HELP! Our new puppy just barked in her crate ALL night.

[Mom28kds]

We got her on Friday. She was 8 weeks on Sunday. For the first 2 nights I layed by her crate to help her adjust and sleep. My presence seemed to help. Then I decided to move to the couch to ween her to the crate without me. She barked, barked, barked, so I sat next to her until she layed down and usually only took a couple minutes. Her potty breakes are every 1 1/2 hours. The vet yesterday, when asked how to handle this, told me it would take tough love and to totally ignore her because she would be getting the attention she is looking for. I understand this. So last night that's what I did. She really did bark all night except for 2 half hour segments. Any suggestions? My mother-in-law is babysitting this weekend and I need her to be broken of this by then. I've never had a dog do this. She is a Golden Retriever, which is not to supposed to be as noisy as most dogs :confused1: .

[AlmiraGulch]

Your vet is right.....tough love. Some dogs take longer than others, but most do eventually get used to it. I've actually found that it takes longer when they can see me. They need to learn to self-soothe, like all babies. Easier said than done when you're trying to rest, but it's true.

 

Some other things that help are to exercise that puppy A LOT during the day. An exhausted puppy sleeps more at night. Also, if I've had luck putting a sweatshirt or something that I've actually worn in the crate with the puppy. I think my scent was soothing.

[Mom28kds]

Your vet is right.....tough love. Some dogs take longer than others, but most do eventually get used to it. I've actually found that it takes longer when they can see me. They need to learn to self-soothe, like all babies. Easier said than done when you're trying to rest, but it's true.

 

Some other things that help are to exercise that puppy A LOT during the day. An exhausted puppy sleeps more at night. Also, if I've had luck putting a sweatshirt or something that I've actually worn in the crate with the puppy. I think my scent was soothing.

 

 

I'm going to try this tonight. We rubbed a towel on her mom but then she pooped on it the first day :(. So that was pointless, haha. Thanks for your advice :)

[duckens]

Your poor puppy is probably used to sleeping in a pile of puppies at night.

 

When we had this problem with the puppy my brother brought for my mom, we just put the puppy in bed with us for the night. No more crying at night. She slept all night long all snuggly. No potty issues, either, for our dog. Just get her out at first light.

 

Dogs are pack animals. In the wild, wolves all sleep together as a pack. You are now this puppy's pack.

 

Did our dog run the household being raised this way? No. She would move off of the couch when asked. She was a sweet dog. She could be left home alone (never crated), and rarely, if ever, chewed on something inappropriate or destroyed anything.

 

Downsides:

1) This sweet 70lb hound would climb gently on one's lap sometimes. She was sure that she was still a lap-puppy.

2) My dad drove semi-trucks over-the-road, so he would be gone weeks at a time. When home, if dad got up for the bathroom in the middle of the night, the dog would usurp his place in the bed before he returned.

 

I'm not saying that this is the best solution for your specific family. I'm just saying that this is what worked in our household.

 

I hope you find what works for you.

[RoughCollie]

When Aidan was a baby puppy, he slept in his crate. I slept on the couch with the crate next to me on the floor so we wouldn't disturb DH's sleep. Of course, he had to go out every hour or two during the night, so I was right there to take him. When Aidan was reliably housebroken and could make it through the night (6 hrs) without having to go to the bathroom, he slept in the bedroom with us, not crated.

 

I tried to get Aidan to sleep with me, but he wanted to nip and play, and I wanted to sleep, so it didn't work out.

 

The most important thing to remember is when your puppy has to go to the bathroom at night, do not succumb to playing with him when he comes inside. I did this with Aidan once, and boy was that a stupid thing to do. It took a couple of nights for him to settle down after coming back inside because of that mistake.

[Pawz4me]

I can't tell from your post where the pup's crate is. Sounds like it's not in the bedroom? If not, you're asking for a tremendous (and unrealistic) amount of good behavior from such a young pup. She should not be crated at night away from her people. It's also asking a lot for her to be over this behavior by the weekend. Sounds like you picked a bad time to bring a pup home. That's not her fault.

[Mama Geek]

When ours was a pup we kept his crate by our bed with the latest pair of dirty socks from that day.

