puppy crying - what to do?

Question

I just recently adopted a 7 week old beagle mix from a shelter. She cries when she wants to be let outside to go potty, which is great! My only problem is her crying at night. I know she will eventually outgrow this once she is comfortable and knows it is ok to be in her crate for the night. My question is, is it ok that I have been getting up every time she cries (about 4 times a night) to let her outside to go potty? I'm glad she cries to let me know she has to go but I don't want her to confuse that with knowing that I'll come running every time she cries. I guess my conflict is between the potty training and the 'sleeping by yourself in the crate' training. Should I continue to get up with her when she cries (to reinforce the crying to go potty) or should I ignore her when she cries at night (to reinforce the fact that it's ok to be in her crate)? Or should I continue to get up with her thoughout the night until she can hold it all night long (at about what age?)
Thanks!!!

Answer 1

I am currently going through your same situation right now, and for the 4th time now. I rescued a 4 week old puppy, and trust me, he does exactly what your puppy does. Puppies at this age are just like human babies. You should not ignore her when she's crying at night, at all. It is just part of growing up, the puppy will over come that stage at the age of 3 months. If you ignore your puppy, then it will be harder to potty train later on because she will have the idea that it is ok to do her "business" anywhere she feels comfortable.

Answer 2

Do this...test her during the day when you have some time. Put her in her crate then walk away. As soon as she starts crying bang your hand a few times on the crate and say "NO" til she stops. Reassure her it will be ok. Walk away again and when she starts crying again go over and bang your hand on the crate again. Repeat this until she stops for about 5 min. It may take her a while to actually stop but don't let up until she stops. Then when you let her out praise her a lot. My dog is 1 yr old and still cried a little in his crate. Don't get her out to go potty every time she starts crying, you are letting her be the boss. It's called tough love. Every 3-4 hours at night is a time frame. Do you have her crate set up to where there is very little room for her to move around in? If not, you should. Dogs don't like to lay in their messes so they will try to hold it. As she grows you can customize the separator to her growth, then eventually you can take the separator completely out. Her bladder is about the size of a walnut right now so she needs to go frequently but just make sure she goes before bedtime. She is young, potty training is very frustrating, I know from experience, but she will get better with time, I promise. Just be consistent and love her a lot.

Answer 3

Our puppy did this at 7 weeks too. If you think she's crying because she has to go potty, then let her out. If you think she's crying because she doesn't want to be in the crate and wants attention, then ignore it. It's tough, huh? For example, let's say you take your puppy out to potty, praise her outside, then put her in the crate. She might start crying again. Ignore it. It probably means she just wants attention. After she lays back down and goes to sleep, then wakes up and starts crying, she probably needs to go potty again. So go ahead and take her out.

We also didn't want to reinforce our puppy's crying at night, but eventually, we started figuring out her schedule and when she needed to potty or when she was just crying for attention. The number of times she had to go out in the middle night went down to about once or twice when she was 3-3 and 1/2 months old. She started holding it through the night when she was about 4 months old. She would sleep from about 11 pm until 6:30 am.

Now, at 5 months, she never cries in her bed at night or in the day when I'm there. She still cries a little right when we leave now, but it's getting better. Don't worry! Once your puppy gets a little older and can control her bladder more, that's when you can really start enforcing the "I'm not going to let you out when you're crying in the crate" rule. Good luck!

Answer 4

A good rule of thumb as to how long a puppy can go without having a chance to relieve them self is 1 hour for each month of age, and no more.
You need to not run over to the crate when the puppy starts crying, as you are training him to believe crying gets him what he wants....your attention.
Before bed give him a good play, or exercise time. Then a visit to potty outside. Then quietly put him in his crate. You may want to put the crate next to the bed, so he feels secure about seeing you near. Then, at most, if he starts crying right away, just put your hand on the crate & softly say "hush".
He is very young, and you have a good while before you before he is able to stay in the crate for the hours overnight. But, it will be over before you know it, and you will have many happy years together.

