# Bedtime difficulties



## not-so-prince-harry (Jun 2, 2013)

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## PoodleFoster (May 25, 2013)

Hello
I foster dogs and have had 29 come for rehab here. We are waiting on 2 old girls from our local shelter after their eval today. Most of these dogs have had some rough nights at first in their kennel, but they have all learned that kennel is a good place. 
If I may suggest, the first mistake you made was giving in to the crying. All of those hours you have lost by giving in and letting your poodle in bed with you!
My suggestions:
Move the kennel to a seperate room in the house, not in your bedroom.
Establish your bedtime routine. Have a nice outside or walk, and throw a treat into the BACK of the kennel. Happily put your dog in her bed, COVER with a blanket or table cloth, turn off the light and go to bed yourself. The quiet of the house is also part of the routine that we are all going to bed and it's quiet time.
You can sleep near the dog to tell them 'quiet' over and over if it's going to keep someone else awake. Sometimes moving from this to leaving the area entirely can transition your dog to learning how to sleep in their kennel,
Stick to your guns and you'll be successful.
Good luck


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I didn't crate train mine as pups, but do use a crate in the car. Interestingly, now that Sophy is on crate rest for a back problem, I've brought the car crate indoors and she settles in it very happily - it seems all those car journeys to nice places have built up sufficient good associations, although it could also have something to do with the scrummy Kongs that appear in the crate at regular intervals!

I'd take a look at programmes like Crate Games, and work on getting him to be happy to use his crate for short periods during the day, rather than worrying about using it at night. If you have to leave him, I'd put the crate, with its door open and a throw over it, in a puppy proof space like the kitchen or bathroom, so that it becomes a comfy place to snooze from choice. If you do want him to sleep in a crate at night, try putting it by your bed, where you can drop a reassuring hand down to him if necessary. What I would NOT do is crate him, then take him out because he is crying - better not to crate him at all!


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

As part of my DH's agreement of getting a dog, he said that the dog would have to be crated at night and not in our bedroom. So, that is what we've been doing ever since Chanter came into our home. It was so hard at first with puppy crying in his crate downstairs on the main floor. Now, he's 2 years old, and as soon as he hears the 'click' of the TV being turned off, he gets up, and goes right into his crate. 

For about a year we always put a little treat in his crate.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

fjm said:


> I didn't crate train mine as pups, but do use a crate in the car. Interestingly, now that Sophy is on crate rest for a back problem, I've brought the car crate indoors and she settles in it very happily - it seems all those car journeys to nice places have built up sufficient good associations, although it could also have something to do with the scrummy Kongs that appear in the crate at regular intervals!
> 
> I'd take a look at programmes like Crate Games, and work on getting him to be happy to use his crate for short periods during the day, rather than worrying about using it at night. If you have to leave him, I'd put the crate, with its door open and a throw over it, in a puppy proof space like the kitchen or bathroom, so that it becomes a comfy place to snooze from choice. If you do want him to sleep in a crate at night, try putting it by your bed, where you can drop a reassuring hand down to him if necessary. What I would NOT do is crate him, then take him out because he is crying - better not to crate him at all!


This is exactly what I would recommend as well. Having him sleep next to your bed gives him that familial comfort that puppies have lost so suddenly. Yet, he is learning to brave being by himself a little bit at a time. That practice during the day with the crate games is a great help. I use to get my pups use to a crate during the day by leaving the door open, giving them something special (save only for that use) to chew on, some treats and I'd sit near by reading a book....not paying much attention, but near by. Little by little I'd close the door for short periods, then open it when the pup wasn't crying, but perfectly happy chewing on a bully stick or something. But yeah...don't let him out while he's crying. Wait for a lull, even a short one. It takes some time, but he'll adjust.


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

Try to line the crate with your clothing items and cover the crate with towels or quilt heavy enough to prevent light from coming into the crate. Put the crate next to your side of bed, tap softly when he cried, repeat tapping each cry and he'll stop eventually when he knows that you are nearby. He is a puppy so he just need assurance. 

Edison will scream bloody murder if I leave him alone in his crate. Then I put my dirty t-shirt in his crate, he went in, sit on it and lay down.

