dog not sleeping at night

[kyle316]

I have a 1 year old shih tsu I adopted in January ..
I give him benadryl (25MG) at night and sometimes also a low dose medication..sometimes together sometimes
the benadryl will work...
My husband play alot with him, he gets plenty of excercise..and he loves to wrestle!!!
He always wins....
I would like to ween him off all this...but when I dont give it to him (night only)  he is restless at night.
I tried having him in our bedroom in and out of our bed...my shih tsu jasmine loved to sleep in bed with us
( I lost her to heart desease in november)  sammi our puppy doesnt seem to like confinement...he is very
good during the day...he does not have seperation anxiety.
I take him with me during the day --he loves the car...i walk him alot..he loves to be outside.

I read some of the comments and everyone seems to say lots of excersise...so I know this isnt the problem
because he gets plenty.I thought maybe he is anxious at night because we dont know the surroundings he
was in before for 9 months before we got him...There was a 7 year old girl,,black lab--2 goldens--2 cats....
I have no children and no other animals...
We work crazy schedules but always make time for sammi.

any suggestions.....

[13Rose13]

I adopted a 1 year old chihuahua 1 year ago and she will NOT sleep at night for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time.  I think I know why but don't know what to do about it.I can't give her benedryl she's only 3 lbs.  It MIGHT be why your adopted dog isn't sleeping also.  My dog was owned by an Alzheimer patient. Why anyone would give a chihuahua to someone with that disorder I have no idea. Some Alzheimer patients will "rage" and be hyper from sunset until dawn. I believe this is why Bitsey won't sleep at night.  When I got her she was terrified, malnourished, under weight and crippled. She is contented and quiet all day long - even if I keep her awake. But come bedtime, in fact the minute I put her on the bed she becomes playful and energetic.  She can't play tug of war enough. During the day she might play for a minute or 2.  I've tried putting her in the crate on the floor, the crate on the bed and finally in the kitchen.  But she shakes so bad and gets so "nervous" (I believe she has Post Traumatic Stress Syn) that I can't handle the guilt.  I've rescued for over 30 years and this is the first time I've come up against something like this or even something I can't figure out a fix for.  Knowing why isn't helping at all. I can't figure any form of behavior modification either.  I've tried. They work for a night or 2 then she's back to her old habits.

[LL7970]

I am not a vet ... but did work for one for 5 years.  There are so many natural things out there now - try one of those.  rescue remedy is great, and you can get it in any health food store.  I wish you good luck.          And i can guarantee one thing ... if the dog was as wonderful as the owner stated ... they never would have gotten rid of them.  But think of it this way - he's better off with you   :)

[kyle316]

thanks for your input ...by your comment about the benadryl...i would sense you had
a problem with this type of treatment....
what makes you so against this...and do you have any other alternatives...

you never know what is going to happen when you get a new dog...sometimes you
dont know if the previous owner is telling you the truth about why they are getting
rid of the dog...

i adopted sammi in january from a home that had 3 other dogs, 2 cats, a 7 year old
girl and the woman was pregnant...
she told me the dog ate puppy chow....well believe me when i tell you, the dog
never never touched the food....he also does not eat dog food....i have tried alot
of them...
he also got very very picky with people food(but i have to conquer one problem at a
time)
i really want this to work, because he is the sweetest little dog...
i live in a duplex in a big apartment..but the property owner lives directly under me..
i can't have this puppy bouncing off the walls at 1:00am-2:00am...

so if you have any other suggestions...i very much appreciate them..

thanks----Rose.

[kyle316]

Thanks for the words of encouragement...
We tried alot of things too..
we crated him one time and i thought he was going to rip himself apart...
it is hard when you get a new dog...because you dont know if the previous owner
is telling you the truth...she told me he eats puppy chow and believe me when i tell
you he never touched it as long as we have him...
he very rarely eats dog food (and is now very very very picky with anything we give
him...(but i have to deal with one issue at a time.

this dog is the sweetest little thing,,so i really want this to work...
i live in a duplex i have a very big apartment but my landlady lives on the first floor..
so you would understand that i cant have this puppy bouncing off the walls at 1:00-2:00am-sometimes he does not fall asleep until 2:30---

i really do appreciate the input...
thanks again----Rose

[Misfits4Me]

I don't think your puppy has had time to establish sleeping arrangements in his new home. He probably misses the other dogs (At his old home) and maybe looked to them for guidence. I adopted a dog a few years ago that would only sleep in a crate. We left the door open, but it was the only place that he felt comfortable. (He was given many choices).  Our latest rescue will only sleep in a seperate room babygated. His bed has to be right next to the gate, and the  gate has to have a towel covering half of it. It ends up with kind of a cave effect. Trust me, we have tried everything to get this guy from being restless at night. He sleeps like a dream, now. He cannot be crated or gated during the day or if I'm not at home. He will fight till he rips his nails out and I come home to a bloodbath. He cannot stand confinement, either. This only works at night and he knows I'm home. He has been here since Nov.  Another of our dogs will only sleep on the pillow above our heads. That's it! She has done this since the day she arrived. The fourth one will only sleep on the foot of the bed, but it took him months to figure out that this was OK.  I think your guy just needs some more time to feel comfortable. He'll get there, I promise.....Good luck and thanks for adopting him..............Karla

[LL7970]

giving a dog benedryl to sleep - is like giving a child whiskey to sleep.  If you want long term problems ... continue with the benedryl.  I dont know any vet in their right mind that would say benedryl is ok for a dog everyday.

[kyle316]

I did call my vet and ask what to do for him and they were the ones who actually
recommened benadryl 25mg because he only weighs 14lbs..

thank you for the input,, i will try the rescue remedy your friend uses.
i appreciate it..

[marissposa]

Have you checked with your vet to make sure that it is ok to give your dog human medicine?  
My friend uses 'rescue remedy' to calm her dog down.  They sell it in natural pet food stores.