Your puppy’s first night at home. It’s definitely exciting…It’s definitely fun…Here are some things to think about before your puppy arrives at your home.
It’s been just about a year since I brought Stetson home from Guide Dogs of America. It made me think of our wonderful first meeting in Sylmar, CA and also the countless nights without sleep for the following four weeks. Guide Dogs of America does not leave you empty handed. They give you a guide on what to expect and what you should do during those first few days and nights. These steps aren’t only for guide dogs and can be followed by anyone bringing home a puppy for the first time.
Everything’s New…Everything’s a First
Much of this is taken from my GDA handbook some of it paraphrased with some of my comments mashed in between.
First things first…We are informed that up to this point your puppy has been with his mother and his littermates in a sterile environment. It’s advised that your puppy’s first week at home should be a quiet one. The puppy should be allowed to explore and meet his new family. You should now start teaching the puppy his name (amazing because, now Stetson knows his name like the back of his paw). When you first arrive home give your puppy a chance to relieve itself in an area you have designated for that purpose (Stetson’s designated spot was in the dirt area on my patio).
Take your puppy out on leash (without his bib on) — GDA puppy’s in training are never allowed to “Get Busy” with their bib/jacket on — and repeat “Get Busy” (Remember this may be the first time your puppy has heard these words). Allow your puppy 10-15 minutes, if he hasn’t relieved, take him inside. Try again in 10 minutes. If the puppy does relieve itself in the proper area, give him lots of praise. Then let him explore the house (remember to supervise – don’t let him out of your sight). Afterwards your may take it inside, but remember to supervise the puppy; do not let it out of your sight. Talk to the puppy when it explores to make it feel more at home.
Puppy’s First Night At Home
If you’ve raised a puppy before then you probably know this is where the real fun begins.
From the GDA handbook:
The first few nights at home may be difficult for both you and your pup. At night the puppy will feel lonely and will probably demonstrate this by whining (Oh, you betcha!). These are a few things that you can do that might make the puppy feel at home.
- Your puppy’s sleeping quarters should be in a small crate. – I had a large crate with a partion and put a blanket over it to make it seem more cozy.
- Keep the crate in a draft free area next to your bed. For approximately the first three weeks, if your puppy cries, take him out, on leash to relieving area. After relieving put him back into his crate. Do not give him any treats or any play time. Put him right back into his crate and he should go back to sleep.
- Give the puppy a stuffed dog toy to snuggle with. – I was told to bring a toy with me to GDA when we met the litter and get each of Stetson’s littermates scent on the toy. Then when it was time to crate Stetson for the first night he could snuggle with the toy and smell his littermate’s scent.
- Under no circumstances take the puppy to bed with you. This will form a very undesirable habit. - trust me…it’s difficult to avoid doing when your puppy is whining all night, but it’s very important to leave him in his crate.
Puppy’s First Feeding
This will be your puppy’s first meal by himself. Once your puppy’s food is prepared, you will start having your puppy sit and wait for his food. Hold your puppy by his collar by slipping your thumb in his collar and set his food about two feet away. As soon as he stops wiggling, say the words “O.K.” and release your puppy. This should be done at every meal throughout training.
My Experiences With My Puppy
At Stetson’s puppy kindergarten I was always reminded that every puppy is different. Even within a breed. There are several people in our group who have raised 10 or more Labrador Retrievers in the Guide Dogs of America program and each one is different.
My experience with Stetson was very difficult in the early days and weeks. I had no problem with Stetson when I first got him home. I already knew about the trials and tribulations with house training and crate training. Puppy’s tend to piddle about every 10 to 20 minutes. You have to watch them like a hawk or they will end up using your house as their personal restroom. Stetson had some accidents here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary.
The agony came in the evening. Stetson did NOT take to the crate! He whined, and howled, and cried, and barked…probably made every noise he could possibly produce, but would not relax and go to sleep. He did sleep once in a while. During those first 4 weeks the most sleep I got was approximately 6 hours, broken up 3 or 4 times a night by whining, howling, barking…you get the picture. I was a wreck and I thought Stetson would never get used to his crate. The only way I was able to get him to sleep was to talk to him for 5-10 minutes, telling him what a “good boy” he was when he wasn’t crying (if he did cry I would just keep silent tell he stopped). To try and quiet him down I’d either say “quiet” or “Shhh”.
I have two words for you – consistent and patient. After about 4 weeks of consistently sticking to my guns, not letting him out of his crate, and praising him when he was quiet Stetson suddenly stopped making noise in his crate. He’d let me sleep through the night and I thought I’d reached bliss.
I’m constantly reminded that I need to be consistent with Stetson’s training and patient. In the long run it pays off. Stetson has not barked, howled, or whined in months. In a matter a fact I can only recall him barking one time in the past 1/2 year (he barked because he was trying to get my attention to go outside). I actually think it’s kind of unusual that he doesn’t bark at all anymore, but it gives me more peace and quiet.
What experiences do you have with your puppy’s first night at home? Was it miserable? Did you get any sleep?
About Colby
I haven’t got my puppy get, but I do tomorrow. I am thankful for this website. My friends told me “I let my dog on the bed, and now she growls if my boyfriend tries to get in too.” So thank you so much
@Laura, thanks for the comment. I’m glad some of the information on our little website is helping you out. Please let me know if there’ anything in particular you’d like to read about.
What kind of puppy are you picking up? Are you a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs of America?
hello, I am thinking of adopting a Miniature Pinscher for my apartment but I was wondering if the puppies dont feel sad because he took them away from their mom, sisters and brothers ?
Yes, i suppose they will, but u might try what colby says; get a toy that will have the scent of ur dog?puppy’s family or littermates.
I am picking up a beagle/doberman mix, and no I am not, but, I am hoping to be within a few years. Thank you for all of your help though, it really is helping.
@Laura, good luck with your beagle/doberman mix. Be prepared for very little sleep your first few nights with your puppy. Stetson used to wake up several times a night when I first brought him home.
Did you get a chance to read this article?
The Scent of the Litter
Basically, I was told to bring a toy with me and rub it against Stetson’s litter mates. When it was bedtime I would put Stetson in his crate with the toy. The scent of the litter on the toy helped Stetson feel more at home when it was time to go to sleep.
Yes, I did read it thanks. We actually were able to take a toy home with us, and she did very well throughout the night. She woke up at 5:30 and started howling. When I pick her up, sometimes she has a tendency to growl, and I am really worried about that. But overall she is a great puppy.
@Laura, sleeping till 5:30 is not too bad. I’m sure she’ll start sleeping in later as she gets used to your home. How did she do this past week?
Guide dogs of America teaches us to try and handle our puppies as much as possible. That includes cradling them and handling their feet, nails, ears, and mouth. I would do this at least three times a day with Stetson when he was very young. At first your puppy will struggle to get out of the cradle position (we put them on their back and between our legs), but over time they become comfortable and will just lie in place. It helps when you have to cut your dogs nails, brush her coat, or brush her teeth. Over time handling your puppy this way may solve the growling problem.
Another possibility is she may have a tender spot on her body that may need to be checked by your veterinarian.
I hope everything is going well with your new puppy.
Hello:) I just rescued a 2 year old chihuahua I’ve had her for 4 days ,she seems to be a really nice dog but when people start playing with her she starts biting them, not so hard but I still don’t like that. She is also not eating the food I got her, and I’m worried now, I am walking her everyday for 30 minutes any tips would be greatly appreciated
@adriana, some dogs are picky eaters you might try some different foods with her. Also, if you think there’s a problem you might want to bring her in for a vet checkup. When my pups bight I’ve used Bitter Apple Spray to try and deter their biting. Most dogs do not like the taste of the spray and eventually stop biting or chewing on people’s hands. Thanks for adopting from a rescue and good luck with your new dog.
I don’t raise guide dogs but we just got a puppy, already having an adult dog, but we’re so new at this. just wanted to thank you for the article. I found it very helpful. We were planning to leave her outside with our older dog, but instead we assigned a kid to keep her by their bed in the crate. She did really well, whining for a little while but then sleeping 6 hours through. Thanks for the tips.
@Josi, I’m glad you found the article helpful. Puppies can be a lot of work I hope everything is going well with your new addition to the family. I saw the picture of your puppy on your blog. He’s adorable! What breed is he?
Crate training is a great way to house train your puppy. It sounds like your puppy is taking to the crate very nicely. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Just an update to let you know Jasmine is doing great, besides still waking up early still. Her growling has stopped and I am handling her everyday around her ears, mouth, etc etc.
Thanks so much
@Laura, I’m glad Jasmine is doing great.
I’ll be raising a new puppy soon too. Just the other day I was asked to raise another Guide Dog puppy. I’m going to write a short post on my blog later today.
Thanks for this thorough description of puppy’s first night / weeks home. We are pondering raising a puppy in training, and at the moment I am looking around for more information and first person experiences before making a decision.
Very helpful!
Karen
@Karen, If you have any questions regarding puppy raising please send me an email at ckmorita at gmail dot com.
It’s a great experience raising a guide dog puppy in training. You get to do all kinds of fun things with your puppy including go to restaurants and movies…I even took Stetson to Disneyland! It’s also very time consuming, but I’d say not much more than raising your own puppy. I’m now raising my second puppy and often write about the things we do together here on my blog.
I listed some of my fellow puppy in training bloggers in this post:
Fellow GDA Bloggers
Again if you have any questions send me an email.
Hi I just got a German Shepard puppy 2 months old, his first day is going well, just a little bit of whinning but that’s to be expected, i appreciate the advice on the first few weeks. I am planning on leaving him outside tonight, hope that he won’t keep the neighbours up too much.
@Tyler, he sounds a little young to stay outside alone. How did he do on his first night?
I keep my puppy’s in the crate next to my bed on their first night at home. It’s usually a fairly traumatic experience for puppies on their first night away from their litter mates.
I hope all is going well with your new German Shepherd puppy. Let me know if you have any questions.
His first night was good he didnt make too much noise and went to sleep after not long at all. The second night however he went to sleep as normal and around 3:30 he started howling and whimpering, so i went outside to find he had started chewing our clothes off the line, i spent the rest of the night outside with him at that point i was too tired to care. I’ve removed all things for him to chew or knock over so hopefully he will try and relax tonight. He seemed alot more calm and relax this afternoon
@Tyler, my last three puppies have been raised indoors and two out of three would whimper, bark, howl for at least the first month even though they were sleeping in the crate right next to my bed. It would take me anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes to calm them down.
The good thing is today all three dogs are content to just sleep in their crate until I let them out in the morning. I’m actually only strict about the crate with the current puppy (5 months old) I’m raising to be a guide dog. The other two usually just sleep on the floor beside my bed.
Yeah i expected as much, he’s getting better every night, which is a good thing. He only started at about 6:00 this morning so yeah im proud of him getting used to his new home so quickly. He’s just goes a little crazy for the first 5-10 mins when we see him, but soon after calms down
@Tyler, I’m glad to hear that your little German Shepherd is doing so well on his first few nights alone.
Let me know if you have any questions and best of luck with his training!
Thank you for your comments and information. I came upon your website at 2:00 in the morning, after trying to get my puppy to calm down and sleep the second night we had him home. The first night he was great, slept in two 4 hour increments and whined when he needed to relieve himself. The second day he had vaccinations and had thrown-up his dinner at about 7:00. From 7:00 till 2:00 am he was a very anxious. He howled and whined, when in his crate, but after using your verbal suggestions to soothe and correct him he fell asleep. Hooray!!! I think tonight will be easier.
@Lisa, how’s your puppy doing? I’m glad my suggestions helped you the other night. All three of my puppies reacted differently during crate training. If you have any other questions please let me know.
Thank you so much for this information! We have a 8 month old puppy we got at 14 weeks old who did not have any problems with crate training. He made absolutely no noise and we always let him out once during the night the first few weeks to avoid accidents. This past weekend we added another puppy to our house except this one is only 8 weeks and did not take to the crate as nicely as the other. This information will definitely help. Thanks!
@Jacquie, good luck with your new puppy. I hope some of the information from the article helps. Let me know if you have any questions. By the way, I’ve been thinking about writing a follow up article with more tips on “Puppy’s First Few Nights At Home”. I’ll probably get something up in the next week. I’ll probably add a link somewhere in the comments on this post, but just in case you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed.
Once again good luck and I hope you’re getting some sleep.
Hi Colby! An article on Puppy’s First Few Nights at Home would be great!
I just brought my puppy home tonight, too, and stumbled across your article at 2:30am. You’re one of the only (if not *the* only) article I’ve seen on the actual logistics of bringing puppy home and crate training. All the other sites advise spending many hours getting the puppy used to the crate first (ie, put treats inside and let the puppy wander in, after a while, close the door for a minute, then for 5, then feed him in there, etc… that would take several days to do!) but it’s not really realistic. Thank you for a realistic view!
The puppy is sleeping at the moment, so I’m going to try to catch up on some zzs myself, but will continue perusing these comments and your site when I wake up!
Thanks again!
Thank you for posting this!! I brought home a 4 month old Siberian Husky from a previous owner that didn’t have time to care for her anymore. The thing is… my husky used to sleep by the bed of the previous owner and I don’t want her upstairs or in my room so I’ve been trying to crate train her. We were making progress for the first few days, but now she absolutely refuses to go in. I think cuz she knows she’ll be holed up all night long. Any advice on how I can get her to like the crate again? Help! I’m scared to leave her out in the open at night even though she is a generally well behaved dog (no barking, minimal chewing…)
@Angela, sorry for the late response…from what I’ve read and experienced you want to make everything involving the crate and your puppy a positive experience. My dogs love food so I used to always feed them in their crate. I give them treats when they go in their crate during the day.
I have some other things that might be helpful that I’m putting into a full article. I should have that up on the website in the next day or two.
Because I want our dog to be a companion for my husband, who works late at night at home, I will be crating her away from the rest of us, with him in his office. She will be alone in her crate for about four hours each night after my husband goes to bed(2pm until 6:30 am when i get up) –except for the first few nights/weeks. I will sleep on the sofa in the office until her bladder can handle the longer stretch. Do you think this is suitable?
@Dana, how is your puppy doing? That sounds like a suitable arrangement to me. However, every puppy is different and she may become lonely on her own. As I mentioned in the article Stetson wasn’t all that happy in his crate even sleeping near my bed.
I’d try the arrangement you mentioned and hopefully all goes well. If you’re having any issues getting your puppy to sleep then check out this article I just posted on tips for crate training puppies. Of course you can always leave a comment here and either Ihttp://puppyintraining.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php#comments-form or one of the other readers will do what we can to resolve any problems.
Best of luck with your new puppy!
ps- she is 9 weeks old.
Thanks!
Hi. Thanks for this site. We are getting a new puppy in a few weeks (flatcoat retriever). Although I taught three babies to sleep through the night, I’ve never trained a puppy. She’ll be 13 weeks. I’ve read that we should leash her to our bed next to a comfy dog bed at first while we get her used to the crate during the day. (The breeder does NOT crate train). But you suggest putting her in the crate from the beginning. I’d be interested in your thoughts as to the benefits of sleeping in the crate from the get-go vs. other methods…. Thanks again.
@Tammy, how exciting! I’d love to see a picture when your puppy arrives. We usually get our puppies at 7-8 weeks. At 13 weeks your puppy will have much better bladder control and hopefully let you sleep through the night. As you mention we always crate train from the beginning. We’ve never tried leashing our puppies to our bed next to a comfy dog bed. My only concern would be that your puppy might choose to sleep on one spot and pee on another. I know this can be a problem if a crate is too large for a puppy – they will sleep on one side and use the other side as the bathroom. If this is not a problem then I don’t think there would be any advantage to crate training from day 1 versus a slower approach as you mention.
If you decide to leash your dog to the bed I’d love to hear the results and how everything goes. By the way, some dogs will take to the crate immediately. My most recent puppy, Derby had almost no problem adjusting to the crate.
Good luck with your new puppy and let me know how everything goes.
allright i am 11 years old and i get my first dog tommorow she is a cockapoo and will be 4 weeks old? maby 7 um my sister is bringing her home from collage she just brought her today her name is nala and i wanna give her a good home cuz she waz 500 bucks and she is adorable and only three pounds she ll only grow to be 10 pounds maximam and my mom does not want her she says if she pees-poops on the floor 1 time shes in the pound so i know u have to train them but i need to no how to fast cuz shes comin tomorrow please just rite some quick tips i dnt know if i should crate train her or what im clueless
please respond fast cuz i really wanna keep this dog pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee thanx you rock
@Molly,
I’ve always crate trained my puppies. There are several articles about crate training on this site. You (and your mother) have to understand that if your puppy is 4 or even 7 weeks old she will most likely have an accident in the house at one time or another. When a puppy is that young she does not have complete control over her bladder yet.
A few hints:
Eventually your puppy will learn that she’s supposed to go potty outside. Some puppies learn quickly while others can take a while.
I guess the key is to try and take your puppy outside to the same spot and try and get her to potty as much as possible.
Best of luck with your new puppy. Let me know how everything goes for you and send some pictures…we love seeing cute little puppy pics.
thanx so much how do you send a pic?
wat about wen i go to school how long can i leave her alone in the crate my mom works till 3 and i get back from school at 4
p.s have a really great easter he has risen
@Molly,
If your puppy is very young you really don’t want to leave her in the crate long at all. The formula I’ve heard is 1 hour plus an hour for however many months old she is. So if your puppy is 2 months old you really don’t want to leave her alone in her crate more than three hours in a row. This is a rough estimate and you may need to shorten up the length of time you leave her alone in the crate. Of course at night your puppy can often times stay in the crate much longer…unless you have a puppy like Stetson who woke up about every two hours and cried, howled, and barked (hopefully yours isn’t like him).
If you want to successfully house train your puppy you don’t want her to have any accidents in her crate.
Since you have school and your mother has work is there anyone who can watch your puppy during the day? or maybe a puppy sitter who could come over a couple times a day and exercise and relieve your puppy. If not one alternative would be to get an X-Pen and put the crate inside of it with some puppy pads. This is not the ideal situation if your trying to teach your puppy to go outside, but it should keep the puppy’s crate clean and give her a place to potty away from her crate.
I have an X-Pen that like this one:
Exercise Pen
I use that X-Pen when I foster puppies.
I think tonight is your first night with your new puppy so hopefully she sleeps well through the night. Good luck!
By the way, you can send pics straight to my email at ckmorita@puppyintraining.com
Hey how can i keep my puppy awake before bed time
You should try keeping a schedule for your puppy. Usually they can be fairly predictable as to when they eat, potty, sleep, etc. I usually try to play with my puppy for about 30-60 minutes before bedtime then make sure to relieve him right before I put him in his crate for the night.
I’ve had Nelson ( a 9 week old Lab) for a week now. He slept the first couple of nights in a dog bed in the kitchen then I moved him into a doggie beanbag bed in the laundry which has outdoor access so he can come and go as he pleases. Having read some of the comments, I’m concerned I’ve put him outside too soon? He does sleep through the night though. The worst night I’ve had is when he woke around 3am (having gone to bed about 9.30pm) and barked and whined for a few minutes then slept til 8am. Is he lulling me into a false sense of security or is he just a well adjusted, happy puppy?? (I’m hoping the latter!!)
hey its me again i just wanted you to know the puppys still not housebrocken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i mean shes adorable and stuff but i dnt feel like cleaning up her crap al the time
@Susan, it sounds like you have a well adjusted puppy. I was lucky with Derby he rarely cried in his crate at night. I was not so lucky with Linus and Stetson who both didn’t allow me to sleep for over a month.
@Molly, when I’m raising a puppy I don’t take my eye off of him/her. Some dogs take longer to figure out house training. Linus didn’t have accidents in the house after he was three months old. Derby had accidents in the house all the way until he was about nine months old. Can you tell me a little more? Do you usually catch her in the act? What do you usually do when you catch her? How often is she having accidents? Are you using a pet cleaning product like Natures Miracle to cleanup accidents? Regular cleaner doesn’t get the smell out completely and puppies will often keep going to the same spot.
i mean we usully watch her but she does it when im doing my homework or somthing member im only11 when i catch her i yell at her but i would never hit her and i grab her and put her outside and scream no lets just say she rarly goes outside no somtimes when its poop i just get it up and when its pee i use like lysol so thats wat im doing and i just dnt know wat else to do she kinda knows how to come and she can sit and shake but she cant go potty
@Molly, usually if you catch her in the act I’d try to startle her by clapping my hands and hopefully get her to stop in the middle. Pick her up and take her to her outside pee/poop spot. As soon as she starts peeing/pooping give her lots of praise to let her know she’s doing the right thing.
