Where should puppies sleep?

[ZsuzsaPerry]

Hi Adrienne,

we are getting 2 sibling puppies on Sunday. They will be 7.5 weeks old. While they are being potty trained I was told it’s best to have them sleep in a crate. Is it advised to have the crate in the bedroom or would you suggest to have the crate in a different room? 
please let me know

thank you!

[Adrienne]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums!

Ideally, we want the crate in the bedroom, so that the pups can be reassured. In the past, the most common school of of thought was that young puppies should be encouraged to be on their own for extended periods of time from the get-go, with proponents suggesting that the puppy sleep in a separated room from day one. Although well-meaning, this approach is no longer advised. According to veterinary behaviorist Nicholas Dodman, weak and disrupted attachments with a new owner may actually lead to the onset of separation anxiety, which is ultimately miserable for the puppy to endure and difficult for the owner to treat.

He claims: "The right approach is to rear dog babies with something of the same psychology as you would human babies. The more attention a puppy gets and the more his needs are met early on, the more independent he'll be later." 

The thing is, the first night in a new home can be particularly stressful for new pups. Being exposed to new sights, smells and sounds and being separating from their mom is not easy. Sure, they'll play and explore during the day, and that will keep them distracted from realizing their mom and other siblings are no longer around, but at night everything gets quiet. If your puppies feels lonely or abandoned, they'll be likely to distress whine for many minutes at a time in hopes of being reunited and reassured that they're not on their own.

This is understandable. At  7.5 to 8 weeks, puppies are at a vulnerable age. If they were left alone in the wild, they may not be able to survive with all the predators around. Those distress call are therefore for a reason. 

To ease the transition in a new home, it therefore helps to keep the pups nearby, so that they can be reassured by our presence knowing that they are not alone in the scary big world. Ideally, the pup should be crated close-by your bed, so that you can talk to them and eventually lower down your hand to sniff and ensure they're not alone. Even better, prior to nigh-night, let them get acquainted with the bedroom and let them know it's a safe place by offering them some treats and play.

This sleeping arrangement may be necessary for the first few nights, and afterward, depending on how your pups do, you can start moving the crates farther away (if you want them out of your bedroom), ideally starting the first week or so.

Hopefully, you have a crate that is of the correct size to facilitate potty training. That is, not too snug that your puppies cannot stand up, turn  and move around, but not that large that they can comfortably wake up, pee or poop in one corner and sleep comfortable in the opposite side. If you haven't purchased the crates yet, ask the pet store staff for specific size recommendations based on the size of your puppy.

Keep the crate next to your bed filled up a blanket (it would be nice if the breeder can provide you with one that smells like their previous home) and make it a routine to offer some edible chew after entering the enclosure. Make sure though that prior to placing your pups in the crate/box they have had a chance to pee/poop before. Going to bed empty will help you all sleep a bit more, knowing that you won't need to go on an outdoor potty trip very soon. 

Your pups will need to be taken out to potty at this young age at least one to two times per night.. Pay attention to any noises your pup makes: if they're turning around the crate or waking up whining, it's a good idea to take them out to potty. If you sleep deep, set you alarm clock to go off at specific intervals so that you can get up and take them out. Typically, the first night is the worse, with things getting better by the third -fourth night. 

Since they are siblings, it may also be important to get them gradually sleep on their own (on top of training them, feeding them and socializing them separated). The last sibling pups I raised struggled a bit with this as they were very attached and used to sleeping together in the shelter, but a Snuggle Pup behavioral aid helped them out a lot initially (this toy emits warmth and mimics mother dog's heart beat.)

Don't forget to stop by the puppy section in the archive:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/

Also, although sibling rivalry doesn't happen with all pairs of pups, it's something worthy getting acquainted with it just in case we notice the early signs,

I hope this helps,

Congrats on the new pups! Busy days ahead, but so rewarding! Make sure to give yourself some breaks every now and then (hopefully you have some help to take turns watching them) and don't forget to take lots of pictures, pups grow so fast!

Best, 

Adrienne