Hi Julie,

My name is Jurga and I have a very cute and loving 9 weeks old Lab (Black/Silver mix) Koby. We brought him home on Monday night and for 3 days now trying to crate train him. He is making a lot of noise when in crate and last night even started to bark. He is very attached to me from day one and wants to be next to me at ALL times.

I just read your article about crate training, which is very helpful! However, what I’m struggling to understand is what to do with the dog during the night when he is not in the crate.  He cries and whines all the time if he is not with us in the bed. And the last thing we want is for the dog to sleep in our bed! We have put the crate in our bedroom as per many advices I found on the internet hoping that he will feel close to us and sleep but it’s the same story he just doesn’t stop crying and whining. We hardly slept for 3 nights now and I feel like I\’m doing it right and it will effect dog\’s behavior. I would appreciate if you can give advice on how to handle this.

Thanks in advance.

Jurga

Hello Jurga and welcome to webDogTrainer!

The first few days with your new puppy can be a very difficult time.  They are often missing their littermates and/or mother and it can take time for everyone to adjust to the new routines.  There are a few things though that can hopefully make it a little easier for you. 

Putting the puppy in the crate in your bedroom for the night is probably a good idea as long as the crate is a positive place for the puppy.  As you read about in my article, teach crate training the proper way through positive reinforcement.  (Note from admin: This step-by-step article for teaching the best way to crate train is available through webDogTrainer when you become a member-here’s the link: http://www.webdogtrainer.com/join.php). 

Being near you while you are sleeping, even if in a crate is a chance for your puppy to bond with you.  To use the crate successfully you must never punish your dog by putting them into it, you want the crate to feel like a very happy place for the dog so continue to follow my steps as outlined in the article. 

Some people use a short tether attached to the bed to keep the dog nearby.  If the puppy is allowed to roam freely in the room they may have an accident but if they are tethered to a smaller area they tend to not want to soil their sleeping area. 

Do not let your puppy sleep in the bed “sometimes”.  It would not be fair to your puppy if you allow them to sleep there sometimes and then other times do not.  It will only confuse them and make your training more difficult.  Keep in mind how large they will become!

Dogs learn quickly from routine.  Do the same thing the same way every night and they will catch on quickly.

Here are some tips to get through the night with your puppy:

1.      You’ll want to stop make sure your puppy doesn’t have any food or water after about 7pm, unless it is hot weather.

2.      Try to keep your puppy awake for 2-3 hours before bedtime.  You don’t want your puppy to have napped for 3 hours and then be ready to play when you are ready to sleep!

3.      Tire your puppy out just before bedtime so they will be more likely to sleep.

4.      Then, the last time you let the puppy outside to eliminate before going to sleep you want to make sure you give your puppy enough time to fully eliminate and pay attention to what they are doing so you know if they emptied their bladder completely. 

5.      Expect to get up every 2-3 hours to take your puppy outside to eliminate. 

If your puppy is whining in the crate at night:

1.      If you know that your puppy has just eliminated outside and it has only been a couple minutes, it is best to ignore the puppy.  If you give the puppy attention when they are whining you teach them that whining is good and it will continue. 

2.      If it has been a couple hours and your puppy was quiet and then suddenly starts whining it is best to bring them outside to eliminate.

3.      When you do take your puppy outside to eliminate do not play with your puppy and give them the idea that it is playtime.  DO praise your puppy for eliminating but then go back inside to sleep.  You want your puppy to understand that it is time to eliminate and not playtime. 

4.      Make sure your puppy has not been left in the crate all-day and then again at night.  They should not spend too much time in the crate during the day. 

5.      Exercise your puppy a lot during the day!  A tired puppy sleeps well at night!

With consistency and some patience you’ll soon be through the difficult puppy stages and sleep a little longer each night! 

Good luck and let me know if you have any further questions!

All the best!

Julie

 Hi Julie,
 
Thanks for your detailed response. Just wanted to confirm if I understood you right.. So you think we can try to keep him in the crate for all night? But what to do if he doesn’t stop crying for about 2 hours, is that ok? I’m afraid he will start hating the crate. We play a lot before putting him to crate and take him outside of course. But then once he in the crate he starts crying and whining and even barking.
 
What I do during the day – I keep the door open and put all his toys and treats in the crate. He is happy to go in and stay there as long as the door is open. I even managed to convince him to sleep in there for an hour or so. But once I close the door in the night it leads to never ending crying…. So I just want to make sure I’m doing the right thing at this point and with the time he will be ok to stay in without making any noise.
 
Thanks
Jurga

Hi Jurga,
 
Yes, as long as you KNOW he has eliminated fully just before putting him in the crate it will be ok to leave him in it for the next 2-3 hours, even if he whines.  He may whine but if you ignore him it should stop.  You will need to take him out of the crate every 2-3 hours to eliminate outside though, he is too young to hold his bladder all night and you do not want to teach him to soil his bed.  A good rule is add one month to their age and that is how many hours they can stay in the crate at night-so if he is 2 months old he can stay about 3 hours in the crate as long as you KNOW he has eliminated just prior.  Then, after 2-3 hours, take him outside to do his business and watch him to make sure he did empty his bladder then put him back inside the crate.  Keep up with your positive crate training so it is never a bad place to be.
 
If you occasionally take him out when he whines to pet him and console him even when you know he doesn’t have to eliminate than you will never teach him to stop whining and he will always think that will work so he will continue to whine.  I know the first few nights may be tough but it usually only takes a night or two of being consistent for him to understand you won’t come when he whines.
 
You can do it!  You will get through this rough patch if you are consistent.  I know it can be hard to ignore a cute, whining puppy but in the end you are being kinder to him by setting firm rules in the beginning.
 
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
 
Julie

Thanks Julie! Now I know that I’m on the right track :-) I will keep you updated.