I have an 8wk old puppy who refuses to sleep in his crate at night. What do I do?

Question

The crate is just right for his size, he doesn't eliminate in it. I get up to let him out to pee/poop, but when It's time to put him back and I lay down he wines, cries and chirp barks for A LONG time. I try to ignore him, but it's very hard. My husband says I'm a pushover. After 30min of it I get him out and let him sleep w/ me. Help! I've tried putting some treats leading into his crate, but once I close the door he starts up again. He is in the same room with us and can see us.

Answer 1

Crate training is the easiest and best way to housebreak a puppy; just make sure the crate is small enough that he can't get away from any mess he has made. If he is not messing up in the crate, it sounds like you are moving in the right direction, so don't let him out when he cries. Sometimes covering the crate with a blanket will quiet him, otherwise just put up with the yapping until he learns you won't let him out. Once a puppy has been housebroken, leave the crate out and open for him whenever he wants to get in. You will find that he will grow to consider the crate a sort of haven, and will go in when he feels threatened or intimidated, or when he just wants to be left alone.

Answer 2

My dog did the same thing, and so does my mom's dog.
What you need to do differently: make the crate a cave by adding a towel or something similar over the front. Also, instead of just giving him treats, put a chewing bone in there with him as well. Because he barks so much, you might also want to consider putting him in the crate earlier than you attempt to sleep.
It will probably take a while to get him into a routine and he will think it's unfair because you've been letting him sleep with you, but if you're persistent, there's no reason crate training shouldn't work.

Answer 3

Hi i have a 6 month old autsralian sheperd and we crate trained him when we got him at 6 months. Our puppy did the same thing, but we took turns sleeping out in the family room next to the crate at night so he knew we were still there. For the first few nights he would cry once in a while so we would take him outside to use the bathroom. Then we brought him right back in and put him in his crate and told he "night" and if he started to cry again we would just ignore him and then he would go to sleep. And now he sleeps just fine without waking up at all at night. So try sleeping next to the crate so he can see you for about a week or until he gets used to it.

Answer 4

Right there is your mistake: you're training your puppy that if he cries and carrys on long enough, he'll get to sleep in YOUR bed. That is the biggest "no" of house-breaking. Your puppy is going to cry for the first few weeks, so get used to it! Some tips to help him adjust though: try placing a hot water bottle wrapped in towels and/or a stuffed animal in his crate with him. You can also try playing low music by his crate or place a ticking clock somewhere near it. (The ticking is supposed to symulate a heart-beat.) Also, if he can see you from his crate, try covering all but the front of it with a blanket: it will give his crate more of a den-feeling and out-of-sight is out-of-mind!

Good luck!

Answer 5

You're not being consistent.

By taking him out in response to his whining, you're telling him that whining is going to give him results. Thus, he will continue until you cave.

Try putting him in his crate before bed time and ignoring him until he's quiet. Once he's quiet, let him out and give him a treat. Then put him back in and give him another treat. This will show him that the crate is a good place. It will also show him that whining is not how you want him to behave.

This will start to have an effect rather quickly. Also, make sure that he's got safe toys (like a kong) in there with him and a blanket or mat or something to snuggle with.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Put a towel or a blanket over the crate so he can't see you. Also, if you want it to sleep in the crate, you can't give in and let it out when it whines! Otherwise it will know thats all it has to do to get let out. Just try covering the crate so it can't see you, and don't let it out when it whines. It should only take a few days. Its a young pup, so it just needs to get used to sleeping on its own instead of with its littermates.

Answer 7

At 8 weeks, this is to be expected. He was taken from his littermates and mother and shoved into a cage all alone. He's scared and lonely. You have to make the crate a positive place for him. Leave the crate open during the day. Praise, treat, and play with him around it. Let him move in and out of it as he pleases. As far as sleeping through the night goes, it won't happen right away. A dog that age should be going outside to eliminate every 1-2 hours to ensure proper housebreaking. You may want to take him out once during the night....it could help. Don't run to his side when he cries. He will they associate getting what he wants with whining a bit.

Answer 8

Boy, he's training you well! You have a smart pup.

You've had a couple good suggestions here.

Please realize that every time you let him out of the crate when he is making a fuss you are reinforcing that behavior. Like a small child, he will continue to try it because it worked once. You need to stop this cycle. (Imagine a kid in a grocery store whining for candy... you KNOW that mother gave in to whining at some point or the kid wouldnt waste the energy on a fruitless endeavor.

Answer 9

you are a push over. Even at 8 weeks, pups are very capable of manipulating their owners.
You say refuses like he has a choice in the matter. My pups have been sleeping in their crates since they were brought to me at 6 weeks. They still whine, and they fuss to get out. I ignore it. If you can't ignore it, or you are like me and can't stand not being able to hear the tv over the puppy whining, move their crate to the other end of the house, and put a blanket over it. If you let him out for whining once, he will whine every single time on the off chance you will let him out again.

Answer 10

you need to teach this dog otherwise he will think he is boss. Get a more bigger crate so he has room to move about put some food and water in there and toys e.t, leave the create open during the day so he can go in and out at his free will. if he still don't settle think about putting him in a room (that don't have a lot of furniture he can chew!) give him a bed in there water toys e.t and try that. also dogs don't usually like it being really quite try putting the radio on low or something so he don't feel really insecure.