First night home expectations

[CaliMomma]

It's been over 6 years since a puppy (our rottie, rip Zeus) has been in my home and come Friday my new little girl is coming home. What do I expect? Zeus was perfect he didn't whine or cry nothing. I've read books and such and they all say its a terror the first night of constant crying and don't give in. Put her in a crate don't let her out but to potty don't take her to bed. I'm scared now lol. I think dear bf will kill me if these books are true.

[Maximo]

If you have the crate outside of your bedroom, you can probably expect a lot of crying or barking. You may get lucky and have a pup who doesn't, but usually Yorkies want to be close to their humans.

[brezofleur]

Congratulations!!! I'm also getting my baby on Friday! And I have a little Zeus now...

I don't have any advice because this will be our first puppy. But what we are going to do is put her in a crate in our bedroom at the end of the bed. Hopefully this will help with any crying...

[EvaNoel]

Congrats on the new baby, and good luck with the first night home.

My first Yorkie, Eva Noel, came home at 7 weeks. I put her little round bed in the bed beside me and she slept like a rock! She woke me up one time with kisses, so I took her to the pee pad and then she went right back to sleep.

Now she is 5 months and my second Yorkie (who is also 5 months), sleeps with me and the hubs, but we sleep all night and wouldn't have it any other way!

[MandiesMom]

Congrats on your new baby! I wanted to say that if you DO crate at night, remember the pup has a very tiny system and can't hold pee or poop that long. You need to get up every 2 or 3 hours and let the pup out to pee and poop.

As mentioned above, keep the crate in your room - this will help. I had Mandie's crate sitting on the table beside my bed where she was right at my head/eyes. I will say that I did give in and she only stayed in the crate at night for her first 2 nights. Yes, I'm weak and she rules me

[AngelFae]

I brought my Blazer home at 7 weeks (too young but I didn't know that at the time) and I put him in his crate that night and had the crate covered and in a separate room. He slept most of the night- only woke up once to go outside for potty. By the third (?) night he slept all the way through. If I could go back and change things I would have had his crate in my room from the begining instead of relegating him to the lower level alone. He did really well- he wasn't a big crier- just a bit for the first couple of minutes then he was done. When he'd wake up for potty he would bark a little. He's 10 months old now and still sleeps in his crate at night- I've tried letting him stay out but he always goes back in. He likes it and that's fine with me. =)

[Jess87]

I just brought Dexter home last Saturday and didn't have too many problems at night. We put him in a crate in our room where he could still see me. He cried for a couple of minutes and even gave a couple of howls but he quickly stopped after me snapping my fingers a couple of times in the middle of his howls. Now, he still whimpers for a little bit (less than a minute) then goes right to sleep. The first 2 nights I got up around 2 or 3 am to let him out to pee since he gave a whimper or two then right back in his crate and back to sleep. After the first 2 nights he slept all the way through the night. We'll see if it keeps up....

[Deb1]

I guess, I am in the minority because ours have always slept with us in our bed. Teeka woke the first night, once to go outside to potty. After that, she has slept through the night and she is almost 9 months. She loves to sleep curled up in the crook of my arm. Tatiana is just 14 weeks and she sleeps with us, too. She slept through the night, the first week. Lately, she has been waking a couple of times to potty and poo. This is my fault because, I have been feeding her too late in the evening! She is pretty tiny and I don't want her to become hypoglycemic. Since she has not had any episodes of this, I am going to feed her her last meal at around 6:30 instead of 8:00. I am hoping this will curtail her getting up at night! Best of luck! Just remember, they are babies. They will cry and whine and need to go potty, even in the middle of the night!

[Cherie6446]

When I brought Zoey home at 10 wks she cried in her crate which was next to my bed. I put her in bed with me cuddled to my chest and she has been there ever since. My first yorkie was not a cuddlier in bed and I really love having Zoey next to me.

[CaliMomma]

Wow, thanks for the responses. I understand the tiny bladders and the need to get up in the middle of the night, generally i'm up with my youngest son at least once or twice when he's healthy and 5-6 when he's sick. So i'm very sleep deprived as it is normally LOL. She's 12 weeks yesterday, though the breeder wanted me to be able to get her 2 almost 3 weeks ago i wanted to wait until she was at least 12 wks. I havent picked up a crate yet. Was waiting to see what her kennel size was that she's being shipped in and possibly use that for the time unless its a bad memory for her and she hates it. I have blankets and toys and feeding/water dishes and tiny tennis balls and pee pads. Just need an xpen. Though i have the guinea pigs i may impervise for a few and use those, cost for xpens here are crazy expensive!

[CaliMomma]

Is it also bad i dont know what to name her yet? I feel like a bad mommy!!! I have names like Daisy, SamiJo, Penny or Pennie (short for Penelope, cause i love Garcia on Criminal minds), i've even imagined myself scolding the dog or calling it no name is sticking!! I'm bad right?

[MandiesMom]

I think it's great that you don't have a name picked out yet. You have several in your head - that's good. When you get her home, give it a few days...she will tell you what her name is.

[Deb1]

Originally Posted by CaliMomma

Is it also bad i dont know what to name her yet? I feel like a bad mommy!!! I have names like Daisy, SamiJo, Penny or Pennie (short for Penelope, cause i love Garcia on Criminal minds), i've even imagined myself scolding the dog or calling it no name is sticking!! I'm bad right?

Lots of times, when you see her, you will immediately know what her name should be. I chose the name Tatiana because she just looked like a little princess, which is what her name means!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Congratulations on your new baby! Remember that these little guys whine because they miss their mommie and siblings and the only people they have ever known - the breeder and family! They whine to call their pack to them - instinctual behavior genetically programmed in so that even a young puppy with undeveloped brain can call for its mom should it get carried off by a predator or something or the little one somehow fall off a bluff or otherwise get separated from its pack. So they want comfort from their packmates and mom and if you allow the crate to be near you or put the baby in an airline carrier and set it right in the bed with you, your baby will feel a lot more comfortable, knowing that someone caring is there. To me, it is rather cruel to stash a very young weeks old dog in a crate far from others its first few nights away from its mother and just expect it to deal. People don't mean to be cruel but it goes against the pack for a dog to sleep separately from its pack when we make them sleep alone - unnatural to the dog. Keeping your baby close to you its first days and weeks will help it settle into the new home better. I sleep with my dog and his and my Jilly before him both slept with me in the airline carrier in the bed or placed in a chair pulled up right next to it their first two weeks, after which they slept in the bed with me.

The new pup can also miss the warmth of cuddling up next to another warm pack member to sleep and nap so have warm, comfortable bedding for her in her crate or pen. That's all I can think of right now. Jilly was 4 1/2 mos. old and Tibbe 9 mos. old when I brought them home so I don't have recent new puppy experience but in the past, I still had them right beside my bed in their crate at night until they were old enough to be trusted and safe in the bed. You also have to worry about the little ones falling off the bed which is why an airline carrier works well at first. Once the dog is old enough not to accidentally run off the edge or jump off and hurt herself, they can be trusted to sleep with you.

Small dogs also need to be taught how to use doggie steps so they don't have repetitive impact stresses to their fragile bones and joints from jumping that far down.

[CaliMomma]

Originally Posted by brezofleur

Congratulations!!! I'm also getting my baby on Friday! And I have a little Zeus now...

I don't have any advice because this will be our first puppy. But what we are going to do is put her in a crate in our bedroom at the end of the bed. Hopefully this will help with any crying...

That's so cool. I'm getting my girl at the San Jose airport around 4:45 in the afternoon.