# Whining/Crying/Howling Allll Night



## micah_mae_ (Feb 21, 2011)

Seriously kept us up until around 3 am with _constant_ whining/crying/howling. What can we do? He also whines every time he's in his puppy enclosure, even if we're right next to him.


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## Lilah+Jasper (May 13, 2010)

I would ignore him to let him know that crying, etc will not get results - not your attention, sympathy or correction. It won't take long for him to figure out that he will be rewarded by being quiet and obedient. 

Make sure that he associates good things with the crate. Many people play crate games or incorporate training with the kennel.

Now, you'll have to discern if it is a "I need to go potty cry" or not. It is hard but be resolute  Good luck - it is a delicate balance but you can do it!


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Lilah+Jasper said:


> I would ignore him to let him know that crying, etc will not get results - not your attention, sympathy or correction. It won't take long for him to figure out that he will be rewarded by being quiet and obedient.
> 
> Make sure that he associates good things with the crate. Many people play crate games or incorporate training with the kennel.
> 
> Now, you'll have to discern if it is a "I need to go potty cry" or not. It is hard but be resolute  Good luck - it is a delicate balance but you can do it!


I agree - harden your heart and totally ignore him when he is whining. Notice Lilah+Jasper includes correction as negative attention is still attention. When my puppy does something I don't like I turn my back to him and pretend he does not exist. Don't make the crate lock up. I give my dog treats in the crate, play with him and give him rubs. I leave the crate open when he is not locked in and keep his favorite toys and chewies there so he gets use to going in and out of the crate. Good luck!


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## robin (Dec 18, 2010)

I might chime in here to say that if you crumble and cave in to his whining, you'll only prolong the torture. Knowing that might help you maintain your resolve. 

Because, really, which do you want? Three or five nights of all-night racket? Or a lifetime of yelping?


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## micah_mae_ (Feb 21, 2011)

Thanks, y'all are right. I don't know if any of you are familiar with attachment parenting (as it pertains to human babies) but we are ap parents and so a big part of my brain is saying that I should not let my "baby" cry alone. It's hard for me to be like "this is a dog, not a human".
My hubby told me that he came down to the dog twice last night too.
I went down at 1:30 am and he had peed/pood on the floor so I cleaned it up, petted him and then went back up. 
He did pee and poo outside today though.

We have a small laundry room that he is contained in and his crate is within the room. Should we keep him in the crate or let him in the room? Should we take him out at night or is he old enough to hold it? 

Thanks for all the help!


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## robin (Dec 18, 2010)

Others will chime in but I can offer this.

I have always figured puppies can "hold it" for about 1 hour per month of age. So an 8-week-old pup needs to go out *at least* every 2 hours -- including the nights, alas. 

When my Boon was a pup, I slept on the couch with him crated where he could see me and where his "I gotta go" whining would wake me. And then, out we would go. I got pretty good at the barely-awake out, back in and back to sleep.

Have you considered where you will want the dog to sleep eventually? Right now, I personally think you should crate him at night (and any time you can't give him direct, eyes-on supervision) but you might consider moving his crate to your room if you will want him to sleep there eventually.

Any inconsistency now will make for difficulties in housebreaking down the road, so again, consistency is REALLY important. And of course, never punish for accidents.

The good news is, you'll have a couple of tough months and then have a lifetime of a dog with perfect housebreaking. ^_^ Since Boon lived to be 15, believe me, those sleepless nights seemed way worth it.

Poodles are smart, smart, smart. Your little guy is going to pick up on what you want from him really fast. That will help, too.

Good luck. I envy you your new pup.


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## Lilah+Jasper (May 13, 2010)

micah_mae_ said:


> I went down at 1:30 am and he had peed/pood on the floor so I cleaned it up,* petted him* and then went back up.


I would not do this again. At night, I was/am very cut and dry when it comes to potty breaks or messes. Make it all business and no play or affection. Don't make it fun or you will be doing this for a very long time - you are actually training the dog to soil it's crate in order to get your attention and be petted in the middle of the night. The only time I deviate from this is if we are potty training and the puppy has success outside, then I praise like crazy. But when we get back inside it is serious business again getting back to sleep.


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## micah_mae_ (Feb 21, 2011)

Thanks everyone, I will tell DH not to pet him either. I am having trouble crating him during the day because his whining/barking/crying scares the _crap_ out of our 4 month old.
But my son (2 years old, autistic) is already showing how great a dog is for him. He just sat next to him and had a 5 min long "conversation". 

Is it better to put him in his crate or just leave him in his little room? I'm thinking of putting him in the downstairs bathroom so we might not hear him as much. I just don't want the kids sleep to suffer too much.

