Where should I let my pup sleep?

euser1984

Hi,
I have my gsd pup for a few days ago and she is a little timid. The first night I brought her home she did not know anyone and slept in the kitchen area even though I had made a bed for her in the back hall and 'tucked her in', so to speak.

The second night I made a bed in the front hall where I thought there would be a little more space and closed the door to the kitchen where she spends most of her time, she went mad howling and scratching the door etc...I got up and set her a bed up on the floor near my bed where she could see me and rested my hand on her for a while, she was happy then.

Last night, I set her up at my door out to the hall, with the intention of gradually moving her out of my room. I tucked her in and kept my hand on her back until she was rested...I moved away slowly and quietly to get into my bed but then she got up and moved to the spot she had been the previous night. I got up and tried the same technique again but she did the same thing after a minute or two of me being in bed. I didn't need to rest my hand on her this time though.

Can anyone advise on what I should do tonight?

Thanks.

carav10

Decide where you want her to sleep long term, put her there nice & comfy & ignore the crying & be willing to have a scratched door... Might last a few nights but she should stop after an hour or two each night! She'll settle eventually.

Otherwise crate training...wrote a post on how I did that whole thing in the post on Crate training pros/cons.

DBB

I hope this timidity you speak of is transient and purely a result of being in a new environment. A timid GSD is a nightmare.
There's a lot of chopping and changing going on with her sleeping venue, to be honest. All pups cry for the first few nights, this is pretty much a given, and something we just need to work through, which invariably means some sleepless nights. But now, unfortunately you've raised the bar and she now wants to be in your room with you.
Personally, I'm okay with a new pup sleeping in the bedroom for a while, as they don't go through as much trauma. But it comes at the price of having to wean the pup away from the bedroom, which you need to do over a few weeks, not just overnight. Either that, or leave her in your bedroom to sleep in the long term!
It is also very difficult to wean a pup away from the bedroom without a crate, because as you've found, the pup just moves out of her bed to go where she wants. If she's in the crate, you can gradually move her closer and closer to the door, and eventually out of the bedroom altogether.
So, it's all a bit laborious. If you get her happily settled in a crate or playpen, you can go straight for leaving her in, say, the kichen where you say she spends a lot of time. But she will whine, you have to brace yourself for this. And she will need to be let out for a pee at least once during the night.
For the record, I always found a late, pre-bed meal and toilet break really helps a pup to settle. And a soft, warm bed. Perhaps leave her with a stuffed Kong toy to play with before drifting off to sleep with a full tummy.

euser1984

DBB wrote: »

I hope this timidity you speak of is transient and purely a result of being in a new environment. A timid GSD is a nightmare.
There's a lot of chopping and changing going on with her sleeping venue, to be honest. All pups cry for the first few nights, this is pretty much a given, and something we just need to work through, which invariably means some sleepless nights. But now, unfortunately you've raised the bar and she now wants to be in your room with you.
Personally, I'm okay with a new pup sleeping in the bedroom for a while, as they don't go through as much trauma. But it comes at the price of having to wean the pup away from the bedroom, which you need to do over a few weeks, not just overnight. Either that, or leave her in your bedroom to sleep in the long term!
It is also very difficult to wean a pup away from the bedroom without a crate, because as you've found, the pup just moves out of her bed to go where she wants. If she's in the crate, you can gradually move her closer and closer to the door, and eventually out of the bedroom altogether.
So, it's all a bit laborious. If you get her happily settled in a crate or playpen, you can go straight for leaving her in, say, the kichen where you say she spends a lot of time. But she will whine, you have to brace yourself for this. And she will need to be let out for a pee at least once during the night.
For the record, I always found a late, pre-bed meal and toilet break really helps a pup to settle. And a soft, warm bed. Perhaps leave her with a stuffed Kong toy to play with before drifting off to sleep with a full tummy.

Ok thanks. Why is a timid gsd a nightmare?

tk123

euser1984 wrote: »

Ok thanks. Why is a timid gsd a nightmare?

Because it means you'll spend a lot of blood, sweat, tears and most likely a lot of money too trying to correct/undo all of the hang-ups and fears the dog has and trying to change how they deal with them.

DBB

tk123 wrote: »

Because it means you'll spend a lot of blood, sweat, tears and most likely a lot of money too trying to correct/undo all of the hang-ups and fears the dog has and trying to change how they deal with them.

What tk123 said!
I have posted in this forum several times: not only is the GSD breed in huge trouble due to the predilection for frog-dogs amongst the show crowd, there is also a most unwelcome tendency developing in the breed to be nervous, timid, anxious and as a result, often aggressive when put under any pressure.
I'm just hoping that your new pup is not one of these, and that the timidity is simply a temporary reaction to the change in circumstances.

Queen-Mise

DBB wrote: »

What tk123 said!
I have posted in this forum several times: not only is the GSD breed in huge trouble due to the predilection for frog-dogs amongst the show crowd, there is also a most unwelcome tendency developing in the breed to be nervous, timid, anxious and as a result, often aggressive when put under any pressure.
I'm just hoping that your new pup is not one of these, and that the timidity is simply a temporary reaction to the change in circumstances.

OK - what are/is frog-dogs I don't think the images I have in my head are correct.

Bullseye1

Whatever you do don't let her on the bed because she won't ever want to sleep anywhere else.:)

DBB

Queen-Mise wrote: »

OK - what are/is frog-dogs I don't think the images I have in my head are correct.

Lol, sorry Queen-Mise! There is a strong tendency for show GSDs to have weak, distorted hind quarters. Their bum slopes at a ridiculous angle, and they walk on weak hind legs with hocks close to the ground in a most unnatural manner. Their hind ends resemble the hind legs of a frog, hence the expression half dog-half frog... Or frog-dog!
If I wasn't on my phone I'd link you to some pics to illustrate, I'll do so tomorrow from the laptop, unless some kind soul gets there before me!

Bullseye1

Sloped back


Straight back

Tranceypoo

My goodness, is that dog in the first picture actually standing up? He looks like he's half sitting down, wow I didn't realise the 'slope back' was that bad I don't know any sheps, to see the difference between the two dogs, that's just unbelievable!