Try not to use her name negatively (yelling, telling her no..etc). You definitely want to get a something like nature’s miracle to cleanup the mess when she goes in the house. If you are only using Lysol your dog can probably still smell the urine and will often times think that it’s an appropriate place to pee
If you don’t already have one you should get a kennel. Anytime you’re not watching her she should be in the kennel. If she’s only a few months old you shouldn’t leave her in the kennel more than a couple hours.
Hi – my husband and I have found your blog to be very helpful as we’ve just adopted a 10 week old beagle….so…..freakin’…..cute.
I just want to make sure we’re on the right track…
We are both really good about preventing accidents from happening, taking the pup out frequently…but he has no interest in ever going outside by himself. Is he learning? Does it just “click” one day?
Thanks!
@Alexis, it sounds like you’re doing a great job with your puppy and at 10 weeks puppies sure are adorable. Regarding your question my last three puppies each responded differently to house training. I kept a close eye on all my puppies and did my best to prevent them from having accidents in the house.
Linus my Aussie mix figured it out in about 2 weeks. He was by far the quickest learner and I started letting him wonder the house on his own after his first month at home when he was about 12-14 weeks old (we’re not sure of his exact age because he was rescued from the shelter).
Stetson had accidents in the house until he was about six months old. I also have to control the amount of water Stetson drinks.
Derby had accidents in the house all the way until he was about 10 months old. He’s now 14 months old and I’m pretty sure he’s done having accidents in the house.
Also, they all have a different way of showing me they need to go outside. Linus will sit and wait at the door until I let him out. Stetson will pace back in forth from the door back to me and back to the door. Derby will sniff around the door until I let him out.
Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi,
We just got a new 10 week labrador male. We are crate training. So far so good. The 3rd night he slept all night with the girls sleeping next to him. When we open the door we take him out immediately. He goes and the moment we bring him in the house, he pees and we watch him carefully. No luck. My 10 year old is doing great but exhausted. What do you think about PU House Training Wrappers? Any tips?
Also, the other night, he started to hump the girls. I was surprised since he is so young. He would not stop, so I put him in the crate carefully so he does not think the crate is punishment. We took him out after he calmed down. Any tips or advice?
Also, last night, the little guy got a little agressive with the biting and snapping at me and my 5 year old. I tried to give him a toy hoping it was just teething. He did not respond. So I put him into the crate until he calmed down. He came out calmed down but I do not want to get into the habit of using the crate when ever a problem comes up. I understand the crate is to be used to create a den for the dog. Any tips or advice.
Thank you.
hey its molly we didnt get to keep the dog my mom made us sell her
so thanks for this website though
@Molly, I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope you found her a good home. Raising a puppy is a very difficult task and requires a lot of time and patience. Please let us know if you have any questions in the future.
@Sofia, congratulations on your new dog. The best thing to do is to consult a professional trainer. That being said here are some suggestions from my past experiences:
First, I think you’re saying you take him outside and he pee’s. As soon as you bring him back into the house he pee’s again. My suggestion here is to give him more time outside. Young puppies often don’t have full control of their bladders yet and may not actually know whether or not they’re done peeing. Believe me…I’ve experienced the same problems with some of my puppies in the past.
A puppy as young as 10 weeks old will often need to be brought outside every 10 minutes or so when awake and playing. Even still you have to keep a close eye on him while he’s awake. Always remember to immediately take him outside right after he eats or wakes up. And as our old trainer used to say “Play makes pee”.
I’ve never used the PU Training Wrappers before. I visited their website and it doesn’t seem like the best way to train your puppy. My thoughts are if you allow your dog to just pee anywhere in the house are they actually learning anything whether or not they make a mess? Also, they seem like a messy product and your puppy will get dirty and smelly everytime he pees. The product seems better suited for an elderly dog that’s having trouble controlling his bladder. A puppy on the hand should and will learn over time as long as you remain consistent and persistent with his training.
Regarding the humping. It’s probably a dominance thing and something that puppies will often do. My suggestion is to pull him off by the collar and tell him “No” or “Off”.
You do want to try and avoid putting him in the crate when he’s done something wrong. He will start to think it’s punishment and the crate is a bad place to be. One thing we do when we first get our guide dog puppies is learn to “Belly Up” Basically we put them between our legs belly up and pet their stomach, legs, ears, check teeth, paws, and claws. This something we often use to calm our puppies. Usually you have to work on your belly up because your puppy will not initially be comfortable in this position. If you plan on using this do it in short intervals and don’t release your puppy unless he’s calm. If he’s jerking around wait until he stops before you let him go with an “Ok”
Puppies can get over excited when playing. If he’s playing to rough then stop playing with him…it sounds like that’s what you did. He’ll eventually start to understand that rough play is not allowed. By the way, diverting his teething in nipping with a toy as you mentioned is also a good way to divert his attention.
I hope these suggestions help a little bit. Good luck with your new puppy. The puppy years are definitely a difficult time. Always try to remember the keys to puppy raising: Persistent, Consistent, Insistent, and Patience.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thank you Colby. Very helpful advice regarding rubbing his belly. He does love it!
Willy is getting his second set of shots on Wednesday. Do you think he can go on a 1 day camping trip by Saturday? We’re concerned about fleas and ticks and we’re told that a kennel is not an option when he’s so young.
As soon as he has his shots we’re going to take him out. He’s going to be with us constantly. What kind of collar do you recommend when a pup is training?
@Sofia, once again I’d consult your veterinarian and dog trainer before taking your puppy on a camping trip
From what I’ve heard your puppy is okay to go out after his rabies vaccination (I think that’s around 16 weeks). You can check with your vet and see if your puppy is old enough for flea and tick medication (I think the minimum age is around 12 weeks).
As a guide dog puppy raiser we take our puppies everywhere starting from 7 weeks of age. However, we are very careful with where we allow our puppies to walk around and what dogs they can interact with. If your puppy is still very young then his immune system is not fully developed and he is much more susceptible to disease. If you take him camping with you then be very careful with him especially if there are other dogs around.
By the way, if you want to read a very good article on the differing points of view on early socialization then take a look a this article from the APDT: Selling Early Socialization
I’m happy to hear that you plan on taking him everywhere. it’s very important to socialize him at an early age. I’d stick with just a nylon flat collar until he’s at least 5 months old. Be careful if he’s pulling a lot because it does put a strain on his trachea. After 5 months if you’re interested in a different collar for training I’d consult a dog trainer.
I hope that helps and have fun on your camping trip.
Oh my thank you so much for your awesome info here at this site!
I just bought a toy poodle ( 7 weeks old ), and boy does it cry like mad when I leave him. Even with the toy, little couch, etc it just didn’t stop. I closed the door (kept him in laundry room downstairs), turned off the lights (around 9:30pm) and it stopped crying. Then in the middle of the night, it started crying again! Luckily its just stopped 10 minutes ago. I sure hope this will only be 1 night – I heard if you place a clock (with the tick tick sound) apparently it makes the puppy think its her mother’s heartbeat or something, is this true?
The problem I find is how do I make her go do her stuff on the designated newspaper areas? I tried the toilet-attractant liquid, but it still seems to wee everywhere. (I’ll def take him potty training soon!)
@Connor, congratulations on your new puppy. A puppy can definitely be a handful. Take a look at this article Crate Training Puppies. There are several tips that you might find helpful with your puppy’s training even if you’re not using a crate.
If you read through my articles then you’ll know that from my experience I’ve had two puppy’s who cried for 4+ weeks and didn’t allow me to sleep for more than 2 consecutive hour. Derby, my most recent puppy had very few problems sleeping through the night. So, I guess it just depends. Hopefully your toy poodle gets used to his surroundings and eventually stops crying. The clock with the ticking sounds like a good idea (though I have never tried it) and is something I would try to help soothe your puppy.
Regarding potty training: At 7 weeks of age your puppy probably doesn’t have full bladder control so even he may not know exactly when he has to pee. I crate train all my puppies rather than newspaper train, but I imagine the idea is similar. When my puppy is awake I take him outside to pee approximately every 10-20 minute. I take him outside right after he wakes up and after every meal. I also control the amount of water they drink before it’s time to go to bed. If you’re newspaper training then take your puppy to the newspaper to pee instead of outside.
Be patient with your puppy. Every time he pee’s on the newspaper give him lots of praise and eventually he’ll understand that he supposed to go there rather than on the carpet..etc. If you catch your puppy in the act of peeing in the wrong spot I usually clap my hands and say “No” then take him to his pee spot and give him lots of praise if he begins peeing at his designated spot.
Puppies vary a lot. My Australian Shepherd mix had very few accidents and was fully potty trained by the time he was about 12 weeks old. My two Labs continued to have minor accidents in the house all the way up until they were 10 months old.
Anytime your puppy has an accident in the house remember my favorite Puppy Training Tip.
I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions.
i realy like the tips
i just my puppy yesterday hes a shih tzu and . hes only 4 weeks old..
i have him sleeping next to me at night .. but then he starts crying and then i dont get enough sleep. Sometimes i feel so bad since he dont live with his mother no more .. but what should i do when he start crying?
Also What kind of food should he eat or what should he drink ?/
I give him milk awith a little bit of water in a bottle .. is that a good for him ??
Pleaseee Help meee!
@Jenny, Congratulations on your new puppy. The first thing I would do is have him checked by a veterinarian to make sure he doesn’t have any medical issues. I’d also get advice from your vet on what you should feed him. Also, if your puppy is fine medically and you continue to have problems I’d try consulting a local professional dog trainer.
I don’t have a lot of experience with puppies under 7 weeks. From what I understand it’s not a good idea to take a puppy away from it’s mother and litter mates before the 7 weeks.
However, we did foster German Shepherd puppies that were only 4 weeks old. We were instructed to feed them regular puppy kibble with a little bit of warm water to moisten the food. At about 8 weeks the puppies were fine eating regular puppy kibble. These puppies normally cried when they needed to go out or when they were hungry.
It can be a while before your puppy stops crying. My puppy Stetson cried every time he went to bed from the time I brought him home at about 7 weeks until he was about 12 weeks old. The thing that worked best for me was to praise him by saying “good boy” in a very happy tone whenever he was being quiet. Over time he got used to the fact that he was going to have to spend time alone.
As I’ve mentioned it can take a while for your puppy to get adjusted. I’ve heard of puppies crying every night for 2+ months. However, you can also end up with a puppy like my last one, Derby. He never had an issue going to sleep on his own at night.
Regarding what you should do with your puppy if he’s crying: If you know he’s not crying because it’s meal time, he has to go potty, or any medical issue then you should try waiting until he stops crying and give him praise anytime he’s behaving by not crying.
Best of luck with your new puppy.
our 1 year old shih-tzu ran away last night. We’ve only had him for 1 week. My sister was trying to let him out to potty and he bolted before she could hook him to the leash. We have distributed flyers, checked with neighbors, checked with animal control. Any advice? We really love him and want him back!
@Anita, I’m sorry to hear about your shih-tzu hopefully he finds his way home. I’d keep looking and checking with animal control. Also, one other thing I thought about was perhaps create a listing on Craigslist.com. I read somewhere that they get over 20 billion page views a month and I’m pretty sure a lost and found advertisement is free.
Me and my Wife just picked up our new puppy ealier than we thought, because the mom was starting to attack the pups, Our Pitbull puppy “Beefy” is only 5 weeks and a few days old. He crys whenever we put him down, and night time, as I know, is the funnest part. But he wont give in. He actually cried for 45 minutes earlier. Hes in a 30″ Cage, with a blanket over it and a pillow and one of my articles of clothing in it as well. I was wondering if you would have any advice as to how to get him to calm down, so he will actually go to sleep. Thank you
@Beefy, I had similar trouble with both Stetson and Linus. The 30″ crate might be too large for your puppy. The crate should be just big enough for Beefy to stand up and turn around. If it’s too large he may go to the bathroom on one side and sleep on the other. A smaller, more cozy environment also might help him sleep better.
I have a few suggestions that might help, but unfortunately none of these suggestions helped me when I was working with Stetson and Linus (except for the very last one). It took time, consistency, and patience. It was about 4-5 weeks before my dogs were comfortable in their crate. I’ve had other friends whose dogs have taken 8+ weeks before they were comfortable in their crate. On the flip side my last puppy, Derby only took a couple nights before he was sleeping through the night. Anyhow, here are a few suggestions:
1. Try playing with him to tire him out right before bedtime.
2. If the crates not near your bed, try putting it near your bed where he can see you.
3. Try sleeping on the floor next to the crate.
4. Feed him all his meals in his crate.
5. During the day when he falls asleep outside his crate try moving him into his crate. You can try this with the door open or closed.
6. If he’s in his crate and not crying give him lots of praise.
7. I’ve heard of heated toys and heart beat toys that simulate littermates. You might try purchasing one of those toys for your puppy:
Pet Stages Warming Soother
Petstages Heartbeat Pillow
8. The one that worked for me and Stetson – I was a wreck and I thought Stetson would never get used to his crate. The only way I was able to get him to sleep was to talk to him for 5-10 minutes, telling him what a “good boy” he was when he wasn’t crying (if he did cry I would just keep silent tell he stopped). To try and quiet him down I’d either say “quiet” or “Shhh”.
I tried all of those suggestions except for the two dog toys I mentioned in item 7. However, next time I have a crying puppy I will definitely try the heartbeat and heated dog toys.
I hope this helps and best of luck with your puppy.
I just picked up my new puppy yesturday and his first night was a bit rough i was up four times throughout the night as he doesnt like to be left by himself so i sit there till he falls asleep, is there any other things i can do to help him sleep a little better through the night? We also have another dog that is about 10months old and wont leave the puppy alone, he tends to try sit on him and claw at him alot, and of course the pup gets really scared is there anything i can do to make it easier for them to get along?
@Ellie, congratulations on your new puppy!
The first few nights can be rough or as in our case with Stetson the first month. Did you get a chance to see the suggestions in the comment directly above yours? If not take a look…also, I wrote another post on getting puppies used to their crate: Crate Training Puppies. Hopefully those suggestions help.
If your other puppy is scared of your older dog, I’d try to keep your older dog on leash when the two interact together that way you can control his behavior. Also, I would never leave the two together to play unsupervised until your puppy is a little older. After all your other dog is only 10 months and still a puppy himself and may not realize his own size yet. You don’t want to end up with any accidental injuries.
Good luck with your new puppy and hopefully he starts sleeping better at night.
.-= Colby´s last blog ..Search And Rescue Dog Training Demonstration =-.
I may be adopting a 6wk old lab mix tomorrow. I have a bloodhound i’ve raised since 12 wks who will be 2 in april so I definitely understand the whining at night. (plus the fact that she doesn’t know how to bark. she bays as loud as she can when she’s upset) But for the most part if I kept her kennel covered she did great. I’m a paramedic so sleeping through the night is optional haha. But i’m excited about the possible new addition and this article has helped. Thanks
@Elizabeth, did you end up getting the six week old lab mix? The whining at night is not too fun. We tried covering the kennel with both Linus, Stetson, and Derby. Two out of three of my puppies were able to grab the blanket and use it as a chew toy. So if anyone plans on covering their kennel be careful that your pup doesn’t grab the blanket.
I hope you’re having fun with your new puppy. When you have a moment let us know how you and your puppy are doing.
Hi Colby! Thank you so much for your website! It’s so helpful to be able to go to one website that has positive tips for fully enjoying our puppies! I am picking up my 6 wk old black lab puppy on Wednesday. I have been blessed in that I have been able to bond and play with her over the last week so I will be familiar to her when she gets to come home! I actually have two questions I hope that you can help me with…
My first question is how to introduce Ellie to our current dog. Our other dog, Betsy, is an 11 yr. old Border Collie mix that we rescued when she was young. She is a super sweet girl but wasn’t properly socialized before we rescued her and so it has been a struggle for us to try and reverse her tendency toward dog-aggression. Do you have any ideas for how to make the introduction of Ellie as smooth as possible?
And my other question is that I plan on crate training Ellie from the start, but am new to the whole process. Do you have a quick crash course on what I need to do/not do to make her transition to a crate as smooth as possible! I’ve read through your previous posts and they have been so helpful, but as I said, I am pretty much starting from ground zero in terms of my knowledge of how to crate train.
Again, thank you so much for this website and for reading through my ramblings! Any ideas or tips would be hugely appreciated! I am so excited to bring that little bundle of sunshine into our home!
@Chelsea, Sorry for the late response. I’ve been trying to get my taxes done this week. Congratulations on your new puppy. I hope your first day and night with him went well. Labrador Retrievers are our favorite. Stetson is a black lab and we picked him up when he was 7 weeks old.
I’m guessing you already made introductions with Betsy and your new puppy. Unfortunately, I’m by far not an expert with aggressive dogs. If you’re having difficulty with Betsy being aggressive with your puppy I’d
immediately bring a professional trainer into your house. A professional trainer can observe the interaction between your new puppy and Betsy and find the best way to handle the situation.
If you haven’t already made introductions a few things I’ve heard from others are:
1. Don’t make first introductions at home. Introduce your dogs at a neutral area.
2. Try first leaving your puppy in his kennel and allow Betsy to approach the kennel at her own pace. You can monitor her reaction to see if she’s receptive to the puppy.
3. When you let your puppy out of the kennel make sure Betsy has plenty of room to get away from the puppy if she wants to.
4. You might want to make introductions with both dogs on leash that way you can control their behavior.
As I mentioned I’m really the wrong person to talk to about aggressive dog behavior. I’d highly recommend bringing in an trainer who specializes in aggressive dogs if your having problems.
However, I do know a decent bit about crate training. Here are a couple articles I wrote on crate training:
http://puppyintraining.com/crate-train-your-puppy-in-5-easy-steps/
http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
If you have specific questions about crate training then please let us know.
I am so thankful for your article. Its 10:30 pm here and I was laying down listening to my new soft coated wheaten terrier cry and whine in her crate. So I grabed my phone and searched for a solution and this article popped up. I read it and got up and brought her crate into my room and next to my bed and after about 2 minutes she’s sound asleep. I guess she just didn’t want to be alone in the room. Thank you so much. Tonight is her first night in the crate. I’m worried about her soiling it. Its about twice her size but I bought the size I thought would be appropriate for her adult size but it doesn’t have a divider to make the space smaller. I don’t know what I should do?
@Selina, I hope you and your wheaten terrier are doing well.
If you can’t get access to a smaller crate I would try putting something inside the crate to make it smaller. A large pillow might work. However, one problem you may have with a pillow is your puppy might start chewing on it.
If you’re handy you might try building a little blockade out of wood.
You might try phoning all your friends with both cats and dogs. One of them may have a crate that you can borrow until your puppy is large enough for your big crate.
Hopefully all is going well with your crate training.
.-= Colby´s last blog ..Is My Dog Trying To Manipulate Me? =-.
Sorry it’s taken me so long to write back! Having a puppy this young is quite a bit like having a newborn baby! Lol!
Thankfully the introduction went really well with Ellie and Betsy. Betsy still isn’t thrilled by the whole idea of another dog, but she is tolerating it and Ellie has learned that she’s not much fun to play with so tends to leave Betsy alone. And those links you sent me were so helpful! Thanks so much!! Ellie is starting to really like being in her crate. She’s not to the point that she’ll walk into it on her own, but once we give her the “kennel up” command and put her in there, she will whine for 1-2 min. tops now before she quiets down!
If you don’t mind me asking you another question, how can we go about working with her to stop play biting and nipping. I have a chronic pain disorder, so her play bites are incredibly painful. I know that at this time she doesn’t completely understand that she is doing anything wrong, but while she’s still young I want to teach her that that is not an acceptable behavior. I’ve done some research and have tried holding her muzzle (fairly gently, not to hurt her) when she bites and using the words, “no bite” (she then thinks it’s a game to try and bite me as soon as I take my hand off); have tried the get up and leave the room technique (she just preoccupies herself with something else); and have tried to do the push her over like her mom would do to show her I’m the alpha (she just tries to bite me from her back or side). Do you know of any suggestions to try? Again, I know she’s not doing it out of viciousness or meanness, but don’t want to confuse her by the inconsistent, differing disciplines.
Thanks so much Colby!
.-= Chelsea´s last blog ..I’m Letting Go….. =-.
