Nothing is more exciting than bringing a cute little puppy home. It sounds heartbreaking, but it’s completely normal, and here are seven suggestions to help you make sure your puppy settles in and starts sleeping – sooner rather than later. There are many things to learn, and one of the first things you will find yourself frantically searching for is tips to stop your puppy crying at night.
Understanding the cause of your dog’s sad noise will make it much simpler for you to provide for them. Remember the day you first brought your fluffy new friend home. In the only home they had ever known, they were probably curled up at night with their mother and all of their siblings. They now have a comfortable, large bed to themselves, but it is quiet, doesn’t smell the same, and they are likely perplexed.
But if you use these seven suggestions, it won’t last long and they’ll soon be sound asleep.
Why Puppies Sometimes Cry in Their Crates
When you are used to sleeping with (or under or on top of!) all your friends, the crate definitely seems like a cold, lonely place. Puppies communicate with their mothers through voice from day one. The mother dog will frequently prod the newborn puppy back to the proper spot if he has become stuck in an uncomfortable spot or has unintentionally become separated from the rest of his littermates by whining loudly.
Therefore, despite how annoying your puppy’s cries may be, he or she is simply acting out of a basic pack instinct to seek out the company of his pack.
You might be tempted to abandon crate training altogether after thinking about it from your puppy’s perspective in order to temporarily make the pup feel better. If you don’t intend to be by your puppy’s side constantly, we do advise crate training instead of snuggling him to sleep in your bed because eventually he will need to learn how to be alone while you are at work or away from home.
So instead of trying to stop your puppy from crying in the crate, we advise concentrating on creating a positive association. It’s important to consider whether your puppy experienced any kennel training during his first eight weeks with his breeder. Please note that early introduction to crate training is critical. Finding a breeder who introduces a puppy to crates and individual time before they go home gives your dog an advantage when it comes to training in the crate. But don’t worry if you’re starting from scratch; you just need to start out slowly.
Without an appropriate introduction, the crate may instantly cause anxiety. It is large and usually made of metal, which means that when it is jolted or the door is opened or closed, it may make loud, strange noises. Before putting your dog inside the crate, make sure he is at ease around it in general.
To desensitize your dog to the sound, simply having the crate in the room and opening and closing the door close to him are good first steps. Offer treats as he approaches to sniff the crate to gradually begin creating a favorable association.
You might just want to feed your dog in the crate on the first day, letting him explore without even closing the door. Once he is accustomed to the crate, you can begin locking him inside for brief periods of time. Always give him treats when he enters the crate.
Now comes the hard part. It’s time to get serious and get ready to hear some whining once your puppy is comfortable with the sight, sounds, and smells of the crate. Most puppies will object quite loudly, but should settle in under half an hour. Before getting into the crate, make sure your puppy has had a potty break because puppies don’t like to soil them and will scream if they need to go potty.
It is acceptable to let your puppy whine and bark if you are aware that he has recently used the restroom and is generally at ease being close to the crate. He is merely learning how to live independently of his pack. Your puppy may bark for a while, then stop for a moment before starting to bark once more. His periods of silence should grow longer as time passes, and he will eventually nod off.
Timing is everything when it comes to deciding whether or not to ignore or react to your dog’s cries. Think about the following scenario: you place a chew toy in your dog’s crate, and they happily chew on it for a few minutes. They finish their treat, though, and start crying without the treat’s distraction. You go to let the child out because you feel bad for him and because he had been quiet for at least a few minutes. After all, you want to be your puppys favorite person.
However, if you let your dog out right away in response to his cries, he will learn that crying in his crate results in being let out, which is not the best lesson for long-term success with crate training.
Most of the time, we advise waiting five minutes or longer before letting your dog out of their crate. The best case scenario is that your dog cries a little bit, but settles down and goes to sleep in less than 30 minutes. Then, as the owner, you get to decide when to let your dog out; it’s fine to wake them up and let them out of their crate after a while. Your dog will learn that you set the rules regarding crate time, not the other way around in this way, the owner.
It’s not always that easy, though, and there are times when we do advise attending to your puppy’s crate cries. It might be time to reevaluate if your puppy has been barking for more than 30 minutes without showing any signs of stopping. Some puppies with more severe separation anxiety may just keep getting worse rather than gradually calming down. To prevent them from creating a strong negative association with the crate in this situation, you do want to eventually respond to their cries.
