# Crate training a new puppy question



## Kellykath

I am brining home an 11 week old puppy Cooper this week. I am really worried about what to do the first night for potty/crate training. Should I leave the crate door open and put newspaper out for him to use if he needs to go in the middle of night? Should I close the crate door and wake up in the middle of the night and take him out? I don't want to use paper or potty pads if it sets back his house training. I am so anxious about it. I do not want to put the crate in our bedroom because I don't want to disturb my husband's sleep and I want to train him to sleep downstairs in our mudroom. Any advice would be greatfly appreciated.


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## Kellykath

*And another thing*

Is it okay for me to put his crate in our mudroom which is downstairs? I'd prefer not to put in my bedroom.


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## tortoise

You'll have to see what happens, honest. Most puppies will whine the first nights in the crate and for some owners it is extremely distressing. What you do will depend on your family's tolerance for whining and level of distress from it.

If you need the crate by your bed, don't worry. After a week, move the crate a little further from your bed every couple of days and soon it will be where you want it to be with no fuss from your puppy.


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## Kellykath

Thank you! If you put the crate by your bed, does it generally keep the puppy from whining? I was just curious as to why one would put it by their bed. Thanks. Sorry for being so "cluelss" Lol! This is my very first experience ever with puppies. :act-up:


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## Quossum

I recommend putting the crate in your bedroom because...

* You will be letting you puppy sleep near and within his new "pack," absorbing your scents, just as he absorbed his littermates' and dam's in his old home.

* You will hear the puppy whine if he wakes up at night and needs to potty, so you can take him out.

The pup will probably whine, at least the first few nights. That is part of having a puppy. Most pups learn to sleep peacefully through the night within a week or so. I got mine at 9 weeks and he was sleeping all night within days. Now, when we're getting ready for bed he goes into his crate on his own.

--Q


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## Kellykath

That makes plenty of sense. When you say your puppy was sleeping through the night in a few weeks, does that mean that you were not having to take him out to potty in the middle of the night? Did you just take him out early in the morning?


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## Jennifer J

I just got a new puppy last week, he was 10 weeks old when he came home with us. I'm doing it differently this time from how I did the last two. His crate is in our room by my side of the bed. He didn't whine for long, and we just expected it the first few nights. I can hear him when he wakes up, and I take him outside for a potty break mid-way through the night. I don't feel that it's reasonable to expect such a young puppy to go all night without having a chance to go outside to pee.

He's doing great in his crate, doesn't fuss hardly at all. He will sleep in his crate at night until he's reliable with potty training and not chewing things. Of course, we will then have to buy a bigger bed, because we already have 2 standards sleeping with us at night


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## liljaker

*New Puppy*



Kellykath said:


> Thank you! If you put the crate by your bed, does it generally keep the puppy from whining? I was just curious as to why one would put it by their bed. Thanks. Sorry for being so "cluelss" Lol! This is my very first experience ever with puppies. :act-up:


Generally, the puppy knowing it is near you is comforting and they won't be scared or frightened, especially early in your relationship.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle

I recommend putting the crate right by the bed and keep the door to the crate closed. Put a KONG toy in there with the pup with a little peanut butter in it so the pup has something to do if it wakes up. If the puppy fusses, you can just reach over, gently pat the crate and reassure the pup you are right there. Your family will become this dog's new pack. And when the puppy comes to you, it will be the first time away from it's old pack. It would be very distressing to be banished to part of the house away from the sounds of the pack you are trying to infiltrate. If puppy needs to potty, take it outside, let it do it's business, then bring it right back in and put it back in the crate, not making any fuss. You will likely be able to move the crate to the foot of the bed in a week or so, and every few days, move the crate further away from your bed, until the crate is where you eventually want it.


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## Quossum

Kellykath said:


> That makes plenty of sense. When you say your puppy was sleeping through the night in a few weeks, does that mean that you were not having to take him out to potty in the middle of the night? Did you just take him out early in the morning?


That's right, after only a few days, I didn't have to take him out in the middle of the night, just in the morning. There have only been a couple of times since that first week or so that he's whined at night, and then I've taken him right out to potty. He learned very quickly!

--Q


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## Ginagbaby1

When we brought Casper home, we had the same intentions as you. We had planned to put the crate in our laundry room downstairs, just as we had done with our previous dog. Well after a couple of weeks, he was still howling like a tortued monkey and no one was sleeping, we were starting to have major potty problems and separation issues and so that plan went right through the roof, lol! At the advice of everyone here, I decided to move his crate to my room and that was the best move we made. He really just wanted to be where the family was at night. Within a week of moving his crate to my room, he was sleeping all night with no middle of the night potty trips and the separation anxiety he'd feel when we would leave the house was gone too. He still goes into his crate at night, when we leave the house, or when I'm getting the kids ready for bed and my husband isn't home yet. We have another bed in the living room and one on the bottom landing of the stairs that he uses during the day. Good luck!


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## Kellykath

That is great! I can totally do this! Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.


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## Kloliver

Think of it this way, he's a baby & he just left his pack. You will be his new pack but until he bonds, he will be anxious & lonely. Let him sleep next to you in a closed crate. I bought a SnugglePuppy for my pup when he arrived & he still cuddles with it- though he'd be mightily annoyed I told you so.

SnugglePuppy with Heartbeat & Warmer!

I also highly recommend a video called *Crate Games*. It's fun & teaches them to love their crate. I trust my 14 month old dog implicitly but he still sleeps in his. Often he chooses to nap there & if it's very very late, he will sometimes put himself to bed. I say sometimes because he's usually within sight.


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## Kellykath

This is wondeful advice. Thanks so much.


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## Arborgale

I agree with the others here. You should move the crate into your bedroom if possible. It would be more comforting to Cooper to have his new mom nearby. It is also easier to hear his noises. You learn about what normal is for Cooper too. It is good because you can tell if he (heaven forbid) ever gets sick in the night. We have Rosie's crate near the foot of our bed. The first 2 nights there was a little whimpering, but thankfully nothing terrible. We ended up putting a blanket or sheet over her crate and the whimpering stopped. She gets in on her own now and is as quiet as a mouse.

We also pottied her as late as possible and then again if I got up in the middle of the night myself. Sometimes she would whimper in the middle of the night and that was my cue to take her out to potty. Like someone said it was all business. Take her out, go potty, and back in the crate to bed. We are early risers in our house and so the 1st one up lets Rosie out in the morning. She is now 5 months old and we do not let her out midway anymore. We only did the midway potty for a few weeks. I just felt if I can't hold it all night, I should not expect a little puppy to do that or risk an accident. 

We did not use anything in her crate, but we do sleep with a "wave machine" that makes ocean sounds. That relaxes me. 

Good luck with Cooper. You'll get through this period quickly and it will be back to regular sleeping for everyone.


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