Puppy bed/crate location dilemma!

DforDisaster

I'm trying to decide where the best location for my (arriving in January) puppy's crate at night time.

We live in a fairly small house (2 bedrooms upstairs, sitting room, kitchen, bathroom downstairs), and during the day the puppy's pen is going to be set up in the sitting room, with his crate inside it.

I had intended that for his first night or two, the crate would be in our bedroom and then gradually move it over towards the door, then out the door to the landing area outside the bedroom doors (but keep the door open) and then with our bedroom door closed.

When we originally making plans to get a puppy we were working on the basis of it happening in the summer, but with the puppy arriving in January I realised that while the top of the stairs landing would be fine during the summer, its considerably colder than any other area in the house. (A combination of there being no rad, the attic hatch not being air tight, and the stairs running straight down to the front door).

While I don't have a huge issue with him sleeping in the bedroom as a long term arrangement in theory, I suspect it might later become a problem as we will definitely be trying for a baby at some point during the dog's lifetime, and I don't know that the 2 of us, plus dog, plus baby all in one room would be a great idea! Given the upheaval that would be involved with the introduction of a baby (not for a few years yet!!) I thought it would make things less complicated if our bedroom wasn't where he normally slept...

Logistically it would be easier if he slept in his crate in the sitting room (don't have to carry it up and down the stairs every day). While I know some people advocate starting as you mean to go on, I worry that leaving his mum, littermates, and the extremely lovely breeder is going to be a big shock for him, and if letting him sleep in the room with us for a night or two would lessen the trauma I figured that would be the way to go...

I'm intending to bring him outside to go to the loo twice during the night until he is big enough to hold it longer and on the one hand if he is sleeping just outside our room I can hear him if he wakes needing to go to the toilet, but on the other hand I have to get down 14 steps carrying a wiggling puppy in the middle of the night!

Wherever he sleeps I have a snuggle-safe microwavable heating device, and vet bed and fleecey blankets for his crate.

Any thoughts on whether puppies sleeping alone on their first few nights is ok/bad if you aren't intending to share a room with them every night?


(sorry for the length of the post!)

DBB

I think that research will yet prove that bringing the brand new pup into your room for the first little while is better for the pup's general wellbeing both at the immediate moment, but also on a developmental level for future behaviour.
Traumas in puppyhood definitely play a part in the pup's future behaviour: some gentle stress is good for them (as it is for us), but I feel that the combination of losing mum, losing siblings, and losing their familiar home base, all that loss of security at a supremely sensitive stage of psychological development, is pretty devastating for them, and I think that it has contributed to many a problem dog over the years... cause unrecognised for what it really was.
Bringing them into the room with you really cushions the blow I think, it keeps pup feeling safer and more secure until he has made the transition. Pups who feel safe and secure make more balanced, confident, happier adults. The research has already shown so, many times over!

tk123

I had both mine in their crates my room when I got them and it makes toilet training a LOT easier. I only had to get up once a night - with Lucy she was sleeping though the night after a few nights which was great. I managed carrying her down, switching off the alarm and unlocking the back door no probs and once she started getting too heavy/wriggly I held her collar as we walked down the stairs...the week we got carpet on the stairs I stupidly left her on the bottom of the stairs for a millisecond and see wee'd so watch out for that lol

Dubl07

Develop a toileting prompt for pup; it saves on middle of the night rambling, but whatever you do, never sleepily say 'do you want to go pee' or whatever until you actually have the puppy outside.

DforDisaster

Thanks for the replies :-)

Just needed some reassurance that I wasn't setting myself up for problems by being a big eejity molly-coddler. ;-p

He is living the life of Reilly at the moment in his breeders house and I must confess to having had a horrible wobble when the thought "what if he doesn't like us as much as his breeder and/or his mum and siblings?!" entered my head..

I think we will try him sleeping in the bedroom until we all have gotten to know one another and our night time habits (at least we have someone to blame all the snoring on now!)

Major lol @ sleepy toilet training mishaps tk123 @ Dubl07

Arbiter of Good Taste

DforDisaster wrote: »

Thanks for the replies :-)

Just needed some reassurance that I wasn't setting myself up for problems by being a big eejity molly-coddler. ;-p

He is living the life of Reilly at the moment in his breeders house and I must confess to having had a horrible wobble when the thought "what if he doesn't like us as much as his breeder and/or his mum and siblings?!" entered my head..

I think we will try him sleeping in the bedroom until we all have gotten to know one another and our night time habits (at least we have someone to blame all the snoring on now!)

Major lol @ sleepy toilet training mishaps tk123 @ Dubl07

When you pick up puppy from the breeder, bring a stuffed toy and let the mother have it for a while to get her scent on it. I did this, but didn't need it in the end as the breeder had one ready for me. I also wore an old tee shirt and then wrapped it around a warm hot water bottle so she would have something warm with my scent.

DforDisaster

I had offered to bring a blanket, but the breeder says she will just give us one of hers. Thats a nice idea about the t-shirt! :-)