Thanks so much for this article. My girlfriend recently brought home a 5 week old puppy and a large box. The first night was horrible. The dog was screaming and crying nonstop. The second day we went out to her dad’s and got a small crate from him. That night I prepared the crate with a warm blanket and a stuffed toy for him. He slept almost the entire night without making as much as a peep. When he did I took him out, and the rest of the night we were able to sleep. A complete night and day difference. If I leave the crate open and he’s on the floor, he sometimes just gets in it and sleeps himself. Thanks for the advice.
.-= Dre´s last blog ..- Tusken Aspirations 2 - =-.
@Chelsea, I saw pictures of Ellie on your blog. She’s adorable and reminds me of my black lab Stetson when he was a puppy.
I’m glad Ellie and Betsy are getting along. I’d have to agree that taking care of a puppy is a lot of work. I’m also happy to hear that Ellie is getting used to her crate. It makes life a lot easier when your puppy enjoys being in his or her crate.
As usual with any training issues I’d recommend you consult a local trainer to observe your puppies behavior first hand. That being said…
Labrador Retrievers are very mouthy dogs. I know the feeling because when they are very young their teeth are like little daggers. I can’t remember how old Ellie is, but her baby teeth should start falling out around 4 months. Here’s what I’ve done with my puppies and their play biting/nipping.
First of all you have to realize that they are going to put their mouth (a puppies mouth is similar to our hands that’s what they use to explore the environment) on you when you’re playing so I always try to carry around something for my puppies to chew on like a nylabone. If they start biting my hand I slowly replace my hand with the nylabone for them to chew on. Usually when I pull my hand away quickly they think it’s a game and also it seems like they’re teeth end up scratching my hand. The idea is to get them to understand what is appropriate to chew on (the nylabone) and what is inappropriate (your hand).
By the way, it sounds like getting up and leaving the room is working okay for you. It’s okay if Ellie preoccupies herself with other activities when you leave as long as it’s something appropriate.
Anyhow, the biting and nipping usually goes away when your puppy loses her baby teeth and gets her adult teeth. If you’re still having problems after she has her adult teeth then I’d be concerned.
Good luck with your puppy! I hope you’re having fun with her!
I can’t really say I agree with everything written here. I trained a puppy for “The Seeing Eye” organization and it seems like the rules are a little different…
“For approximately the first three weeks, if your puppy cries, take him out, on leash to relieving area. After relieving put him back into his crate. Do not give him any treats or any play time. Put him right back into his crate and he should go back to sleep.”
I see at least three things wrong with this. First, although it is understandable that a puppy whines when it needs to potty, to only bring him out when he whines would be teaching him to be a noisy whiner. Second, if you only bring him out when he whines and put him right back in his crate without playtime, you are going to have at least a dozen ‘false alarms’ where the puppy just wants attention from you. Just like with children, if they can’t get adequate attention everyday, they’re going to start acting out to at least get attention that way. And finally, to do this for three weeks is just too much.
I can see why you had significant whining during the night for weeks on end. The only attention the puppy got was when you were trying to get it to go to sleep.
When I had my puppy, I slept next to her the first two nights and she only let out the slightest sound. After that I slept in my room with the puppy in the kitchen. The first time there was a lot of whining, the second, half as much, and the third day she was completely silent until she heard us moving around the house. A week later, the most you’d hear in the morning was the noisy clicking of her nails on the plastic bottom of her crate as she tried to hold it in.
@Fuzzy, thanks for visiting our site and leaving such a detailed comment.
I agree with what you’ve said in your comment and the quote you took from the article is actually taken directly from the GDA manual I received before starting Stetson’s puppy training.
Now that I’ve re-read the quote and your explanation the quote from my article is a little confusing and probably needs a rewrite. Lets go through your three points:
1. “to only bring him out when he whines would be teaching him to be a noisy whiner” – I actually never let my puppy out of the kennel when he whines. If he wakes up in the middle of the night and starts whining I wait till he stops for 5-10 seconds and then let him out of his kennel to go potty.
2. “…if you only bring him out when he whines and put him right back in his crate without playtime, you are going to have at least a dozen ‘false alarms’ where the puppy just wants attention from you” – As I mentioned earlier I never take my puppy out of his kennel until he’s quiet. Actually I will have to disagree with you on this one. If I let my puppy out in the middle of the night while I’m sleeping I take him directly back to his kennel after he’s done his business. However, I work on crate training during the day too. During the day I will let my puppy out of his kennel when he’s being quiet, take him out to piddle, and sometimes play with him afterwards.
3. “And finally, to do this for three weeks is just too much” – I could be wrong on this, but I think the suggestion to allow your puppy to be taken out in the middle of the night during the first 3 weeks is because during that time period (from 7-10 weeks of age) most puppies do not have full bladder control and sometimes cannot always hold it through the night. (I’ll check with our trainers on this to confirm)
I’m actually going to check in with our GDA group leader to see if this section of the manual needs to be re-written. The manual probably made more sense to me because I had already crate trained 4 puppies before Stetson (my GDA puppy in training). Out of those 4 only 1 other puppy took more than a couple days to get used to his crate.
My last GDA puppy in training whimpered a couple times his first night and had no issues after that.
I hope that makes more sense and if not please let me know.
Hi, I just got a new puppy, he is a 3 month old maltese/yorkie mix. Last night was his first night home and he got to a rough start. He was fine walking into his crate and playing with his toys in there, but once I closed the door, he started to whine and cry. I’ve read conflicting advice on what to do. Some forums say to ignore him until he stops, while others say to talk to him in a nice tone so that he will calm down. I’m afraid he has separation anxiety already because I have the crate in my room, about 2ft. away from the foot of my bed. He can definitely see me from it. He was ok when I sat next to the crate but as soon as I got up to my bed, he whined and cried. I’m not sure what to do. He doesn’t hate his crate; it seems like he just wants me to constantly be by his side. I’m not sure what to do to make tonight a better night. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!
@LoAn, Congratulations on your new puppy. I hope you’re second night with your puppy went better than the first. In the past
When my puppy, Stetson was crying, barking, howling non stop I’d either say “quiet” or “Shhh” to try and get him to stop. When he stopped crying I’d give him tons of praise. In the case with Stetson I’d continue to praise him while he was quiet.
I’ve crate trained several puppies over the past few years and each one is different. Some were fine with the crate on their first night, others took several days, and a couple took weeks. It sounds like you’re on the right track. Hopefully you’re puppy gets used to his crate in the next couple days.
Good luck with your new puppy.
Thanks for getting back to me! He’s been getting better sleeping at night. He’ll usually whine for a little bit when I get in bed but after I shush him for a bit, he’ll quiet down and go to sleep. I think he’s getting the idea that his crate is where he sleeps because I put him in there when he naps too and he seems ok with it. But I’m trying both to ignore him and shushing him when he whines in the crate. Is that confusing to him? I don’t know if it’s best to ignore or shush. When I ignore him, I’ll wait until he settles down a bit, then I’ll let him out. But I shush him when he has to stay in his crate and I can’t let him out. Thanks!
@LoAn, I’m glad to hear that things are going better with your puppy. It sounds like your puppy is understanding both ignoring him and the “shush” The key is you do not want to give him positive reinforcement for bad behavior such as petting him when he is barking or letting him out of his crate when he’s whining.
Hi Colby. This is my first night with my 8 week old Morkie. He has not eaten since 9am and it is now 10pm. He has had a few sips of water and has peed 3 times (inside!). He just won’t eat. Not even out of my hand. I’m concerned b/c I’ve read about hypoglocemia in small breed puppies. Should I be concerned? He doesn’t go to the vet till Monday afteroon.
The crate is going well. He slept alot during the day and is sleeping peacefully in it now. I locked him in while I showered and before I was done, he awakend and cried, barked, howled, etc… I finished my shower and let him out when he was calm a few seconds. I didn’t pet him or anything…just stayed quiet while he walked out. I’ll keep using the advice you’ve given and hopefully he’ll be fine in a week or so. I don’t work so we can get alot of practice. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.
@Trina, sorry for the late response. Hopefully by now you’ve had a chance to see the veterinarian.
I had a similar situation when we rescued Linus from the Animal Shelter. He was infested with fleas, very lethargic, and wasn’t eating much either. We got Linus in to the vets office the day after we picked him up and found out he had worms, a stomach infection, and was anemic from all the flea bites. The vet gave Linus some meds and he started feeling better over the next few days.
Unfortunately I’m not a vet so I really wouldn’t know too much about medical conditions, but I think if you feel something is wrong then it’s a good idea to get your puppy to the veterinarians office as soon as possible.
Good luck raising your puppy and hopefully he’s feeling better now.
When I rescued my dog, I remember her first night home — so much so that the next day I couldn’t find her! I thought she ran away since she was an abandoned stray, but it turns out she was burrowed underneath the clothes in my laundry bin! lol
Hey I just found this site after having trouble with my new lab/rot puppy. When I put him in the crate to go to sleep she whines and yelps and ect. I put her on my bed BEFORE I read this and she is perfect. Why is this wrong? What do I do now that she is peacefully sleeping?
@Anthony, if you’re crate training your puppy then you have to let her get used to her crate when it’s time for bed. If you let her out of her crate when she’s whining and let her into bed then she’s learning that if I whine and yelp in my crate then I get to sleep in bed.
The goal is to give your puppy positive reinforcement when she’s being good. Therefore you only want to let your puppy out of her crate when she’s being quiet.
By the way, another issue you may have letting your puppy sleep in bed is she may have a potty accident in your bed.
I just got my 9 week old German Sheperd puppy. She is so beautiful and very active. However i work way to much, i leave around 6 am and return at 7-730pm. I have to leave her outside with some food, water and shade but i feel like i am neglecting her. When i return from home i play with her and taker her out for walks. I’m afraid that if shes lonely it may cause stress and get her sick. I may have to leaver her inside a secured area so that she is cool during the day rather than having her out for so long. I may be able to bring her in to work a few times but it wont be easy. Any recommendations? Thanks
@Cris congratulations on your new puppy! A few things you might think about trying are:
1. Get a family member to take care of (play with) your puppy during the day (or parts of the day)
2. Get a puppy sitter to watch your dog during the day.
3. Take your dog to a doggy daycare.
German Shepherds are smart dogs and need to be stimulated and exercised. I would definitely try to get her more attention possibly with one of the suggestions I mention above.
THANK YOU for your blog! We’re having trouble crate training our 8 week old goldendoodle pup that my husband got for my birthday yesterday. Last night I ended up sleeping with him on the couch, he slept in his dog bed and woke me up when he needed to go outside. Very good boy.
We’re working on acquainting him with the crate more today and tiring him out. Will let you know how tonight goes but we’re anticipating lots of barking, crying, whine… the full monty. I think we’ll likely use a noise machine that has a heart beat for him. Anything extra.
More to report tomorrow, but thanks SO MUCH for your post. It was extremely needed.
Hi. This will be the second time I seek your advise. My soft coated wheaten is now about 6 months old. 2 days ago we got a 9 week old mini Schnauzer. What are your feelings about sharing crates? The crate I have is plenty big enough for both of them or should I get my Schnauzer his own crate?
@Liz, I hope all is going well with your new puppy. Did he notice fireworks on the Fourth of July? We’ll be in the same boat in a few days as we will be raising a 7 week old yellow Labrador Retriever starting this Friday. I hope your puppy and my puppy both sleep through the night
@Selina, I hope all is going well with your soft coat wheaten and your new mini schnauzer. I would recommend getting a separate crate for your new puppy and make sure you get the correct size. If the crate is too large then your puppy might use one side for sleep and the other side as his bathroom. I usually like the wire crates with the metal divider. This is the one I use: Folding Metal Dog Crate
. My parents use a smaller version of this same kennel for their Cairn Terrier. As I mentioned I like this crate because it will adjust depending on the size of your dog.
Happy to say little pup did NOT really notice the fireworks/ wasn’t too bothered by them at least.
The first night actually went fantastically! He whimpered a lot but talking to him calmed him down. We used the heart beat from a homemedics sound machine, which seemed to work well also. Second night went just as well with even less whimpering.
Do you have any advice on crate training during the day? I start work tomorrow (we just moved) and have had him for 3 days now… and did a trial run in the crate saying “kennel up!” then putting him in there and just leaving. He whimpered my entire walk out to the car and when I had come back he had escaped. Good work, Oscar! Luckily he was just sleeping soundly on the floor outside and didn’t have any accidents in the house. I’m just nervous for the day when we have to leave him for 3-4 hours… just don’t want the neighbors to hate us!
Last question: have you found any luck for picky eaters/ disinterested eaters. He ate an AWESOME lunch yesterday but isn’t eating close to the 2c he’s supposed to be eating. We’re lucky if we get him to eat 1/2 a cup all day. He’s a little over 8 weeks and only 6.1 lbs. A long ways away to 70 lbs!
Good luck with your new lab!
they’re so great!
@Liz, I’m glad to hear that things are going well with your new puppy.
3-4 hours is a long time for a young puppy to stay in his crate. Here are a few things I’ve tried:
1. Getting a friend or puppy sitter to watch my puppy during the day for a little while.
2. Try leaving your puppy in his kennel while you’re at home. Praise him when he’s being quiet.
3. Try leaving your puppy in his kennel while you’re at home, but in a separate room so he thinks you’re not home. Once he calms down and is quiet praise him.
We add a little bit of warm water to our puppy’s kibble and let it sit for a couple minutes. This moistens the food and they seem to like it a little better.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your pup!
Hi!
I just found this website today. We picked up our 8 week old Cavalier King Charles puppy Sydney yesterday. All in all, it was a good day we let her explore and got her used to a small crate. At bedtime, we played, took her outside and she went into her crate happily and fell asleep. Unfortunately, she was in our son’s room and he didn’t hear her wimper and she wet the pad in her crate. We changed it and took her outside anyway and moved the crate to our room. She was up and down all night. I hate to say it, but I did bring her into bed with me…I promise I won’t do it again! My concern is this – how do I determine when her wimper is to go outside, or just loneliness? I’ll keep the crate i our room and listen for her, but how do I figure this out? Or is it better to leave her in a gated off area in the kitchen with puppy pads away from her crate, so she can relieve herself whenever she needs to?
Thanks for any help, I appreciate it! She is so adorable and I realize it will take some time to train her, but I want to do what’s best for her!
Susan
@Susan, this is very good timing as I just started raising my third guide dog puppy.
Telling the difference whether a puppy is whimpering out of loneliness or to go outside can be difficult so here’s what I usually do. If my puppy starts whimpering in his kennel I take him outside and allow him to relieve in his area. I don’t play with him at all and immediately bring him back into his kennel. If he begins whimpering again then he’s probably doing it out of loneliness.
I crate train all my puppies so I really don’t have too much insight into puppy pad training, but it’s definitely an option. I know they usually add a scent to the pads that makes puppies prefer peeing on the pads over the regular floor.
Hopefully this helps a little. Best of luck with your new puppy!
Thank you for your reply! We’ve had our puppy for 4 nights now and things are definitely better! Shes been waking up only once or twice and I do as you suggested, take her out to relieve herself and then put her back in her kennel. I can now tell if she’s lonely or not, so thank you. We did not get puppy pads, and will keep crate training her. May I ask how long it may take for a young puppy of 8 weeks to get the idea that she has to do all her elimination in one place only? I realize it may take some weeks, but I’m curious if it will take longer since she’s so young.
Thank you and good luck with your puppu too!
Susan
@Susan, I brought Dublin home 3 weeks ago and he’s now 10 weeks old. He has understood where his elimination place is probably since his second week (when he was about 8 1/2 weeks old). However, that doesn’t always mean he makes out to his spot. Puppies have small bladders and sometimes just can’t hold it. I believe as long as you’re consistent, persistent, and patient with your puppy it won’t take long for him to understand.
Remember every puppy is different so it could take yours longer or shorter to figure out his elimination place.
By the way, I raised one puppy that had accidents at 6 months of age. Another puppy I raised didn’t have an accident after his first 2 weeks home (he was only about 10 weeks old).
Good luck with your puppy! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hello Colby!
I was googling some sites for helping puppy’s first night go smoother!
I crate trained my 2 and 1/2 yr old Basset puppy when we got her, and she did so well. She did have to be near our bed, but she responded very well.
Tomorrow we are adding a Saint Bernard puppy (8 weeks old) to our family, and for some reason, tonight I am feeling a bit anxious about the whole crate training at night experience all over again!
Your site is a great blog to read, and scan other people’s concerns and questions.
I am hoping that not only does my puppy Thor let me get a few hours sleep, but so does my VERY nosey Basset!!!!!
Thank you for the read, I may have to come back and get some advice as the nights go on!!!!
@Tara, congratulations on your new puppy. I hope your crate training experience is going well. We’ve definitely had our share of tough crate training assignments. If you have any questions please let us know.
I’m getting my new puppy soon , in about a week or so And i am completely new at this so i was wondering if you had any tips on first nite for crate training . please and Thank You
@Snuggie, congratulations on your new puppy. Here are some articles I wrote on Crate Training:
I listed a bunch of helpful hints if your puppy is having difficulty sleeping in his crate: Crate Training Puppies
Crate Training In 5 Easy Steps
Good luck with your puppy’s first night at home.
Hi
I will pick up my Lab Puppy in a few weeks time and re. the Crate Training one question. Should i put some paper down in the Crate and close the door, i.e. in theory if they need to toilet they will go on the paper? or do you deliberatley not put paper in the Crate?
Thanks
Kate x
@Kate I would not recommend putting paper down in your crate. You don’t want your puppy to toilet in the crate. Your puppy’s natural instinct is not to soil in the same place he sleeps this is why crate training is a great way to also house break your puppy. If you need more information on crate training and puppies the first book I used when I first picked up Linus (my Australian Shepherd rescue puppy): Puppies For Dummies (affiliate link) is a great book and I still use it today as a reference guide.
Hi,
I am getting a puppy in two weeks and he will be 7 weeks by that time. I have a question, I have been reading a lot about when puppies should be released and there are sites that say 7 weeks is too early and can damage the puppy’s behavior and such. On the contrary, there are sites that say 7-9 weeks is ok, so I want to know which is the right approach to this subject. Also, I wanted to know whether a blanket instead of a toy can also be rubbed on the littermates, and can that also be done if the pup’s mother is present? Finally I have a very important question, I have been wondering about taking the dog out. I live in an apartment, and I thought it should be ok to take him to the park; however, I have read that it is dangerous for the puppy because the pup would lack the distemper shot at that time. Could you tell me what are your views on the subject? I really finf the information you posted very useful.
Thanks
@Sue sorry for the late response. Congratulations on your new puppy!
We receive our puppies from Guide Dogs of America (GDA) at 7-8 weeks of age. Its my understanding that GDA releases puppies at this age because it is a very good time for the puppy to create a strong bond with the human (you).
A blanket will work fine for rubbing on the littermates. In fact, we actually did both when we brought home Dublin. Here’s a video of us when we brought home Dublin: Puppy Training Video.
When we pickup our guide dog puppies the mothers are never present. However, I don’t see it being a problem to rub your blanket on the littermates with the mother present.
Be very careful where you take your puppy when you first get him home. When you take your puppy home his immune system is not fully developed. I would definitely stay away from the park and anywhere where there might be stray dogs or dogs you don’t know. We are very careful with our puppies until they receive their rabies shots at about 16 weeks of age (I usually carry my puppy most places unless we’re inside our own backyard). In fact, I believe our program is becoming even stricter with this policy as we recently had a puppy catch and pass away from Parvo.
Good luck with your new puppy!
Hello! I am so glad that I found your website, there is alot of useful information here. I just brought home a 15 week old King Charles Cavalier female puppy and she wont eat or drink anything I try to give her ( Only water and the dog food the breeder gave me that she uses ). Is it the new environment the dog is in? She seems like she is scared here. We are treating her like a little queen, how long does this last for? Thank you!! Nicki and Lexi ( my puppy!!)
@Nicki, a new environment can be very stressful for a puppy. Hopefully she’s doing better with you now that a few days have passed. If you haven’t already I’d take her to your veterinarian for a check up. I’d also get in touch with a local dog trainer and perhaps sign her up for a group puppy class. This will help with socialization and you can work on building her confidence. Also, if you want some good information about puppies I’d read Puppies For Dummies (aff. link). That’s first book I read years ago and it is still a book I reference from time to time. Good luck to you and Lexi!
Excellent Q&A above!!! Just got my new puppy yesterday and we made it through the first night.
