sleeping puppy

Question
I have a 12week old Bassett puppy who gets up anytime from 4am onwards.
I have tried ignoring his barking and yelping but he never gives up. He does need to go out when i get down to him but once i have let him out i can not settle him and go back to bed. Am i doing the right thing in ignoring him? He also makes a row when i leave him in the day, he hates being put in the kitchen.

Answer
Hi Carol,

Yes, after giving your puppy the chance to go to the bathroom, you are doing the right thing when your ignore your puppy's cries.

It literally is a battle of wills, and your puppy is willing to go the extra mile and cry non-stop until he's let out of his confinement area. You need to stick to your guns, and ignore those cries, otherwise you will train your puppy that the crying works, and that crying gets him exactly what he wants! This will be the lesson taught if he cries for five minutes, or 50 minutes. Dogs don't have a sense of time, but they do know what "works".

You might find getting a pair of ear plugs to be helpful (seriously)!

The same goes for confining your puppy during the day. If you didn't he'd be having house training accidents all over your home, and chewing up anything he pleased.
It would be very helpful if your puppy received 15-20 minutes of active play and exercise just before you leave him for the day. You also should be leaving you puppy with something to do, while you're gone. Time consuming mentally stimulating toys such as Kongs or BusterCubes that you fill with puppy food or treats are great choices.

Puppies and dogs are social animals that do not like to be left alone. They need to be trained to be calm and quiet when they're alone. Read more about training techniques you can use to keep your puppy quiet when left alone:

http://www.i-love-dogs.com/dog-articles/Puppy_Information/page_3/Getting_Your_Pu...

http://www.googobits.com/articles/469-puppy-behavior-that-doggone-separation-anx...

http://dogtime.com/puppy-training-home-alone-dunbar.html

Your puppy is very strong willed, you've just got to be stronger than he is.

Best of luck,
Patti