“Lie Down Harry” is quite an apt name for this blog this
week, as for the last few nights our Harry will do anything but “Lie Down” when
it comes to bed time.
The problem first started on Saturday evening where there
were typically LOADS of fireworks flying around (despite the fact it wasn’t
bonfire night).
We put Harry to bed around 11pm as he was shattered (a rarity
in itself) but no sooner had we got upstairs and into bed ourselves, he was
howling.
Fair enough, maybe he needed another wee, so I let him out and eventually
put him back to bed, but again no sooner had my head hit my own pillow – Harry was
off again.
A walk around the block, two or three more let outs later and
it was still the same – so for the first time since the first couple of nights
we had him, I caved in and Harry came upstairs and slept in our room. Did he
make a sound? No he slept like a baby.
As I say, we did put it down to fireworks but on Sunday there
were none and it was a repeat performance, although to be fair – the first time
he barked he did need a wee as he hadn’t been out.
He settled down for about
twenty minutes but again would not stop barking until he was allowed upstairs –
and yes once again he slept like a dream.
Last night was a similar story, barking about twenty minutes
or so after being put to bed. Yet I’m starting to think that it has nothing to
do at all with fireworks, as he’s not really that phased by them – last night
was the busiest night for fireworks and he slept all the way through.
Having Harry upstairs with us isn’t really a problem for me,
but Em says she gets sore eyes and a sore throat in a morning which could be allergies.
To be fair, the first few nights he was up here when he came into our lives I
was the same – I also believe that a Dog should have their own, separate,
sleeping space so that when they’re older they can cope with being left alone.
I’ve therefore read a few online forums and advice pages as
well as buying and reading a Dog’s magazine “Dog’s Life”. One main theme about
my recurring night terror is the fact that, like babies, puppies will cry and
howl when they want attention – what you shouldn’t do is consistently go to
them and give attention, after the first “let out for a wee” time anyway.
Now I’ll be honest, I’m extremely guilty of not being able to
ignore Harry’s cries. I worry that he’ll wake up others and make the other dogs
upset or that he’ll mess in his cage, and that’s NOT what I want to see first
thing in a morning!! So yes, I’d much rather give in and bring him upstairs to
us.
Fortunately other people on the forums that I’ve found have
done the same, so I don’t feel as guilty about what could potentially mess up
his development – yet I do know that it can’t continue for much longer, both
for Harry’s development, Em’s potential health and also my sanity!
Our room is quite a busy place with stuff and even though
Harry has his own bed up here, he doesn’t lie still in it, he likes to wonder
and has a few spots. My worry if he remains inside all night with us is that he’ll
find something to chew (like clothes/ paperwork etc) or worse, have a toilet
based accident. This means that for the last three nights, I’ve only had
pockets of sleep as everything I hear Harry move, I shoot up watching him!
To be fair, I shouldn’t have too much fear about the toilet
thing as he is good as gold inside – he’ll bark at the door when he wants to go
out, but having no formal training just leaves that ounce of doubt in my mind.
What I needed was a solution to my sanity problem, so this
morning I have rigorously tidied up our room removing anything that he might
take a chewing fancy too and putting clothes etc out of his reach.
I know that’s giving in too and so read more about the issue,
basically I googled “My border collie puppy won’t settle at night, what can I
do” and went from there. Personally it’s each to their own on advice, but I’m
more than happy to try and follow a few of the tips and techniques that people
have shared.
The first is food and
water. Harry currently can access food and water whenever he wants, both in
and out of his cage. Some owners say that this can act as a distraction for
your dog, they wake up in the middle of the night and smell food so they eat it
and have a drink afterwards, meaning that sooner rather than later they’ll need
the toilet. The advice is to remove it and also to take away food and water
bowls from the dogs immediate surroundings at least two hours before you would
put them to bed, this is said to help settle a dogs digestive system and can
lead to a better night’s sleep. I’ve already removed the bowls from his cage
and tonight, will ensure I remove his other bowls around 9pm as he usually goes
to bed around 11pm.
The second tip I’ve found is about surroundings and smells. Dogs, especially puppies, at some stage
will suffer from separation anxiety. Basically no matter where they are, if
they are alone they are unlikely to settle and will cry out for you. It’s like
when you have a nightmare as a kid and all you want is a cuddle from a loved
one (and for them to check the bogey man isn’t under your bed, or that there
are no monsters in your wardrobe – cheers for that Monsters Inc). If you create
a warm and welcoming surrounding for your dog’s cage, they are more likely to
settle. I’m not talking making a replica of your bedroom and photos of you
hanging in their cage, I mean put in blankets that have your smell/ scent on it
– that way they are tricked (in a nice way) into thinking you are close by and
will snuggle up/in to it to feel closer to you. Also add in a favourite toy,
something such as a ball or chewy bone, to help them settle
One person had used a hot water bottle (filled with warm tap
water and NOT BOILING water) and cuddled it to replicate both the scent of them
and the body-warmth. I would try the same thing, but knowing Harry he’d just
chew it!
The third and final tip is common sense really, play time. A well exercised dog is a
tired dog and so owners should take the time to tire out their pups just before
bed. We do and we don’t do this. We do in the sense that he has a run around
the living room chasing his ball around 9.30pm whilst one of us puts the kettle
to work, but we don’t do it right before bed – simply because Harry flops and
goes to sleep whilst we’re watching TV. Tonight though, he will be having a
short run before bed – just to see what happens.
I’ll let you know what happens next week, and if his barking
at night continues, I’ll put a camera in place to see if there’s anything I’m
missing.
Talking of cameras, I STILL haven’t received his collar
camera which I ordered ages a go. It has however been shipped from abroad (ALWAYS
check where the seller is based kids!) and should arrive on November 14th,
So I’m looking forward to seeing life through Harrys eyes.I did conduct an experiment a week or so ago with a hidden
camera in the mail catcher downstairs, I have uploaded the clips to YouTube but
keep forgetting to put them in here – so as a little extra, have a little look
at what Harry get’s up to below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE96fm7Cyiw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWdUS-msY8E
That’s about it for this week, although before I go I just
want to encourage you to share your stories and tips if you are dog owners as I’m
thinking of doing a YouTube Vlog in addition to this – I like video editing etc
but never really have an excuse to film anything so help me out.
One thing I haven’t really done is share this blog too much
other than on Facebook, Twitter and occasionally Instagram. It’s been getting a
nice number of views but I’d love it to get a few more and get some feedback
from dog owners, so if you know anyone please share the link and/or don’t be
afraid to leave me a comment. I’ve also posted (well I’m going post once it’s
done – ah blogging perspective kills my brain) the link in some puppy/ dog
forums so if you are reading from there, hello and thank you!
Actually whilst I’ve got your attention, it’s not the end
after all – I let Harry out for a run five minutes ago an popped back up to
write what I thought would be the end of the blog (above). I’ve just been back
downstairs and after going into town today especially to buy him a comfortable
foam bed for his cage (along with other things for inside), he’s only gone and
dragged it out of his cage onto the garden and chewed it!
Other than not
leaving his cage open, is there anything I can do to make him understand that
his cage is his bed and that he shouldn’t destroy it on the garden? Please
help!
Thanks again for reading, and if you have done, leaving
feedback - a new blog will be posted here next Tuesday!
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