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My Pet World: A few tricks to stop your dog from crying at night

By Marc Morrone, Tribune Content Agency on

Q: We just got a Dachshund puppy from a breeder and the first night all she did was wail. We tried everything -- the ticking clock, hot water bottle -- all the old time remedies. We talked to the breeder and she told us to just let the dog cry itself out and it will give up. That has not been the case. We have had many puppies in our lives but this is the first time we ever met one that cries with the intensity that this one does. She is fine during the day; she sleeps soundly all by herself in her crate. We live in a condo with paper thin walls. Can you help? -- Grace, Williams-Sacramento, CA

A: Your description of this scenario reminds me of my favorite "I Love Lucy" episode, where the Ricardo's get a puppy for Little Ricky, and Lucy goes through her act all night trying to keep it quiet.

So many people could relate to that episode, and the realism gave it such staying power. At any rate, to answer your question, you have to understand that every dog is different. Some dogs are secure, some are insecure; some are vocal and others are quiet; you just have an insecure puppy that is very vocal, as most Dachshunds are, so just try to see the situation from the dog's point of view.

First of all, when a puppy takes naps all day, it cannot always be expected to sleep through the night. A puppy's waking hours at night can be utter boredom surrounded by darkness, gloom and silence. You cannot do much about the boredom apart from putting toys in the crate, but the darkness, gloom and silence are easy to fix.

You say the puppy is happy to sleep soundly in her crate during the day, so that means the lights are on and most likely the TV is on. If you just recreate that scenario at night, by leaving the lights on so the room is bright and TV on softly, then she does not know the difference between night and day. Thus she will not be as affected by the darkness and silence as she is now.

The breeder is correct, as well. If you let the puppy just cry herself out, then she will learn to deal with it. As she gets older and more secure in her new home, then you can begin to shut off the lights and TV at night, but at the least my suggestions should keep the peace with your neighbors.

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Q: We just bought a baby African Grey Parrot from a breeder and were told the bird will be old enough to take home in two weeks. However, I would like to take the bird home in four weeks. Then, I will be on vacation from work and able to spend more time with the bird. The breeder told us it is better to take the bird home when I am not on vacation, as it is better for the bird to grow up in the normal hustle and bustle of the house. I wondered what your thoughts were on this? -- Josh Ruby, Pittsburgh, PA

A: Well, I have to agree with the breeder on this one.

When I was a little kid, I was very lonely. I had very few human friends (plenty of animal one's though), and my father would console me by telling me that as long as I was happy with myself, then I would never be alone.

 

Of course it took a half a century for me to realize that my father was correct. The same thing applies with your bird -- you want him to be able to grow up and learn that being by himself is not a horrible situation. However, he is not going to learn if you are around him 24/7 the first two weeks after you take him home.

Birds can handle random events better than any life form on planet earth -- just look at what wild birds go through on a daily basis. One day there is rain and wind, and the next day there is sun and blue sky; then there is food and then no food; predators then none. A bird can take just about anything life throws at it, and when it is over, it flies on top of a telephone pole and sings away as if nothing happened.

This perfectly natural scenario is how you want to raise your bird. He has to learn that there are times he gets to come out of his cage and play with you, and other times that his human mates just walk past him without acknowledging him.

He has to grow up and learn that coming out of his cage and playing with you is a random event he does not control. It just happens like a sunny day happens, and when it does not happen, it is not the end of the world. He will just happily stay in his cage and play with his toys.

If you were to spend all your time with him, the first time you wouldn't be able to play with him will make him very confused and unhappy. This is what causes many pet birds to become incessant screamers and show neurotic behaviors. Pet keepers just need to see the world from the point of view of the animal to understand why it does what it does.

I understand you love your new pet and want to devote yourself to it, but parrots live a long time, and his life will be a happier one if the first lesson he learns is that being alone in his cage is not a bad thing. He can only learn this from you.

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(Marc Morrone has kept every kind of animal as a pet possible for the last half century and is happy to share his knowledge of pet keeping with those in need of it. Although he cannot answer every question individually, he will publish those of general interest. You can contact him at petxperts2@aol.com; please include your name, city and state.)


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