[Mom28kds]

I can't tell from your post where the pup's crate is. Sounds like it's not in the bedroom? If not, you're asking for a tremendous (and unrealistic) amount of good behavior from such a young pup. She should not be crated at night away from her people. It's also asking a lot for her to be over this behavior by the weekend. Sounds like you picked a bad time to bring a pup home. That's not her fault.

 

No, the crate is in the main linking area. I've been sleeping in there also. I don't have a problem with her waking up at night to use the bathroom. I've had pups before, just never one who barked all night. Just figuring out the best way to help her.

[Laura Corin]

No, the crate is in the main linking area. I've been sleeping in there also. I don't have a problem with her waking up at night to use the bathroom. I've had pups before, just never one who barked all night. Just figuring out the best way to help her.

 

 

Leaving a radio on (words, not music) seemed to help our dog to settle when she first came to us. She was older though. She barked through one night then not afterwards. After a few weeks, we switched off the radio.

 

Laura

[Suzanne115]

When our standard poodle was a puppy, we had the same problem. She slept in a pen beside me. She would cry and bark all night. After several sleepless nights and my husband sleeping upstairs to get away from her. I tried a spray bottle with water. When she would cry for attention, I would firmly say "quiet" and spray her in the face. After that, she did great. It still works now if she starts barking too much at visitors or other things that excite her.

 

Good luck with your puppy. They are a lot of work, but oh so worth it!

Suzanne

[Unicorn.]

I always give them a stuffed animal to sleep with. It gives them something soft and cuddly to curl up w/ and they don't feel alone. I also throw in a chew toy, in case they wake up and need to chew on something. And as others have said, don't respond to the barking, they'll eventually settle down.

[SailorMom]

It's normal, and they do get over it, but it can be a rough week.... :grouphug: We decided to crate our newest edition (now 4 month old male great dane) in our bedroom with us, which made potty training easier at night, but I'm worried he'll always want to be in our room at night.... I'm a really light sleeper. Our older great dane was crated in the living room, and after a few days of crying it out at night, she was fine :)

[kwickimom]

We always put a ticking watch on a stuffed animal for our puppies and put the crate next to our bed. Worked like a charm!

[Elinor Everywhere]

I put the crate next to the bed and slept with my fingers poked through. It helped, but by the 2nd night I tucked her into the crook of my arm in bed and we both slept like a rock, with her never needing to use the bathroom (she was 10 weeks old and 2.5 pounds). Now, at 1.5 yo and 11 pounds, she still sleeps like that. In fact, she's under the covers snuggled against me right now.

 

Obviously, I am no help in helping your dog to sleep alone. :tongue_smilie:

[Twinmom]

We had that same issue with our little golden puppy, who is now 6 months old. He wailed his head off for about a week, crated in our room next to a free roaming older golden. I still had to put loveys in his crate, lay on the floor beside him a bit, etc. Other than simply time and ignoring his antics (other than for potty breaks), the best solution I found was to cover the crate in towels and my robe (for the scent) so that it was more den-like. I gave him a hole to see out of but covered the rest of the crate. For some reason, that did the trick! We had a week or two of difficulty, but from then on he only fussed when he had to go. After about six weeks, there were no more potty breaks till dawn. After that, I started uncovering his crate and he did just fine. Now, he's happy in there with or without us!

 

It's like having a new baby. Tough, but it gets better if you stick it out.

[Mom28kds]

We had that same issue with our little golden puppy, who is now 6 months old. He wailed his head off for about a week, crated in our room next to a free roaming older golden. I still had to put loveys in his crate, lay on the floor beside him a bit, etc. Other than simply time and ignoring his antics (other than for potty breaks), the best solution I found was to cover the crate in towels and my robe (for the scent) so that it was more den-like. I gave him a hole to see out of but covered the rest of the crate. For some reason, that did the trick! We had a week or two of difficulty, but from then on he only fussed when he had to go. After about six weeks, there were no more potty breaks till dawn. After that, I started uncovering his crate and he did just fine. Now, he's happy in there with or without us!

 

It's like having a new baby. Tough, but it gets better if you stick it out.

 

 

Thanks so much :thumbup: Did you crate yours some during the day to help him get used to it in smaller bits of time?

[clarkacademy]

I would not put a new puppy in my bed ever. I won't tell you what I woke up to with my very long hair.

