Guest crimsonblayde Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 We are at the 6 week mark with our second hound. At the 5 week mark he began to be fearful of anyone laying in bed or on the couch covered and "bodyless". We counter-conditioned and he quickly settled. No more whining when the lights go off and the humans go to bed. But then... he has decided that he wants to cuddle with our other hound. Sounds great, right? They BOTH sleep startle. So now every night there is invariably growling and or barking. This is followed by a bunch of stomping around and for some reason, they trade beds. My theory is that he is going over to cuddle because that bed has a view of my son's head in bed. From his own bed, he can't see my son at all. I was going to try to get the dogs to switch beds from the start tonight. The beds are on opposite walls. They used to be next to each other but the sleep startling was an issue. It's safer and quieter if they are apart. The original hound won't care if he can see my son. But he is used to the other bed and he might care about switching. Any other ideas or suggestions? We are all getting pretty tired from being interrupted sleep! Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grey_dreams Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 The new dog might want to cuddle with the other dog because he is cold. Make sure he is warm, either with jammies or a comforter to nest in, or just turn up the heat a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverhound Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Can you crate one of them? Six weeks is still pretty new. Quote Masterful Joe and Naughty N Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crimsonblayde Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 The bedroom is a little small for a crate, a second hound and my two boys! Also, he's not the biggest fan of crating unless he is entirely alone in the house. We are still working on that. Last night, I put them to bed with their jammies on and we had no issues. It might have been a fluke, or maybe my little Florida dog can't handle Colorado nights! My son plays PS3 in there which keeps the room really warm to us, but who knows if it is warm enough for a hound used to tropical weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busderpuddle Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 If it continues, what about moving the new one into your bedroom to separate them ? Quote Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crimsonblayde Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 The new hound, Shawn, is very dependent on the original hound, Guster. He is the type of dog that cannot be an only dog, ever. Separate rooms doesn't work. We tried for about 15 minutes. The jammies worked for one night and then back to square one. I keep using the jammies though, because I think it did help. My husband helped me rearrange the furniture so that the two dog beds are next to each but with a couple feet between them. Now Shawn is not only near Guster, but he can easily see my son in bed. No reason to leave his bed to be near Guster or to check on my son. It worked last night. There was one startle incident early this morning but it was very mild and quiet. It was also Shawn this time and he will startle if the bed he is on tickles him funny. Previously, it has been Guster barking at Shawn in indignation after being stepped on in the middle of the night. Shawn was getting up and trying to cuddle but stepping on poor Guster in the process. We also added a night light, in hopes that if Shawn can see Guster he won't step on him. Guster is a black hound so he is hard to see in the dark. During the day, Shawn's sleep startle reactions are quickly fading. When he does startle, it's softer and he sometimes barely cracks and eye. Guster really only gets vocal if Shawn outright steps on him. And who can blame him? Let's hope this works a second night. They both seemed to love the new bed arrangement if nothing else. Both are in corners now and somewhat cave-like. Here's to a good night's rest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sounds like you're on the right track. It sometimes just takes a while for everyone to figure out what they want - and what they're comfortable with. I don't have a big problem with dogs grumbling at each other, if it stays at that. I "get" that they want to be close to each other - and close to your son - but not "too close". Think "MOOOMMM...he's touching me!" LOL! I'll bet the startle incidents will continue to decrease as everyone becomes comfortable with the arrangements. Hang in there - this too shall pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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