Sleeping Arrangements
 

Hi All-

I got my lovebug a little over 6 weeks ago and he is the joy of my life. He has crate trained easily (not to be confused with potty trained) and generally sleeps peacefully through the night in a separate room (living room) to me without a peep.

(I do not want him to sleep in my bedroom because whenever my love life miraculously improves, I would rather not have to choose between a boyfriend or Toto. Poor human would lose every time.)

That said my parents are coming to visit for a little over two weeks from the US and as retirees they do not keep to a strict sleep schedule and can often be noisy into the evening watching television and talking, especially since their body clocks are a few hours behind.

I don't think it is realistic to tell them that we have a 10:30pm lights out/no talking policy, so am worried my puppy will start to get anxious with all of the commotion. [B}]If I moved him into my room for 16 nights would it undo all of the training to get him to enjoy being on his own when he sleeps? I live in small 2 bed open-plan flat so there aren't many other rooms to get him away from my parents, other than the bathrooms that he never really goes in.[/B]

(FYI they aren't coming until December, I'm just an advanced worrier. He'll be almost 5.5 months when they arrive).

I think he’ll adapt to the room and your parents . don’t worry too much .

Welcome to YorkieTalk.

I agree that he will adapt.

Sounds as though you are doing a wonderful job with Toto. Bravo.

With a little more than a month before they visit, you may be able to give it a test run by moving the crate into the bedroom for a night or two, and then moving it back to his base station. Ditto, leave the TV or radio on one or two nights.

My lil girl Dutch is now just over five months old. She has a Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy. This is a stuffed animal that comes with a removable "heartbeat" and heat element. I've turned on the heartbeat a few times--only when I suspected the environment was or could become more stressful. I suspect a ticking clock or something of that sort is an option.

Finally, we have a spray called Adaptil and apply that to the bedding in her X-pen. There is an Adaptil diffuser kit available here in the US. I wonder if something similar is available for use in the UK.

Again, welcome to YorkieTalk.--KatysMom

Thank you both. I'll see if I can give it a test run and he stays calm. I already play him youtube doggy music at a low volume at night at bedtime in the living room to lull him to sleep or the TV during the day if I go to the gym for an hour or two so he doesn't feel too alone while he is awake. So hopefully he will adapt easily as you say and I'm fretting for nothing.

Do you think Pet Remedy would work the same as adaptil? I have some of that spray, though it hasn't seemed to make much difference when I have used it.

Not keeping them in your room means you can not hear them when they need to go potty or if they get sick in the middle of the night. I personally would always keep the crate in the bedroom.