I was surfing the web to read about others’ experiences and sounds like Lucy (my new puppy) did great for her first night. I left her in an exercise pen- soft nylon kind- with her blanket, bed and snuggle puppy on one side and a puppy pad on the other side. She whined for about 30-45 minutes and then fell asleep. She hadn’t really made a sound all day and that whining was hard to hear but gave her reassurance and went upstairs to bed. Other websites say to ignore it and it’ll go away. She woke up a couple times and I heard her, took her out to potty and brought her back in….more whining 30 minutes and back to sleep.
She’s only 8 weeks old so we are definitely starting to potty train but I was thinking she probably couldn’t even hold it in yet so why bother with a crate yet. Anything wrong with her sleeping in the exercise pen vs crate training?
I will be leaving her in the exercise pen when I go to work on Monday- coming home at lunch. What else do I need to leave in her exercise pen besides the following- water, food, puppy pad, bed and a few chew toys?
Thanks for the resourceful website for us new puppy owners!!
@Emmy, thanks for visiting our website. We start crate training our puppies as soon as we get them home around 7 weeks old. You’re correct their bladders are not all the way developed and they can’t hold it as long. My last puppy Dublin usually woke up about once a night in his crate the first week or so, and then eventually would sleep through the night without having to go potty. During the day when my puppy is only about 8 weeks of age I will not usually leave him in the create for more than 2 hours.
If you plan on training your puppy to use the puppy pads then I don’t see anything wrong with using the exercise pen.
As far as the things you plan on leaving in your exercise pen the list looks fine. However, we don’t allow our puppies to graze on their food so we don’t leave food out for them. I would just make sure you don’t leave anything she might choke on.
I hope that helps. Good luck with your new puppy!
um hi we found puppys on the road a boandoned about 2 weeks old and we took one and all he does is cry in his crate or out and hes like a black lab mix type thing his name is mickey but he wont stop crying is that bad or is he just sad
@molly, 2 weeks old is a very young puppy. I would take him to your veterinarian and ask for his/her advice with a puppy so young.
just found this & wow so helpful. I have a 10mos female old amer. bulldog (Luna) & just brought home a 6week old mini schnauzer (Ninja) 2days ago. When I got Luna she was already crate trained & 7mos old. Ninja’s 1st was ok. I didn’t have a kennel or crate then so he was in my huge shower stall with a blanket, paper & a stuffed toy. He used the paper overnight & never missed. He slept for 6hours then woke up crying, so I fed him, talked to him & he went right back to sleep. I bought a plastic travel kennel yesterday. I set him up in my master bathroom with a toy, peepee pads & a blanket in the crate (with the top off). Night #2 didnt go well. He slept for 4hours then was relentless w/his crying & whining. I fed him & went back to sleep for 1hour the started crying again. He didnt potty at all. He didnt stop until I moved his kennel next to my bed. That’s where it will stay. Luna’s crate is downstairs & she was whining too when she heard him. She never whines while in her crate. She is a little rough with Ninja, still a puppy herself, but with well timed corrections she’s getting better. They’re play time is supervised. She’s taken quite a shine to him, even took a couple of naps on her bed with him. She’s dog aggressive, same sex or yappy dogs, but adores my brother’s 1lb male yorkie/silky terrier mix so knowing I wanted a 2nd dog, a small male seemed like the best option. Luna’s housebroken so I will be transitioning her to sleeping upstairs on her bed so she’s only crated during the day (9hrs) when no one is home. I want to crate train him too I plan to put his metal crate next to Luna’s downstairs so he’s not “alone”. My worry is he’s going to be either in the crate or in the bathroom for 9hrs. There’s no one else to come take him out so I thought the bathroom with peepee pads would be the better option until he’s a little older. Maybe 3mos old. The floor space is equal if not bigger than if he were in an exercise pen. Should I move Luna’s crate upstairs to keep him company? Any suggestions?
let me add, my co-worker has 1 of Ninja’s littermates & crates him for about 6hours per day. Shadow hasnt soiled his crate. Again, my worry is that wherever he is, it’s for 9hours. I just dont want to stress him out or harm him.
@Peggy, we have strict rules we follow when raising our guide dog puppies. We do not allow our puppies to potty in the crate even on a pee pad. During the day our puppies come to work with us and spend the day at the office. If we do have to put them in their crate during the day we don’t leave our young puppies for more than a couple hours.
I think 9 hours is too long to spend in the crate during the day. Do you have a neighbor, friend, or relative who could take your puppy out some time during the day? You could also hire a pet sitter to stop by your house.
Hey Colby. Thanks for replying. I apologize if I wasn’t clear. I was apprehensive about leaving the puppy crated for 9hours so I was planning on leaving him loose in my master bathroom with peepee pads, toys & his blanket. The floor space is equal if not bigger than if he were in an exercise pen. However, life’s little miracles, I was able to have my lunch time expanded from 30mins to 1hour. I live 9miles from work so it’s a 15min drive home & he can be let out for 25mins. I did it today & he was asleep when I got home. No accidents in the crate. Yay!
Hi Colby. I am getting an Aussiedoodle that will be 8 weeks old. I work part time, so the puppy would need to be alone for about 3 1/2 hours during the day. Where is the best place for him to be? Crate? Penned off in the kitchen with pee pads? In the backyard? I am hesitant on using the pee pads cause I’ve heard it will then be very hard to get him to go potty outside. Thanks in advance.
@Stacy we crate train all of our guide dog puppies. However, we never leave our puppies in the crate for more than a couple hours during the day when they are only 8 weeks old. We’ve never used pee pads so I cannot attest to whether or not you’ll have problems getting the puppy to go potty outside after using the pee pads.
Between the two options you’ve mentioned I’d probably choose penned off in the kitchen over 3 1/2 hours in the crate.
Hi! I got my puppy, a shih tzu, 2 days ago. The first 2 nights, I allowed my puppy to sleep with me in my room in his own bed on the floor. She did fine, only waking up once in the middle of the night. Tonight, I decided to move her bed in the laundry room. First time, she’s barking, crying and clawing through the walls. Is it too early to seperate her from me in such a quick period of time? I think I’m going to get a crate for her. Not sure what to do.
@Meuy our guide dog puppies are crate trained and always stay right next to our bed in their crates at night. I’d recommend getting a crate, put it next to your bed, and allow your puppy to sleep there for at least a few weeks.
Your information seems to be very great from the limited bit of it that I have read so far. We just got a German Shepherd puppy yesterday from the pet store. We wanted a dog of our own bc we are newly weds and aren’t ready for children yet. We went in and found Zack our pup. We did not realize that it wasn’t very “safe” to have a timid GSD. When we got home with Zack, I immediately started researching German Shepherds and training them. The more I read the worse feeling I had about our choice. I hope we didn’t make a bad decision. Everyone else’s blogs that I have read so far has been so pessimistic about other people making similard “quick” decisions about getting a dog such as Zack. Any encouragement about our choice and helping information would be great. We are trying to help Zack to become less timid. I understand that time and patience is going to be needed with Zack, but I would like to have some confidence in knowing that we can have a great dog regardless of the timidity of him right now. The pet store told us that he was timid at first, but would warm up to you. He has a little…and maybe with more work will continue in a positive direction. I want to make the best decisions to make Zack a happy German Shepherd and to have a wonderful pet in return.
Right now, we have him in a crate on a big doggie pillow for his bed. Tonight will be the first night in the crate bc we just got the crate today. He seems to be doing well with it so far. We have covers drapped on all but the front so it is more “cave like and cozy feeling for him”. He can see us, but we are trying the technique of ignoring the whining unless it’s time to go outside to potty. Oh, I don’t know if I mentioned it or not, but he is 2 months old…he didn’t come with “papers”, but I have attempted to make contact with the actual breeder to get papers on him. : ) Thanks for any future info you can give!
@James and Jessica thanks for visiting our website and congratulations on your new puppy. We recommend against not making quick decisions when it comes to adopting or purchasing a dog. We adopted Linus from te shelter and he was a shy and timid dog too. We’ve taken him to many training classes and work on his socialization daily. Here’s an article we wrote a while back on one of his training sessions: Training A Shy Timid Dog
I’d recommend talking to a local dog trainer and start getting some advice on the best way to go about building your puppies confidence. We’ve taken group dog training with Linus from the beginning and continue to work on his shy, timid behavior. We are going to enroll him in K9 nosework training to help build his confidence.
Hopefully this little bit of information helps. Best of luck with your new puppy!
@colby: hello sir, i just got a black labrador home which is about 25days old and it has been 4 days that i took him to my place. i am having a problem related to his sleep. the thing is that at night it does’nt sleep in one single go full night. i read the above article which helped me. it has mentioned above that you can take the dog out for a stroll and put him back in his crate, but my dog takes so long to sleep after that which troubles me alot. when i switch off the light of my room he cries.. plz sir i need your advice..
@nihil thank you for visiting our website and congratulations on your new puppy! 25 days old is probably too young to be away from his mother and littermates. Our puppies don’t leave the litter until they are at least 7 weeks old. Unfortunately, we have experienced the exact same behavior you mention above on trying to get your puppy to go back to sleep with pretty much all of our puppies. It has taken anywhere from a couple days to 4+ weeks for them to get used to sleeping in their crate. When we were trying to get Stetson to sleep in his crate it took him over 4 weeks and I seriously don’t think I got to sleep more than 2 hours in a row during that time period. Hopefully your puppy adapts to his crate quicker. The most important point that I can’t stress enough is do not let your puppy out of the crate when he is crying, barking, whining, etc. If you do they will learn to do this unacceptable behavior every time they want out of the crate.
Best of luck with your new puppy! In our experience most puppies seem to have an adjustment period when going to a new home.
hi there ! plssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss help ! I have a 7 months male maltese, he was 3 months when i got him. I crate trained him and he completely toilet trained in less than a month ! with no no no accident till now. I got a 3 months female maltese 3 days ago to make my pleasure even more!!!! but my life has become like a night mare since then. my first pup who was 100% trained has changed completely. he is peeing and pooing every where and doesnt listen to me at all !!!! I dont know what to do, im so desprate and angry at the moment. just mention my frist pup has bben trained to toilet in a special toilet in the house. cuz i live in a very hot country which is impossible to take him out side most of the year. so what can i do? is it possible to toilet train them both in same toilet?! my first pup seems to hate the other pup smell ! and doesnt want to do his business in the same place. and also i have problem in crate training the second one, sory was different for the crate trainign with the first one.
(((((
@mitra thanks for visiting our website and congratulations on your new puppy. I would go back to basics with both your puppies and work from the beginning on their crate training. I would be very strict with both dogs and do your best not to allow them to play or wonder around your home without your supervision. Also, I would do my best to clean the entire house and make sure your pups are not smelling spots where they’ve pee’d or pooped in the past. A good product to try is Nature’s Miracle which does a pretty good job of removing the odors.
You are correct on the crate training. Every puppy is very different. Again I would stick with the basics and if your puppy is barking, whining, howling, etc don’t let them out of the crate until they stop even if it’s just for a few seconds.
If you need more help I recommend contacting your local dog trainer and getting some private in-home dog training. Best of luck with your two puppies.
WELL! The first night i had my duck tolling retriever home, i tried to kennel train him and he whined and whined and whined the entire night long. Now, this is not any ordinary whining… it’s like a shrieking squealing rip your hair out kind of whine! haha Of course looking back now i laugh, cause it was 8 months ago! however, at the time i just couldn’t take it … we let him out of the kennel at oh i’d say 6am.. and managed to get an hour sleep before he started again to want to go pee! lol Oh the joys of puppyhood! Now that he’s trained and a wonderful companion, we are expecting another puppy in one week to start all over again with but this time in company with our previous dog! I suspect this will be interesting. Heres hoping that the new addition doesn’t pull an all nighter, but i suspect she will as well! Sucker for punishment!
@Jennifer your duck tolling retriever sounds a lot like our black lab Stetson. It was miserable trying to get him crate trained, but just like you said I look back and laugh about it. Stetson actually did have a companion in my dog Linus plus he got to sleep right next to my bed. It didn’t really matter those first 4 weeks of crate training. Your description of “shrieking squealing rip your hair out kind of whine” really hits the nail on the head.
I hope your next puppy does better. We’ve been lucky our last two pups, Derby and Dublin both had a short adjustment period when it came time for crate training. They both whined a little bit the first few nights, but they didn’t wake up too many times in the middle of the night and they both figured it out after the first few days. Good luck with your new pup!
Hey there…tonight was my first night i had my little pup away from her litter mates. She is a 7 week old mini dachshund. I have a small crate lined with a blanket that i had always put her in when ever i would hangout with her before the over night. i have a stuffed animal tiger in with her and small food and water. I attached recycling bin to the front of her crate and have shavings in it incse she has to go in the middle of the night.
The first night was hard…..if she woke up and my hand wasnt within touching distance she would scream and howl like a banchy…she only actually woke up twice, but i dont want to get her in a habit of crying out for me and having my hand right there.
The top to the crate i have screwed off so i can take it off if need be to reach her. Im just wondering if i should completely ignore her cries throughout the night? I feel so bad, she seems so sad and lonely. During the day she dont really leave my side unless its to shower….or i have to go someware real quick….
I just dont want to neglect her and i dont want her to turn into a spoiled brat ahhahha.
@Daniel congratulations on your mini dachshund. When my puppies start crying in the middle of the night I take them straight outside then straight back to the crate. They usually cry for a minute or two when they get back to the crate then eventually fall asleep. I do my best to leave my pups in the crate and ignore their cries as long as I know nothing is wrong (sick or have to go potty). Eventually they understand that crying doesn’t get them attention. Best of luck with your new puppy.
My 6week old Chihuahua Shih Tzu mix wakes up 3:00AM for the two days I had her. What can i do to make her get use the crate with out whinning and make her sleep all night?
@Thelma thanks for visiting our blog. Congratulations on your new puppy! Take a look at this post we added to the website not too long ago: crate training puppies. Hopefully some of the suggestions in that article help. It’s taken me anywhere from a couple days to 4 weeks to get my pups to stop whining and crying in their crate. Hopefully your pup only takes a couple days before she is used to her crate. Good luck and hopefully she adjusts soon.
I have a 9 or so week old black lab mix. Her name is Kate, since I found her in the 24 hours following the Royal Wedding. I first brought her to the humane society for a few days, so I’ve only had her for a week. I have a large crate, but bought a smaller one that fits her better.
First, I know you said you put a blanket over the partition, but what did you use to partition off your large crate? Also, when you say draft, do you mean some form of air other than the ceiling fan? Because anywhere in my room, you can feel the air from the ceiling fan.
I was wondering what you think about pee/poo pads? My girlfriend’s dog does his business on pads when they leave the house and outside when they are home. I started the dog on pads but it seemed like there wasn’t any clear evidence she was getting better at using the pad. She did pee on a pad just a little bit ago on her own, but that is one out of the three times she peed in the house. I’ve been trying to take her out before she can do anything.
We just got a 15 month old female lab. She is sleeping in a crate and seems ok with that. But she does cry at night. Should I leave the TV or a radio on in the room she’s sleeping in to quiet her at night.? Will this help?
@Ronnie I’ve heard different opinions on leaving the radio and tv on for your puppy. However, I do leave the radio on for my pups to drown out noise coming from outside. It helps my older dog, Linus who always seems to be on alert when he here’s something going on outside our house.
Thank you for creating this informative site. I need your advice on crate and potty training my 2 month old chihuahua. She was just given to me by a friend yesterday. She slept with me all night last night, which is probably a huge no-no after I have read what you and the others wrote. Can you give me some advice on how to train her effectively since I’m gone most of the day everyday, and only have someone to watch over her every other day on the weekdays. Thanks in advance!
@Anna, thanks for visiting our website. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to raise and train a puppy if you’re away most of the day. Is there any way you can take her to work with you? If not, you might try and have a member of your family or a pet sitter stop by and spend some time with your puppy every day.
hi! I’ve just been reading over all the tips/posts/questions/answers and they have been helpful and very similar to how I have trained Duncan my 10wk old (today!) chocolate lab. he took to his crate very well very quickly (thank the lord haha) the 1st night he cried for about 45mins the 1st time I put him in and then he cried less and less each time I took him out to potty during the nite and put him back in. he pretty much stopped crying/whining/barking by the 3rd nite and if I do hear him I immediately get up and take him out to potty then put him right back in and he goes back to sleep. I have had him for 14 days now and he hasn’t had an accident in the house since day 5! I am amazed as to how lucky I have been with him being crate/house trained so easily. he has yet to chew on ANYTHING he’s not supposed to and he loves the 12 or so toys I have laying around for him (: he does on rare occassion play nip at hands so I tell him NO! very firmly and give him a little flick on the nose. my question is … is the flick on the nose w/ a firm NO! ok to do? it seems to be working but I don’t want to be “mean or abusive”. ): another question is I WANT him to sleep in bed w/ me so do you think since he appears to be housetrained it is ok to do so at this point as long as I still take him out to potty if he whines during the nite?
sorry for the looong post and I hope to get any advice you can share! this is my 1st lab and I absolutely adore him and couldn’t be happier with my choice. thanks!
@Janice congratulations on your new puppy! When my puppy is nipping or being mouthy I usually just try to redirect his behavior to an appropriate chew toy. I would probably avoid flicking the nose as he might think that it’s a game your playing with him. The earliest I’ve allowed any of my dogs to get on the bed is at 9 months of age and even to this day I still work with them on their crate training by sometimes having them sleep in the crate for a night. Every puppy is different, but I’d advise against letting your puppy sleep in the bed at such a young age. Good luck with your new puppy!
oh p.s. when I brought him home from the breeder I met all of his littermates and both parents. all 10 of his littermates were very calm tempered … when the breeders opened the kennel door the pups all came running at us but weren’t overly jumpy/yippy/nippy … the pretty much just swarmed around our feet letting us pet and scratch them. then the parents were let out of the house and they were amazing … they didn’t run or bark at us … they also kinda just hovered around us and the breeders letting us love on them. they were 2 of the most beautiful well behaved dogs I have ever met! (: so I am wondering if the terrific temperment of the parents (and littermates) are a good indication that Duncan will be like his mama and daddy?
@Janice the parents temperament is usually one of the best indicators of how the puppies will be as adults.
thanks colby! I keep his crate door open at all times and he does go in by himself several times a day to chew on one of his fave toys or to take a lil snooze
if I were to guess I’d say it was feeding him in his crate that got him so comfortable with it.
I have to admit tho I did start putting him in bed with me (I know I know then why did I even bother asking your opinion right? haha sorry!) but to be honest he is doing awsome with it … he sleeps the whole nite thru! I have to wake him up in the morning to potty!
I am trying the toy redirection for his play biting and he seems to be catching on slowly and seems to understand that it hurts me when he does it. I also read that if you let out a yelp sound when he bites it will get the point across also. When I do that he backs off and kind of looks at me with a sad sorry face! haha
thanks again colby … I look forward to reading more on this website!
Hi Colby,
First, thank you for all the great advice you’ve posted! I’ve really enjoyed reading your articles and all of your helpful responses to concerned readers like us!
So here’s our story…..My husband and I just adopted a little 10 week old maltipoo from the Humane Socitey 6/6/11 we named Zoey. We wanted our older dog (a corgi/american eskimo mix named Parker) to have a little buddy so he’s not as lonely during the day. When we adopted Parker he was already 1 year old and very well behaved, so this new puppy has been quite the adjustment for us and him! (Parker is always growling and getting annoyed with Zoey)
Our biggest problem is her separation anxiety. If we walk just 2-3 feet away from her she starts crying and whinning. We’re trying to build up her confidence/independence but it’s been hard. We have a crate and completely plan on crate training her, but I’m worried about having her in the bedroom with us. Even if she’s in her crate and a foot away from us she starts whinning and crying. As of now she’s in the laundry room with her crate open at all times, and a floor full of newspapers. She’s got a bunch of chew toys, food/water, a couple of our dirty t-shirts and a little stuffed dog with a fake heartbeat inside of it. Even with all of that she still whines/crys/howls/shill barks all through the night.
Obviously our main goal is to train her to stop this behavior, but we have a few things making our situation even worse:
#1. We brought her home the day she was spayed, so she’s still recovering from surgery and we can’t play with her lots and wear her down before bed like we want to for fear of hurting her!
#2. We were instructed by the vet. to keep her away from our other dog so she doesn’t play too much while she’s recovering. Plus our other dog is so annoyed with her he keeps growling and snapping at her to get her to back off…that’s a whole different issue I’m not sure how to handle yet!
#3. I’m almost 4 months pregnant, so this lake of sleep at night is killing me! We’ve been trying to let her “cry it out” because we don’t want to re-enforce bad behavior by visiting her when she’s flippin’ out, but in the middle of the night when she’s reacting I have a really hard time ignoring her. Even through sound machines, ear plugs and an air purifier on high blast my new Mommy istincts kick in, I hear her and I can’t fall back to sleep because I feel so bad!
