided to have him sleep in his crate, in our bedroom. For the first couple of weeks we battled with him, he cried at night, we persevered & he spent 5 months sleeping happily, but getting up once or twice to go to the toilet. We live in a flat & are (desperately) trying to pad train him so I'd pop him out of his crate in the night to wee & then he'd hop back in til morning, great! 

But in the last couple of weeks he has decided he hates the crate, he cries & scratches & really gets himself worked up. There has been no change in his surroundings to set this off. We have tried to leave him when he starts, but living in the flat when he really gets himself worked up he makes quite a racket, so can't have him going on & on. I'd HAPPILY have him on his bed next to our bed, but he keeps hopping up on our bed (and tends to enjoy sleeping on my head!) He's got blankets, he has quite long walks for such a small pup, I give him a hot water bottle, I've tried without a hot water bottle, we've got a DAP diffuser...ANY help would really be appreciated because he's driving me a little mad! :mad2:


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## DirtyGertie (Mar 12, 2011)

This happened with Poppy at roughly the same age. The only difference is that she sleeps in the sun room not in the bedroom. I started to leave the crate door open and as there was another bed in the same room then she had the choice of where she wanted to sleep. That did the trick. She chose the other bed  but it cured the problem.

The only thing I can think of in your situation, seeing as he sleeps in your bedroom, is that if he gets up on the bed you say No and put him back in his own bed and just continue doing this until he gets the message. If his bed is at the side of yours you could always put your hand down to reassure him that you've not gone anywhere and hopefully that will settle him. Unless you're going to allow him to sleep on your bed then steel yourself, ignore the puppy eyes and continue putting him back in his own bed until he's cottoned on.


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## sammylou100 (Jun 11, 2012)

Thank you, he does have another little bed in the lounge, so I might pop that in the bedroom & see if he'll settle there. Definitely a better option than having a puppy crying all night or sleeping on my head!


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## sammylou100 (Jun 11, 2012)

So, many thanks to DirtyGertie! Last night I put Monty's other bed next to mine & at bedtime gave him the option of either that or the one in his cage. I made the new bed really snuggly, with a pair of my PJs in there for him too & he chose to hop into there at bedtime, with just 1 squeak he was away. He slept quietly until 4 & then decided he didn't want to sleep alone any longer! I kept popping him back in his own bed & eventually he fell asleep for another hour or so (on my hand, rather uncomfortable for me!). It's not ideal, but with perseverence I think we'll get there & its certainly a big improvement, so thank you for the good advice! :thumbup:


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## Jesse11 (Dec 7, 2011)

good to see have the big improvement:thumbup:


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## Strawberryearth (Apr 5, 2012)

A bit late I know but I just thought I would add something to what you have already done..

My mini dach usually sleeps in the kitchen (she hated her crate from night 3!) in her bed however when I went to stay at my granddad's house I decided to put her bed in the same room as me (long story about his house and shutters!) and was nervous that she would just keep trying to jump into my bed, or worse not go back into the kitchen when I got home. 

The first night she kept trying to get into my bed, I kept getting up and putting her back into her bed. She woke me up a few times in the night- poking me in the eye with her nose, trying to get onto the bed but I persisted in putting her back into her own bed. 

Come night 2 and she only tried her luck a few times and I didn't even have to get up out of bed, I just told her "bed" and pointed and she took herself off. Admittedly she did wake up earlier and wake me, but I think this is just because when she wakes up at home there is no one around for her to jump on and she just snoozes until we get up- but here as soon as she woke up she saw me!

So what I am saying is what you are doing sounds fab, it shouldn't take long for pooch to learn.


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## sammylou100 (Jun 11, 2012)

Thank you Strawberryearth, it's good to hear that we hopefully won't have too many nights before he settles in! 
Your Dach is beautiful by the way!


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## Strawberryearth (Apr 5, 2012)

sammylou100 said:


> Thank you Strawberryearth, it's good to hear that we hopefully won't have too many nights before he settles in!
> Your Dach is beautiful by the way!


Thanks! Monty is bloody lovely too!


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## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

You could try a hot water bottle wrapped in your pjs as well. A ticking clock is useful as well. My yorkie puppy will balance on me to sleep or curl up under my chin like a pillow and I just move her to the bottom of the bed.


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## DirtyGertie (Mar 12, 2011)

sammylou100 said:


> So, many thanks to DirtyGertie! Last night I put Monty's other bed next to mine & at bedtime gave him the option of either that or the one in his cage. I made the new bed really snuggly, with a pair of my PJs in there for him too & he chose to hop into there at bedtime, with just 1 squeak he was away. He slept quietly until 4 & then decided he didn't want to sleep alone any longer! I kept popping him back in his own bed & eventually he fell asleep for another hour or so (on my hand, rather uncomfortable for me!). It's not ideal, but with perseverence I think we'll get there & its certainly a big improvement, so thank you for the good advice! :thumbup:


Sorry to be late in responding Sammylou, I haven't been around this week.

So glad to hear that it made a difference. I hope he's continued to be happy with the new arrangement. Not sure if your bedroom has blackout blind or linings on the curtains, but if not maybe something to think about, it would keep your bedroom darker and hopefully he wont wake up so early while we have these light early mornings.


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## sammylou100 (Jun 11, 2012)

Hello again, yep we have blackout blinds & lined curtains as I'm a particularly light sleeper. I'm not really sure what is waking him up during the night, but as yet we've not managed a whole quiet night in his own bed. He is still waking to scratch at the side of our bed & whine. Him being in his own bed is a much better option & he happily jumps in there at bedtime, without the fuss we had with the crate, but he just won't stay in all night, think its just a case of perseverance, so hopefully we'll get there (soon!) x


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