7 month old female cries and wimpers all night long and won't sleep away from our other dogs.

by Stephanie
(Phoenix, Az)

We have 4 rottweilers a 3 year old male, 4 year old female, and two 7 month old pups, one male & one female. It is getting too cold to let them stay outside at night so we bring them in, they are all separated into different areas with their own beds so that they don't get up and play or get into things.

My other 3 have no problems sleeping at all but our little girl just cries and whimpers all night long. We have given her a stuffed animal with her brothers scent on it thinking she misses him but that doesn't work, we play with her and take her on long walks to try to wear her out, we give her long full body massages to relax her and she does start to sleep but the minute we move she's up and at it again. Can you please give me some ideas or advice, we have been told to use lavender but i don't know if that's good for dogs or not. I would appreciate any ideas or advice you could provide.

Thank you,

Stephanie






Hi Stephanie
It sounds as though your girl may have some separation anxiety issues. All dogs are different and some have personalities that are more anxious or less independent than others.

Obviously sleeping alone is really bothering her, but it's something she does need to learn to do - for her own good. She won't always be able to be with one of the other dogs, or with you, every minute and it's important that she can be alone for short periods.

It sounds as though you've tried lots of things, and they're all good, eventually you should be able to find the combination that helps. However, you may want to check out some information on separation anxiety, and I'd recommend starting here... Separation Anxiety In Your Dog. There's lots of practical advice to help you deal with this issue.

Aromatherapy is actually beneficial for dogs, but you need to use it correctly, see this Dog Aromatherapy article for more info. There are also natural pheromone-based diffusers and products that you can use to help alleviate anxiety in dogs. They're available in most major pet stores and online.

If you're patient and consistent in your approach to this problem, and use the info. in the pages above you should be able to help minimize her distress and given time she will adapt to sleeping on her own. I wish you the best of luck.