Any advice to speed up this training process would be greatly appreciated. I’m typically a very patient person, but this pregnancy is making it all a lot tougher on me.
Thanks in advance for your help.
@Heather congratulations on your new puppy. I hope things are going better for you now that it’s been a few more days. I put this list together a while back to help others out with crate training: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/. It sounds like you’re doing a lot of things correct. Unfortunately, it can take a while for some puppy’s to get used to being alone. Hopefully some of the tips in the crate training article can help you with Zoey. You might also try contacting a local dog trainer and having them come to the house and give you some tips while observing your puppy’s behavior. Best of luck with Zoey’s training.
I still have over a month to wait before I pick up my puppy and I found this very interesting and helpful. I’ve had 2 other dogs before but this is the first one that is actually mine and not my parents. Is there any other links or tips you can give me to help me learn all that I can before the time comes for my puppy to come home? Thank you.
-Brandon
@Brandon if you don’t mind spending a few bucks I highly recommend the book Puppies for Dummies (aff link). I read that book cover to cover before I brought home my first puppy and found it invaluable. I still sometimes go back and read through some of the chapters. Unfortunately, this website is a jumble of things I’ve learned throughout my journey as a guide dog puppy raiser. In the future I’m going to organize it or put together an e-book that will better help people wanting to learn more about puppy training. For now I highly recommend Puppies for Dummies (aff link).
Thanks you so much. I’m lucky enough to have an iPad as a resource so I just downloaded a preview to “puppies for dummies” and I’m sure I’ll find it useful and then I’ll download it. I’m just trying to pass the time and learn as much as I can before I’m able to get the puppy! I’m majorly excited! Thanks for the reference! If your able to give me any more references that you find, it would be much appreciated. Thank again!
Brandon
@Brandon I’m glad you’re putting in so much time and effort before picking up your puppy. Raising a puppy is definitely not easy, but the more you plan the better off you’ll be. By the way, I’m not sure if you saw Dublin’s first puppy video, but I talked about a few things I usually do before picking up a puppy. Here’s the link: http://puppyintraining.com/puppy-in-training-tv-ep1-picking-up-your-puppy/.
Good luck with your puppy. Let us know how everything goes and remember to take lots of pictures/videos because they grow up fast.
I highly recommend the following book written by Sophia Yin, DVM:
“Perfect puppy in 7 days: How to star your puppy off right”
Full with useful photographs. Dr. Yin wrote this book when she was training a puppy for her elderly father. Full of positive reinforcement and sound advice.
I will make sure to do that. Thanks again Colby! I’ll make sure to watch the video and searchnfor more things.
Brandon
I just got a Doberman puppy and he’s a very cute and smart creature. He is 8 weeks old and his name is Kacey. His first night he cried at around 3 in the morning and then I just woke up at 5:30 to take him out again. The only problem I’m having is that even when not in his crate, he still cries even though I’m a couple inches away
@Ivan, congratulations on the new puppy. Have you had a chance to take your puppy to the veterinarian for a checkup? It’s possible that he may have a health problem. Some puppies do whine a lot even when they are close by. If you pet your pup and reassure him when he’s crying he may be learning that crying gets him attention (not a good thing). Anytime he’s not crying and he’s being good make sure to reward and praise him. If you’re still having trouble I’d try contacting a local dog trainer. Good luck with your new puppy!
Last night was my gorgeous boy chocolate labradors first night at home. He cried for 2 and a half hours straight (even with classical music on softly) as I keep him in the laundry. I ended up going and sleeping in the laundry and he stayed quiet for the remaining 5hours of the night cuddled up beside me on the floor. I am really worried and feel terrible about leaving him to cry. What should I do??? I feel horrible but i don’t want to encourage bad habits as I will need to leave him home alone soon whilst my partner and I are at work. Any advice? I’m goign to try a hot water bottle, clock and my sweatshirt tonight and see how he goes.
@Breanna, congratulations on your new puppy. Here’s a list I put together a while back that might help you with your puppy training: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/. Some puppies take a while to get used to their new environment. Good luck with your new pup!
I just got a beagle puppy. He’s about 6 to 7 weeks old and i do not know what to feed him. Please help.
@Jasmine we feed our guide dog puppies purina pro plan puppy food. Most of our pups are either Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, or German Shepherds However, you might check a few other sources before feeding your puppy the same food. Try asking your local dog trainer, veterinarian, and a good website I’ve come across for dog and puppy food ratings is http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/.
Hi Colby, just want to thank you for this site. I am getting a mini schnauzer next week at 8 weeks old. I’ve never had a dog before and have researched the whole idea for about four years!! I am terrified and ridiculously excited too. I just want to get off on the right footing from the start and reading your persistent/consistent replies to everyone’s comments has given me confidence that I will be ok with the pup. It’s a daunting step as I want my family to enjoy the dog and it to be happy with us too. The less traumatic the whole experience is, the better! Hopefully it will go fantastically and I will have wished we’d have taken the plunge sooner……..
@Jo congratulations on your new puppy. It sounds like you are very well prepared. If you have any questions please let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Hi Colby, So last night was our first night. Boo cried and howled for about the first thirty minutes in the crate – loudly! I told everyone he was fine and we were to leave him and the next thing he went to the toilet in there. I think he must have been extremely distressed and that’s why he went or maybe he was howling because he needed to go? I cleared it up anyway and put him back in and we didn’t hear him once again. I got up in the night to take him out but he was so sleepy that I just left him. He seems just fine this morning. I took him outside where he had a pee and now he’s asleep again. It didn’t feel like the right thing to do-just leaving him to howl in the crate but that is definitely what I’m supposed to do -right? thanks a million……….
@Jo I hope everything is going well with your new puppy! Our guide dog puppies sleep in their crates right next to our bed. However, even having our pups nearby does not always mean no crying, howling, barking. Your puppy may have been howling because he needed to go potty. However, you still want to make sure you don’t let him out while he’s howling. Try to stop him for at least a few seconds, praise him, then let him out of the crate. He’ll eventually learn that he only gets out of the crate when he’s being good(quiet). As far as your last question…you just do not want to let him out of his crate while he’s barking/howling. My last two puppies, Dublin and Derby, would bark/howl for about 5-10 minutes before they fell asleep and did this for less than a week. Stetson barked/howled nearly non-stop and the only way I got him to sleep was by talking to him…he did this for about 4 weeks. Each puppy is different just make sure your consistent with your crate training and eventually your pup will understand.
Thanks so much for the advice. He is fine in his crate now and I only put him in there at night. He doesn’t make a sound. I have been getting up every three hours to take him outside to wee which is tiring and when I mentioned this at the vets today where he went for his injection they laughed and said nobody would have a dog if they were getting up at night with it! They advised me to put paper in the corner of his crate for him to use and chuck that away in the morning. I think this defeats the purpose of the crate training? I went out of my way to buy a crate with a divider (which are hard to get in the UK for smaller dogs), so that he just had space for a bed and nowhere to potty. Confused/tired.com…………
I’m not spoiling him am I? Just helping him avoid soiling his bed which he would hate and I wouldn’t love either. I have young children and I would prefer all doggie poops to be outside away from where the children might be playing.
@Jo it sounds like he’s learning. As your puppy gets older and better control of his bladder he should be okay to sleep through the night. I agree with you it does defeat the purpose if you just have your puppy pee in the crate. If you’re taking him out every 3 hours right now I would try to make him hold it a little longer every night until he’s sleeping through the entire night.
Here’s the usual ritual with my puppies:
1. I put them to sleep for the night – they usually whine/howl for 5-10 minutes then fall asleep except for extreme cases like Stetson.
2. If they wake up and start crying in the middle of the night after I put them to sleep I take them to their potty place and ask them to “get busy”. Of course I make sure they stop whining for a few seconds before I actually let them out of the crate. After they potty I take them directly back to their crate without any play time and have them go back to sleep. They usually whine for a couple minutes then go back to sleep.
3. Usually for the first few days they wake up 2-3 times a night. After about the first week they start sleeping more and more until they sleep through the entire night.
Jo,
I do not agree putting paper in the crate. Even though I haven’t personally had to take care of a baby (YET!), I hear babies and puppies are similar when it comes to nighttime duties. For anywhere from just the first few weeks to a few months, they both need to use the bathroom during the night sometime. It took my lab a couple of weeks to be able to sleep through the night. Needless to say, I took a nap when I could those days.
By putting paper in there, I think you’d be supporting an action that goes against the dog’s instincts.
Hi Colby,
I will be getting an 8 week old mini-schnauzer next Saturday, and I was hoping you could give me some advice. My boyfriend and I like to watch tv in bed before going to sleep. Do you think it would be ok for the puppy to lay on the bed with us during this time, or should we keep him in the crate even while we are awake and just laying in bed? Thanks for your help!
@Kristen congratulations on the new puppy. Steven B gives some great advice. We do not allow our guide dog puppies on the bed and I would recommend the same for your puppy. As Steven mentions it can be difficult at first, but he will get used to it over time. Best of luck with your new puppy!
Hi Colby,
Thanks to you and Steven B for the advice! We have had Oscar for nearly a week now, and there are several things that are just perfect about him. He has yet to make a mess in his crate, and since night 2, he sleeps through the night without making a sound. However, he is extremely mouthy.
For a while he was mouthy with me and my boyfriend, but now he listens to me pretty well and stops when I tell him to. He does NOT, however, stop when my boyfriend, Justin, tells him to. He will play nicely for a couple of minutes, but it escalates from playfully chewing to outright biting within a matter of seconds. It is so stressful, and it is nothing like we were hoping it would be. It’s like Oscar has no respect for Justin, and it really upsets the both of us. Every night this week, since we got him, we have been stressed beyond belief!
The breeder recommended we use a time-out box, which does work in the short term, but Oscar still goes after Justin.
I’m not sure what else we can do! Sorry for such a long message – any advice would be helpful!
Thanks!
@Kristen, It’s difficult to tell what’s really going on since he behaves fine with you, but differently with your boyfriend without observing in person. The best thing to do would be to have your local dog trainer come in for and in-home training and observe your puppies behavior around both you and your boyfriend. We raise mostly Labrador Retriever puppies and they are naturally mouthy. When they start biting we usually just redirect their attention to a toy or pressed rawhide rather than our hands or arms. Another thing we’ve used is bitter apple spray. We just spray the bitter apple on our hands/arms or whatever we dont want our puppies biting/chewing and most pups will stop. One last thing, our pups usually start biting/chewing less after about 4 months when they lose their baby teeth. Good luck with Oscar!
@Kristen, in addition to what Colby said, you (and your boyfriend) can try yelping like a dog when he bites. It might seem silly, but I think the idea behind it stems back to when a dog is with his siblings. If a pup starts playing too rough with one of his siblings, that sibling would yelp, which would cause most pups to stop.
As for the boyfriend issue, it may be that your pup doesn’t respect him. First, while I have no idea if mini-schnauzers are like this, some dogs bond to one person, while other dogs, like a lab, bond with the whole family.
Second, is your boyfriend around the pup as much as you? Does he take him out, (attempt to) enforce rules, etc.? My pup Kate(lab) at first would usually only listen to my commands, as well as only not bite me. As my girlfriend spent more time with Kate, she started to listen to her too.
Kristen,
Do you plan to let your dog lay in bed with you when he is older? If not, don’t do it now. We, as humans, like to treat dogs differently when they are smaller/younger, allowing things then that we don’t want to allow when they are older/bigger. The problem is, it isn’t good for the dog. Consistency is the best. Your dog may not like it at first, but him staying in the crate even while you are sitting there watching tv will be something he will get used to. My dog Kate has gotten used to it, so will your new puppy!
Thanks for some really useful information. Great article.
Hi Colby! im gona get my new puppy today. His breed was Japanese Spitz-Terrier. mix breed. and, i worry alot because my mom refuse to adopt a pet. it might die. and what i worry is, if it would make noise during night time. my parents hate that. but i guess i need to train it. problem is, i dont have a crate. what do u think is an alternative for crates? what temperature should be it in? i worry alot. how much is the rates of vets? like, check up and getting advices? thank you! -kenneth-
@Kenneth, sorry for the late response. I guess it’s been a few days since you picked up your puppy. How’s everything going? The first few days are usually the toughest. To answer your questions:
what do u think is an alternative for crates? I’ve used X-Pens as an alternative to a crate. However you want to make sure it’s the right size. It should only give your puppy enough room to stand up and turn around. If you give your puppy too much room he will sleep on one side and pee on the other.
what temperature should be it in? I keep my crate in the bedroom. As far as temperature my house is usually between 70 and 80 degrees Farenheit.
how much is the rates of vets? like, check up and getting advices? Vets are expensive. Stetson’s ear infection cost well over a hundred dollars and he seems to get those around 3-4 times a year. Our vet bill is usually the largest expense with our dogs.
Hopefully that helps. Best of luck with your new puppy!
hi we are picking up our Labrador/Staff today at around five and she is aa beautiful gal my sister used an old mattress and set it up as a bed for tonight and im gonna move the couch near it so it wont cry but my sister wants to cuddle it to sleep should she?
@Tahnee, congratulations on your new puppy! As a guide dog puppy raiser we crate train our puppies and therefore wouldn’t recommend cuddling up on the mattress with your puppy. I hope everything is going well with your first few nights with your new puppy!
When you are playing with her, put her in her crate every so often, even if it isn’t bedtime. Put her in after playtime or whenever for about two minutes and only let her out when she stops whining. Then praise her. If you do this often and make it longer each time, she will come to realize that every time she goes in her crate she might not be locked up for 7 hours. This is for someone who said their dog won’t go in the crate.
Oh yeah, I’m about to get a Doberman puppy, but just wondering, when you put them to bed, and take them to pee or poop before they go to bed, can they stay up the whole night? Do you have to set an alarm to take them out in the middle of the night or something?
@Allison, congratulations on getting a new puppy. I don’t set an alarm in the middle of the night. I’ve had some puppies sleep through the night and then I just take them out in the morning. While I’ve had other puppies wake up once or twice (Steson was the exception he woke up about every two hours) during the night and I take them outside to potty then bring them right back to their crate.
can a one-year old dog who has not been housebroken be taught to relieve herself outside the house? she defecates and urinates in just one part of the house though but i would prefer that she holds her pee til she’s out of the house. or that she would let me know that she’s going to pee.
@Nheng yes, you can teach a one year old to relieve outside. Take a look at this page on how to potty train a puppy. Potty training will be the same for an older dog.
I just got my new scottish terrier mixed with another breed they think is ‘cane-terrier’. He has been with us for five days ago. He slept his first night in a crate. Although I slept in my bedroom, he was in the kitchen of our small apartment with his wee pad that held his toys, and a nice soft blanket to sleep on. My 19 year old daughter let him out because he was whining so much.. grrrrrrr.. so this morning when i got up to take him to potty, he went back in his crate.. he whines durning the day for a spell, but he gets tired of it and stops.. i am praying that this will not last as long as it could.. I will remember consistency and patience….. love the stories and the site.. most helpful..
@Kimmi, thanks for telling us your story. It sounds like your well on your way to crate training your puppy. Please let me know if you have any questions. Best of luck with your new pup!
I’ve had my Schnoodle pup (11 weeks old) for three weeks now. At bedtime I crate her next to my bed. She yelps/screeches/whines for 30 to 45 minutes, then falls asleep for 4 to 5 hours before needing to go out. She doesn’t do so well in the daytime (I’m retired, so am home with her) and will holler off and on for as long as she is in the crate. I have two questions … every other week I travel to another state (with my dogs) to spend the week caring for elderly parents in their home. While I’m there I can’t let the pup be noisy at night so keep her on a short leash by my bed rather than in a crate. Will this un-do the progress made the week before? My other question – my dog training book says not to let her potty in the crate, but to take her out if I think she needs to go. My vet said to just leave her in the crate with an old towel for 6 to 8 hours and clean up the ‘accidents’ when I take her out of the crate. This seems counterproductive. What do you say? By the way, she’s doing great in every other way!
@Anne, congratulations on your new puppy. I’m not too sure on the leashing your puppy rather than crating her at night as I have never tried that with any of my puppies until after they were used to their crate. Regarding allowing your puppy to potty in the crate…I would definitely advise against allowing your puppy to do this. You should as your dog training book mentions take her out int the evening when you thinks she has to go potty then bring her immediately back to her crate.
Good advice, I thank you for this. I think most of the people miss such simple things which are very important in a dog’s life. Thanks
Hi I’m getting a puppy in summer, it’s a breed called shi poo a shihtzu poodle cross and as my parents have relatives that are allergic to dogs it would have to sleep outside as soon as possible, I was wondering how long until it’s allowed outside and is it also ok if I have the place for relieving in one place and then move to another in about a month. I also forgot to mention we will be getting it at 8 weeks.
Hope you can help
@Spinespin, as a guide dog puppy raiser we raise and train all of our puppies to live in doors. You might try contacting your local dog trainer or veterinarian and ask when would be an appropriate time to allow your puppy to live outside which would vary depend on where you live (weather conditions, etc.).
We just brought an 8 week old puppy home. My husband wants to hold it in his lap all of the time and let it sleep there. Is this advisable? She’s not liking the crate at night much any more since he started this. Help please?????
Your puppy is not a baby. She needs to not be coddled. There is a difference between getting coddled and giving attention/love. Obviously your husband’s lab is more comfortable than the crate. It is recommended that you train your pup to take naps and of course the nightly sleeps in the crate.
Okay just got a puppy the 9/24/2011. and hes 9 weeks old. he is a chihhuahua. and thing need to know is sleeping too much bad thing?
@Diana, if you think your puppy is sleeping too much you should probably have take him to the veterinarian and make sure everything is okay.
Hi I just brought home a 4 week old Pitbull mixed with a Labrador Retriever and he is not getting used to his crate I’ve tried leaving him there, ignoring him, giving him a little attention then leaving but this pup only gets louder and louder.
@Saul our guide dog puppies don’t come home until they are 7 weeks old. 4 weeks old might be a little bit young to be away from his littermates and mother. In our experience it has taken any where from 1 night to 4 weeks before our puppies have gotten used to their crate…we even heard it taking over 2 months for one of our puppy raisers. Stetson literally cried for hours on end before he got used to his crate which took about 4 weeks. Dublin cried his first couple nights then was fine in his crate. It’s important to be consistent, patient, and persistent with puppies. Make sure you never take them out when they are crying. If anything get them to stop for at least a few seconds before taking them out of the crate.
Hopefully things are going better with you and your puppy this week.
Hello
Hello! We are bringing a Golden Retriever puppy home in a few weeks. I’ve raised a pup before, but it’s been a while! We plan to crate train our girl, but I have a question about crating. Since our bedrooms are on the second floor, I am considering sleeping on a futon in the basement with the crate next to me for the first week she is home; it will be faster to get her outside, and the rest of the family needs to sleep! Wherever we end up in the beginning, is it a problem to move the crate to another overnight location after a week?
Love your blog and plan on reading many more posts!
@Heather we have our crates right next to our beds the majority of the time. However, we have on occasion had to move the crate to a different room and had no problems. It may take a little bit of time for your puppy to adjust to moving their crate location, but I wouldn’t really expect any major problems. Best of luck with your new puppy!
Hello there , i have just got a 12 week old chihuhua boy his a beaut but was from a home with his mum and dad and other pets, now last night we put him to bed in the kitch with the scent blanket and toy and he moaned and moaned i did totally the wrong thing and splet on the sofa with him in the end , now i have put him back in the kitchen we scents and toys with breakfast and gone to work and i could hear him still moaning , hopefully he will get used to this and queit right ? also he is also using his training pad only had 2 accidents , i didnt tell him off just praised when using the pad , but o my days am i tired to day
@leigh, it sounds like you’re doing everything right. It can take a while for your puppy to get used to being on his own. After all he is probably used to sleeping with his litter mates. As I mentioned in some of my posts it took Stetson about 4 weeks before he stopped crying in his crate. Hopefully it will be much shorter for you and your new puppy. The early days of puppyhood are the most difficult.
I just brought my puppy home. His name is Atlas and he is a pit mix from the shelter. He is 4 months old and incredibly smart. last night was his first night and he slept in bed with mommy and dad and woke me at 1 in the morning to go potty i was shocked! i didn’t think he would wake up so i had set an alarm to take him out just a half hour later then what he needed. he didn’t like the tv and went insane barking and growling which, even though daddy wasn’t happy, i loved it. it allowed me to teach him “quiet” which he picked up after the 4th time of me telling him!
