Whining at Night with Crate Training
We just got a ten week old puppy on Friday. Haven't had a dog in twenty-four years and that Corgi was more outdoors than indoors, the opposite of what this one will be. Each night his crate has been in the living room and he has gone in it willingly but has whined for thirty or more minutes. This morning he whined at 4am and I ignored it the best I could but finally at 4:30am took him out. He did pee. But this whining has to stop because I'm a nervous wreck from lack of sleep. We moved his crate into our bedroom for this night with hopes he won't whine as much. But I really don't care for that arrangement at all. How long does this whining go on? I can't handle many nights without rest at my age (64). Any advice on surviving this? Or should I just let the dog go back to the breeder and lose the investment?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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At ten weeks he is still an infant so you need to be patient awhile longer. I like to put a little cheese in a Kong and give it whenever crating so the pup/dog has a soothing way to settle in the crate. It is also hard for a puppy to hold it while us old folks (I am the same age as you) get a good nights sleep so try to give him a potty break after 6 or 7 hours. If that doesn't fit your schedule you may want to gate him in an area with newspaper. It takes longer to potty train but at least you can sleep longer. By 5 or 6 months you should see much better bladder control but still not always reliable. At least puppies learn faster than babies do :)
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Permalink Reply by Denis J. on
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Agreed, for us it took Wally about 4 months before being able to hold his bladder for about half a day, but he often surprised us when crate trained during the while we're at work. He would have to go immediately first thing in the morning or as soon as I come home though... :)
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Is he able to see you in the bedroom from his crate? If there's a way you can put him just beside your bed that would help but in the end, ignoring the whining and going to bed would subside. How long? Each dog as it's own time I guess.
For us, Wally is now going on 12 months and moved from crate training at night to being upstairs with us and having free roams of the bedrooms. He doesn't chew on anything, he has a couple of bed pads and/or blankets for his bed and water bowl is very important.
I found he would whine just cause he was dry from the ventilation.
After putting a bowl of fresh water for him he does not bother us.
But at 10 weeks of age he should be going to pee every 30min to 1 hour tops.
Training pee pad in his crate would help, if it's big enough and he does not have to lay in it.
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Permalink Reply by Jen Giammona on
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We didn't crate Linus. We penned him at night, next to the bed. If he whined I could put my hand through the pen to pet him a little and he'd usually settle down. There were also puppy pads in the pen so if he had to go he could. He hardly ever did because I'd still get up and take him out every 2-4 hours. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Donna and Lilly on
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Lilly didnt just whine at night, she cried and carried on all night long. By the end of the second night I realized it wasnt working. It may have been cause she was so little, she came home at 6 weeks. So on the third night, I put her in a Laundry basket on my bed. She only woke me to go out, and it worked for us. When she got a little bigger, I got one of those mesh collapsible kennels so I could zip it closed and she would not fall off the bed. I know there alot of pros and cons to having your fur baby sleep with you, and well, this works for us. When she first came home she was getting me up 2 or 3 times a night, but within a few weeks it gradually went down. Hang in there!! He will get into the routine quick enough!!
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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on
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He is just a baby and you've only had him 3 days. He's had lots to get used to. Give him some time to adjust. He misses his mom and litter mates, he's in a strange place, he's all alone. Try the Kong, take him out right before you go to bed. Maybe cover his crate with a sheet so it is more like a den. Take a nap during the day like you would if you were dealing with a human baby. It will get better but you must be patient. You wouldn't return a human child because he cried.
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Permalink Reply by Linda on
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I'm the same age as you...I have to agree with those that said you have to have patience. He is a infant and he has been thru so many dramatic changes in the last 3 days. And I'm jealous that you can actually sleep thru the night...I'm up once to go potty myself.
There are a number of good ideas, give one or all a try and see what may work for him. But patience is gonna be the biggest thing.
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I'm older than either of you and get up more than once to go potty. I'd love to sleep through the night!! Patience is the key.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Are you doing a little crate training in the day also? If not, I would start that too when you see he is ready to nap. I also get really cranky if I miss a couple of nights of good sleep, but I know that about myself and do not let that control my judgement. Tell yourself the pup will adjust and take a nap when he does....time is on your side. He will need a potty break during the night at 10 weeks old, so just schedule that in your mind, rather than expect differently. A few weeks and he'll be able to sleep through the night, but he needs your loving care and understanding to become the companion you envisioned. Your age is not a factor, unless you choose to make it one! Chin up :-)
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I agree with the other posters, at that age he probably will need to go out once at night for a while. I really don't think 30 minutes of whining is excessive for a puppy in a brand new environment either, but I would keep his crate in your room so he doesn't feel so alone.
Definitely do not put pee pads in his crate, you never want to teach your dog that soiling his den area is okay.
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Permalink Reply by Susan Taylor on
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Thank you all for your replies. However, after much consideration and soul-searching, we have decided to return the puppy to the breeder. While he is doing better with the whining at night since we moved the crate to our bedroom, I am still a nervous wreck trying to deal with him most of the time by myself. Bedtime is a long time for this puppy (actually about nine hours average) based on when my husband hits the sack. I am usually up later but since the crate is in a dark bedroom and he (husband) is already asleep, I can't risk taking the puppy in there later. Also, any noise such as barking from playing after my husband's bedtime isn't good. .I had my doubts about getting this puppy originally and actually didn't leave the breeder's place with him the first time. A week passed by and still wondering if it was the right decision, I let my husband talk me into getting the puppy. While he is cute, he is a lot of work. I seriously enjoyed my cat (who lived with us six years before dying of cancer three years ago) more. I'm sure the right home for this puppy is still out there though.
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Susan.....I've very sorry this hasn't worked out for but if this is putting that much stress on you then returning the puppy is the right thing to do. You weren't sure about it to begin with which is not the way to go into a 10-15 year relationship. I'm sure the puppy senses your stress and I think resentment. Cats require much less in the way of constant care than a puppy does so maybe that is the way for you to go.
Returning him to the breeder is best for all around. I'm quite sure there is the perfect family out there for him.
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