We definitely want him sleeping in his crate. We already have 2 adults, a toddler and a baby in our bed.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

When Vegas tried crying in his kennel, either I slapped the top of the kennel, or some people have used squirt bottles.

He discovered quickly it was easier to stay quiet.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Several people have found having the crate next to the bed where the pup can see you helps. Others found covering the crate worked better. I actually used much more of an AP style with my pups - crating is still not the norm in the UK. Mine were with me more or less all the time - and left in the equivalent of a puppy pen if I needed to leave them at any time. I found it much easier to respond to night time emergencies when the pup was with me than when she was down in the kitchen, and I had to get there in a hurry!


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

I'd also suggest a crate in your bedroom rather than removed from you. How old is the puppy? I agree with the timing; if he's less than 12 weeks old, then he legitimately needs to be taken outside every 3 hours, at least. But does the date in your signature line mean he was born in August? If born in August, then if he's 5 months old now, he shouldn't need more than one wee hours of the a.m. stroll outside, if that. He might be able to hold it if you take water away from him after around 8:00 p.m., outside for the last walk of the night between 11 and midnight, and then out again first thing in the a.m. at around 6:00. 

Make sure crate is nice and comfy. A nice old towel that he can cuddle into might help the puppy sleep better.

Dogs are social creatures and you want the dog to bond with you, plus being alert to a genuine "I need to go potty NOW" whine, so for those reasons I think the bedroom is a better place for his crate than far away from you in the laundry room. A towel over the crate to keep it dark, but so he can still peek out and see you when he's lying down, might help a lot.


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

Well this is my approach. Almost all my puppies i've raised (numerous foster pups in the last 2 years plus my own) can hold it 3-4 hours easily at night. The just need a reason too. 

So priority 1 is crate training i do not focuz on potty training at night the first few nights. In the crate they go- ignored until about 2am. (so 4 hours) then out they go potty and back into the crate. 

IF they cry they are ignored. IF they are the type who will cry for 4 hours while being ignored then teh spray bottle comes out on night 2. the kennel is placed near my bed door facing the bed. Spray bottle on floor in front of it with in my reach. squak spray squak they get sprayed. they stop usually with in about ooh 3 minutes. if they wake up before 2am and get squaking they get sprayed. Even if they need to go outside- squaking is not the right way to ask. a small whine is. small whines do not get sprayed. 2am out they go again and back into the play pen. pottying outside gets huge praise everything else no talking no eye contact just business. like. 

Usually with in 1 week i've got pups sleeping for 6-7 hours holding it and out they go for potty- no squaking but just MAYBE a bit of whinning. 

The problem is when they get AWAKE and sqwaking they aint able to hold it. Puppies can hold 4 hours at night because they should be SLEEEEPING. Once they get the concept of quiet in their crate sleep comes very quick and so does holding pee. 

Now not all pups need this some guys i can put in their crates give them a small toy- and they stay quiet til i wake em up or they whine and out they go. but crate training IMO comes before expecting them to hold it.


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## micah_mae_ (Feb 21, 2011)

Thanks everyone, he's 6 months old I was guessing his birthday. Having the crate in the bedroom isn't a good option for us because we have babies in our bed and I don't want them being woken up by the whining. Is the spray bottle method a popular one? I've only heard that for cats...hmmm.


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

Spray collars work too. Won't put-on young pups but at age 6 months I would. Spray bottle method has a following and a strong following against. Yes we want to make the kennel a safe place but if they are screamin all night they don't think it is. Stop the yelling then they can learn the kennel
Is fun and safe. Maybe he's got some separation anxiety going on??


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## onlypoodles4me (May 18, 2009)

We have crate trained all our puppies in the bedroom. I think that expecting them to be in another room, in a crate is like isolation, and can make them more upset. 
I have a crate next to my bed, and am able to poke my fingers through the bars and comfort or sooth the puppy. I also make it a nice quiet and comfy space. By 6 months all our dogs are sleeping through the night. Usually they quiet much faster knowing your right there.
Him making such a ruckus is him feeling like hes separated from his "pack" and he gets himself more and more worked up.


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## micah_mae_ (Feb 21, 2011)

Thanks, he was quiet until 2:30 am when he had to go potty..then he whined for a while between then and 5:30 am, when we decided to just get up.

The bedroom won't work for us, we have a bed full and the kids won't sleep if the dog is in there.


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## Hank (Feb 8, 2011)

I trained Hank to sleep in his kennel in my office. It took him a few days to figure out that the barking and yelping didn't work. Now, he views my office as "our/his" room. He has his own chair, his kennel, and his food and water there. It works great! I think the key is to not give in to the barking and yelping and also to be consistant.


