# New puppy barking/whining all night!



## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

Yes, I would highly recommend getting a crate. Get a large crate as he will grow into it. In the beginning you can use a large box to block off half the crate. Most dogs learn to love their crates and it becomes their safe spot, their bed, their "den", etc. 

When Cooper was brought home at 8.5 weeks of age he went into his crate at night. The breeder recommended placing a radio nearby with music on very softly. We also covered the wire crate with a blanket leaving just one end of the crate uncovered. Cooper did yip at least once per night for the first week and we got up, took him outside to potty and then he went right back into his crate. He got used to it. I also recall when it was time to vacuum and mop the floors we would put him into his crate and he hated it. He cried and yelped, etc. but we just ignored it, told him to lay down and eventually he learned. Be consistent, patient and try not to get too stressed out and hopefully your pup will learn to love his crate. Good luck.


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

You'll find if they can see you from the crate they will settle better. Can you move the crate to the hall where he can see you while he sleeps? Keep the crate closed while he is sleeping. They will bark and cry etc. But they will stop after awhile. Don't give in to him.

You can make the crate feel more secure by placing a blanket over it, so only the front portion is open. this gives a cave feel and is more secure for them.

They bark because they know your going to come.

I bet if you move the crate...your pup will adjust faster.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

First...get a crate. Most puppies learn to like their crates and feel safe when inside (think 'den'). 

Since the crate can't be in your bedroom because of DH's allergies, how about putting the crate in your DS's room? Sawyer is already 11 weeks old, so he should be be able to go all night without a potty break. He'd hear your son's breathing and not feel alone. 

Hank's crate has been in our bedroom since day 1 and it worked out very well. The first night or two when Hank cried I softly talked to him and he settled right down.
Years ago when we brought our last golden home our bedroom was too small for a crate so we put it in the kitchen...no one got any sleep for many nights!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

He's used to having his littermates to sleep with so this is normal and understandable. He will adjust eventually, you just have to practice some tough love. 

The old tried and true hot water bottle in a towel and a ticking clock might help him not feel so alone.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

I second the above posts, get a crate! And you need to be patient. We went through about 2-3 weeks of Jack getting very upset in his crate. He would howl and carry on like someone was killing him, while spinning around on his back feet like a ballerina. But now he goes in on his own to take naps and sleeps . He knows it's his little bedroom. 

From experience, do not respond every time your pup whine, cries or barks in the crate. If he's in his crate and is whining, take him outside to potty and bring him right back in. No playing or talking. If he whines again after that ignore him. He'll eventually learn that whining doesn't get the attention he wants and he'll stop. But if you keep responding every time he does it or if your son sleeps with him when he's whining a lot, he'll just keep doing it.

Good luck though, I know it's really hard to hear your pup crying but know it will get better!


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Your friend is absolutely correct. A crate will provide a much more secure feeling environment. Yes, he will most likely bark, whine, and carry on the first several times he is in there, but he will get used to it fairly quickly and will eventually grow to like his crate. Crates give dogs a den-like feeling, which makes them feel safe and secure. Being alone in a room is usually too much openness for a puppy. Definitely get a crate.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Crates are great, and a necessity in most places. There are a ton of times when your pup may need to be crated throughout his life...and those times are already super stressful (vet , emergencies, travel, grooming, etc). 

If a puppy makes more than a little noise...I do NOT EVER wait him out. Ignoring calls for help can create learned helplessness and could lead to separation distress or other behavior problems. 

Train your puppy to go into the crate on his own. Leave super yummy snacks in the crate. Tie a toy in the crate so he can only chew/play with it while he's in there. Have him go in, close the door, feed a treat and let him out. Have him in a bit longer. If he shows distress, you are progressing too fast.

Kids and dogs should be supervised 100% of the time.

Enroll your puppy in a quality puppy class ASAP as well as a basic training class. Do it now. You only have 1 more week of the critical learning period...though it can often be stretched to 16w of age. He needs to experience a ton of things before then and those experiences should be positive (not just neutral!). 

Practice puppy quiet times throughout the day, not just at night.


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## lovemeagolden (Oct 18, 2009)

Get a crate. Payton cried and barked the first few nights when we had the crate out in the living room. We moved it to our bedroom and she was much better. She just wanted to be near us. I agree with the previous post, if you can put the crate where they can see you it will be better. 

I was ready to send Payton back after 2 days, but I'm so glad I didn't. Don't give up.


