puppies...getting them to sleep without crying all night

how do you get them to sleep.....



Hi
Dogs are pack animals by nature and when a puppy first leaves its' canine family, it's new human family becomes its' pack.

All the pups' instincts tell it to stay close to it's pack for safety, and it's natural for a puppy to cry, whine and complain when separated from the members of its' new pack. This often happens at nightime, and the pup is scared, lonely and confused.... so it cries.

Of course, your puppy is perfectly safe in his crate, the laundry room or wherever you are keeping him, but he's still upset! Although it's understandable that he's crying, he needs to learn that it's okay to be separated from you for short periods and at night time, so you really just have to do the best you can to help him feel safe and secure, and then ignore the noise.

At bedtime make sure your pup has had a potty break then put him in his crate, give him a safe, sturdy chew toy, tell him 'goodnight', turn out the lights and ignore his complaining. Sometimes giving him an old T-shirt or piece of clothing with your scent on it will help him to feel less upset.

Generally the pup will fall asleep after he's tired himself out crying. A young pup will likely need at least one night time potty break though, so if he wakes up after a few hours and starts to whine, take him outside. Then straight back in the crate and lights out. Repeat this as necessary.

Training a puppy (whether housetraining or obedience training) takes time, effort, repetition and a lot of patience. But if you're consistent your pup will learn.

Check out my Crate Training A Puppy page for more help.

Best of luck.