[Vida Winter]

Last time we had a puppy I put his crate on my nightstand and slept with my fingers touching him through the cage. It calmed him down considerably and I was able to tell when he needed to go out in the middle of the night.

[Elinor Everywhere]

I would not put a new puppy in my bed ever. I won't tell you what I woke up to with my very long hair.

 

 

EWWWWWW! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

 

Fortunately, even at 10 weeks my pup had amazing bladder control - she never has peed at night, and she's in bed sometimes for 12 hours. This works against us when we travel - she doesn't like to pee in strange places and one time when we were staying with friends she went over 17 hours without going. My dh finally had to express her bladder, then we took her back to the same spot the rest of the visit and she was fine. She had issues. :D She's better now as an adult, but it takes her forever to find the "right spot" when she's out of her comfort zone.

[SebastianCat]

Our puppy sleeps in her crate with an old t-shirt that I slept in for several nights before putting in with her. (I actually have 2 old t-shirts that I've done this with, and rotate them when I wash her bedding.) We cover her crate at night with a sheet, and she also has a blanket and a stuffed toy in the crate with her.

 

The last puppy we had barked and cried all night long at first, and having a radio on next to his crate helped. He listened to a LOT of talk radio, lol. It took a couple of weeks before he completely settled down without barking at night, only waking up to potty once, but I think he slept through the night by the time he was 12 weeks old.

 

Our current puppy (now 15 weeks) has slept through the night since 12 weeks as well.

 

Hang in there, it will get better. It's like having a new baby, isn't it?

 

Did you crate yours some during the day to help him get used to it in smaller bits of time?

 

We are fortunate in that our current puppy likes her crate. We feed her in the crate, and she gets a treat every single time she goes in her crate for a meal or if we have to leave her during the day. I give her two treats at bedtime. She goes into the crate voluntarily (sometimes) when she's ready for a nap. If I had a puppy who didn't like the crate, I would definitely use it for short periods throughout the day, always making it a VERY positive experience.

[Incognito]

I haven't read all the answers, but what we do is a hot water bottle (wrapped to hopefully prevent puncture ;)), a stuffed animal, and some white noise.

 

Hope you have peaceful sleep soon.

[clarkacademy]

 

EWWWWWW! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

 

Fortunately, even at 10 weeks my pup had amazing bladder control - she never has peed at night, and she's in bed sometimes for 12 hours. This works against us when we travel - she doesn't like to pee in strange places and one time when we were staying with friends she went over 17 hours without going. My dh finally had to express her bladder, then we took her back to the same spot the rest of the visit and she was fine. She had issues. :D She's better now as an adult, but it takes her forever to find the "right spot" when she's out of her comfort zone.

 

 

 

Thats great! He didn't pee in my hair though that may have been more washable he also ate soft dog food.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Heidi (see yesterday's blog post for cute picture!) sleeps in my bed. Honestly, I just cannot listen to a puppy scream. And I like my sleep. And I find it helps with potty training. I should go take a picture of our set up. Basically, I have her between the wall, me, and a stack of pillows; so it is a cozy space, not one she'd potty in except in an extreme emergency (and I'm a light sleeper so would wake up to her whining, pawing before that).

 

Heidi will be 2 months old on Friday. I take her out between 10 and 11pm. SHe wakes up between 4:45 and 5:15 (my alarm goes off at 5:15).

 

I would THINK that a german shepherd and a golden retriever would be similar sizes, possibly meaning one that was sleeping well could have fewer bathroom trips? I know *very* little about potty training dogs. And *of course,* dogs, regardless of breed or size, would be individuals, just like we humans are. I am just thinking that maybe not being as comfy and secure feeling is part of the reason for getting up every 90 minutes to potty. And it seems that not holding it would make it harder to hold it both day and night?

 

Just a couple thoughts. BTW, what is with starting a puppy thread without the picture of the day? :wink:

 

ETA: I do lock Heidi up in her kennel when we leave the house. I figure she'll see screaming to get out won't work since I won't be giving screaming ANY response that way :) SHe *does* scream at first though. I can hear her until I close my van door.