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## zephyr (Sep 29, 2009)

RedDogs said:


> If a puppy makes more than a little noise...I do NOT EVER wait him out. Ignoring calls for help can create learned helplessness and could lead to separation distress or other behavior problems.
> 
> Train your puppy to go into the crate on his own. Leave super yummy snacks in the crate. Tie a toy in the crate so he can only chew/play with it while he's in there. Have him go in, close the door, feed a treat and let him out. Have him in a bit longer. If he shows distress, you are progressing too fast.


I agree with the others about the value of crate training... and helping your pup feel safe and sleep through the night  (with potty breaks, of course)

To *RedDogs*... I had always read to let them "cry it out" because you don't want them to learn that making a fuss will get them let out. Because then next time they'll just learn they should cry even more to get out...?

So, what do you do then about crating at night (or other times of necessity) if you take them out of the crate when they cry too much (in agitation/stress)? We practiced the way you describe... giving short crating during the day and building up, treating, etc... but, Oscar still cried a lot in his crate when he was younger. He did cry at night for the first little while, but honestly we just tried to make sure he was as tired as possible so he fell asleep... or waited until he was asleep before putting him in there!  He's fine now, but I hate to think we stressed him out unnecessarily... but... sometimes he did need to be in the crate, even if he protested (i.e., at night). Just wondering how you get around that?


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

zephyr said:


> To *RedDogs*... I had always read to let them "cry it out" because you don't want them to learn that making a fuss will get them let out. Because then next time they'll just learn they should cry even more to get out...?
> 
> So, what do you do then about crating at night (or other times of necessity) if you take them out of the crate when they cry too much (in agitation/stress)Just wondering how you get around that?


We definitely don't want to teach puppies to bark to get attention or to get out. 

Maybe I'm feeling extra paranoid right now after spending 3 days at a vet conference listening to vet behaviorists talk about all the things that can go wrong and (sometimes) lengthy processes to fix those undesirable behaviors!

There are a number of dogs/puppies who get severely distressed due to the separation from family and/or from the confinement. If a dog/puppy is truely and extremely distressed by one or the other, leaving him in the crate until he "cries it out" is flooding, teaching the dog learned helplessness, and like sticking someone terrified of spiders in a room of them...until the person stops being agitated. 

It's really hard to tell just from a description on here whether a puppy/dog is -extremely- distressed or just a little worried. If the dog is making noise, especially in the posts where it goes on all night or for hours (...assuming the owners are being truthful), the animal is ---severely-- distressed and I see the continued confinement in that manner as a welfare issue. If a puppy cries a bit now and then but settles, that is not the same as extreme distress or panic. 

If I have a puppy or dog that is vocalizing or visibly worried for more than a minute I'll try to suddenly appear at a pause to breathe, wait for the puppy to sit or offer attention (depending on our relationship and history) and then drop in a treat. Pause. Drop in another. walk to the door and back, drop in a treat... just revisit our training process. Use frozen food toys. Do lots of training. I also set up from early on, if a puppy barks at me for attention, I suddenly leave the room. And very quickly that is not a productive way to get attention from people! But we generally do that outside of a crating setting.

If we leave a dog/puppy in a crate and he is paniced, he will not learn that people will help him. He will have a hard time learning to enjoy the crate as a place to be relaxed and good. He will be at -high- risk of developing separation distress (...which is one of the hardest things to treat due to the fact most people have to go to work every day, and if daycare is not an option due to $ or aggression... the dogs can have a poor prognosis...). The dog/puppy will have a higher risk of not wanting to enter the crate. And this could lead to growling/mouthing/biting over crating. The human-animal bond may be destroyed, making it unlikely the dog will stay in the home. The owner is less sensitive/empathetic to the dog by the time they get appropriate help. 

But, those are not things that happen every time a puppy barks in his crate. If there is extreme distress...then yes, the above is a serious risk.

And I can't ethically just say to "wait it out" without knowing the actual puppy and family. What if I'm wrong and there is a very very distressed puppy? That could have a big impact on the family. 

Does the difference between extreme distress and mild distress make a difference? Does it seem clear that there is likely a difference between a puppy that cries for a short period and one that is distressed for hours on end?


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## zephyr (Sep 29, 2009)

RedDogs said:


> We definitely don't want to teach puppies to bark to get attention or to get out.
> 
> Maybe I'm feeling extra paranoid right now after spending 3 days at a vet conference listening to vet behaviorists talk about all the things that can go wrong and (sometimes) lengthy processes to fix those undesirable behaviors!
> 
> ...


RedDogs that was an awesome post!  I can definitely appreciate your caution to direct internet posters (who you really don't know their particular situation) into a scenario with potentially long-lasting negative consequences, for them & their dog. I know for myself (first-time dog owner)... even though I read as much as I can and ask questions... I never *really* know what is "normal" for a puppy's behavior and what isn't... so I definitely have fears that I am doing things unintentionally that might have long-term consequences down the road for Oscar :no: BUT it really helps to hear experienced dog people give such issues a lot of consideration and weigh the pros & cons to each side!!

