First time puppy owner with lack of sleep distress

[jesse]

This is our first puppy and its our fourth night with her. She is an eight week old Great Dane and we are trying to crate trane her at night. She wimpers at first then falls asleep, but every two hours she wakes us up yelping her head off. I'm not sure if I should get up to let her out to go pee or let her keep crying. My worry is that she will learn to cry to get out of the crate, but I don't want to make her pee in the crate and not like it in there. Will this ever end, does anyone have any input, I am going crazy because I have no idea what to think. Please help, any advice will be appreciated. Thank you, Jesse

[flyndog]

Is her crate in your room? If not, moving it in with you will help. She misses her littermates and being with you is the next best thing. If you put one of your socks that you wore in her crate that will help, too. She wants to be able to smell you and feel safe.
Yes, it gets better.

[poodlesmom]

Welcome to GP & the joys of puppyhood!

Let me start out by saying, "It will get better"! We have all been there.

Congrats on your new furpal! Great danes are one of my favorite breeds and I had the pleasure of having had two of them in years past.

You will find that each nite will show some improvement. You are right in your thought that she will learn to cry to get out of the crate. However, that being said, she is a baby & at this age is unable to hold it through the night. I think the general guideline is 1 hr for ea. mo + 1 hr. Based on that she should be OK for about 3 hrs. If you think she needs a potty break take her out strictly to go potty - no playing, etc. Once she is done right back into the crate she goes. I would also suggest limiting her water intake late at night which you are probably already doing.

Now for the important things: we need details! What's her name, what color is she & do you have pics you can share with us? We love pics, especially puppy pics!

[jesse]

Her name is Bella and she's a Harlequin Dane (colors like a black and white cow) and she is VERY loving. I will post pictures soon. Thanks for the responses so far, I don't feel as crazy and unsure now.

[Pugdawg1]

She's lonely. Going from sleeping the night away with littermates and mamma to being alone in a crate takes some adjustment. After a bit, the ones I raised (given, they were pugs, not great danes), would get in a schedule at that age.. seemed to wind up at 12am, 3am, 6am.

All I can say is, use your best judgement. She shouldn't need to go out more than a couple times a night. Three times? One of the bonuses of an older pup, not so many trips outside LOL! Good luck!

And pictures! We'd love to see your treasure!

[poodlesmom]

I bet Bella is gorgeous!

My 1st dane, Samson, was fawn and my 2nd, Elgin, was a harlequin. You will find that your home will be quite entertaining with a dane as a member of your family!

[jesse]

I can only imagine what 140 pounds, or more, will be like. Poodlesmom, since you've owned Danes, did you take them to obedience school or did you just figure it out on your own?

[poodlesmom]

I am a strong believer in taking pups to obedience school. Initially it is a great way to socialize them in a controlled setting and learn the basics of obed. and how to be a polite puppy. The beginning obed. classes especially, in my opinion, are more about training the person in proper technique, how to "read" their dog and why obed. training is so important. Even people who have already gone thru obed. school with another dog they had many times learn more when they go back with another dog. Because each dog has their own personality and nuances what worked for the 1st dog may not be the correct approach for the 2nd dog. A qualified trainer is a valuable asset in learning how to help a furpal reach their full potential. Plus it is fun for both of you and you meet other people who enjoy being with their dogs. And with giant breeds training is definitely necessary. Improper training can create more problems and be a source of frustration for both the dogs and their owners.

I have found that my 2 standard poodles & I enjoy classes so much that we have continued and are now competing in obedience. Farley is now 6 yo and Chloe is 4 yo & they get just as excited now to go to class as they did as a young pups. I have been going to the school so long now that the gal who runs it has had me teach some classes when she needs some help and that has been just as much fun as attending classes - I guess she figures after 6 years I must have learned enough to help out!

[Pippinislove]

It will get better. :3 I would take her out to potty, but don't show any affection or praise (except right after she potties), otherwise just ignore her and then put her right back in again.

[clraymond]

Ohhhh... I LOVE Danes! And my favorite coloring too! I bet she is beautiful, I can't wait to see pictures!!!

Anyway, everyone else will be able to give you the great advice they give and hows and whys, but I can tell you, it will get better. It's just like having a new baby. At first they keep you up all night and then they ease into their routine. Hang in there!

[Schwe]

Hi and welcome to Global Paw!

If she cries, I would go downstairs and calmly let her out of her crate and let her out to pee. If she doesn't, calmly put her back in her crate and leave the room to go to bed. If she cries every few minutes, obviously not because she has to go out to pee, then just ignore her. Line Denise said, it DOES get better!

I rememeber my first nights with Sophie-- she screamed as though she was getting her head ripped off. The first few nights we relented and either slept on the couch downstairs near her bed, or let her out and she slept with us on the couch. Also, during the night we would feed her once when she woke up. We mixed some warm water with a bit of kibble and hand-fed it to her. A full belly helped keep her quiet through the night.

[jesse]

Well, last night we moved the crate into our room so she might feel close to us and it seemed to work better. No crying or yellping on her part, but we did have to get up a few times to let her go pee. I even put the socks I wore that day in there with her like flyndog suggested. Thanks to everyone, this seems to be a very nice informative forum. Jesse, Pictures Coming Soon

[Chocolate Lab]

Hello Jesse,

We went through the same thing when we first got our chocolate lab. Here are some of the things that worked for us, we placed a ticking clock on the top of this crate, two small towels with our scent (perfume or Cologne) and we left the radio on playing Jazz. Once we did all of the above our puppy slept all night long until morning time when he had to go potty.

Hope this helps

[Peanuts]

Seems that you got the best suggestiosn and I am so glad everythign seems to be workign out now.

There is a harlequin (indeed... I can't spell), great dane in my neighborhood and he is such a sweetheart with Schroeder. First time meeting when Schroeder was just a pup, Schroeder walked right under him, and he seemed to barely care. Wonderful dogs from the few I have met.

[jesse]

Thanks again to all the responses, they really have helped. I posted pictures of Bella on the picture portion of the website for those of you who have asked. Thanks again, I'm learning a ton from this website.