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10-07-2010, 08:55 PM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: San Diego
Posts: 1
| Child with nightmares -- new puppy to help... Hi there, My 7 year old daughter wakes up with nightmares 2-3x a week and one of our friends suggested that we get a small dog or cat for her to sleep with to perhaps ease things for her. Well, my DD is allergic to cats and we've been looking at getting a small do for months now anyway so this was a perfect excuse! We currently have a large dog at home that she loves but the dog won't sleep in her room because it's too hot and she enjoys sleeping under an open window in the hallway. Plus she can't fit on her bed. We recently put a deposit on a baby Yorkie after much research. The pup can't come home until November so I am starting to do research on how to prepare her. I have grown up with dogs so I am comfortable with the potty training and obedience training but I am not sure how/when to start putting her in my DD's room. I was thinking of having the puppy sleep with us in her crate for the first couple of months until she can hold her pee for 6 hours at least. But would the puppy then want to move over to my DD's room eventually or will she get used to sleeping with us only? Do you experts out there have any suggestions on how best to get the dog to sleep with my daughter someday? Or will it "just happen" as time goes on (ie do I need to just relax)? Thanks! Katherine |
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10-07-2010, 09:59 PM | #2 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Alaska
Posts: 31
| I started letting my daughter have our yorkie in her room in her crate. It wasn't long before the little angle was sleeping under her covers, maybe a month. But you will want to wait until she no longer needs night time pottys. Good luck! |
10-08-2010, 05:55 AM | #3 |
And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
| Welcome to YT. Yorkies sometimes get attached to a particular person, so I would make sure that she is the main one doing things . for it (putting food and water in bowls, at least being present for walks, etc.) as much as is safely possible. The crate could go by her. Because Yorkies are so small, while most of them do fine sleeping with their owners, there are honestly a few horror stories. If your daughter tosses and turns all night, or the pup burrows in the covers and gets stuck easily, or decides it's a good time to get up and chews on things, then it may have to stay in the crate at night. So, I'd just keep that in the back of your mind.
__________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶 |
10-08-2010, 06:14 AM | #4 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Merritt Island,FL
Posts: 1,400
| My daughter had nightmares (night terrors actually and progressed to sleepwalking) the smallest noises would set her off. Looking back I can see that she was a very quiet shy gentle child who didn't always understand what was going on in the daytime and led to some very stressful sleep patterns.I think a dog she can confide in and love is a great idea but sleeping with it? not so sure, sorry.... |
10-08-2010, 06:15 AM | #5 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 10,534
| Hi! Welcome to YT! Congratulations on your new addition! Yorkies are great! As someone else mentioned, they are more of a 1 person breed though. I would have your daughter do as much as possible with the puppy. Feed her, give her treats, take her out to potty, etc.... that way the puppy bonds with your daughter the most. As far as sleeping, I did not let my boys sleep in a bed until they were at least 6 months old. This was for a few reasons. They were too small, if I rolled over I could have squished them, also the bed is high and when they are that small they could fall off and break something or land on their head and the results will not be pretty. Also for potty purposes, they had to hold it all night. However I did get a mattress cover that is waterproof and soft just in case of accidents (which there were a few in the early days). I would have the puppy sleep in a crate in your daughters room so she gets used to the sound and scent of your daughter. I started dating my BF when my boys were 2 years old and they are now 5 years old and still will not go near my boyfriends kids and they are older at 16 & 14. Yorkies really do bond with their 'owner' so make your daughter your puppy's owner. Good Luck with your new baby! I hope it does help your daughter's nightmares!
__________________ “Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.” ― Dean Koontz |
10-08-2010, 07:45 AM | #6 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Southern California
Posts: 611
| Have you taken her to a child psychologist? This might be very easy to cure. The reason I'm suggesting this is that I used to be in the "big sister" program and my "little brother" told me he was having the same nightmare almost every day. There was a shadow figure that chases him and he ran and ran but was always found. He doesn't know what the thing is because he always wake up when he was found. Our advisor in the program is a child psychologist. He told me to just ask him one question, "what weapon(s) in your video games would you use to defeat the thing?". My "little brother" got very excited and started describing everything he would use. I thought he would tell me the following week (we meet weekly) how he defeated the bad guy. However, he said he stopped having nightmares so never got to fight the thing. I asked my advisor what happened and he told me that my little brother does not need to actually fight the thing, he just need to know that he can fight it and the nightmare will go away. I understand this is different from your daughter's case but really hate to see a kid suffer. Maybe you should seek professional help. It might just take one session, as in the case with my little brother. Don't get me wrong, I believe a yorkie will be great for your daughter, even when she outgrew her nightmares. Yorkies are so special and they do wonders for a child's development. I even know people who use yorkies to fight and won battle with depression. Anyway, just want to offer my experiences in case you want to try this. Good luck! |
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