I hope the OP doesn't mind us veering slightly off the direct topic of what was asked, because I think the information you presented should be considered by anyone crate training. Though it does make me a little paranoid that I was giving Oscar unnecessary stress when he was younger... but... as he seems content/comfortable in his crate now, I hope he has worked it out!


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

If he's doing well now, don't panic! I didn't mean to stress -you- out over it at all! It's just something to think about.

Breeders should be introducing puppies to solitary crating/confinment situations before puppies go home and while they're in their rather 'fearless' stage instead of waiting for that 8-10 w age when they're in a more fearful period.


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## JewelsRae (Feb 27, 2010)

Thank you all so much for your replies. His 2nd night was the worst, I tried several times to get him to stop- his barking seemed more to get attention than a distressed yelping- I just couldn't ignore him all night. Everyone told me when my first child was born that I needed to let him CIO but I never could do that and it all worked out...But last night he did GREAT! I'm so proud of him! Yesterday we had to go out for a few hours so I gave him my pajama t-shirt with a little of my vanilla perfume sprayed on and I put the radio on, and we left. He was barking when we left him, hopefully he didn't continue the whole time we were gone. Anyhow, he loved that shirt of mine! When I put him to bed in his room last night he went straight to his bed and snuggled with his t shirt, didn't bark a bit when I closed the gate and walked away!! He was quiet all night till 6 am this morning, there was a puddle in his room but he had to go again. I don't mind, at least he let me sleep! Even now, he is having a rest in his room and he went in happily and lay down, no barking!! Hopefully this continues and is not a fluke! :crossfing Now I need to focus on house training the little guy! He was doing so well the first few days and now he is peeing on the floor often, and I have yet to get him to poop outside. I don't know, he seems to like my black and white tiled kitchen floor for his potty! :doh: I take him out many many times a day and he pees in his spot almost on command, but he won't poop and then he pees again within less than an hour of his last break. :gotme:


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

I got a crate for our puppy before we got her. I had it all set up in my son's room upstairs, because it is his dog. This idea didn't work out for us, because the upstairs is carpeted and also, it gave her way to much room to roam. After a few days, we decided to go with MY original idea and that was/is to have the crate in the family room. This proved to be the best intervention for our puppy and for the family. Leave the crate door open and let the puppy get used to it when you introduce your puppy to it. I initially had never crated a puppy/dog before, so I had mixed emotions about it. We gated off our dining room and living room(carpeted areas) and have her accessing to the family room, kitchen and tiled laundry/bathroom only. WHEN and only WHEN she is invited to the upstairs is a priveledge. One other thing, which of course we LEARNED our lesson is BE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT YOU REMOVE ANY COLLARS FROM YOUR PUPPY BEFORE YOU PUT YOUR PUPPY INSIDE THE CRATE! I had read this on the forum and told my husband about it. Well this past weekend we had a power outage for two days following a terrible rain storm and with all of the disctractions of keeping a fire going in the fire place to stay warm and food and shelter...well my Maggie is fine, but her collar was on and got caught while inside the crate and her collar had to be cut off because of her position. LESSON LEARNED from the SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS! Good luck to you.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

I'm glad things are improving. About your last sentences: if he is still not in a crate, he may have too much space at night. That's one of the advantages of a crate: you can make it so small, that there's only space to sleep. A dog will not soil it's sleeping place if he can avoid it. But if there is a lot of space, like in a room...So you may still want to think about that crate. 
And you got him when he was 11 weeks old. Did he have any potty training where he was before you got him? Otherwise, you must just start at the beginning: every 20 minutes, 25, 30, 45...it takes a while before you can wait an hour! If you keep that up, and praise him whenever he does it right, he will learn quickly. You need to set him up for success, and if that means you have to take him out more often, so be it for a little while.


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## JewelsRae (Feb 27, 2010)

Thanks again! I didn't realize he may need to go out every 20-30 mins, I figured every hour or so would do since he is older, but you're right we did get him a little on the late side. The farm where I got him from had kept him inside in a very large open crate covered in newspaper with his litter mates, and outside in a large pen with a doghouse and straw on the ground. Last night he slept well again and woke us this morning around 6 am, I could tell he was barking to be let outside but by the time dh got dressed and went to bathroom:doh: the dog had gone ALL OVER the room. So yeah, we are getting a crate, if at least it will make it somewhat more contained a mess for me to clean! 

Yeah!! Ds just told me the dog pooped outside for the first time!!! :wavey:


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