Help at nightime

[pgibb]

Hi,
I rehomed a greyhound 5.5 weeks ago now + she's settled really well but just wanted some advice about night time.
She was found in an allotment with her brothers and sisters + was in foster 4 weeks before we got her.
When we got her we planned for her to sleep in our kitchen/diner + the first two nights were fine but the next night she woke very early crying + the night after was even worse so we ended up moving her upstairs. We have a 3 year old daughter so she was getting disturbed by her then not going back to sleep.
she slept better in our room + we made her a crate with a blanket over but did still wake whinging from 5am + was very restless. After about 2.5 weeks she stopped whining but is still quite restless from 5/5.30am so since we've had her I've not really slept much as I'm quite a light sleeper too!
Last week she started to settle back on the sofa after her bedtime wee + didn't follow us upstairs at night so we left her there,she did come upstairs around 4.30am in the morn to her bed in our room then + settle back dwn.
We've put her back in our room now as a behaviourist said it was better not to give her much space while she's still settling in. It does feel like she's improved a lot in the time we've had her but I'm struggling to get much sleep with her so restless at night.

I think she must still be adjusting to learning to wake when we do not when she thinks its morning but just wanted to see if anyone had any advice?
Our 1st dog was 9 when we got her + slept till we got up whatever the time so this is a bit new for us!x

[kamkay]

Welcome to Gap. I have no advice, but can offer my personal experience. Funnily enough, only yesterday I was talking to a friend about this very subject. Jet was fostered for a short time in a house with multiple hounds where he got up when they did. He arrived here and was waking up and making noise at all hours of the morning. It was not unusual for me to be out and about with him at 5 am! Oddly enough he went for sleepovers with his foster family and I would be sent photos of him still in bed at 8 or even later! However, over time he has adjusted and now waits happily for me to come downstairs whenever I am ready. One thing you could do is look at when you feed her in the evening. Does she whine because she needs to go out? Not very helpful I'm afraid, but good luck. I'm sure others will be along soon with more useful advice:-)

[gazer]

No real advice really but I do tend to think it's very early days for her.  There are loads of things for her to adjust to in your home and in time she will relax more and hopefully stop getting up so early.  I understand how awful sleep deprivation is but it does get easier I promise, they do settle.

Interestingly if any dog got up early here it was always the greyhound, the lurchers get up when I do, now he's older so does Alfie, but it was never at stupid 'o'oclock though. I used to tell him 'bed' and he'd settle back down for another hour or so.

[deborahburt]

Hi, welcome to Gap. Could she be missing other canine company? If she was found living with her litter mates, everything has changed for her. But it's still early days and hopefully she'll continue to settle.
What are you names?

[vickyb]

Hi, just wondered how light your bedroom is and if there are any noises that could be disturbing her like birds twittering? often in winter it can be the noise of heating coming on that triggers it. I assume she doesn't need to go out?
I think it's probably just a question of time and patience as it's all so new to her and it sounds as if she's doing well.

[pgibb]

Thanks for your replies :-)

We found out after we'd had her for about 3 weeks when she was in foster she slept downstairs in a crate with no other dogs as their dog slept upstairs with them and she was fine. If we had known this straight away we could have done the same so it was familiar to her to help her settle.

We thought at first the whining was due to her needing to go out + did take her out a few mornings she was whining early but in the morning she doesn't seem desperate when let out and the whining has stopped now she's just very restless.
She has her tea about 5.30pm + a denture stick around 8pm + bfast is about 6.45am.
When she started choosing to stay downstairs it made me think she must be settling more + getting used to all the noises,some nights my daughter was waking briefly around 1am + it didn't disturb her. The last two nights she's been reluctant to come up with us at bedtime + I would prefer her to sleep downstairs + stay there all night,we do have a gate at the bottom of the stairs we could shut at night so she can't come up but wasn't sure if we should keep her in our room till she's more settled all night.x

[pgibb]

We wondered about the light but our room is quite dark + we also put a blanket over the crate a few weeks ago so the door is the only bit uncovered so its dark inside but doesn't make a difference. The time she wakes is always the same! I haven't noticed any noises that could be waking her either.

My names Pam + my greyhounds name is Lily.x

[lurcherlot]

I think I would let her choose where she wants to be - she's clearly still missing her littermates, and it is still early days.

[pgibb]

I thought that but speaking to the behaviourist the other day confused me as she said either leave her in her crate in the kitchen or crate in our room dont let her wonder.
When we go out she is in the kitchen/diner with a baby gate up + radio on + always seems fine. When I come home she has been lying down on her bed + hasn't even got all her treats out of her kong sometimes.
I wondered whether as she is fine during the day left + not in a crate that she would prefer some freedom at night too or whether she is best in a crate as she's so restless. Before we put her in the crate she used to pace the room + when she came up during the night to go in it we had to shut it as after a bit she was up.
She's so much better now than when we first got her so I know we'll get there in the end its a lot for her to get used to!x

[vickyb]

I would let her choose her place at night and see if that helps. Some of ours come up to bed with us, some stay downstairs and there's often a bed swap in the night. We usually end up with all 4 upstairs by morning. We sometimes get a slight whinge as they move about but they settle quickly. If they need to go out they let us know. I never close any doors at all. I prefer them upstairs so I can hear if they're sick and they let me know if they need to go out.

[lurchernut]

Mine only wake up between 4 or 5 am if they are cold. Their body temperature drops during the early hours as does ours, and as autumn starts, the ambient temp is also lower than they've been used to over the summer months. Mine sleep right through until whatever time I get up so long as the ones I have who feel the cold are wearing their fleece pyjamas or fleece jumpers. Sorry for the rushed reply. Ps., welcome to GAP

[Nettie]

I'd let her sleep where she wants to that way you will all get a peaceful night, Angus tends to go upstairs before us and Bertie stays downstairs until the early hours.

There isn't a right way. I'd go for what suits you best.

Sent from my HTC One using proboards

[pgibb]

Thanks for help guys,I think we will let her stay downstairs tonight then if she wants too + see how she gets on.
We thought that maybe she was cold when we first got her as the temperature had dropped but putting on her fleece at night didn't make any difference to when she woke.x

[greybeard]

Hi Pam and welcome.No real advice either cos all dogs are different.Going back about 30 years,our 1st 2 slept with us cos they wouldn't settle downstairs.Next 1 downstairs till he was an only dog and decided he'd come upstairs too.Then we found hounds - our 2 girls slept downstairs,they took 1 look at the stairs and decided they far too steep and scary.But all they'd known was a bungalow,boarding kennels,then rescue kennels.Perry decided he'd rather be with his sister and also thinks the stairs are scary.We've now had Jemima since Sunday - she can happily boing up and downstairs and slept upstairs at her foster mum's.So far she happily settles with Perry,they have free run downstairs and she's made no attempt to sleep upstairs(yet!).Let Lily be where she's happy,it's still early days and everything's new and strange.Cath

[sharonhigh45]

Hi welcome to Gap Forum, I would agree with what other people have said, my first lurcher was thrown out on the road when we found her and she was about 6 months old,we had another dog as well that she had to get used to so we kept her downstairs, but after a few nights of howling and crying we moved her bed upstairs and in with us and in no time at all she settled down, we still had issues during the day, but all I can really say from experience is Time and lots of patience, I know it is difficult when sleep is disturbed,but I would let her choose where she wants to go to sleep and then some routine will probably fall into place, hope things work out with your new family member.
Shazx