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

My best friend is an AP parent with an 8 month old and recently adopted an adult dog, completely skipping the needier, puppy stage. I think you're asking a lot of an infant puppy. It isn't your puppy's fault that at the end of the day you're exhausted and have two young children to look after. Your poor pup managed to sleep til 230 and then needed to potty... exactly what other helpful posters said is normal. 

I understand that you're risking your children waking up every time you have to get up to let the puppy go potty, and but you have to understand that a young puppy is an infant. Just like potty training a child, when your kid tells you he has to potty, you immediately put him on his potty and praise praise praise. You don't ignore him, expecting him to hold it til it's convenient for you to take him to the bathroom.

As for night time crying, my Silky was a yappy bugger every night for weeks (he was about 5 months). I started taking him on 1 hour walk/jogs every night and he very quickly slept quietly with a 12am potty break and a 5 am potty time. He has always been crated at night and when we leave the house, and loves his crate now. It took 2 months to get him used to sleeping in it, and it wasn't until I started exercising him more and my dad started sleeping downstairs where zorro could see him from the crate that things improved.

Is it possible your puppy is cold? My dog will wake up and make funny, chuffy barks if he's cold, and he's 5.

Puppies are DIFFICULT and require patience.


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## onlypoodles4me (May 18, 2009)

How about putting on some soothing music when he's locked up? Then he might not make noise in hopes your coming to save him?


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## poodlemom2be (Jan 30, 2011)

Try one of these pillows, I'm not sure if it works, but I have ordered one for my future puppy. The description is: Adorable plush pillow uses the sound of a heartbeat to calm and sooth an anxious puppy or dog. The pillow contains a heartbeat mechanism that can be turned on as desired or removed for washing. It provides a great way to reduce separation anxiety in dogs and/or ease the transition into a new home for a puppy. I thought it was really cute! Amazon.com: Petstages Heartbeat Pillow: Pet Supplies


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

poodlemom2be said:


> Try one of these pillows, I'm not sure if it works, but I have ordered one for my future puppy. The description is: Adorable plush pillow uses the sound of a heartbeat to calm and sooth an anxious puppy or dog. The pillow contains a heartbeat mechanism that can be turned on as desired or removed for washing. It provides a great way to reduce separation anxiety in dogs and/or ease the transition into a new home for a puppy. I thought it was really cute! Amazon.com: Petstages Heartbeat Pillow: Pet Supplies


Now that is a cute idea! And at 6.50, what a bargain! I'm ordering one too!


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## 2719 (Feb 8, 2011)

A six month old puppy should not have to go out for potty breaks in the middle of the night.
As someone said in an earlier post...the pup should be sleeping.
I like the idea of having the crate in the bedroom with you, but understand that this is not always something you can do.
We recently just fostered a 6 month old puppy that was not crated trained. We put her in a blanket covered crate in our kitchen. We had her out for her final pee etc at 11pm and then she went into her crate. The first few nights she cried, and messed her crate. We made the crate room inside smaller (with a cardboard box), so there was enough room for her to sleep but not room for her to pee and not have to lie in it. She was able to hold it until 6am. We did not give in to her whining or crying...we ignored her. We made sure the kitchen was dark....and NO noise. It was bedtime! She was trained in a few days....and the people she went to live with have had no problems with her in her crate. She even goes into during the day for a nap.
I agree it is awful to listen to the poor little pup singing his song of sorrow but they learn and adjust.

I agree with FunkyPuppy...a tired puppy is a key to getting him to relax. I also took the pup for a walk at night.

Good Luck


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## micah_mae_ (Feb 21, 2011)

FunkyPuppy said:


> Your poor pup managed to sleep til 230 and then needed to potty... exactly what other helpful posters said is normal.
> 
> It took 2 months to get him used to sleeping in it, and it wasn't until I started exercising him more and my dad started sleeping downstairs where zorro could see him from the crate that things improved.
> 
> ...


Oh no, I don't mind taking him out to potty at 2:30, that's not the issue. In fact I'm kinda proud of myself that I recognized a "need to potty" whine in my sleep.  We can hear him fine.
With this nicer weather coming we will definitely exercise him every day. Should we do that right before bed or a little before?
Now that you mention it he may be chilly because of where he is..I guess I figured that with all his hair he would be warm but I can put a space heater in there.



onlypoodles4me said:


> How about putting on some soothing music when he's locked up? Then he might not make noise in hopes your coming to save him?


