# New puppy won't stop crying at night, please help!!



## DenProject (Aug 11, 2011)

Hi, we have got a ten week old puppy called Pippa. Shes a yellow Labrador. We have had her for 4 days and the toilet training is going well. She goes outside and when she does we praise her. Obviously she is young and theres the odd time when she goes inside but thats ok for now as she is progressing well.

The problem we have is with night time. We want to go to bed and leave her downstairs (we have a baby door at the bottom of the stairs) for the night. We set our alarms to go off at 3 hour durations as this is the time I've looked up she could hold her bladder. Of course theres still the odd accident but this isnt the concern.

She cries like a baby all night when shes left alone. I have read all sorts of websites and they all have different ways to train this behaviour. She is quite clingy and follows members of the household around. I have took time off work to train her in the early few weeks so I have all day to spend with her. My wife works part time and we have two children who go to school.

We got her a large crate for the purpose of her to sleep in it and its kept in the front room. she uses it all the time and likes being in there. The door is always open.

How can I stop her from crying at night or when shes alone? I'm open to suggestions or if anyone knows a good website I may have missed on this specific issue?

Thanks in advance, Mark and Pippa.


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## delca1 (Oct 29, 2011)

Is she used to being shut in the cage during the day? If not it could be worth doing it, shut her in with her food, let her out when she's finished. If she is ok then do it but leave the room for a couple of minutes and gradually build the time up.
When Indie first came home I slept for a couple of nights in the same room, just said shhh if she cried, I took her into the garden every 2 hours at first, didn't make a fuss of her but let her have a wee and put her straight back in the crate.
She didn't whine much at all. During the day we occasionally shut her in and left her, few mins at first then longer. Everything needs to be done slowly and patiently, I'm sure she'll be fine in time.
Does she cry if you go out?
Some people don't use a crate but contain the pup in a safe area, kitchen, utility room etc.


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## Lizz1155 (Jun 16, 2013)

DenProject said:


> Hi, we have got a ten week old puppy called Pippa. Shes a yellow Labrador. We have had her for 4 days and the toilet training is going well. She goes outside and when she does we praise her. Obviously she is young and theres the odd time when she goes inside but thats ok for now as she is progressing well.
> 
> The problem we have is with night time. We want to go to bed and leave her downstairs (we have a baby door at the bottom of the stairs) for the night. We set our alarms to go off at 3 hour durations as this is the time I've looked up she could hold her bladder. Of course theres still the odd accident but this isnt the concern.
> 
> ...


 The one thing I learned when I had a young puppy was to thoroughly wear them out before bedtime; if they are tired, they will sleep  . For me, it meant: short walk around 7.30pm, play in the garden til 8.30 and chew something until 9.30-10pm (it was summer, so it was easy to play around in the garden for an hour). The chewing helps them calm down but prevents them from napping before bedtime. Wearing them out really helps, but you also have to prevent pre-bedtime napping (for me, this involved making sure my dog didn't nap after 6pm until bedtime). Good luck.


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## 1290423 (Aug 11, 2011)

Sounds like she is missing her litter bothers and sisters, does she have anything from the breeder with their scent on it? a piece of blanket maybe?

Personally I would start her nearer to me, still in the crate, but in your bedroom maybe, then gradually more her out, say onto the land then down to the hall, all done over a period of time.
Its a long long time since I trained a puppy but that's how we used to do it.

Now only one thing remains
welcome to the forum!
and we need our puppy fix pictures please


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## HelenVF (Dec 4, 2013)

You can either do the hard stand and ignore her, or you could have her in the bedroom like DT suggested. I have done it different ways but as the dogs sleep in our bedroom, usually start off there. 

My current pup, who is 6 months old, started off in a cage downstairs, but she settled really quickly. We only moved her upstairs as we stopped using the cage. 

Good luck with her 

Helen


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## DenProject (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks Liz, I have started to alone train her, leaving her in the front room with the door closed and gradually upping the time and shes fine, dont forget iv had her a few days only.

