Westies's first night!! HELP

looney-toone

HELP!! Got my 1st ever westie this morning And I want him to sleep in the shed Will he be ok in the shed in his little bed??
PLEASE HELP ME

chuck eastwood

Should be fine in a shed once there are some blankets to keep him warm. But if he is young try keep him indoors on very cold night if its just a thin wooden shed

littlelady

if hes only a puppy then no!
block off an area in kitchen or buy a crate for him & try crate training him.
I'm not being funny but dogs poo, you really should have though of this before you got your dog instead of just banishing him to the shed.
I have a westie myself, first week with him was quite tough but you gotta train him from the start, If you dont want to crate train him try puppy pads, you can get them in argos they are about €16 for 30.
Good luck on his first night!

deman

If you even think it might be too cold, then it is too cold. Don't have it sleep in a cold shed until you've provided some heat. An Infra Red bulb should do the trick.

35notout

If he is a pup and has just been taken away from his mother, then I dont think its fair to leave him alone in a cold dark shed.

When I bring pups home, I usually leave them in the kitchen or utility room with papers put down away from their bed (they wont poo or pee where they sleep, would you)

leave a radio on too - its company and will stop them pining for mum and siblings.

If you have an alram clock that ticks, put that in the bed - it simulates the mothers heartbeat.

an old sweatshirt of yours is a good idea too - gets puppy used to your scent!

its hard work for the first few weeks, but trust me its worth it - a dog really is the best friend you will ever have!

good luck

star-pants

Ok - first thing - how old is this Westie?
You say it pooped on you which is *very* unlikely of a grown up dog. If you've gotten a pup (no offence) you really should have researched and been prepared. As for your parents not wanting a dog in the house - I'm not sure why they let you get a dog if it's to be banished outside.

What type of shed is it? Are you planning on locking the dog/pup in? Is it warm /water proof out there?
Personally I would as littlelady said - cut off an area in say the kitchen (or wherever has a lino/easy to clean floor) or get a crate, get the dogs bed in there, some water and some newspaper. If it's a pup you'll have to toilet train it.

35notout

I am sitting here with my 5 year old Kerry blue who has just heard a firework going off and is now hiding behind my back shivering - so it may not be the best time of the year to put a puppy outside on its own - very stressfull

deman

35notout wrote: »

I am sitting here with my 5 year old Kerry blue who has just heard a firework going off and is now hiding behind my back shivering - so it may not be the best time of the year to put a puppy outside on its own - very stressfull

That's another thing.... firework season coming up. Make sure the puppy is inside and feeling secure.

meisha

if your parents dont like dogs in the house it was a pretty bad idea getting a dog in the 1st place,u might not mean it but you are being cruel by putting him in a shed!!!!!:mad:

andrewire

You can get one of those "womb" toys that they simulate the mother's hearbeat and keep puppies warm. There are some that have a gel that heats up and puppies love them. Other toys have like a bag that you put in the microwave and it gives them the heat they need to sleep comfy and feeling safe.

Sigma Force

If it's a puppy then no you cannot put the dog in the shed at night, even if the pup was an adult. You've only just got the poor animal and he hasn't even had a chance to get used to new surroundings.

News flash you'll have many more weeks, perhaps months of sleepless nights ahead of you. Unless you are willing to crate train the pup and have the pup in a crate beside your bed you may rethink keeping him.

It's too cold for pups outside, the pup will howl and bark and feel very scared and lonely.

Not against dogs being out in a comfy place of their own but certainly not when they are a puppy and certainly not at this important stage of their lives where they need warmth and to be kept clean and you will have no way of house training the pup if you don't keep the pup inside.

Pups need time and patience, your parents will have to take responsibility or get the pup to a home where the owners will put in the time.

lrushe

looney-toone wrote: »

HELP!! Got my 1st ever westie this morning it has already poo'd on me And I want him to sleep in the shed 2night!! Is that ok?? Or is it too cold?? I dont want to be cruel to him!! He is the cutest little fella ever!! I'm in love with him already I'm just weary of him sleeping in the house!! (My parents dont like the idea of a dog in the house) Will he be ok in the shed in his little bed?? Will i put blankets on him or what??

PLEASE HELP ME

Is this your first dog or just first Westie? I picked up my pup up almost 6 weeks ago and still have the occaisonal accident, just a fact of life unfourtunately with pups especially during the first few weeks as pups don't have great control over their bowels and bladders so be prepared to clean up alot of poop and pee!!! Before I got my pup, 20 years of dog keeping experience told to stocked up on hygiene wipes so I can clean and disinfect any areas where there was an accident
As for leaving a pup in a shed by itself, would you leave a toddler in a shed by itself??? Your pup has just left its mother and littermates which is stressful enough to but to leave it in a shed the next night would in my opinion be cruel, a pup cannot regulate it body temperature well enough yet either so a blanket wouldn't be sufficent enough for warmth. If your parents don't like having a dog in the house you could eventually acclimatise it to staying outside at night in a warm kennel but only when its older. But all dogs need to come inside daily or else they end up being left out the back and forgotten.

Lauragoesmad

Westies are not outdoor dogs. Their coats are not thick enough. If I were you, I would reconsider taking the dog. If your parents havent even taken to him now when he's small and cute, they never will. Its nicer to find him a new home now when he is young then in 6 months when noone will want him. Poor little fella.:(

00112984

This thread makes for very depressing reading.

Hope the little fella made it through the night. Don't know where the OP is but it was very cold here in Dublin last night.

andrewire

00112984 wrote: »

This thread makes for very depressing reading.

Hope the little fella made it through the night. Don't know where the OP is but it was very cold here in Dublin last night.

Yeah, and today is even worse. It's like a hurricane out there. Yikes.

star-pants

Going to lock this as the OP has yet to come back, but appears to have edited the post.
OP if you wish me to reopen this thread if you want more advice, just pm me.