whining, yelping at night

by Liz Gray
(Belmont NC)

Our new Springer spaniel , 7.5 weeks old, will not sleep more than 2-3 hours without whining, yelping, scratching at night.

We have her in a laundry room with a baby gate. I know it is separation anxiety, but how long should I let her whine before we go in?

Help. We are all losing sleep!



Hi Liz
Your right in thinking your puppy is reacting to being left alone, she's still a tiny baby and is missing her momma and littermates. You're her family now and she is wanting to be right next to you!

This is understandable, but of course it's not practical and she will need to adjust to being on her own at night.

How long it takes for a puppy to 'get it', in this respect depends a lot on the puppy's individual personality and stubbornness. Several nights to a week or so at least, possibly more.

You can help to keep this adjustment time to a minimum by making sure that you don't go to her while she's crying. If you need to take her for a potty break (if she was being crate trained, which I recommend, this would be necessary), wait for a break in her crying etc. before taking her out.

If she thinks that her whining and crying are what cause you to show up and relieve her loneliness she will be more determined and cry for even longer.

I know it's difficult, but you need to harden your hearts a bit at this stage. She will soon understand that she's expected to sleep at night and that you will come to see her in the morning.

Best of luck with her.