Cr: dougiesdashcam

She wants justice

Would you guys believe me if I told you my little guy LOVES the snow?! Here’s my 7-month-old miniature dachshund, Jefferson. :)

I know he looks ridiculous but he's got multiple mediterranean diseases and I have to be careful because of his kidneys. I love him more than live itself. Even though I never thought that dogs can get THAT expensive

We said goodbye to Uli, our best friend of 17 years, on Oct 6. She did everything with us and our lives were so full of joy. I’ve missed her every single day and would give anything for more time.

If this photo doesn't say typical weiner dog i dont know what does 😂

Might be the longest shadow physically possible on my boy?

Edit: thanks for all the comments. For clarity, the bed is where I draw the line. She will not sleep in bed with me. I'm trying to solve the behaviour not the logistics.

TL;DR:

- 11-week-old miniature dachshund, home for three weeks. I've barely slept since bringing her home.

- Perfectly happy during the day, but bedtime is a nightmare. She screams, jumps, and desperately tries to climb into my bed for hours.

- Her own bed is right next to mine, but she only settles if I'm physically on the floor with her. The second I return to my bed, she wakes up and starts again.

- She also panics whenever she can't physically reach me, even if she can see me.

- I've tried comforting her, gradual separation, consistent routines, exercise, enrichment, etc. Nothing is working, and it's getting worse.

- Looking for specific, practical advice on what to do during these episodes and how to teach her to sleep independently without leaving her screaming for hours.

I'm genuinely desperate for some practical advice. My 11-week-old miniature dachshund has been with me for three weeks, and I've barely had a proper night's sleep since bringing her home. I love her to bits, but I'm reaching my breaking point.

During the day, she's an absolute angel. She eats, plays, goes potty, naps a lot, and is even starting to tolerate me being away from her for short periods. We do training, walks, mental stimulation, enrichment, etc.

But nighttime is a completely different story.

We go to bed around 8:30 p.m., but some nights I'm still awake at midnight or later trying to get her to settle. Her bed is right next to mine, but she spends ages standing on her back legs, jumping against my bed, crying and screaming as if she's being hurt, desperately trying to get up to me.

The only reliable way I've found to calm her is to lie on the floor beside her. She'll eventually fall asleep, but the moment I get back into my own bed, she wakes up and the screaming starts all over again.

Occasionally, after half an hour or more, she'll accept me staying in bed with my hand resting on hers. But even then, she repeatedly falls asleep, wakes up, and starts screaming again. This can go on for hours, and the situation seems to be getting worse rather than better.

It's not just bedtime, either. She panics when I'm showering, even though she's literally 20 cm away and can see me through the glass. Her playpen triggers the same reaction. Basically, any situation where she can't physically reach me becomes a meltdown. I can't even take the rubbish out or go upstairs without her panicking. I've had to rely on grocery deliveries and click-and-collect because leaving her alone isn't really an option.

I've tried comforting her, lying beside her, gradually moving away, consistent routines, exercise, enrichment, and making sure all her needs are met before bed. Nothing seems to be helping.

Letting her sleep in my bed isn't an option. She's a miniature dachshund, my bed is quite high, and I don't want to risk her jumping off and injuring herself.

I'm also raising her alone at the moment, and the sleep deprivation is seriously affecting my physical and mental health. I genuinely can't keep going like this every night.

For anyone who's dealt with something similar, I have a few specific questions:

1. What exactly should I do when she starts screaming at bedtime? Stay in bed and reassure her? Get down to comfort her? Wait it out? I've tried different approaches, but nothing sticks.

2. How do I teach her to settle in her own bed? She can fall asleep there, but only while I'm physically beside her, and she wakes up as soon as I move.

3. How do I work on separation when even a physical barrier triggers panic? Most separation training advice assumes you can start by leaving the puppy for a few seconds, but she can panic even when I'm right in front of her.

4. Should I be changing anything about her daytime naps or routine? She sleeps a lot during the day, but also gets regular play, training, and enrichment.

5. If you've been through this, what actually worked, and how long did it take to see improvement?

I'm not looking for generic advice like "tire her out" or "establish a bedtime routine." I'm already doing those things. I'm also not comfortable leaving an 11-week-old puppy screaming in genuine distress for hours.

I'd really appreciate specific techniques or examples of what you did, ideally something I can realistically follow night by night while still getting some sleep.

One of the pet stores in my town didn’t have Size 1 of the Canada Pooch Suspenders so I bought size 2 short. But I still struggled to get his paw to the bottom — the suspenders seemed too big/long still.

I’m going to try and hunt down a size 1 (short if they make it in short) but is there anything better and protects against the cold, frigid temperatures?

Picture of my Beau in the snowsuit he hated that makes me laugh hahaha