Hi i'm new to this and was after advice, all advice given will be very helpful indeed.
I brough home my 6 weeks old Staffordhsire bill Terrier on Tuesday night, we have brough him a large crate so feels safe with fresh water, toys, training pads, and a nice bed. We have placed the crate in the hall.
Last night and the night before he cried a lot of the time, we have been trying not to get up when he cries but we live in flats and are worreid about the neighbours, they are aware we have a puppy though but I would hate for them to hate him before they even met him, as he is so so cute. We got up four times last night and four the night before we only did this when he howled and it was breaking my heart, (I know my own fault)
Does anyone have any tips on how to help comfort him? I don't want him sleep in the bedroom, but I was wondering how long puppies normally cried through the night for?
Also he keep nipping at us, which I know is his way of playing but was windering if anyone had any tips on how to stop this, at the moment everytime he nips we say no and move him away, does anyone know how long they normally nip for?
Thank you in advance for your comments

Hey There,

congratulations on your new family member - a very exciting time!

Would really suggest you buy The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey - you can get it quite cheap on amazon and it is a godsend! Your puppy won't have read it but it will help you!

Puppies only have really little bladders and so can't hold anything in for long - when he cries and you go to him has he been to the toilet on his puppy pad? It could be that he is trying to tell you he wants to go to the loo. Personally we never used pads overnight with Bodie, but got up 3 times during the night to take him outside to the loo (we are also in a flat and are carrying him up and down stairs) - it was exhausting but after a couple of weeks he now sleeps through the night.

He is in the bedroom with us in his crate - it is a matter of choice but he deffo settles better when he can see/hear or smell us. And also it means we can hear him if needs anything in the night. He was really sick the other night at 3.00am so I was pleased I could hear him!

It could be that his crate is too big for him right now - you can get dividers for them and this might help. Literally fill it then with loads of blankets and soft toys (with the eyes cut out if they are hard so he can't chew and choke on them) as puppies love to snuggle under things as they would do with their litter mates!

A ticking alarm clock and a hot water bottle can also comfort as it provides warmth and a soothing sound.....

With regards to the nipping, it's really usual but your pup does have to learn what is an acceptable level of nipping. You could try letting out a really high pitched squeal when he does it too hard and then walking away and stopping play. This kind of mirrors what his brothers and sisters would do.....

I am sure others will come along with more advice - this is a great place to ask questions and get support!

All the best
Libby

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oh dear he is a bit young to have left his mum and litter mates no wonder he is crying he wants his mum. Does he settle if you cuddle him with a cushion? if so you may have to sleep in the same room as the pup until he is a lot older. I know you may not want to do this but if it works I say go with it. Once they have grown they will then find their own place to sleep.

Hi, welcome to the forum!

As has been mentioned, 6 weeks is really too early to have left his mum, 7 weeks is the earliest advised so it's not suprising he's struggling to cope alone.

When my Vizsla was a pup I slept downstairs next to his crate and gradually moved further away until I was back in my own room (a camp cot helps!).

I found that yelping when Otto nipped me just wound him up further so if he nipped I'd just get up and move away. He soon learnt that nipping = no mum and no fun!

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Hi Angela,

Welcome to the forum

The Perfect Puppy is a great book - my pup is 13 weeks old now and the book's been invaluable, along with this forum!

As for the night time crying, I'd recommend you move his crate into your bedroom if possible - we had to do this after the first night with Sherlock and he really calmed down, and now a month on we've been able to move him into the front room without any fuss.

The biting is something that we're still very much figuring out ourselves - it seems to be an ongoing issue so don't expect him to stop soon! Best to jsut replace your hand with a chew toy at this stage I think - he's going to want to bite and chew and this is natural puppy behaviour!

Good luck! It's an amazing experience, if pretty tough at times!

welcome to the forum.

at 6 weeks old this pup should still be with its mother, the extra two weeks makes all the difference. Its a massive change, this pups been taken away from its litter mates and its mother and is left over night away from anyone.

I always advise that when bringing home a pup there is a cage set up in the bedroom, the pup just hearing you breath and knowing your close is big reassurance. I would also opt for a small cage, a pup so young and small is going to feel lost in a huge crate, I would give the pup a teddy - so he has something to snuggle up to, and cover the cage also.

I would be ignoring the fuss, unless its before he needs to go for the toilet. Small puppies can not hold their bladder through out the night.

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What great advise guys

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