@Sam that’s great that he’s already learning how to be “quiet” I hope the rest of his puppy training is going well.
I tried your steps and norhing happend. This made my dog worse then ever ugh
@kerensurie, every puppy is different. It took my first guide dog puppy, Stetson about 4 weeks before he got used to being alone in his crate. If you’re working on crate training here are a few other things you can try: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
Hi all you dog lovers…. I am so excited im getting my puppy on Saturday… I have been reading through and I can not wait to get my little pup training.
@Claire, congratulations on your new puppy. I hope everything is going well with your puppy training.
Colby please help!
I just purchased an 8 week old siberian husky and have been having all the fun your articles said i would be(insert sarcasm). You were dead on in the other article on stetson about expect to be up 3-4 times a night and no more than 6 hours of sleep. Im beginning to think ill never sleep thru the night again!! Boy oh boy oh boy does he whine and howl in the crate!!!
He turned 9 weeks today and has SLIGHTLY progressed with the whining and howling to get out of the crate so maybe what we are doing is working. Any tips you can add as far as when he really needs to relieve himself or if hes just being sneaky to get out of the crate?
How long in between bathroom breaks age wise should he be going? Please help a very sleep exhausted siberian owner!!!!
@Justin I just sent a response to your other comment. Just in case you don’t get it here’s a copy. I hope this helps.
@Justin sorry for the late response and congratulations on your new puppy. It sounds like you’re new pup is related to Stetson. It can be difficult to know whether you’re puppy is crying because he has to potty or if he just wants out. The times I always take my puppy out are after meal times, after play times, before I put him in his crate, and as soon as he wakes up. Usually any time my puppy wakes up in the middle of the night I will take him outside, have him potty, and bring him directly back to his crate. Here’s how things worked with Stetson:
1. Take him out to potty
2. Put him in his crate for bed time
3. He cries, howls, barks for 10-20 minutes while I talk him to sleep
4. He sleeps for 2 hours
5. Wakes up in the middle of the night crying.
6. I get him to stop crying for a few seconds then let him out of his crate
7. Take him out to his potty spot and let him potty.
8. Bring him directly back to his crate
9. He cries, howls, barks for 10-20 minutes while I talk him to sleep
That was basically the cycle with Stetson and he did that for approximately 4 weeks. The 2 other puppies I trained as guide dogs only woke up once or twice the first few nights and then everything was fine.
Hopefully your Siberian Husky is doing better today then he was doing last week. We bring our puppies home at around 7 weeks of age and like I said after a few nights with 2 out of 3 puppies they were sleeping throughout the night. I hope this all helps. Best of luck with your new puppy!
yes everything has gotten MUCH better. After the end of the first week we decided to try the blanket of the crate and it either worked wonders or he just decided to be comfortable enough to let us sleep.
he still wakes up at the first sign of activity in the mornings though and doesnt want to go back to sleep at that point which makes for early weekend mornings for me which can stink since i work 5 days a week but hey at least now i can sleep for more than a few hours straight.
i have to say, he has gotten much better with the crate now i just need to finish the house breaking which i heard is tough with this breed… Is this really true Colby? how old should he be before i should expect the accidents (or not accidents) to stop?
@Justin, I’ve only worked with one other Siberian Husky and that was years ago. He didn’t have many problems with his house breaking. My personal experience is mainly with Labrador Retrievers and the amount of time it has taken to house break has varied widely for me. Anywhere from a few weeks to a few months with my pups. Best of luck with your little guy. I’m sure he’s doing even better this week!
My huband & I just got our puppy, Hoss, yesterday. Our night was AWFUL last night. He was fine until we went to bed and he woke up with the lights off and whined all night long. He would hush for a few minutes & back to whining. It was ridiculous. He doesn’t like his box. I wasn’t about to leave him out this morning when I left for work so he was in the box til I get home this afternoon between 1:30 & 2:00. I haven’t had a puppy in a while and I don’t remember having this much trouble with our first pup, Shadow.
I haven’t brought home my puppy yet. I will go and pick him up next week and I can’t wait. He is a Siberian Husky. Your forum was very helpful to some things I have been curious about. Do you have any other tips or advice about huskies
i got mine at 8 weeks and he is 10-1/2 weeks now. be ready for at least a week of waking up every 2-3 hours to take the puppy out and a ton of howling when he is in the crate. (especially when your not right next to him/her. try covering the crate at night after a few days or so and that may help with the whining
I just got a puppy male pit bull terrier. He loves to prance around and be with me when I walk but once I stop he likes to run off and tear things up. I have the pads and the wee wee drops how exactly I make him want to go on the pad???
@Frankie, we haven’t really used the pee pads too much. However, using the pads is very similar to taking your dog outside to pee. Here’s something you might try: anytime you think your dog might have to potty put him on his leash and walk him over to his pee pads. We usually give our guide dog pups a command and tell them to “Get Busy”. Give him about 5-10 minutes to try and potty. If he does give him tons of praise and any rewards you might give in your training. At a minimum take your pup to his potty spot anytime he wakes up, before he goes to sleep, after meal times, after he’s been playing for a while. Also, you might try keeping a potty log so you know approximately when he goes throughout the day. Hopefully these little tips help. Good luck with your puppy!
I love this forum/blog. Next week our puppy will be ready to come home! He’s an OES, we’ve decided on calling him Mumford after the band. The thing is, we have to drive about 5 hours to get him. Any tips on long distance travel for pups? He’ll be 8 weeks at that time.
@Kim, I’m not sure if you’ve hit the road to pickup Mumford yet, but just in case here are my thoughts. Make sure you bring someone with you to help with Mumford in the car and during pickup. It was about a 2 hour ride when I first picked up Stetson and I couldn’t talk anyone in to going with me which was a big mistake. Mine was only about a 2-2:30 minute drive with traffic. During pickup I got very few pictures because i didn’t have anyone there with me. During the car ride I crated Stetson, but he was very difficult crying, barking, and howling. He also had an accident in the crate.
1. Make sure you bring someone with you to help with your puppy pickup.
2. If you don’t have someone with you bring a crate. You might bring one anyways if you plan on crate training.
3. I’d make several stops for potty breaks. Anytime your pup wakes up he’ll probably have to potty. Look for a safe place for them to potty. Young puppies don’t have fully developed immune systems so you want to stay away from areas where other dogs regularly hang out like a dog park, pet store, etc.
4. Have fun during pickup and take lots of pictures/video.
Those are a few things that I can think of off the top of my head. Have fun picking up your puppy! We put together a video of when we picked up Dublin if you’d like to check it out: http://puppyintraining.com/puppy-in-training-tv-ep1-picking-up-your-puppy/
Hi my name’s Tatyanna, I’m 13, and I was reading a lot on this website and it’s really helpful but i was wondering is it OK to let my dog sleep in my bed because I’ve read stuff about not letting them in your bed when they whine but what about when they’re already trained?
@Tatyanna, sorry for the late response. We don’t allow any of our guide dog puppies in training to sleep in bed with us. All of our guide dog pups are required to sleep in their crates at night. If it’s your personal pet dog and he’s well trained then I don’t see any reason why you can’t allow him to sleep in your bed. This is usually a personal choice. However, be advised that letting your dog sleep in your bed may lead to training issues so always consult your local dog trainer.
Hi, I am supposed to be getting a labrador puppy in a few weeks, he will be 8 weeks old and vaccinated. We are going on holidays soon after (10 weeks) – will he be OK coming with us or will it be too much change for him too quickly?? We’ll be away for a week and the breeder said the pup can stay with them till we come back. I would like to take him with us as he’s to be trained as a companion dog for my daughter and think she will benefit from him there as she does not like change herself…. any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Monika
@Monika are you going on holiday 10 weeks after you pick up your puppy or is he going to be 10 weeks old when you start travelling? You should talk to your local dog trainer and veterinarian. If your pup is old 10 weeks old when you start your travels he will not yet be fully vaccinated and may be susceptible to disease.
When we pick up our guide dog pups at around 7-8 weeks of age we mainly try to get them used to their homes and try not to expose them to too much too soon. We don’t usually take our puppies on major outings until they’re about 6 months old. If you’re puppy is only 10 weeks old when you start your travels I think he may be a little too young. As I mentioned consult your local dog trainer and veterinarian before you decide to travel with such a young pup…I’m sure your breeder will have some good advice for you as well.
Thanks for your prompt reply and advice, the pup will be 10 weeks old and we will leave him with the breeder until we come back. One of his mates will be there as well for company and she will continue training him for us. Your site has been of great help in preparing for the arrival of our pup and I can’t wait to get back home to pick him up and welcome him into our family. Will sure be visiting your site some more!!!.
@Monika, that’s great that your breeder is going to watch him and continue to work on his training. I’m sure your puppy will be very happy to see you when you return from vacation. Have fun on your trip!
Hello, I have just got a german shorthaired pointer puppy.Every night she wakes me up howling and crying.I am sure she makes these noises because she is telling me she has done a wee or a poo!! But this is nearly every hour almost.I am just about to try ADAPTIL diffusser plug in (DAP) do you think it will work.
@Louise, I’ve never tried ADAPTIL diffuser plug in (DAP) so I’m not really sure. We had similar problems with Stetson. It took him nearly a month before he was comfortable in his crate. Crate training can sometimes take a while and require extreme patience from both you and your neighbors.
hello. i just got my pug mix puppy on friday he is 8 weeks…. and oh boy was that first night a long one. i took him out before i put him in. i was wondering instead of having him in the same room is it ok to put him in another room with a light on? The second night was better i placed him in the kennel and put a shirt of mine in there because i was unable to get a toy with his littermates scent is that fine also?
boy do i remember and feel for you. a little over 2 and 1/2 months ago i was in the same position. my first week was hell. just make sure your ready to be up and down throughout the night for at least a week…
during the second week i got some relief by putting a blanket over the crate and he slept most of the night. we had to sleep on the couch and one on the fllor next to his crate
the first week* the second week we slept back in the bedroom
@justin, you’re right! The first few days are tough. It makes me wonder why I keep raising guide dog pups.
@Everyone, it gets better…I promise.
@Lina, congratulations on your new puppy. We keep the kennel in the same room with us so we can be sure nothing bad is happening with our pups and also to help create a bound with our new pups. Putting him in another room is not a terrible thing to do as your pup eventually has to learn to be alone. However, it’s a tough transition for your puppy to go from being cozy and cuddly with his mother and litter mates to a brand new home all by himself. I think a shirt with your scent on it is a good idea and may help your puppy relax. Best of luck with your new pup!
I enjoy this site very much. It has great suggestions. Thank you!!!
I just purchased a 9 week old yorkie yesterday evening and since she has been in my home she has been whinning constantly while she’s awake.. Is this normal? Is it due to her being away from her mother because the rest of the litter was sold when I got her.. She kept me up all last night howling and whinning is there anything I can do? How long will it take for her to adjust to her new environment??
CocoaDior,
Congratulations on the yorkie! My girlfriend’s mom has had her yorkie Buster for five years or so and loves him to death. Buster is probably her confidant when my girlfriend isn’t around haha!
When you get a puppy from a breeder, if you can, you should try to get some of the scent. That typically means getting some kind of puppy-safe plush toy and rubbing it where the puppies and mom used to be. This provides the puppy with a familiar smell and helps calm the pup in a new environment. Mind you I said it HELPS, not completely solves! Since you got it yesterday, perhaps you will be able to go back and get some of that scent?
The adjustment period is different for any puppy. Some may take two days, two weeks, or two months. Be vigilant. The info at the top of this page is all true and helpful.
This past summer, I found a less than 3 month old lab mix on my way back to my apartment. After originally not planning to adopt her, leaving her in the care of the humane society, I went back and actually got her. It wasn’t easy. Like it says up at the top, I too did not get much sleep. 4-6 hours was my max. It’s hard at first, but don’t give in and it will pay off immensely. That little ball of fur has a full heart ready to pour out and love you!
Hi. I am getting a 3 month old american cocker spaniel puppy this week! My question is this: When we are at my boyfriends house i want her to sleep in the crate, and at my house i want her to sleep in bed with me. Will this be too confusing to her? I am fine sharing the bed and think it will be a great way for us to bond, but my boyfriend isnt jazzed on the idea which is fine. Should I have her in a crate in both houses or will she learn that she is in the crate sometimes and in bed others.
Thanks
I am friends with a married couple and originally, the wife wanted to exactly like you are talking about. They have two mini-poodles. Cutting to the end of the story, the dogs are in crates now every single night. I recommend you just do the crate thing from the get go. There are many other ways you and your pup can bond. Have the crate beside your bed or at least in the same room. Colby(the author of this page) I’m sure will back me up on this hah.
@carolyn, if it were me I would do the same thing that Steven has said in his response. Thank you again Steven for your reply. Best of luck carolyn with your new puppy!
hi, we are going to have a chocolate lab puppy end of this month. I am so excited ..can’t wait
anyways, I hear a lot about crate training. My husband suggested to leave him in the kitchen and put gates up so he only stays in the kitchen area for the night until he’s housebroken.
should i respond to his howling at night or should i ignore it? And how many times should I take him outside in the yard so he can pee (at night)?
)
We want him to have a corner in the yard where he can release himself, should i still teach him to pee at a newspaper or teach him from the beginning to go outside?
I know..many questions need an answer …please
I got up many times at night for the first month-month and a half to take my dog Kate out. I got up every time I woke up and heard her. She was almost 2-3 months old when I found her. I never really counted but it was probably around 3 times at first, moving down to once a night a week later. Just remember that those night interactions are strictly business: Take the pup out, give it some time to pee and stuff, and then back in the crate. No treats or any of that.
As for the corner relieving thing, there are these pee spikes you can stick in the ground that supposedly help make the dog eliminate(use the bathroom) around that area. I cannot say if these actually work since I’ve never used one yet, but that would be your best bet. Routine helps too. Actually, routines will help with more than just bathroom times!
@Alexandra, Steven has some great answers for you. As a guide dog puppy raiser we always crate train our puppies. It’s a great way to potty train your pup and I recommend it. Our pups sleep in the crate right next to our bed so it’s difficult to just ignore the howling. I usually tap the top of the crate to try and get my pup to stop howling and then give him a ton of praise when he does stop. However, if you read this article then you’ll know that I had to try many different things when working on Stetson’s crate training. In my experience most puppies are similar to Steven’s experience and wake up around 3 times to potty on the first night and it tails off over the next week. If it were me I would teach him to potty outside. I hope that helps and Steven thanks for responding so quickly to her question! Best of luck with your new puppy!
I think I have a “steston”. Our puppy Tucker is almost 7 weeks old and hates his crate. If you have anymore helpful tips that would be wonderful. My boyfriend and I think he wakes up hungry but know we should not feed him. What is the latest time we should feed him so he won’t wake up hungry. We feed him really good during the day. And what should we do if the barking, howling, and all the other noises continue for 30 mins or so? We eventually want him to sleep outside so how should we address that and at what age?
@megan, I’m sorry you got a “Stetson” However, Stetson is 5 years old now and he’s an awesome dog and doesn’t make a peep in his crate.
I just keep my dogs to a feeding schedule. I feed my older dogs twice a day usually around 6pm and 7am. I’m not sure if you have a Labrador Retriever like I do, but they seem to be hungry all the time. I have fed my dogs extremely late at night (past 10pm), but they always seem to adjust to whatever feeding schedule I stick to with them.
Stetson and Linus both would do the barking, howling, whining for over 30 minutes. In my experience different things have worked with different dogs. I had to talk to Stetson to get him to sleep. Linus was okay as long as I was sleeping on the floor right next to the crate. I always made sure not to reward my puppy for barking by letting him out of the crate while he was barking. I usually tried to do something like clap my hands to get my pups to stop crying for a few seconds then let them out while they were stopped. I’ve let my dogs bark for over 30 minutes while working on their crate training. Eventually my pups come to realize that barking does not get them anywhere when they are in their crate and they stop doing it.
@ Colby-Tucker is a lab and he does eat very well, maybe all day if we would let him. Since hes a puppy we feed him between 3-4 times a day. I do have another question, Tucker likes to pick at the grass and sometimes eat it and dirt. Is this normal or could it mean something else?
We have Tucker sleeping outside in a large lot but don’t worry we have not had a normal winter. It has been very warm. He does very well. He only barks in the morning to let us know he is hungry, however we do not let him out until he stops barking.
Thank you for the reply and also your site, it is very useful!
@Megan, My dogs eat grass sometimes too. I’m not really sure why they do this. If it’s something that is concerning you I’d contact your veterinarian. However, I have observed most all of my dogs eating grass at one time or another.
@Megan, you reminded me that I had some issues introducing the crate to my found-in-the-wild puppy Kate. First, I never forced Kate into the kennel. I’m sure you don’t, but I just wanted to be clear, since clarity is what a lot of sites lack on this matter.
Secondly, the idea. The idea about this trick is to associate good things with the kennel, never bad/punishing/negative/etc.
Third, the trick. If you have problems with either getting Tucker into the kennel or seemingly not minding it, this just might help fix it. The trick is simply using food and positive reinforcement to get Tucker to like the kennel. I used a trail of food leading up and into the kennel. I also used, to change it up, balls and other toys thrown into the open kennel, which of course the dog will go get without even thinking about it until it’s too late.
Once your dog sees that there’s nothing wrong with this “enclosed structure(or woof woof? haha),” as well as hearing/feeling you give off positive vibes about the kennel, then things should get easier. Leave the kennel open during the day, if applicable. Obviously, if nobody is going to be at the house from 8-5, you can’t exactly just leave the kennel open with an untrained dog.. But you know what I mean I think.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to say that I’m no dog trainer or anything like that. I’m simply a guy who didn’t know what to do so read and watched hours and hours worth of material. What I share on this site with others is simply the fruition of what I’ve learned and experienced myself.
Great points Steven! Food is a great motivator for most Labrador Retrievers. One more thing that I always do is feed my puppy’s their meals in their kennels which is another great way to associate positive things with being inside the kennel.
Why is this saying that bringing puppy to bed with you instead of crate create an undesireable habit?
@Parris, this is from our guide dog hand book and it doesn’t explain undesirable habits. However, from experience I can tell you if your puppy is barking and then you take him out of his crate and bring him into your bed, your puppy has just learned that barking gets him a nice cozy spot in the bed next to you. I do my best not to encourage my puppy to bark to get something he wants. I’ve also had friends who have brought puppies into the bed that have had accidents in the bed which is another habit I would not want in my puppy.
We are getting a yellow lab puppy in a few days. Her crate is going to be in our living room, where my older dog sleeps. We sent a blanket to the breeder to get the scent of her littermates for her. I am planning on sleeping in the living room on the couch the first week or so. Is that a good idea? After that I would sleep in my room. Would she get really sad when I start sleeping in my room? Also, what should I do if the puppy doesn’t get along with my older dog? I’m nervous but very excited!
@Cassidy, congratulations on your new puppy! I crate train all of my puppies and the crate is right beside my bed. In my experience every puppy is different. Some are fine sleeping through the night after a day or two. Some are not. Sleeping on the floor next to the crate worked for my Aussie, Linus, but it didn’t work with Stetson. He cried no matter where I was in the room or out of the room.
I think it’s natural for a puppy to be sad and want companionship when he sleeps considering he’s sleeping in a brand new place away from his litter mates and mother for the first time.
Anyhow, it’s different with every puppy. You’ll have to wait and see how he does sleeping and how he interacts with your current dog. Best of luck with your new puppy!
Colby – Thank you for such an informative site!! I stumbled upon it recently with the article on selecting a puppy from the litter. We will be “picking” our border collie puppy on March 25th (at six weeks…although it doesn’t come home until April 7th at 8 weeks old). I’ve spent countless hours on this site
@Stacie, Congratulations on the new puppy! Thank you for letting me know that the site has been useful. It’s really nice to get recognition from readers. When I was growing up we rescued a border collie mix from the animal shelter. He was high energy, extremely smart, and a lot of fun. Best of luck with your new pup!
We just picked up our husky/border collie mix today. He is 8 weeks old. He plays fine with our Alaskan malamute but hated the kennel we have for him. He was whining, howling and crying all night. My mom and my boyfriend both tried to stop it by saying things like “It’s ok” “sh” and when he stopped crying “good boy” and was silence for awhile. The only thing that stopped Beau’s cries was me saying random stuff. Like telling him what tomorrow will be like for him. How much long will this go on?
