Baneybunch
Member
Hi,
My husband and 14 month old cavalier Madison (blenheim female) recently added a new family member to our family, 11 week old Calvin (ruby male). After an initial "getting to know you period," Madison and Calvin get along well now, though she still jumps on the couch to get away from him during the day while she takes her afternoon nap.
Our problem is this: Calvin cries, screams, and barks for HOURS during the night, usually starting at 3:30 am. Calvin is litterbox trained, thus he does not need to be "taken out" to use the potty. We put him to bed as the breeder suggests (and as we did with Maddy till she got old enough to sleep with us) -- small playpen + crate + litterbox + blankets/worn t-shirts + sound machine/radio on softly. His playpen is in the living room, a door away from our bedroom (where we three sleep). Calvin has no problem going to bed initially, usually not making a peep as Maddy and we have worn him out right before bed. Unfailingly, however, Calvin will wake up around 3 - 4 am and cry his head off! I didn't think a little Cav could make so much noise!
Taking this board's and our breeder's advice, we do NOT get up to go comfort him; we ignore his screams & cries. Still, it goes on for at least an hour...then quiet for 30 + min... then more crying, barking, and screaming till about 6:15 am.
When he "pauses" from crying at 6:15 am-ish, we are ready to get up and start the day. We wait till he's not making a sound - open the door, prompting him to start jumping and making lots of excited noises, then we wait till he calms down and stops making noise before we touch him.
Still, we've been following this pattern for almost 2 weeks now with little/no change in Calvin's ability to sleep through the night. We're exhausted and frustrated. We have house guests scheduled to stay with us in 2 weeks and are concerned that maybe they should get a hotel because Calvin is so loud and incessant. We are starting to get concerned that his behavior won't ever end!
Please --- any advice??
We've tried the worn t-shirt, ticking clock, and the bringing the pen into the bedroom tricks -- nothing has helped.
Any advice??
Thank you!
My husband and 14 month old cavalier Madison (blenheim female) recently added a new family member to our family, 11 week old Calvin (ruby male). After an initial "getting to know you period," Madison and Calvin get along well now, though she still jumps on the couch to get away from him during the day while she takes her afternoon nap.
Our problem is this: Calvin cries, screams, and barks for HOURS during the night, usually starting at 3:30 am. Calvin is litterbox trained, thus he does not need to be "taken out" to use the potty. We put him to bed as the breeder suggests (and as we did with Maddy till she got old enough to sleep with us) -- small playpen + crate + litterbox + blankets/worn t-shirts + sound machine/radio on softly. His playpen is in the living room, a door away from our bedroom (where we three sleep). Calvin has no problem going to bed initially, usually not making a peep as Maddy and we have worn him out right before bed. Unfailingly, however, Calvin will wake up around 3 - 4 am and cry his head off! I didn't think a little Cav could make so much noise!
Taking this board's and our breeder's advice, we do NOT get up to go comfort him; we ignore his screams & cries. Still, it goes on for at least an hour...then quiet for 30 + min... then more crying, barking, and screaming till about 6:15 am.
When he "pauses" from crying at 6:15 am-ish, we are ready to get up and start the day. We wait till he's not making a sound - open the door, prompting him to start jumping and making lots of excited noises, then we wait till he calms down and stops making noise before we touch him.
Still, we've been following this pattern for almost 2 weeks now with little/no change in Calvin's ability to sleep through the night. We're exhausted and frustrated. We have house guests scheduled to stay with us in 2 weeks and are concerned that maybe they should get a hotel because Calvin is so loud and incessant. We are starting to get concerned that his behavior won't ever end!
Please --- any advice??
We've tried the worn t-shirt, ticking clock, and the bringing the pen into the bedroom tricks -- nothing has helped.
Any advice??
Thank you!