It is acceptable to let your puppy out to rest and try again later if they are not showing any signs of slowing down. (Read more about the most challenging puppy age here. You might have to go backwards and progressively increase your crate times.
This could take the form of giving the puppy treats inside the crate while petting it and timing crate sessions for however long you feel comfortable with (we suggest starting with 30 minutes), then letting the puppy out after this amount of time each time. The puppy should gradually realize that you are still in control of when he comes out of his crate and that his barking is not the deciding factor in this way so that he does not become overly stressed in his crate.
There is some trial and error involved. When their humans are nearby and they can still see and hear them, some puppies settle more quickly. They are able to see that they are not entirely alone and that they can adjust to some degree of separation thanks to this.
If this is the case with your doodle, you can try covering his crate with a blanket to see if he settles more quickly without being visually stimulated. Other puppies seem to have quite the opposite reaction and bark all the louder when they can see their people as it seems to frustrate them that they are missing out on activity in the household. Puppies do, in general, sleep better at night if they are in the same room as their owners.
Whether or not your dog appears to be picking up crate training quickly, keep trying to create positive associations whenever you can. As one dependable, daily positive association, we advise feeding your puppy meals in his crate at all times. Additionally, reserve certain expensive treats that your dog seems to particularly enjoy for crate time. Giving your dog something to do in his crate is a good idea. Consider longer-lasting chews or puzzle toys that contain treats.
Maintaining a busy schedule with food will help create a positive association and take his mind off his separation issues. We created a practical checklist for new puppy owners that you can use.
my puppy is crying. what do i do? should i pick them up?
It’s a good question. At Paws in Work, we are constantly mindful of the needs of the puppies that accompany us to our events, and understanding what is happening when they whimper or cry is crucial to aiding in their development.
Your puppy learns to communicate by crying first, and you should always respond when there is a valid cause for the crying. Never leave a crying puppy alone when they need something basic like food, water, or the bathroom as this can make training them later on more difficult.
When left alone, your puppy might cry, especially if you’re out of the house or asleep. It can be difficult to resist going to comfort them at this point because doing so might cause them to start pleading for attention later. The two types of crying that puppies experience—learned crying and natural crying—are discussed on the Labrador Site. When a puppy is scared or otherwise distressed, natural crying occurs, and learned crying occurs when the puppy begins to link crying to getting attention or treats.
Never underestimate the power of the potty!
Not a literal potty, of course, but potty training. Make sure you take your dog outside for a bathroom break as the very last thing you do at night because your dog can only hold its bladder for so long (see what we did there? You might have to get up early every night in the beginning if your pet can only hold its poop for a short time (read more about toilet training in our article). If Fido starts singing the song of his people and wakes you up (i e. Follow these instructions to make sure that your dog receives what he needs without getting the wrong impression.
That’s it. It may sound harsh, but it’s important to keep things short so that your dog doesn’t start yowling in the middle of the night for fuss and cuddles.
Decide if crate training is appropriate for you and your dog by using this as a guide. Crate training isn’t as simple as putting the puppy in a crate and leaving her there, so you’ll need to do some research. It entails creating a solid bond of positivity with the crate so that she feels secure there. Crate training a puppy effectively involves feeding her all meals in the crate, rewarding her for entering the crate, and making sure that no one bothers her while she’s in there (especially strangers, other pets, or children!). This results in crying quickly turning into snoring.
The additional training includes not opening the door to let her out of the crate unless she is quiet, for the same reason that you don’t pet a crying puppy at night, and you’ll find she settles down in there much more easily and even takes herself off for naps in her crate, too! Get her to do something first; tell her to sit or lie down, then reward and release her if she is crying and you need to take her outside.
FAQ
How long should I ignore puppy whining?
Ignore Your Puppy’s Crate Crying for at Least a Few Hours While you want your puppy to settle down at first and not be let out right away upon whining, it is crucial that you do respond if your puppy wakes up a few hours later.
Do you ignore a crying puppy at night?
Dog experts recommend not letting your puppy cry at night. It’s likely to exacerbate their anxiety and increase the risk of behavioral issues. You won’t be the only one to hear it; your neighbors will as well. The noise will be audible even if they are alone, regardless of whether you live in a soundproof house or a mansion.