Hi Arabella,
Congratulations on your new puppy! Saying the random stuff is exactly the same thing I did with Linus. It was like having a conversation. Unfortunately, if you read the post then you know it took Stetson about 4 weeks before he stopped crying, whining, howling in his crate. Most of my other puppies took between a few days and a week. Good luck with Beau!
Take care,
Colby
It took Beau 2 days to get used to the kennel! Thanks for the helpful tips!
Hi Arabella!
That’s great! I’m always excited when my puppy gets used to his kennel and starts sleeping through the night.
Take care,
Colby
It took Captain 2 weeks to stop crying, finally last night, when Kristopher and I took our other german Shepard gemini and put them in the room we set up for the puppies and took Captain out of his kennel, Captain and Gemini(brother and sisters from the same litter) slept all night without crying. Our daughters, Kris and I all had a great night sleep. One question thou, Colby do you think we had Captain in the kennel for to long or …….?
Arabella, Congrats on Beau!
Hi Adriana,
Congratulations on the new puppies! Are you talking about working on crate training for 2 weeks? I don’t think that is too long too work on crate training. As I’ve mentioned before it took Stetson over 4 weeks to get used to his crate.
Thanks for stopping by!
Colby
Hi im getting a golden labrador puppy in a few weeks and im worried that i still dont no how to housetrain him! I dont no how long to leave him in his crate or what to do with him whilst im at college! Any advice would be brillant.
Many thanks
Jon
@Jon, There’s a lot of information here on the blog. Try checking the archives. If you’re looking for a good book then I’d recommend Puppies For Dummies. I also wrote a short article on how to crate train puppies if you have questions about crate training. Best of luck with your new puppy!
I can’t thank you enough for this post. I never crate trained a dog before. My malamute did “puppy boot camp” and was trained to a blanket when we got him at 8 months. My 5 month old basset hound would sleep in later than I would if I let her.
The horror the first night when I unexpectedly had to bring home my 7week old English Springer Spaniel and she howled and cried to the point that I cried with her. I seemed to find all these sites that told me to “slowly introduce your puppy to her crate over the next few weeks” but didn’t tell me what to do with her at night! Or sites that told me “your puppy may cry for a minute or two” when I listened to her cry herself to sleep for 30 minutes each time she had to out. You’re the first one I found (with a background I respect) that told me it will be ugly, but you need to do it, and it will get better.
It’s been a week and we’re down to 5 minutes of fussing at a toy (not crying or howling) and out like a light. Last night I accidently woke her up because she was grumbling in her sleep and I thought she need to go out. I caught a good grumbling for that.
Thank you so much, I don’t think I can truely express how guilty I felt that first night and how much more confidence your site gave me.
Michele
@Michele, thanks for commenting. I’m glad my little article helped you with your pups training. In my experience you never really know when it comes to crate training. Every time I bring home a new puppy my hope is that we’ll have a good first night at his new home. I hope everything is going well now with your new puppy.
hi,
I finally have my puppy and he is the cutest thing (Everything went well because the breeder gave me a sample of his food brand
Anyways, yesterday (his first night at home) was pretty calm.. he only cried a little at night and I had to take him outside every two hours at night (it was raining ALL night) but I heard much worse storries. So I’m happy he accepts his crate so well.
BUT..he hates his collar. I gave him three different collars to see if something might be wrong with it. He scratches one side of his neck every 3min. With or without the collar. Should I only put it on when we go outside or should I leave it on so he gets used to it?
And another question, what is a good age to start training. Rocco is 7 weeks and sleeps almost all day. He acts like he is not very interested in training, he doesn’t focus. Is that normal for his age? I can’t get him with treats, because that’s the last thing he cares about :O maybe before eating time he jumps around to get a treat. Should I wait another week or two?
Thank you! you have always been a big help. Thanks
@Alexandra: While some dogs have skin allergies to the materials used in some collars, I believe the scratching is usually from them just not being used to it and/or it being too tight. For a pup, I think the acceptable tightness was being able to put 1 finger easily between the collar and dog(anyone verify this?).
Start trying to train now. Try training before you feed Rocco. By doing that, you give him an incentive to train(food). That also opens up the possibility to instead use his food instead of treats as a reward for successful steps in the training. If you feed him 3 times a day, try training him 3 times too. If not, 2 works.
@Alexandra, Steven makes some great points in his comment. Thanks Steven!
I’m glad the crate training is going well with your new puppy. We pickup our guide dog pups for the first time when they’re about 7 weeks old. One of the first things we do is put their collars on for the first time. So far every one of my puppies has hated wearing his collar. I just leave it on them and they get used to it.
I’d start training immediately. By the way, not being able to focus is very normal for a puppy his age. Try to do really short training sessions for now. We’re always told that a good amount of time to work on training is for the length of a commercial break. One of the first things we teach our puppies is to sit and wait for their food. I actually posted a video of Dublin waiting for his food as a puppy here: http://puppyintraining.com/puppy-in-training-tv-ep2-take-your-dog-to-work/ (check around the 2 minute 30 second mark).
Best of luck with your new puppy!
hello thank you for this great web site! thanks to Colby & Steven B.
@Steven thank you I will start with the training tomorrow and I hope it will work
I keep you updated (haha)
I have another problem. Yes again. Ok my puppy cries a lot. Not just at night but during the day too..when he gets a moment to himself, for example. After we play.. or he just crawls in his favorite corner rolls up and cries… it is so heartbreaking!!! Is that normal? my husband says he’s depressed and that especially lab puppies should be very playful and ”wild”. Our 7 week old pup likes to play but it’s not like he’s a going-crazy-play-with-me puppy. Is it because he’s simply very young or because he doesn’t know us that well?
@Alexandra
The crying should go away after a little while. I haven’t gotten a dog from a breeder in a long while, however whether it is in two minutes or in two weeks, even with the toys/blankets that smell like where he came from, the puppies will cry because they miss their siblings/mom. This should go away after some time, I’m not sure how long. It shouldn’t be more than a month I’m sure. Perhaps Colby can give a better estimate on that!
This is advice in general, as well as in this situation: do not coddle Rocco. This means don’t be like, “it’s okay..” or pick him up when he starts crying and start petting him. I found this weird as it goes against my human nature, but after seeing a friend’s dog get all scared and stuff when it rains because of the owner’s coddling, I decided it was worth a try to not coddle. I hope this info helps!
@Alexandra, Steven always gives good advice here. How often is he crawling into the corner and crying?
Hi it’s been a while sorry… Ok my puppy had blood in his stool so we’ve been going to vets back and forth. Everything is ok with him now, the vets didnt really know what was wrong cause all tge tests came out negative. He is wearing his collar now and he is not crying anymore, only when he wants something:) he can sit, waits on his food, knows the down and stay command and shakes your hand (gives his paw) so training is going well. But we have a new provlem again, he tells is when he has to go by crying at the door or he puts his paw on the backyard door. So we just open the door and he can do his buisness anywhere he wants. Since our whole yard became his bathroom we want him to poo and pee in one spot now. We put him on the leash now and want to walk with him to his corner but rocco is not playing that game. As soon as he knows that we are heading to that one spot he layes down and is not moving. He just acts stubborn and we dont want to pull him so what can we do ?
@Alexandra, if he’s just laying down and now wanting to move you can try tapping your leg and telling him in an exciting voice to “come” You can also try getting him to follow you by having a few treats in your hand or a squeaky toy. Usually if you can make yourself more exciting he will get up and follow you.
I love your site, loads of great advice. I picked up my 10 week old female Westie puppy yesterday from NC (I’m in Va). I have a special needs son that is still in HS. We are around alot of special needs ppl with special olympics ect…. so she will be too.
After much reading and speaking with ppl I would like her to be a theraputic dog visiting childrens hospitals, nursing homes eventually if everything goes well and she likes it. Training starts in a couple weeks when she’s fully vaccinated.
Everything went great yesterday until bedtime and I put her in her inviting crate. She immediately starting crying, whimpering, going crazy ect… My hubby went and got her after 10 minutes of this and in the bed she went. I knew after all the research I have done bad move. I couldn’t convince him not to do this.
So finally around 2:30am she woke me up in bed and went pee on the bed. I took her outside and she pooped for me. Then I gave her a treat/praised her ect.. and put her in the crate. She is crying all night. Finally calms down if I stay in the living room with her after about 30-45 minutes. I know yesterday was traumatic for her leaving her mom/little brother……….longgg ride in the car.
Am I doing the wrong thing staying in the living room with her? My hubby doesn’t want her to stay in her crate next to our bed. Feels like he will get no sleep. Should I put her in the crate for very short periods of time during the day to get used to it? I mean she hated that crate tonight. lol I really want her to be housetrained. Plus I can’t watch her every second and want her to be safe. I mean if I need to go to the store, take a shower ect…I want to be able to put her in there.
Thanks for any advice or help!
Susie
@Susie:
Congrats on the new puppy and life choice for her! I hope the training goes well! As for the nighttime crate issues… I don’t know if the lesson was learned, but a pup who probably isn’t potty/house trained yet definitely does not need to be in the bed! My dog Kate peed all over our down comforter one day.. never again will that chance be taken!
My girlfriend Chelsea wears earplugs. She started wearing them because I snored, but now she wears them no matter what. When Kate was in those early puppy training stages, oh jeez she would whine/howl. Luckily for her, the earplugs also drowned out Kate! Not lucky for me. I didn’t get much sleep that first week especially. It wasn’t necessarily the whining that woke me up, but knowing the meaning behind the whine: bathroom time. Puppies can’t hold their bladder that well at that young of an age. So expect potentially 2-4 late night bathroom whines in the next week or two. Late night visits I kept strictly business, meaning get in-get out, done, no treat. I think keeping it strictly business helps the pup know that it isn’t playtime and should go back to sleep.
Attempted nap sessions in the crate is a good idea. If the crate is small enough, I’d bring the crate out of the bedroom and into the living room or something. When it’s not naptime, try keeping the crate door open so that she’ll learn she has access to it anytime. Try to get her also to feel comfortable with the crate. That may mean giving her treats in her crate or forcing her to get toys from it.
I hope this helps for the upcoming nights!
Steven B
@Susie, sorry for the late response. Congrats on your new puppy! Steven B is exactly correct you want to get your puppy as comfortable as possible with her crate. One thing to add…I usually feed my pups all their meals in their crate until they are comfortable sleeping in it. Good luck with your new puppy!
I’m geting a morkie for my birthday from my parents and this is great advice.
THANKS SO MUCH!
get a yellow lab pup in a few weeks if i keep the crate by the bed for her to sleep at night how long do i do that and if need to change what do i change to? also during the day she will be in a pen in the kitchen while im at work i puppy pads and toys for her but do i need a bed or crate in the pen to or what?
@Jessie:
Pre-congratulations on the yellow lab! For me, the crate by your bed is probably going to be a lifelong thing. Crate size might change of course, unless you simply partition off a bigger crate. As I’ve read in multiple places, having the dog in a fenced in area (while at work) at the kitchen is good. I’m not sure if you mean you are giving her the whole kitchen or not though. If the-whole/most-of-the kitchen, try to keep the food, bed, and pads/newspaper separate. If you are able, and also able to keep the crate open, I don’t think it’d hurt to bring the crate into the kitchen. Key thing though is to keep it open. If not the crate, some kind of bed wouldn’t hurt. That bed could be what she lays on when she’s in the living room or something, in the future.
I hope this helps, so while I’m sure Colby will follow up with some more advice, I’m glad you have a few weeks till you get her! Try to bring/send a blanket or something to acquire some of the scent of her pen with her litter. You may have read this already, but it’ll help calm down the pup a little bit in the beginning.
@Jessie, congratulations on your new puppy! I’m glad you’re already researching a few weeks before you pickup your puppy. By the way, if you’re looking for a good resource then I’d recommend Puppies For Dummies. That’s the first book I got years ago and I still use it today as a resource.
Steven B always give great advice. He’s always beating me to this comment thread.
My guide dog puppies in training always sleep in the crate beside my bed. However, my own personal pet dogs that are now potty trained are allowed to sleep outside of their crate. I just leave the doors open to their crates. Linus still likes to go and sleep in his crate when it’s bed time.
When you go to work if you leave a toy for your unattended puppy make sure it’s a toy that she cannot swallow or destroy like a large KONG. Also, in my experience with foster puppies they sometimes do not differentiate between the pee pads and the bed. They’ve also destroyed both the pee pads and bed. You want to be careful what you leave with an unattended puppy.
I hope that helps. Best of luck with your new puppy!
I have a 10 week old schweenie named Shadow and i have had him ever since he was five weeks. Shadow is very smart. Shadow has been potty training for a while. I am trying hard to be patient and consistent. I will definitely work hard at getting him house broken.
My husband and I just brought home a Havanese puppy. So far she has been crying the entire time. I know she misses her mama and siblings, so hopefully this will stop. My husband and I both have jobs where we have to be super alert(surgery and anesthesia), so we aren’t putting the crate in our bedroom since we have to sleep a little. We’ll be getting up twice a night to take her potty (She goes on a potty pad already!). Is there anything we can do to alleviate the daytime crying? We hold her and cuddle her and let her roam around the kitchen and have toys and a blanket that we rubbed on her family, but she still cries. How can we help make her feel better? Also, when she naps on the floor during the day, should we try to put her in the crate for that? Thanks for the website and advice!
@Christina, congratulations on the new puppy! Are you talking about daytime crying in her crate or just in general? When my puppies are first getting used to their crate I put them in the crate when they nap on the floor during the day. If you’re having trouble with your puppy crying in your crate then take a look at this post: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
She is actually doing pretty good in the crate. She goes in and out throughout the day, if she’s napping we put her in there with the door open so she can get used to it. At night, she’s in a spot where we can’t hear her, so I get up a few times to check on her and let her out to potty. She’ll cry a bit when she goes back in but not for too long. She goes potty outside or on the potty pad, not crate accidents and only one oops accident. Our problem now is she cries during the day, by the door. We try to distract her with toys, a kong, a dentastix, etc, which helps for a little, but she goes back and cries by the door. It has been 2 days and it has decreased a little but not much. Tips to stop the crying during the day? Distraction, treats, toys, cuddling, anything?
@Christina, if you she’s waiting by the door she might want to go outside. I would try taking her to her potty spot outside for 5 to 10 minutes (or until she pottys) then bring her back in. If you don’t think she is crying to go outside you might try teaching her a game like fetch to occupy her time. You could also try working on her training during these times as it will also offer mental stimulation. Of course I would also try the things you mentioned like offering up treats, playing with toys, and cuddling. You also might try start a grooming routine with your puppy where you brush her for 5-10 minutes a day. It’s usually a good bonding time for dog and owner.
The daytime crying has gotten better. At night, she cried for about 15 minutes after we put her in the crate, turned off the lights, and went to bed. We don’t have her in our bedroom, but we put our t-shirts in the crate for our smell. She seems to not mind the crate, she’ll be in there for naps during the day and go in and out. I set my alarm to go off to get up and take her potty. She usually potties and then I put her back in the crate and go back to bed, where she cries for about another 15 minutes and goes back to sleep. Is this okay? Is it normal? Will she eventually stop crying? Our sleep is so important to us, which is why she doesn’t sleep in our room, but I do get up to make sure she goes potty. No messes in the crate yet. Just want to make sure we are doing the right thing.
My family might be getting an 8 week old Brittany in early May, and I am trying to find out as much as possible about getting a puppy.
a) I have school for about 7 hours a day, and both my parents work for about 9 to 9.5 hours a day. I am worried that the puppy will be locked up in it’s crate for 7 hours. Should we hire a dog walker?
b) In the first week of owning a puppy, when do you start housebreaking, training, and walking the dog, and which do you start first?
@Ally, early congratulations on your new puppy.
a. I would suggest hiring a dog walker or puppy sitter if you’re going to be away from the house for such a long period of time.
b. I start doing all of these things the first day I bring home my puppy. However, I’m very careful when I take my young puppies out on walks. I take them only out in places where other dogs haven’t been until after they’ve had their rabies vaccination (around 16-20 weeks).
Best of luck with your new puppy!
First up can I say thank you for all your effort with this blog and site, what a great site full of very useful info and I really like how you “tell it like it is”.
I have a 9 week old Kelpie pup I picked up a few days ago from a breeder. First night was ok, second disaster but the third seemed to be a little better with him crying for about 20 minutes rather than all night. The first 2 nights we had him outside (I live in Australia so even the winter weather is mild) after the second night I’m surprised my neighbours are still talking to me but I did word some of them up we had a new puppy arrival. I’ve changed the approach and ised a crate for night 3 with much better results (he will eventually move outside).
He is not too keen on his crate but will move into it after a few minutes of lying on the rug when he is tired inside. I have typically been leaving the door open while he was in there as though he goes in of his own accord he freaks when the door is closed(though I have started closing it on him to get him more accustomed to it) and gets upset when I leave the room or get up from the sofa even with other family members in the room at the time.
After all that, my main issue is: when I take him out of the crate in the middle of the night to toilet, when we come back inside he has been all worked up and won’t get into the crate of his own free will. Should I just pick him up and put him in there and shut the door? Having read all the posts here, I’m reluctant to do that for fear of it having a really negative effect on his relationship with the crate. Should I perhaps use a couple of liver treats or something to entice him in instead?
Many thanks for your advice.
Cheers,
Andrew
@Andrew, congratulations on the new puppy. I think you’re on the right track with trying something like liver treats to entice him into the crate. I would not force him into the crate. Try to only associate positive things with the crate. If you aren’t already I would also feed him his meals in his crate. Best of luck with your puppies crate training!
Hi Colby,
I have a few questions before i get my puppy and i was wondering if you would be able to answere.. I work ten hour days and my boyfriend eight and we are looking into getting a pitbull puppy. He will be ten weeks old when we get him and i am not to fond of locking him in a crate all day, and then night. Would an outside kennel with a doghouse be suitable at this young of an age? Will housetraining be more difficult? What can i do to keep him occupied(not barking or digging)?
@Kali, sorry, but I don’t have a great answer for you. When I first began working with my own puppy Linus I made it a point that I would be able to spend the majority of my time working on his basic obedience training, socialization, and good puppy manners. I actually gave myself about 8 weeks to work on his training while I worked from home. The same is true of the guide dog puppies I’ve raised. These puppies spend all day with me at my work office from the time they are 7 weeks old.
I like to write about my experiences and unfortunately I have no experience leaving my puppies at home for 8-10 hours during the day.
A couple things I can say are…I would not leave your puppy in the crate for an entire day. When we first bring home our puppies we do not leave them in their crate for more than a couple hours during the day. We let them sleep through the night in their crates, but in general they usually wake up 2-3 times during the night to go potty.
If you’re going to leave your puppy or dog at home for long periods of time then you might look into hiring a pet sitter.
Good luck with your new puppy.
Well i might have a few more questions this weekend when we bring him home but for now he will be watched by my In Laws during the day! Thanks!
@Kali, I’m glad your in laws are going to be able to watch you puppy. I’m excited for you! Best of luck with your new puppy!
Hi Colby,
Great info on your site for new dog/puppy owners as they’re starting out, I’m finding it very useful as I continue to read the comments section. My girlfriend and I just recued a 8-9 week old Shepherd mix, we’ve had him for about four days and started crate training him the first night we got him. We’ve also been using positive reinforcement every time Marty goes into his crate by himself, we give him a treat and give him plenty of praise. We’ve put plenty of clean blankets and hid some treats and chew toys in there, as well as only feeding him by putting his food bowl inside the crate.
On the first night, we waited for him to fall asleep on the floor in the living room, placed him in the crate (which is located in the living room), he woke up for a bit but we closed the gate, turned off the lights and went to bed… didnt hear a peep from him at all that first night. We thought we were in luck! But the second night, we did the same thing and as soon as we turned the lights off and closed the door to our bedroom, thats when the yelping, whining and barking started! It went on for about 5-10 minutes but after that we figured her roommate was being disrupted to so we brought the crate into the bedroom with us. Same thing, more whining/barking until we just decided to leave the crate door open and see what he did after we picked up all the things he could chew on that night. Marty walked around outside his crate for a minute and laid down on my girlfriend’s old dog’s bed (her dog Stella sleeps on the bed, she’s a five year old Rottie mix) and went to sleep, he didn’t make a sound all night! When I woke up, he was still asleep on the dog bed, but I looked around for any accidents and there were none. I go and walk him outside around the same time every morning and he’s been good with doing his business at a regular schedule. After that, I feed him his breakfast in his crate with the door open; which he vacates after eating. But when its time for my girlfriend and I leave for work, I put him in his crate (give him praise, a treat and a chew toy), as soon as we walk away thats when the yelping and barking starts again. On the third night, we didnt bother putting him in the crate, but he slept just as well as he did the night before on Stella’s bed, no sounds, no accidents and walked him the same time that morning with no problems. But again, as soon as we leave for work, he cries/whines continuously.