Answer 5

Well, it's good to know that she lets you know when she has to potty, but you also have to train her that sometimes she just has to wait to use the bathroom. I mean, if you go to work and she starts crying.. no one's going to be there to let her out, so she has to learn this concept. Take her out to use the restroom before you got to bed, put her in her crate, and try your best to ignore her cries till the next morning. It's tough love, but you'd only be crippling her if you keep running to her every becon call. Know what I mean? And if she uses the restroom in her crate, just let her smell it and give her a tap on the bottom and give her a firm "no!" to let he know that she can't do that. (she probably won't though, because most animals don't poop where they sleep) Eventually all the crying at night will stop!

Well, I hope I've been of some help!

p.s. you could also put a lil clock underneath her pillow, or leave the tv or radio on a low volume, just so she can hear something and relax a little.

Answer 6

Letting her out once in the night will be plenty. Otherwise you will notice her doing phantom potty trips...she'll go through the motions, but not go more than a few drops. All just so she can secure some time with you.

If you notice she is messing in her crate, you need to make it smaller. Put a cardboard box in the end of it. It should be a large enough area for her to go into, turn around in, and lay down comfortably. Any extra space beyond that and she'll start to potty in the corner of it.

Answer 7

When you crate train a dog you are teaching it cleanliness and you are helping produce a dog without separation anxiety. You may not know this but the Beagle is the worst dog for separation anxiety. All my years working at a boarding kennel they were the worst.

First of all, even giving eye contact with your puppy when it cries gives it satisfaction. Before bed I take my puppy out to relieve his/her self and I LEAVE her in the crate. They will not mess in the crate because dogs are den animals and if you find that she is messing in the crate then maybe it would be a good idea to let her out once in the night but if you do so she has to be quiet before you let her out (wait for a time that she is quiet then let her out don’t let her out when she cries).

But otherwise you are going to need to invest in some ear plugs and give her some tough love. In all my experience with puppies it will be a couple days but you have to let her cry it out.

I look at it like you would a child. If you are in the store and your child wants candy and you say no and that kid kicks, screams and throws a fit until she gets the candy. What did you just teach your kid? What are you teaching your dog when you answer to its every call? She is just doing it for attention so just leave your dog in the crate because in the end it is in the best interest of both of you.

Email if you have more questions

Sincerely,

Alysia

Answer 8

I think it is a cry for attention. When I first brought home my 3 month old pug, he did the same thing. What I did was, before we go to bed, I would let him out for one last potty run before he goes into his crate. In the crate, I would put his favorite toys and a old shirt or sweeter that you used to wear. Dogs has a great sense of smell and if they can smell your "odor" on something in the crate, it might give your puppy the comfort that you are there with him/her.

Answer 9

As long as she is pottying when you take her out, you should keep getting up for her. She can't hold it all night long yet, and even if she's crying for you and then just peeing out of habit, it will be a lot easier to stop her whining later than to correct a potty problem--this is from experience. We tried ignoring one of our puppies, and created a potty situation that we're still dealing with. SHe's 6 months old now, and still confused. She started of doing really well with the PT and we messed her up by not taking her out enough.

You might try putting in a 2-liter bottle filled with hot water and putting a ticking clock nearby to help her feel a little less alone--that would give her something warm to snuggle and the ticking is supposed to remind them of their mother's heartbeat...I've used the hot water bottle before but not the clock.

Answer 10

WHEN MY POOCH WAS YOUNG HE HAD TO GO POTTY MANY TIMES AND THAT IS NORMAL FOR A YOUNG DOG. IF SHES ASKING TO GO OUT AT NIGHT AND GOES EVERY TIME YOU TAKE HER OUT THAN WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS CORRECT. I WOULD SUGGEST NOT GIVING HER WATER AND FOOD AFTER 7 OR SO AND THAT WOULD HELP WITH THE FREQUENT OUTDOOR VISITS. IF SHE IS JUST WHINING FOR ATTENTION THAN YOU WILL HAVE TO IGNORE IT UNTIL SHE FEELS COMFORTABLE BEING ALONE IN CRATE. WE PUT OUR PUP IN OUR ROOM CLOSE TO US AND HE DIDN'T WHIMPER MUCH AT ALL AFTER THE FIRST FEW NIGHTS. NO MATTER IF YOU HAVE TO LOOSE SOME SLEEP AND BE TIRED FOR A WHILE I ASSURE YOU THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN HAVING THE COMPANIONSHIP OF A DOG. DOGS ARE THE BEST FRIEND A PERSON COULD EVER HAVE...