We have just got a beautifull yorkshire terrier called Megan. We know vey little about her past as to cut a long story short a friend of a friend knew of her & she was about to be taken to vets to be put to sleep as owners were old & going into a home,(dont ask why she wasnt going to a rescue centre as i have no logical answer!)

she will be 2 on dec 6th & we adore her but after a week of sleepless nights with her crying as soon as we go up to bed my husband ended up sleeping on sofa just so she didnt wake kids up!

she has a lovely new bed and is not cold/ hungry / needing to go outside etc
i am guessing she used to sleep in owners bed?

we dont really want her upstairs for lots of reasons including her other little habbit of weeing in every room!

should we continue to ignore her when she cries? dont want her to wake kids up
its like having a newborn baby all over again!:help:

Awww she's probably feeling very insecure at the moment. She's still only young and it's been a big change for her.

Crate training her may help with this. She will soon bond with her crate and feel safe and secure in her own space. It can also help to cover the crate at night time with a sheet or blanket. Make sure you get a crate big enough for her to be able to stand up and stretch. And put her to bed with her favorite toys etc.

If shes not used to a crate, try putting her in it during the day time, but don't close the door at first, just try her in it for a few minutes at a time, until she gets used to being in there.

Hope this helps.

You could try leaving a radio on for her, plus all of the above...new home, new surroundings, new family? She'll take a while to settle in I guess...awwwww:)

Wear a t shirt for a few days and give it to her to sleep on - if she used to sleep on her owners bed then she's used to sleeping with the strong smell of her humans.
x

you could try a dap diffuser. We also had pippa in a crate and she slept thru after a few nights. Got her as a pup tho.

Hi, is there any reason she can't sleep in your bedroom in a crate to begin with - with a view of being moved out gradually?

I'd suggest getting a crate and putting it in your room with you. Crates help them feel more secure and you don't need to worry about the weeing (and it may help with this!)
Buy a DAP spray and squirt it on her bedding - this can and often does, help to settle insecure doggies as it simulates the pheromones that a mum gives off to reassure her pups.

Very gradually, move her crate further from your bed to the bedroom door, then onto the landing, then to the top of the stairs, then the bottom of the stairs, then finally into where you want her to sleep. During these steps get a DAP diffuser and plug it into her final sleeping place so it's ready for when she gets there.

Brunette's idea of giving her something that smells of you is a good idea too - either a t-shirt, or a teddy that smells of you etc.

Try not to go down to her if she's causing a fuss (difficult when you have kids I know). How dogs work is that if something is reinforced they will continue to do it. ie. she gives out a distress call, someone comes - so next time she gives a distress call because someone came last time.

If you try to ignore her then what happens is they go through an extinction burst - so they do it even more (like if you knock on the door and nobody comes, yo know it usually works so you knock louder before you give up), if you then go down during the extinction burst, the dog learns to do the behaviour more.

So if you are going to ignore it, you have to fully ignore it and not give in when it gets stronger.

Personally, if she's that distressed I'd rather go with the moving away from the bed gradually to get her used to it - more and more people are doing this with puppies now as opposed to the 'start how you mean to go on' and it's very effective. Pups have come from the bosom of their family to then be crated and left alone, just the same as your yorkie possibly has (if she used to sleep with her owners), it can be very frightening.

If you want to continue with keeping her downstairs, try buying a crate, using the DAP diffuser, leaving a clock by her crate (providing a steady, reassuring beat just like a heart would), possibly leaving a talking station on the radio low, you could also try covering her up with a blanket or giving her a snug fitting t-shirt which works on the basis of constant pressure to provide reassurance and security.

Good luck!

If you try to ignore her then what happens is they go through an extinction burst - so they do it even more (like if you knock on the door and nobody comes, yo know it usually works so you knock louder before you give up), if you then go down during the extinction burst, the dog learns to do the behaviour more.

So if you are going to ignore it, you have to fully ignore it and not give in when it gets stronger.


This is the technique I've used with any puppy I've had, it takes about 2 weeks but it does work, did it with the recue I have too, he was in kennels for ages so I guess was used to being alone at night though he did try it on for about a month with random barking throughout the night and he has a big bark that wakes you right away...thank goodness the neighbour was away that month! He's no problem now, we don't hear a peep out of him :) Good Luck!

thanks everyone, last night i left my t-shirt in the bed with her & didint hear from her except once, i ignored her & she settled after about 20 minutes. today she has dragged the t-shirt around with her all day (including on her walks!) so it is covered in mud etc but she seems calmer. she is so sweet & we feel very lucky to have her. After our gorgeous whippet called pepsi passed away last year we thought we wouldnt take on another dog as it was so painfull when she left us but megan came into our lives through strange circumstances & we are falling in love with her more each day!.
Cant imagine being without her now.

Arrr thats great news Swanster, she sounds like she's settling in bless her. I'm sure you'll have many happy years together.