Puppy Night-time Whining
Puppies have spent all of their known life with their littermates and mommies. This means they just aren’t used to being alone.
Puppies will naturally whimper and whine when left alone - whether at night or during any time when you just aren’t there. They can get frightened or nervous when alone, unsure if a predator is going to come get them or where their family has gone. You are going to have to deal with this if your puppy is going to be alone at night. Don’t baby the puppy to sleep - be soothing and comforting, but don’t coddle the poor thing. He/she is going to have to learn to sleep alone.
Try to make the puppy more comfortable. Provide a clean t-shirt for the puppy to lay with, as this will allow the puppy to feel like you are near by. If you can, move the puppy somewhere closer to you where he/she can smell and/or hear you. If the puppy whines at you, tap on the cage and tell the puppy No and to be quiet or sleep. You do not want to reinforce this bad behavior.
Some people like to use similar methods as are used with babies. There are teddy bears you can purchase that make the sounds a baby would hear when inside his/her mommy’s tummy. This has shown to be successful with dogs as well as with babies. A clock or radio can also provide soothing noises.
May 05, 2008 | | New Puppy