I am crate training my puppy and he also sleeps in it at night. How do I get him to like begin in his crate?

Question

I have read about crate training alot and they say that puppies eventually LOVE their crate. My 8 week old puppy goes to bed well but between 4:30 and 5:30am he needs to go to the bathroom. The problem is he does not want to go back in after that and he cries and howls for about 45 minutes. How can I get him to enjoy his crate and let me get some sleep until I can get up with him for the day? Is this possible?

Answer 1

Time is your friend in this issue. He will be ok with it eventually.

Answer 2

Yup, it's a time factor mostly, but a few things help it along:

1. Kong toys with peanut butter are great, and be sure to get the peanut butter allllll the way up in there.

2. Don't feed the puppy after 8 pm. And don't let him drink water (or at least alot) after then either.

3. Small dog treat when he goes in his crate (besides the Kong). Make sure the crate is a positive place, don't put him in there as punishment.

4. Don't let the puppy go to sleep after 8 pm. Play with him, roll him around, take him for a walk, anything, don't let him sleep. Lol, I've had puppies practically limp in my arms they were so tired, but it they got several long periods of sleep when I carried them into their crate and went to bed myself.

Otherwise, patience. It doesn't take to long before he'll just sleep through the night in his cage and be fine. :) Dogs are den creatures by nature, eventually they learn to feel safe and comfortable in there. Many of my dogs like to go lay and rest in their crate with the door open even when I'm home. I tell them it's their "room".

Answer 3

As he gets older he will sleep longer. His bladder is still small and they need to go more often. After a while he should get used to being back in the crate after you let him out in the morning. Read all about crate training at my website:

http://www.standardpoodlesusa.com/crate-training.html

Answer 4

The puppy probably thinks he's up for good when you take him out in the morning. You should try changing his feeding schedule so he eats slightly later and goes out for the last time at night later so he will sleep through the morning and will not have to relieve himself so early. Puppies have to build up control over their bladders and bowels so you can't really extend the time period that the puppy is in his crate, but you can adjust the time itself to be more convenient for you.

Answer 5

Always make it fun and happy when he goes in. Give him plenty of safe things to play with in the crate. Our dobe loves soup marrow bones (we cook and cool them first--they are messy and he only gets them in his crate), bully sticks, a few of his favorite treats, find things he loves and only let him have them in his crate. Make sure if he is crying it isn't because he needs to potty. It would be cruel to expect him to hold it because their little bladders are not very large at this point. At 8 weeks old they can only hold it at most 5-6 hours. Some can't hold it that long.
Also, take his water away about an hour before bed time and make sure he goes to potty just before putting him in his crate.

Answer 6

I had a same problem with my Boxer , she cry all night long , she sleeps with us in bed now )))) but we got rotty now he is great in it . i give him some toys and every time i put him in the crate i give him treat and tell him he is good boy. he love it crate now, when he done playing he go right back in it.

And also your puppy so young he used to sleep with other puppy's and now he feels lonely and cold , he get over it . Good luck

Answer 7

Allot of it is getting the dog to like it. Treats when the puppy goes in, try not to give it the reaction that it is a punishment type of place that the puppy goes to when it does something bad. Allot could be when he is howling separation anxiety due to you leaving the puppy in the create. Something that can cause problems later on, but he is used to his pack mates at this age. You need to find a comforting factor for your puppy. Blanket, toy. etc.

Answer 8

Puppies are like babys. When a baby wakes up in the middle of the night, sometimes they like to play, and will not go back to sleep. This is something that you will have to work through until he gets old enough to know not to do this. You might want to play for just a short time before you put him back in.

Answer 9

Your puppy is still too young to go all night long without going potty so he wakes you up early to take him out. He is well rested now and wants to play......age old problem. You will want to get him a Kong toy (they even make one just for puppies) and put peanut butter or cheese in it. When you return him to his crate after he potties in the early morning hours, give him the Kong toy. This should occupy his attention and allow you to get the last hour, hour and a half sleep you need.

Answer 10

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMUPx

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 11

1.Each time you feed him feed him in his crate so when he sees his crate hell think food so he will go in his crate with out a fus.
3.When you want him in his crate when it aint dinner time put him in there ang give him a treat.
4.When he cries ignore him and dont make eye contact.
5.Get him a kong to keep him busy.

Hope this helps