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Leaving Puppy Outside Problems


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Indy is now 11 weeks old. The first night we got him he slept on the floor in the bedroom, and had his crate door open as well for him to use that, which he also did. The second and third nights he had 2 dogs visiting, a mother and son, so they all slept outside together. That worked very well.

Since then (that was Xmas eve and Xmas day) he has been with us during the day, inside and out, and he goes outside when we go to bed. We give him a chicken wing/neck which keeps him occupied for a short while and when that's eaten he may do maybe 10 minutes of whingeing, but it's a bit half hearted and he doesn't bark during this time.

Until 2 nights ago he'd wake around 3.30-4am, and if it was persistent whingeing (over 10 mins) we'd go get him (trying to coordinate with a quiet period) and bring him to bed with us. He'd do about 10 minutes of happy licking, sniffing out the best place to lie down, and then he'd go to sleep until it was time for all of us to wake up. On weekends, it might be about 4 hours between wees - he has not once weed in the bed.

On the whole, he's been fairly independent - that's not to say he doesn't cry when we leave or be really happy to see us when we come home. The neighbours have said he does cry a bit when we go, but it settles down reasonably quickly, and he hasn't been crying when we've come home, so that's a good sign.

We want Indy to be used to being outside for a number of reasons - We don't want to "completely" puppy proof the house (it's good enough when we're there and he's supervised, but not enough to leave him inside by himself), it's actually slightly cooler downstairs than it is upstairs when the air con isn't on, and we want him to be used to outside as we will be doing a fair bit of camping in the Dry.

For us it's been trying the "controlled crying" and it seems to be working - so far. I'd give that a go, and have a chat with your neighbours so that they understand, if they're approachable. Good luck :angel:

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Thanks caffiend42! It is a relief to hear everything you said. My pup is doing exactly the same thing. And I too do the 3.30 am ritual of going outside if the crying is persistant.

And Anne, I do not wish for everyone to share my opinion, hence why I post on a public forum. I wanted helpful advise from dog lovers and people who I believed may have more knowledge than myself. Yes, a few people think he is too young, yet you have been quite negative towards me and have offered no actual 'help'. And by stating 'why get a pup if i have to go to work'?

I must work and I must sleep.

Regardless, I do not wish to waste more time on this matter. I wanted to do the best for my pup, given the situation I do not wish him to sleep indoors. I appreciate everyone who offered helpful suggestions and everyone who shared their stories to let me know I am not the only one. :thumbsup:

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Whats the reason you don't want the pup in the house at night? If it's because your worried about house destruction or toileting in the house then perhaps try borrowing a crate and seeing how he behaves. I won't leave the pup alone in the house either as although I value his sanity and want him to be as comfortable as possible I still don't want the house destroyed. I like him inside at night as well so barking never becomes a problem. I value my neighbours a lot and really don't want to alienate them, so if he's inside then he'll disturb me long before anyone else.

As far as being outside during the day, my pup has been outside during the day since day dot and never had a problem. Whined a little bit while we were out but the neighbours came over and said hello and now there's no problems at all. He's 14 wks now and sleeps outside if the weather's hot and has no dramas.

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Sorry Sono, I agree with Anne. It's hard to give you advice on how to go about it when a lot of people, myself included, strongly disagree with keeping such a young pup out on its own. Every breeder I've talked to would have quite a concern about that.

When the pup is older and more mature, he'll be able to handle it - but he's a baby puppy and needs support, love and bonding time, which can't be done by playing alone.

Nat

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Guest Papa Lazaroo

I think it is a lot to ask of a 9 week old pup to sleep outside alone at night regardless what breed it is.

I have only skimmed through this, but I hope he has company during the day, seeing he sleeps outside alone every night.

Have you thought about letting him sleep in the kitchen or laundry at night? You can get baby barriers or doggy gates to put up in the doorways, that way he is safe, doesn't have the whole house to roam around in and you can see through them and he may be a lot more settled.

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Anne, I do not wish to bother with this conversation any longer.

Anyway...

Papa Lazaroo, he has another member of the family with him all day. The only time he is alone for an extended period is at night.

Unless I sleep next to him, what is the difference if he is inside or out? he is warm and would not be able to physically see me if he was in the laundry or kitchen or bathroom etc anyway?

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Guest Papa Lazaroo
Papa Lazaroo, he has another member of the family with him all day. The only time he is alone for an extended period is at night.

Unless I sleep next to him, what is the difference if he is inside or out? he is warm and would not be able to physically see me if he was in the laundry or kitchen or bathroom etc anyway?

Ok, so he has company during the day, great.

I know he wont be able to see you but he will be able to smell you and he may feel more secure inside at night, just a suggestion.

We are all different, have different ideas about bringing up a pup, my pups do not sleep outside at night, actually neither do any of my dogs. :eek: But that works for me.

Good luck with your baby, I am sure you will find something that works best for you.

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Sorry, but I'm with anne. 9wks old far too young to sleep outside on his own. He could get bitten by a nasty something, he could attack a toad and die, he could get too cold, he could dig under the fence, he could get stolen, or baited - who knows!

i would not ask a pup under 6 months to sleep outside alone. We did let our newfoundland sleep outside on her own from 10 weeks old but she was on an enclosed veranda and the reason for that was that she howled the place down if we slept her anywhere inside - reason being - it was january - and she was HOT! When we realised it was because she was overheating we let her sleep outside but only with the veranda gated off for her protection. Other than that I would never put a pup outside to sleep on it's own. Even now my adults all sleep in the garage at night (closed in) or in a crate upstairs. The garage is sometimes cooler so they usually choose that.

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