Thanks for that idea, we all listen to the same cd to sleep so maybe we can just put on the baby monitor so he hears our cd over it...



poodlemom2be said:


> Try one of these pillows, I'm not sure if it works, but I have ordered one for my future puppy. It provides a great way to reduce separation anxiety in dogs and/or ease the transition into a new home for a puppy. I thought it was really cute! Amazon.com: Petstages Heartbeat Pillow: Pet Supplies


Thanks I'll look into that right now!



truelovepoodles said:


> A six month old puppy should not have to go out for potty breaks in the middle of the night.
> As someone said in an earlier post...the pup should be sleeping.
> I like the idea of having the crate in the bedroom with you, but understand that this is not always something you can do.
> We recently just fostered a 6 month old puppy that was not crated trained. We put her in a blanket covered crate in our kitchen. We had her out for her final pee etc at 11pm and then she went into her crate. The first few nights she cried, and messed her crate. We made the crate room inside smaller (with a cardboard box), so there was enough room for her to sleep but not room for her to pee and not have to lie in it. She was able to hold it until 6am. We did not give in to her whining or crying...we ignored her. We made sure the kitchen was dark....and NO noise. It was bedtime! She was trained in a few days....and the people she went to live with have had no problems with her in her crate. She even goes into during the day for a nap.
> ...


Thanks, I hate hearing him cry but I know now that it just has to be done.


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

at six months he SHOULD be going through the night with no issues. however if you always take him out he'll never develop the bladder control to go longer. What happens if you ignore him at that 2:30 does he settle and go back to sleep?


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

I just took on my MIL's cockapoo 3 1/2 weeks ago, and she was spoiled absolutely ROTTEN!! :argh: Rosie was used to sleeping in bed with my MIL, something my husband and I aren't into with any of our dogs. We tried crating her next to our bed, but she snores loud enough to wake the dead, so we tried putting her crate in our master bathroom. That didn't go over well at all! She cried, whined, etc. the whole night for 3 nights - literally.

Out of desperation, last week I moved her crate to our smallest bedroom on the other side of our house, which we use as our office. I made the room very dark, and I put our elderly lab in the room with her to help keep her company. After some initial whining, she quieted down and went to sleep. Rosie's fine, as long as she can't hear us - even turning over in bed or getting up to go to the bathroom set her off when she was close to us. Having her on the other side of the house limits what she can hear, thus she stays quiet.

Good luck with your puppy. Yes, at 6 months old, he should be able to hold it through the night. They can be manipulative little boogers - be strong!


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## FozziesMom (Jun 23, 2010)

have you tried covering him/her? Fozzie cannot be quiet unless covered.


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## micah_mae_ (Feb 21, 2011)

Thank you! We did cover the crate last night and it seemed to help. We'll also turn on some music for him. Let's see how it goes!


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

In the winter we keep my dog's crate off the tile and covered with a blanket. He has a squashy bed stuffed in there, but he is such a princess when it's even a little cold. Covering with a blanket seems to help keep the warmth in without making him too hot.

Good luck! Like others have mentioned, he should be able to hold it... my silky came to me at 5 months and it still took 2 months for him to figure out that the nightly "go to your casa" command means it's sleepy time and NO BARKING.


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

poodlemom2be said:


> Try one of these pillows, I'm not sure if it works, but I have ordered one for my future puppy. The description is: Adorable plush pillow uses the sound of a heartbeat to calm and sooth an anxious puppy or dog. The pillow contains a heartbeat mechanism that can be turned on as desired or removed for washing. It provides a great way to reduce separation anxiety in dogs and/or ease the transition into a new home for a puppy. I thought it was really cute! Amazon.com: Petstages Heartbeat Pillow: Pet Supplies


Nickel has one of these. He held Snuggie (the name of his puppy friend) and he never whined since day one. I can put some heat pads inside Snuggie so it's warm with a heartbeat. Snuggie is still Nickel's best friend and he carries him into the crate every night and brings him with him the first thing in the morning.


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## Feathersprings (Jul 15, 2010)

I was surprised at those taking aa 6 month old puppy out in the middle of the night to potty.. not that I wouldnt if he needed it but Hoolie was 4 months old when I got him and went out at 11:00 and out at 6/7 in the morning. He wasnt crate trained.. had never been in one until the first day he slept in one. He DID sleep in my room though and i think not being in my room would have been an issue for him


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## micah_mae_ (Feb 21, 2011)

Thanks so much everyone! Last night he went in the crate with no problem and didn't whine or cry all night! No mess in his crate when we got up either! We ended up putting a blanket over the crate, putting on some music and the space heater.

Now to get him to go potty outside..this morning he peed outside but then 10 min later pooped inside.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I find mine often need a bit longer outside before they are ready to poop - a few minutes of vigorous exercise out there can help.


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