Our bedtime routine is sort of different though and not sure if this will work for you. Edison would sleep with me cuddling in my bed. Once we fell asleep, my husband will move him into his crate which lined with my t-shirt and covered with heavy blanket.

Hope this help.


PS: Husband can't sleep until past mid night and I have to wake up early for a 1.5hr commute so I sleep earlier than him.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Joelly said:


> Try to line the crate with your clothing items and cover the crate with towels or quilt heavy enough to prevent light from coming into the crate. Put the crate next to your side of bed, tap softly when he cried, repeat tapping each cry and he'll stop eventually when he knows that you are nearby. He is a puppy so he just need assurance.
> 
> Edison will scream bloody murder if I leave him alone in his crate. Then I put my dirty t-shirt in his crate, he went in, sit on it and lay down.
> 
> ...


I like the smelly shirt idea and some of your other ideas.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Since you have a Toy, you may be able to use the same methods I did with my Toys! I'm happy to sleep with my dogs, but I feel my puppies need to be crated overnight since I can't be watching them with my eyes closed! : P With Lumi, my first puppy, I placed her soft crate on the bed next to my pillow (and against a wall so it couldn't possible fall on the floor!), and I would let her cuddle and fall asleep in my arms and then roll her into her crate and close it for the night. She would pretty much always happily fall right back to sleep against my arm, which I would lay against the side of the crate. When she was about 7 or 8 months old I started letting her sleep outside of the crate but she wore a diaper so that I would know if she had an accident. With Toys they could pee at the foot of the bed and it could be dry by the morning, I wouldn't even know until she'd made a habit of it!! : P A few more months of success and I started letting her sleep au naturale, and even stopped putting her crate on the bed at night.

Then we got Amala! I did the same thing at first, except she has a wire crate on the bed. I'd let her fall asleep with me and then I'd roll her into her crate. I gave her lots of big fluffy toys she could cuddle up against, and I'd also put my fingers through the bars so she could snuggle with my hand. After a few weeks, I changed Amala's routine to putting her straight in the crate since she was bopping around a bit too much on the bed and it was disturbing Lumi's routine of just snuggling under the covers and going straight to sleep. Of course, Lumi did the exact same thing when she was a pup! But I felt bad having Amala ruining one of Lumi's favorite routines when her life was already so changed with the new puppy. So, to get Amala to fall asleep in her crate at night, I'd just turn off the lights and hand her little treats and stroke her through the bars until she fell asleep. Sometimes she'd whimper, but very little. If she was especially fussy I'd let her out sometimes to cuddle with me and settle down then put her back in. Such a divided camp on ignoring whining vs comforting an upset dog. I'm a comforter, and a former ignorer!! : P Amala's four months old now, so she still sleeps in her crate at night. I put her crate in whatever room I'm in, so often times she's already resting in it before bedtime. I just close the door and carry her, crate and all, to the bed! She doesn't even get up. Haha 

I imagine if I wanted my dogs to sleep in their crates on the floor or in a separate room, this method has given them a really good foundation of spending the night in their crates. From this point I'd transition them by having them first sleep in their crates next to my bed so I could offer a reassuring hand like Fjm described, then over time move the crate small distances until it was in the room I wanted it in. Hopefully something I here can help you and Harry! : )


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## Oreo's Mommy (Dec 18, 2012)

I top him off with a bit of dry food if he choses to eat it. Then I take Oreo outside one last time then carry him to the crate with his bed in it. I use the saying...night night puppy... and put Oreo in his kennel next to my bed and give him a small treat. I cover it with my bath towel... And that is it until morning. 

He would cry the first few nights to go out and go potty but that stopped by 12 weeks or so. 

I will also put him in his kennel if I take a nap and he is good...I can even take a shower sometimes while he is in his kennel. BUT...if I leave the house he freaks out and barks and cries and carries on. He has done this for over an hour according to my landlady... Oops. 

I don't leave Oreo alone now that summer is here and the kids are out of school. We are moving in two months and I will begin leaving him alone then. I can leave him alone now without crying if I just leave him in the living room out and about. If he can hear me outside though he cries. He is a BIG baby.


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