Funny thing is, if i walk upstairs, she starts crying straight away, whatever time of day. Maybe she just wants to go upstairs and explore. Thing is, stairs and upstairs is carpeted, so we need to keep her downstairs for accidents 

Thanks everyone else for suggestions, some great advice!

Anyone else feel free too of course. I will post pic of her after tea (if I suss how to do it).


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## bella2013 (Aug 29, 2013)

we started by introducing tess to her crate on the first day, if went in it give her a treat, wear her out before bed and not letting her sleep, just like a baby i guess, put her in it for 5 mins then let her out, if she whines while she in it then ignore her until she's quiet for a bit then go in. you dont want her to learn that whining gets you to let her out. 

the first night we went to bed quite late and during the week slowly went to bed earlier and earlier. she now goes to bed at about 1 (when OH goes to bed) and up at quarter to seven. she can also do 4-5 hours in her crate if im at work and doesnt make a peep, the crate also really helped with house training. 

i also agree with lizz comment about 'lone training'

good luck with her


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## DenProject (Aug 11, 2011)

Here she is


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## delca1 (Oct 29, 2011)

Oh my, Pippa is so :001_wub::001_wub:


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## Lizz1155 (Jun 16, 2013)

DenProject said:


> View attachment 128631
> 
> 
> Here she is


Awwwwwww :001_wub:


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

my mum has had a cockapoo puppy since October. She had the idea of leave alone at night, and so far its worked. He is successfully crate trained with a small puppy pen area in front of it so he can go in it during the day. Toilet training is still a challenge but he's getting there.
He's left alone at night simply by putting him in without speaking and he seems to settle down after just a couple of minutes of fussing. He's now 12.5 weeks old.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

DenProject said:


> Hi, we have got a ten week old puppy called Pippa. Shes a yellow Labrador. We have had her for 4 days and the toilet training is going well. She goes outside and when she does we praise her. Obviously she is young and theres the odd time when she goes inside but thats ok for now as she is progressing well.
> 
> The problem we have is with night time. We want to go to bed and leave her downstairs (we have a baby door at the bottom of the stairs) for the night. We set our alarms to go off at 3 hour durations as this is the time I've looked up she could hold her bladder. Of course theres still the odd accident but this isnt the concern.
> 
> ...


You could try all the old tricks that can often work with a new pup.
Leaving an old t-shirt or jumper you have worn in their beds so that they have your smell for comfort.
Pups sleep touching in the litter for warmth and comfort, so often a large soft toy to cuddle up too can help.
Leaving a radio down low on a talking station as the sound of voices can offer comfort rather then leaving them in silence.
If shes in darkness at the moment, sometimes a dim baby night light works better, don't though leave bright lights on as this can stimulate them wide awake. The soft toy or clothing idea on the proviso they she isn't the sort of pup to rip up and ingest fabric.

What can also help a lot of pups is an adaptil dog appeasing pheromone plug in, it emits an artificial version of the pheromone mum gives off to calm and soothe her pups. You can buy them from vets and pets at home but usually half the price on line. If you want to rad more on those and how they can help.
Adaptil helps dogs and puppys learn settle travel and in kennels

Its still very early days and puppies can get very stressed leaving mum and littermates and everything that's familiar. If she has access to you all day, and then left at night too, sometimes its more then they can cope with. Sometimes its better to have them within sight and sound at night at first, not only for comfort, but when they wake or stir naturally in the night you can pop them out to toilet. In conjunction to this you start giving wind down and rest times alone during the day starting with short periods after some activity when they are more likely to have gotten rid of excess energy, be tired and more likely to settle. Take them to the area where they will eventually be left when you go out or at night, and leave them with something to self amuse and make a good association with being left. It can be a classic Kong with some of their meal allowance in if on wet, or a busy buddy twist and treat if on dry filled with some kibble from their allowance, or a Kong wobbler with kibble. (the busy buddy is easier to get the food out of then the wobbler so its usually better at first for pups. You just take her there and leave her with the goody no fuss and at first you need to return, before she gets vocal and stressed. Let her out but continue to ignore her for a minute or two, and then call her and lots of praise and fuss. You then build up the time for these daily routine sessions, as she learns to cope. Then finally you can use the routine, when you do have to go out and at bedtimes. This way they are weaned off gently and learn to cope gradually plus they learn too that when you leave you will always be back.


