How can I stop my 11 week old puppy Boxer/Doberman X from crying every night?

Question

He keeps my and my other half awake and wakes us up in the middle of the night. He is kept in the kitchen over night as we don't want him in our bedroom...he is 11 weeks old....please help....does anybody have advice??

He must know we are coming back...so whats his problem???

He has been with us for over 2 weeks...he has lots of chew toys and we keep him by the radiator which is on all night.

Thank you all for your answers, they are all mostly the same so i will have to try the ticking clock thing anf ingnoring him. I feel so guilty he will cry and howl for hours!! But i suppose you have got to be cruel to be kind. He does have a teddy but i take the squeaky chewy toys out of his bed at night because if he rolls over in his sleep he might get woken up (i only leave them by the side of his bed) Once again Thanks.

P.S. i am still accepting any more suggestions

Answer 1

Don't worry, all pups do this! They have been used to sleeping with their litter mates so it takes a while to learn to sleep alone. It sounds as if you have made him nice and comfortable so all you need to do now is ignore him.
When you are going to bed, take him out for a chance to go toilet, don't leave water down for him over night as he'll drink it and need to wee. Withdraw your attention, don't speak to him or play with him. Wait for him to settle and relax, even go to sleep, in his bed - not on you. Then leave the room quietly without a fuss. This may take 10 mins to half an hour for the first few days.
Under absolutely no circumstances go back down - he is crying because he is calling you and he must learn that it won't work at night.
Another tip is leaving the radio on at night so that he can hear human voices. Some dogs find this comforting.
It is incredibly hard to do this and it makes me feel so guilty but it is for the best and he needs to sleep anyway! He will eventually realise that it is getting him nowhere and he'll give up.

Another important things to bear in mind is that he needs to get used to being left alone for periods during the day too. don't let him follow you everywhere around the house. Teach him to stay in a room and chew/play/sleep by himself for a while. Otherwise it will be very difficult for him to be alone at night and when he is older, to be alone when your family goes out.

I bet he is gorgeous. Be strong and he'll settle down!

Answer 2

I also have a puppy ( Pomeranian x Fox Terrier) 13 weeks
doing exactly the same thing and I know where you are coming from.

Originally I had my puppy inside in our large sun room but she chewed everything, as you would expect she would at her age, and, did her business everywhere but on the paper which covered the best part of the floor area. She cried continually it seemed for 1 1/2 weeks through the night and we were not coping so I have put my puppy into her outdoor kennel which has her small basket inside which I got just recently along with her toys and she still cries but is no worse.

I try to get out and play with her as much as I can to keep her occupied and I also feed her later at night so she can get through
the night without getting hungry and this has helped a lot.
Originally I was feeding her at 6.00pm but now I feed her at 8.30pm.

Hope you get something out of this.

Answer 3

Do you keep going to the kitchen to tell him to shut up?? If so then you are the problem not the puppy. By keep going to the puppy when it howls, you are telling the puppy "call and i will come" Puppies are very clever and he will have picked up the fact that everytime he does make a noise you come running.You need to bare the noise for a few nights without going to the kitchen all the time. I know its a pain but it's the only way to stop it.

Answer 4

Is there a smaller room that your pup could sleep in?? Puppies and dogs like to feel secure and snug. My 14 week old pup sleeps in our porch and I made a little den for him from a large box turned on it's side with all his blankets inside.

A popular choice is a ticking clock near his bedding as this sounds similar to his mother/littermates heart beats.

In his stash of chewtoys does he have any you can stuff with food? 'Kongs' are brilliant for this, if you put his dry puppy food in and smear the tiniest bit of peanut butter in the opening, pop it in the freezer and then give it to him when he's in his bed the chewing and licking will calm him down just enough before he goes to sleep.

Try not to lavish your pup with too much attention for at least half an hour before his bedtime. Does your pup have a set time for going to bed? My pup goes to his little room at 9.30pm every night and I think he enjoys the routine aswell as it makes him feel secure.

One very important piece of advice, when your pup cries, do NOT give him any attention!! Definitely do not be tempted to bring him into your room at night, he will never leave then!!!

Answer 5

With our puppies we always take a fluffy towel and wrap a clock that makes a ticking sound and place it in the bedding that way the puppy feels it is with it's mother sounds like her ticking heart. make sure you have lots of bedding for the puppy it will start to get better. Also we put a small night light out of reach of puppy so it would not be so scarey.

Answer 6

Imagine placing an 11 week baby in a kitchen at night and see how comfortable and secure they feel. A dog cries for same reasons...scared, cold etc. Try getting down to the level it is sleeping and have a look around, at night. Is it big and scary and cold looking...does the fridge make noises? Maybe a more comfy enclosed bedding with a hot water bottle for comfort...they also cling to teddies like a baby does for comfort,Puppies, like babies need to feel secure and comfortable..until they are more secure in their new home...

Answer 7

put a ticking alarm clock in with the pup (make sure the alarm is not set to go off.) they say this simulates the mother's heart rhythm. make sure he has a cozy warm place to lay..no hot water bottle he will chew it and get wet and cold. then you will have a SICK lonely and scared pup. if this doesn't work talk to a vet. good luck and don't panic give the little guy a chance he's just a frightened baby.

Answer 8

I agree with one of your other answers about putting a soft toy in with him to cuddle into at night and also try giving him a small amount of hot milk before you go to bed at night to try and settle him this is a good way for the two of you to get ready for kids

Answer 9

he is missing his mum and siblings wrap a clock in a blanket so he can hear the ticking and give him a hot bean bag not waterbottle as he may chew it...you can get wheat/bean bags that you heat in the micro wrap it up and let him snuggle down into it...dont keep getting up or shouting at him as it enforces this attention seeking behaviour give him plenty of toys and water/food in the pen and leave him...make a big fuss in the morning not in the middle of the night...when its time for him to go to bed tell him bed put him in and leave him....

Answer 10

Try putting a stuffed animal or two in with him. He will then think that he is either still with maybe his mother or that maybe he is with some of the puppies from the litter. I have done this when I have fostered kittens and puppies and this does help. It is like giving them an security blanket of comfort. "Good Luck"