9 wk old puppy we have had for 10 days crying for extended periods of time! any good & NEW advice welcome!?

Question

I have a nine week old puppy and he is doing quite well with potty training during the day. we are trying to crate train him and leave him out during the day when i am home or in the crate if we can't keep an eye on him. i regularly take him out to do his business throughout the day. the difficulty has been he does not do well when i put him back into the crate after he has done his business at night. he cries and cries and does seem to do better if we stay with him a bit until he falls asleep. i know that lingering after putting him in the crate at night does not help. we are not wanting him to sleep in our bed so that option is out. i already am going to try the hot water bottle and ticking clock method tomorrow night. tonight he cried for over an hour! is this normal?? does he have severe separation anxiety? i find myself staying up with him at night for almost 30 min. until he is sleeping in my arms or in the crate. help!! i feel i am encouraging this behavior!

Answer 1

At nine weeks, he is still such a baby..He has ALL of the emotional needs of a human baby. Give him all of the human contact that you can, without making yourself ill...He needs to have a healthy 'parent'!

This is an excellent article about dealing with your problem, and explains just why he is doing it.> http://www.doglistener.co.uk/puppies/puppy_crying.shtml

Answer 2

Trust me, your puppy does not need a clock or hot water bottle.
It is very normal for a 9 week old puppy to cry at night, it will get better. Generally by 10-12 weeks they are able to settle in much better.
For now, make sure he has a great big playtime in the evening. Have him have a light meal about 7 pm, then a potty break, and then he should have family time and play time for 2-3 hours. Then, take him outside for a potty break and bring him in and tell him, "bedtime, or Kennel time", whatever you want the key words to be.
(His crate should not be too big, should have a soft towel to lie on and a blanket to cover the crate with when he's in it.)

Put him in his crate and give him a small treat. Then say goodnight, cover the kennel with a blanket and let him cry it out. He will eventually go to sleep, and I know it is hard, but he really will grow out of it very soon.
Take him outside once during the night, about 1 or 2 am. Then back to bed, little treat again.

You will notice a big change in a week or two, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your puppy and he will learn the routine soon. Stay consistent, you are doing well. Make sure his crate is not in anyone's bedroom where he will keep you awake. But, don't give him any special things like the hot water bottle. He is too old for it and it's just a transition period.

Good luck and hang in there!

Answer 3

All the puppies I've ever had cry. It takes a week or two to get settled in. Also walk them about 5-10 minutes if they have eaten or had anything to drink. Sometimes they wake up and need to potty too. It's all about routine. If you can during the day, break down kennel time into 15-20 minute periods to accustom the puppy to being in one. It's normal for him to cry, you can talk to him, give him a familiar smelling blanket, or just let him be. It sucks, and there will be moments where you're staring at the ceiling listening to the howling like oh my god, what did i get myself into!? This too will pass, especially in a few weeks when you have a crate trained puppy, and a house that is still intact.

After awhile it gives them a sense of comfort, and you'll often find them sleeping in it with the door open. As a general rule, I like to offer a small reward, so I'll tap the side of the kennel, say "kennel up or kennel" and once inside I reward with a small treat.

Good luck!

Answer 4

He is an infant at nine weeks old. Any infant who cries should be cuddled as closely as possible to your beating heart and rocked. Get one of those cheap Big Ben wind-up alarm clocks (like at Walgreen's) and place it ticking (don't set the alarm) in the puppy's crate under a thick sheet of real lambswool. Rock the puppy for awhile and when it's sleepy, wind up the clock as part of its bedtime ritual and tuck it under the lambswool. Stay with the puppy for awhile as it settles down in its crate. Then, leave a light on in the distance and say goodnight. Do not leave the puppy alone ever in the dark. Make the bedtime ritual exactly the same every night. In four to five days this will be all behind you.

Answer 5

He must be so cute!! Get him a fuzzy stuffed animal and lots of snuggly warm blankets for his crate. He is much to young for you to keep him all alone at night. Maybe if you put the crate next to your bed for awhile and then start easing him out as he gets older. It won't be long before he'll be out of your room. Maybe try putting him in his crate about 1/2 hour or so before you go to bed and this way he'll still be near you til he falls asleep. But whatever, don't worry he's just doing the baby thing and he'll out grow it. Good luck.

Answer 6

Sounds like the pup as playing you, lol
You need to put him in the crate, say good bye then just leave.

if he is quiet after only 1 hour he isnt too stressed, just wanting you to let him out, which you should NEVER do because he is crying, you will re enforce the crying.

If you continue the same routine every night, he will soon get the message and the crying will get less and less, dont forget, you are the owner, dont let the pup train you.

For example, a friend had a kelpie pup which she had inside for the first few days, then wanted the pup outside, everytime she put the pup out it would cry and cry cos it knew she would let it in.

I wasnt having it, so when i was looking after the pup i would put ot outside then just walk away.
It cried for about 2 hours then just suddenly stopped.
I would go outside to play with it but wouldnt let it follow me in, she got the message quick and gave up crying when i left her out.

However, as soon as my friend was in charge again, the pup would start its crying because it was let in.

yes it may be a pup, but it is old enough and developed enough to start training, you cant baby the pup, remember you are raising a adult dog, it wont be small for much longer, you dont want an adult dog acting like a puppy.

Answer 7

The problem could be he is afraid of the dark or he does not feel comfortable so what you can do is in the crate away from his reach you can tie or strap a light that will stay on until morning when you can turn it off but make sure you turn it on at night and you can put a little bed in the crate with a blanket in case he gets cold and that should help him feel more comfortable and hugging him and giving him nice pet before e goes to sleep can help he may also like having water and food nearby.and those things should help him feel more comfortable and be able to sleep without you staying with him until he falls asleep!!!

Answer 8

Nah, he just wants to be loved and receive attention. Try taking the door off his crate during the day where he can go in and out of it at will. Put a toy and treat inside, etc.
He'll get use to it. If you place his crate in your bedroom where he can see you is he better or worse? He's just a baby remember it was only a few short weeks ago he was with his mama.

Answer 9

Young puppies long for warmth and affection. Anxiety is not uncommon in dogs of all ages. But those dogs who were raised with lots of assurance of love and affection feel more secure and confident as they grow up, very much like us, humans :). When the dog feel secure, s/he will be calmer and, eventually, will overcome the puppy-hood anxiety. (The puppy-hood can last up to two years, but it varies.) I used to put my puppy's crate right next to my bed when he was little. Sleeping in the same room with you gives a dog immeasurable reassurance of acceptance and the needed company. As he grows up and you train him, you can have him sleeping in your room uncrated, but not in your bed, if this is your preference. Lots of socializing is very important for raising a healthy, good tempered pup!

It sounds like you're already taking a good care of your pup. Keep up the good work. And enjoy your new friend! Also, puppy training schools are great. And I love the books by Monks of New Skete "How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend" and "How to Raise a Puppy".

Answer 10

when i got my puppy i crate trained her and she would cry and cry too. i finally had to strick something that smelled like me inside her crate, on top of the hot waterbottle and clock when that didnt work i bought an exercise kennel and left her in that in the kitchen til she stopped...finally.