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## Werehorse (Jul 14, 2010)

We took the have them in our room, comfort them to sleep and take them out for wees when they cry later (obviously they cry at first and we didn't take them out then but if they woke up and cried in the night they got taken out but no fuss made and straight back in the crate after). This was really successful with both my boys and it wasn't all that long until they settled at night and now they sleep downstairs and the transition was no fuss at all.

My mum and dad got a whippet pup and have taken the hard line from day one and have had, and are still having at 8 months old, all kinds of trouble getting him to settle at night.

Personally I just think it is too traumatic for a tiny pup to be alone at first and would much rather ease them into it really gently. I think my parent's whippet remembers the trauma of being alone on the first nights and it is kind of stuck in there so he continues to panic while alone.


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## DenProject (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks for all the suggestions. Do you think it's a good idea to sleep on the sofa in the room she sleeps for a few nights?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

DenProject said:


> Thanks for all the suggestions. Do you think it's a good idea to sleep on the sofa in the room she sleeps for a few nights?


I can only speak personally but that's what I do when first bringing pups home,
I sleep downstairs as its easy to pop them out to toilet too if and when they naturally wake or stir to go. No bright lights on no real interaction or talking to them as it stimulates them wide awake, just out toilet, a couple of quite and calm good boy/girl and a small treat and back to bed.

At the same time, I work on the short periods of self amusement and wind down time alone to begin weaning them off and learning to cope gently as part of their routine during the day.


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## DenProject (Aug 11, 2011)

Thank you sled, has this always proved affective? I'm lying on me sofa now and she's quiet. Obviously I will take her out when she needs toilet an put her back to bed after but how long do you think I should do this? Few days? A week? Longer?

Also what exactly did you do during the day to get her used to being alone? What kind of schedule did you do?

Many thanks


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## DenProject (Aug 11, 2011)

Sorry I never noticed it was your post earlier! That's answered my question about what to do during day 

Another question, if I got a kong or busy buddy what size should I get bearing in mind it will be used for when she's a puppy to get her used to being alone? She's a Labrador pup. 

Thanks.


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## nicky71 (Nov 22, 2013)

She is beautiful, its only been a few days I think you should do what your doing and give it some time, if she is crying when you go upstairs then its not just night times and because she likes the company and is also getting used to her new house - without possibly mum, brothers and sisters ? I have had Toby 4 weeks and he still cries if I go upstairs during the day and he can see what I am doing - because he wants to join in, When I leave the house I close the living room door and I listen for a while - and there is no crying so its like he knows the difference - at night if he is just settling I hear him for a few minutes now and it stops, as others have said as well in the evenings try not to let him sleep too early so that he gets into the same routine as the rest of the house.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

DenProject said:


> Sorry I never noticed it was your post earlier! That's answered my question about what to do during day
> 
> Another question, if I got a kong or busy buddy what size should I get bearing in mind it will be used for when she's a puppy to get her used to being alone? She's a Labrador pup.
> 
> Thanks.


There is some information of Busy Buddies and Kongs on the link below, also some other ideas that you fill the Classic Kong with instead of just wet dog food, to keep interest and make them more exciting.

Busy Buddy Twist-n-Treat - YouTube

Recipes - KONG

Kong Stuffing Ideas - Kong Recipes - Kong Dog Toy - Kong Stuffing

Wobbler - KONG

Kongs come in differerent sizes and strengths too the Black extreme ones are for more avid chewers there is a guide to the different ones below.

Which KONG is right? - KONG

KONG by Age - KONG

KONG User Guide - UK

It should help you pick the appropriate one and give you other ideas too to keep her busy.


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## DenProject (Aug 11, 2011)

Thanks very much! I think were gonna get her the Wobbler as it's built well and shes only gonna get bigger!

Thanks everyone elase for some great tips too!

Mark & Pippa


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