[Mom28kds]

Heidi (see yesterday's blog post for cute picture!) sleeps in my bed. Honestly, I just cannot listen to a puppy scream. And I like my sleep. And I find it helps with potty training. I should go take a picture of our set up. Basically, I have her between the wall, me, and a stack of pillows; so it is a cozy space, not one she'd potty in except in an extreme emergency (and I'm a light sleeper so would wake up to her whining, pawing before that).

 

Heidi will be 2 months old on Friday. I take her out between 10 and 11pm. SHe wakes up between 4:45 and 5:15 (my alarm goes off at 5:15).

 

I would THINK that a german shepherd and a golden retriever would be similar sizes, possibly meaning one that was sleeping well could have fewer bathroom trips? I know *very* little about potty training dogs. And *of course,* dogs, regardless of breed or size, would be individuals, just like we humans are. I am just thinking that maybe not being as comfy and secure feeling is part of the reason for getting up every 90 minutes to potty. And it seems that not holding it would make it harder to hold it both day and night?

 

Just a couple thoughts. BTW, what is with starting a puppy thread without the picture of the day? :wink:

 

ETA: I do lock Heidi up in her kennel when we leave the house. I figure she'll see screaming to get out won't work since I won't be giving screaming ANY response that way :) SHe *does* scream at first though. I can hear her until I close my van door.

 

I would love to post a pic of her but I haven't figured out how. It always says my pic is too big.

[Catwoman]

I can't tell from your post where the pup's crate is. Sounds like it's not in the bedroom? If not, you're asking for a tremendous (and unrealistic) amount of good behavior from such a young pup. She should not be crated at night away from her people. It's also asking a lot for her to be over this behavior by the weekend. Sounds like you picked a bad time to bring a pup home. That's not her fault.

 

 

:iagree:

 

Keep the crate next to your bed, so the puppy has company. (I am not a believer in "tough love.")

[Elinor Everywhere]

 

 

Thats great! He didn't pee in my hair though that may have been more washable he also ate soft dog food.

 

 

Oh my! :ohmy: Eek.

[clarkacademy]

 

Oh my! :ohmy: Eek.

 

 

 

It was not cool at all! My kids still talk about that.

[Pamela H in Texas]

mom28kds, put it on a photo site (picasa, flickr, photobucket, etc) then just copy the sharing link (usually a *jpg or the like).

[Twinmom]

 

 

Thanks so much :thumbup: Did you crate yours some during the day to help him get used to it in smaller bits of time?

 

Yes. We put him in whenever we leave the house, and occasionally while we are home. He seems to really like his crate now, though he prefers to be in there when the door is open.

 

[Mom28kds]

mom28kds, put it on a photo site (picasa, flickr, photobucket, etc) then just copy the sharing link (usually a *jpg or the like).

Thanks! I'll have to try to figure out how to do that :)

[hornblower]

pretty sure that is spam. It's a spammy link. Reported it. 

[J-rap]

Every puppy I've ever had has barked for the first several nights, some longer.  He'll get over it soon enough.  I always spent the first few nights with the pup in a box next to me, where I could lean over and hang my hand in the box.  Once he got used to the box, I'd move it further away, but by then he was at least used to the box.  

[foxbridgeacademy]

oops 

Edited May 17, 2016 by foxbridgeacademy

[Mergath]

Considering that this thread is from three years ago, I'm pretty sure the puppy situation is resolved. (LOL)

 

That's good, because I was about to go off on the woman who sprayed her puppy in the face when it cried. That's just mean.  :thumbdown:

[TammyS]

We got her on Friday. She was 8 weeks on Sunday. For the first 2 nights I layed by her crate to help her adjust and sleep. My presence seemed to help. Then I decided to move to the couch to ween her to the crate without me. She barked, barked, barked, so I sat next to her until she layed down and usually only took a couple minutes. Her potty breakes are every 1 1/2 hours. The vet yesterday, when asked how to handle this, told me it would take tough love and to totally ignore her because she would be getting the attention she is looking for. I understand this. So last night that's what I did. She really did bark all night except for 2 half hour segments. Any suggestions? My mother-in-law is babysitting this weekend and I need her to be broken of this by then. I've never had a dog do this. She is a Golden Retriever, which is not to supposed to be as noisy as most dogs .

 

Oops, old post, nm.

Edited May 17, 2016 by TammyS

[Upptacka]

lol, yes, safe to say this is resolved now.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Upptacka