My questions are,
a) Is this healthy? Is letting him sleep on Stella’s bed at night, outside his crate, a good thing if he’s sound asleep and with no accidents? If not, is it too late to change this habit without prolonging the puppy whining at night phase?
b.) Would he be better off if we forced him to sleep in the crate at night even though he whines/cries? Would this help with his whining/crying when we leave for work?
Thanks in advance for your reply, and again, this whole comment section has been immensly useful.
Miguel
@Miguel, congratulations on your new puppy! It sounds like you’re doing some very good things with your puppy training. Here are my thoughts on your 2 questions:
a.) As guide dog puppy raisers we are required to do certain things when raising our puppies. One of those things is our puppies must sleep in their crate next to our beds at night. It can be difficult sometimes as I mentioned in the article. It might take him longer to adjust to the crate if you do not crate him at night. He’s still very young so I imagine if you leave him outside of his crate at night one of these days you may find he has an accident in the house. Also, how long are you leaving him in the crate during the day? At his young age excluding at night when it’s time for bed I wouldn’t leave him in the crate for more than a couple hours at a time. It’s not too late to work on his crate training at night.
b.) You really don’t want to force him into the crate, but I would consider having him in the crate at night. I use the crate throughout all of my puppies training which lasts from 7 weeks to 18 months and they’ve all adjusted to it over time. Some like the crate right away while others have taken up to a month.
Another thing you want to keep in mind is to never let your puppy out of the crate when he’s whining/barking/crying. Try to wait until he stops even for a couple seconds then let him out and give him praise. You’re goal is to try and make the crate a positive place for your puppy. A lot of dogs will eventually just start going into the crate on their own. Linus, my 8 year old dog will sometimes go sleep in his crate during the middle of the day when he’s tired.
Hopefully those tips help. Good luck with your training!
Thanks for the prompt reply and tips, Colby! To answer your question, he’s never in the crate for more than 4-5 hours at a time, my girlfriend’s roommate comes home during lunch to let him out while we’re at work.
Anyway, here’s an update:
Yesterday was Day 4 of having the pup at home, we started clicker training yesterday and he picked up on sit/shake pretty fast. Its also the second day in a row without any accidents in the house/crate.
We worked on training him to get inside the crate by himself and only rewarding with a click, treat and praise if he sat down. We would then close the door and of course he would start to whine, so everytime he stopped whining and laid down we would immediately click, treat and praise. If he was quiet for a few minutes we would then let him out. We repeated this a couple times throughout the afternoon and hoped for the best that night.
I should also tell you that we switched crates on him yesterday. My girlfriend and I spend half the week at each others apartments, so we have a crate at each apartment for him. One is a plastic kennel and the other is a larger traditional metal crate. He has been staying in the kennel the first three nights, so he already has his scent on it, this is the one I will be taking back to my apartment. We set up the metal crate at my girlfriend’s apartment, and we’ve been retraining him on that one all day yesterday, he seems to like it more. Maybe because its a little larger? Do you think having different a crate at two locations will have any adverse effects on crate training him? Also, do you have any suggestions on how to partition a crate to make it smaller? I know it isn’t good to have a crate too large for a puppy.
Anyways, night time rolled around and we prepared for the worst, after taking him out for the last time before bed, we put his bedding, toys, and hid a few treats in the new crate. He went in there by himself and sat down. Again, we rewarded with a click, treat, and praise. We closed the crate door and he laid down, so we threw a small rawhide in there and more praise to keep him occupied for a while when we turned the lights off. We also decided to use your tip of placing an article of our clothing around the crate with him (we put a dirty shirt of mine on the door).
Worked like a charm! He chewed on his rawhide for a while which was a little noisy but fell asleep shortly after. It sure beats the heck out of whining, barking and yelping! The great part was, on our way out to go to work, we did our routine with getting him to go into the crate by himself and he didnt whine at all when we left! Hopefully this keeps up, we will definitely keep working on it and keep you posted. Can’t thank you enough for this page.
Miguel
@Miguel, it sounds like you’re doing everything right. Crate training can take a little bit longer for some puppies to get used to. I’ve used plastic and metal crates with the same puppy and although my pup may have preferred one over the other I really didn’t notice any difference in behavior. The metal crate I use comes with a metal partition. You might check your local pet store to see if they sell a partition that fits your crate.
Good luck and hopefully everything continues to go well for you.
I was googling about what to do when my puppu cried in the crate and I found this site. I just got a 7 wk old jack russell puppy. She seems great so far. She met the kids and we played together a bit, then it was bed time. I took her out to go potty, she went. Then I brought her in. I got her a small carrier type crate but she’s so tiny even it is too big.. it was the smallest they had. So I got a huge towel and folded it to block off half of the space and also give her something to snuggle with. She screamed about a half hour then was quiet for 10 mins and then started crying again. My husband will be home from work soon and him coming in will wake her so were going to have to take her out again and then he’s going to want to see her since he hasn’t yet, then well put her back to sleep. If she doesn’t stop crying in that crate, I should stand my ground and just leave her alone right? As long as I know its not her telling me she has to potty, I should just ignore the crying, right? I feel bad and its hard cuz she is so adorable I just wanna snuggle her. I just wanna make sure im doing this right!
@tiffany, congratulations on the new puppy. Yes, you do not want to take her out of the crate when she is crying. In my experience most puppies stop crying after a few minutes and go to sleep. However, some like my Stetson can be a little more stubborn. I put together a list of things you can try if you’re having difficulty with crate training. Take a look at this article: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/. Hopefully that helps. Good luck with your new puppy!
Hi, I have a few questions after two nights of NO sleep! Jovi, my pitbull puppy, is very clingy. He is eight weeks old and always has to be on your lap to sleep which we want to get him out of because he is going to be a big dog! We started with his crate and bed open in the living room, everytime he fell asleep on his pillow or our lap we put him in. He would wake up instantly and begin to cry, and walk out. At bed time we take him out to go potty and put him in his crate with a treat, kong, and his teddy. It is also blocked off half way as you mentioned to do. He will cry, bark, and howl for a good thirty minutes before he starts to quiet down then go’s to sleep for a couple hours. Howls and wines some more(thats when i take him potty again) and put him back in and he cries for another thirty min! This happens at least every two hours for the past two nights. What else can we do!? I am afraid he will wake up the neighbors.
@Kali, Jovi sounds just like my Stetson. If you read through the article then you know that it took Stetson about a month before he stopped crying in his crate. After the experience with Stetson I put together a list of things that we tried and some that were suggested to us, but we did not get a chance to try. Take a look at this post: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/. Hopefully one of those suggestions can help you with your puppy’s crate training. Good luck!
Got a 12 week female yellow lab and she barks a lot. We play with her take her out feed her try to ignore it but she just barks constantly. How can u stop to barking?
@Jessie, it’s difficult to determine the problem without being able to see exactly what your puppy is doing. You might try contacting a professional dog trainer and have them come over for an in-home training session. I usually only experience constant barking during crate training. If you’re having trouble with your puppy barking during crate training then take a look at this page: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies/. During the regular part of the day I keep my puppies on leash by my side all day.
HI
need help with my pup….
i recently bought a 2 month old beagle, her name is Yuri.. (btw, its my first time to take care of a dog)
we live in a condominium so we decided to let her do her thing is a small tray we provided for her.. sometimes, pees and poops on it, but most of the time, she poops anywhere… if we suspect she’s about to poop, we put newspaper right away…
my main problem is this.. during the night, we leave her outside our room, Yuri would not sleep unless there’s someone beside her, so I always sit beside until she sleeps, most of the time, I rub her belly to make her sleep… or carry her like a baby until she fell asleep…is this normal for a puppy?
i had been doing this for a week
to make things worse, whenever she poops in the middle of the night, she would scratch our bedroom door and bark to wake me up to clean her pee and poop, she would not stop until its cleaned… usually she poops at 12pm, 1am, 4am… *i am already tired but i have no choice…
we tried to put her in her cage but she keeps barking and howling… i am worried that the neighbors might complain so i did not continue with this method…
HELP!! i am very tired
and frustrated…
i will take her outside when she’s old enough, the vet advised me not to take her outside yet because she might acquire bacteria, viruses etc…..
***your reply would be a big help .. THANKS A LOT
-selina
@Selina, congratulations on your new puppy! We crate train all of our guide dog puppies and the majority of our puppies initially have problems (barking, howling, crying) getting used to the crate. However, most puppies we’ve raised have gotten used to the crate after a few days (there are exceptions). I’d highly recommend you try crate training your puppy. Here are a couple articles to help you get started:
http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies/
http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
Hopefully those 2 articles help you get started. Best of luck with your new puppy!
Today was Diego’s first night at home. He’s a Doberman/pit mix. He’s been very good since the start. I bit fussy in the car surfing the ride home but expected behavior. I was please that as soon as we got home (after a 2 hour ride) I brought Diego to his yard and showed him his spot and he emediatly let loose- as if he held it the whole car ride. We did stop to give water and let him go but he didn’t at that point. After a while out side of playing and walking the perimeter a few times we started the inside tour. He seemed to enjoy it. No accedents either. Long story short, we made his bed in his crate and I introduced him to it with the door open at first. Once the door shut he started whining and I stuck around to cope with him. After about 10 minutes his yelp became a snore and the little guy was passed out. He’s been sleeping about an hour now as I write this and no problem. I consider my self lucky at this point. Let’s hope night 2 is as easy.
Hi Jay!
Congratulations on the new puppy! It sounds like everything is going well with Diego. I hope night 2 goes well for you too!
Take care,
Colby
We just got a Boston terrier. At nighttime we have had him in the bed with us and last night he had two accidents. I guess I need to get a crate. Do you have any suggestions for a Boston terrier
Hi Cassie,
Congratulations on your new puppy! We prefer the wire collapsible crates because they become more compact and are easier to transport if you need to move the crate around. However, we’ve used both the wire and plastic crates without a problem. Good luck with your training!
Colby
tomorrow i am getting my new labrador puppyy…………..:)
Hi Sabari!
Congratulations! And good luck with puppy training!
Colby
Hi Colby,
I have just brought home a 7 week old puppy whippet from a breeder i have been told on a few occasions are very good . I’ve been following your site and i am using a crate first night last night he woke up five times each i took him out the back he done his biz and went straight back to sleep . There are two things i need to ask, each time we walk through the house he relentlessly nipping with his sharp teeth on our feet and the other matter he came home covered in flees . Every remedy i’ve looked at says 10 to 12 weeks old, a friend said a kitten flee collar would be OK is this true . I have tried to call the breeder but they never answer my call so i have given up on them . Also thanks for your time with this site. .
Hi Magpie,
Congratulations on your new puppy. You might try Bitter Apple spray for the biting and nipping. You simply spray problem areas to discourage biting/chewing. Most puppies do not like the taste and over time figure out not to bite/chew the problem areas you spray.
I’d check with your vet before using any kind of flea repellant including a kitten flea collar.
Good luck with your new pup!
Colby
Hello, I just got a 9-week old puppy today and she seems to not like the kennel very much. I usually take her out to use the bathroom every 1 1/2-3hrs or whenever he starts barking or whining. Anyways, she will not stop whining when I put her in her kennel Ive tried to tell her “shh” or “quiet” Ive also tried talking to her to calm her down, she continues to whine. Can you give me some advice?
Hi Duncan,
Here’s a list of crate training tips I put together a while back that may help you out: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/. As I mentioned in the article it took Stetson over 4 weeks before he stopped his barking/whining/howling. However, most of my other pups usually got used to their crate in a few days to about a week. Good luck with your training.
Colby
Hello! I brought my maltese shih tzu home last Thursday and Omg! I loved him at first. Cuddled him, gave him treats for doing as I commanded and so on. But then night came and what a voice he had! Seeing though my mum wanted me to have him in my bed, as she couldn’t sleep…well I went and got him. Seeing though I sleep with my sister, he hasn’t once got angry at anyone! He is very nice to sleep with.
@Lucy R.
Congrats on the new pup! Be careful having him in the bed with you. He may make a mess in the bed. Ask your mom to get him a crate so that he can have his own bed! If she gets him a crate, put it near your bed. What is his name?
Hi Lucy,
I agree with Steven B. A crate would make a nice place for your new puppy to sleep. If you want more information on crate training please check out our article Crate Training Puppies. Also, if you’ve already started him on his vaccinations now might be a good time to look into enrolling him in a puppy kindergarten class. It will help with his socialization with other people and pups as well as teach you and your puppy the basics of raising and training a puppy.
Good luck with your new puppy!
Take care,
Colby
We are picking up our 9 week old Lhaso / jack Russell mix in 6 weeks. We work full time although my job is flexible in stopping at home MOST days. Hawkeye could be home 6 hours alone. Very worried about this. Anyway, with crate training do I use the same crate for sleeping at night as we use during the day while we are gone?
Hi Shannon,
Early congratulations on your new puppy. We use the same crate for night and day. When we first bring home our puppies we do not leave them in their crate for more than 2 hours during the day. Good luck with your new puppy!
Take care,
Colby
i am currently sleeping on the sofa becauuse my GF can’t sleep due to the puppies first night!!!
Hi Chris,
Congratulations on the new puppy! Things will get better in the next few days/weeks. If you’re crate training then take a look at this list of tips I put together a while back: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
Good luck with your new puppy!
Colby
Hi Colby,
I have just bought a new puppy she is a boxer. She is 11 weeks old and we just brought her home tonight. She is the calmest puppy I have ever seen. She hasn’t barked the whole night. You can play and she will get energetic but then calms down just as I do. I don’t understand the not barking or how calm she is for a puppy for example: She will sit on my lap and watch TV, Kids can run around and she will just watch them. But if I say it’s okay go play she will jump up and chase them around happily. There has been no obedience training or training of any kind to my knowledge. I’m stumped.
Also I plan to make her an outside dog. Is there anything I should expect? Any tips would be greatly appreciated also!
Thank you,
Travis
@Travis,
Congrats on the new puppy! She seems like a very obedient dog! While I don’t have personally have experience with boxers, I can say that different breeds and even different pups from the same litter have different personalities/temperaments. I’m assuming you got her from a litter? From the sound of it, you like her personality! Yay!
As for the outside dog thing, all my dogs before my current dog have all been outside. Some of the basic tips is your dog needs an area with a good amount of shade and open airflow. Make sure to change out the water often. Use your own judgement there. Lastly, give her attention. Just because she is outside with a yard to run around in, that doesn’t mean you can get away with a low level of attention. She is a new family member!
Oh yeah, I don’t recommend her being outside until she has her initial rounds of shots. I’m sure Colby will have more to say! I hope what I said helps too though!
Steven
Hi.
I am getting a puppy in a couple of weeks since it was only born a week ago. I was wondering if there was any food, shampoo, etc. that you would recommend. This is my first puppy and I want to look after it really well. I read your article (about the first night) and it helps a lot. But my parents don’t want the puppy on carpet and my room is fully carpet. Is there anywhere else the puppy could sleep and still feel comforted?
Hi Catherine,
Congratulations on your new puppy! I would check with the breeder to see what they are currently feeding your puppy. It’s a good idea to stick with the same food or if you change foods to wean them off slowly. Puppies can very easily get upset stomachs which is not fun. Also, you might check with your veterinarian on what pet food might be best for your puppy. We feed our Lab and Golden guide dog puppies Purina Pro Plan Chicken and Rice puppy formula. I’d also check with the vet on shampoo, but make sure you get a puppy shampoo which will be milder then a regular dog shampoo.
If you can’t have the crate in your bedroom. Do you have another part of the house that you can put the crate that is not carpeted? If so, why don’t you try putting the crate in a different part of the house and sleep next to the crate for a little while. Some puppies get used to the crate quickly and won’t have a problem sleeping in a room all by themselves. Others may have more difficulty. Here are a couple articles on crate training that might help you out:
http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies/
http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
Good luck with your new puppy!
Colby
Thank you so much for this. We just got a 9 week old Yorkie/Pom mix. His name is Boston and he was howling and whining the first night we put him in his crate to sleep overnight. As he was crying, I looked online and found that you talked with your dog before bed. I thought this was strange but tried it. I placed a flashlight in front of the crate so I could see him and he could see me, started talking to him, telling him “Good boy’” and “Shhhh” very lightly. I made sure to use a soft voice and not a punishing voice. Sure enought, 5 minutes later and it was lights out for little Boston.
Amazing advice. Keep it up.
Hi Zach,
Congratulations on your new puppy! I agree a little bit strange, but I’m sure you’re just like me and willing to try anything to get a crying puppy to sleep. I’m glad it worked for you. By the way, I also wrote this article on other things I’ve tried or heard of: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
Take care,
Colby
hello, last night i brought home my first puppy. A pomeranian. in his small body, he whines too loud. we came home at around 7pm. he was playing by his own while im cooking. the next thing i knew he was sleeping. after a few minutes he woke up whining so i put him in my bedroom. he did not eat anything and went back to sleep. he is still whining after 30 minutes… 20 minutes.. and 15 minutes.. i tried to feed him when he wakes up but he just lick the liquid in his meal.. i am so sleepy and when i sleep i will be forced to wake up with his high pitch and too loud whining.. i even try to put a ticking clock near his crate,i tried to pet him when he calms but he will whine.. i try to say “quiet”or “shh”but he is not listening.. i tried to place him on a pet sheet but he will just sat on it then then whines after a few minutes..is there something wrong with him? or is it just normal? i really cant stand his whining as my neighbors might hear it and it might cause eviction for us in apartment….
Hi Dominic,
Congratulations on your new puppy! Puppy’s can definitely be difficult during those early days/weeks/months. As I mentioned in the article Stetson did not sleep for more than 2 hours in a row for pretty much the first month I had him at home. However, this was not the norm for most of my puppies. Most puppies I’ve raised have taken anywhere from a few days to about a week to get used to their crate and new home. Here’s a list of things that might help with the whining during crate training:
http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
It can be tough, but you need to stay patient, persistent, and consistent with your puppy training. Remember your puppy was probably used to sleeping with his mother and/or littermates for the first part of his life and now he’s expected to sleep all by himself. It will take time, but eventually with proper training he will learn to be alone without whining.
By the way, this sounds like fairly normal puppy behavior to me, but if you think something else is bothering your puppy you might want to visit your veterinarian if you haven’t already.
Good luck with your puppy training!
Colby
thanks, awhile ago, he was crying again, i was able to stop his crying with saying quiet.. but he cries again, i rub his belly, and he seem to like it.. and thank God, he ate his food. right now he is still asleep and i tried to play with him but it seems like he is ignoring me and sleeps again..
Hi i just got a dog today (at about 8pm) i ran to the store got some essentials for him and things like that. i couldn’t assemble the crate so im planning to do so tomorrow. Roman (my 8 week old hound/boxer) is sleeping on a pillow in the kitchen.I am wondering if this will affect him sleeping in the crate upstairs tomorrow in any way?
also wanted to say he is sleeping at 1 hour intervals so i haven’t got much sleep. when he wakes up he looks scared but does not cry or whimper. is this weird at all or should i be happy about that?
Hi Devin,
Stetson used to wake up every 2 hours and start crying. Every puppy is different. The first few nights/weeks can be difficult. It sounds like he’s doing okay if he’s not crying too much. That may change when you put him in his crate.
Take care,
Colby
Thanks for The info! without your blog i would be completely lost. one more thing at night Roman does not like to go out. is he scared? if so how can i help him with that?
Hi Devin,
Congratulations on your new puppy! He should be fine starting his crate training tomorrow. Most puppies will take anywhere from a few nights to a few weeks to get used to their crate.
Good luck with your training!
Colby
So I am a mother of 4 kids from age 10 to 7 months but my oldest daughter decided she wanted a puppy for her birthday. My husband and I have been looking off and on thinking about getting one. I came home yesterday to find my husband got a lab/golden retriever mix, but wait that puppy moved and my husband brought home his sister. So I have just gone from a full time student with 4 kids to a full time student with 4 kids and TWO (2) puppy’s… I love them so much. They are loveable, playful, and bring me lots of joy. Until 2 am…..my husband is a spur of the moment guy and didn’t get a crate for either puppy so we have them in the bathroom, is this OK till they get use to the house? Do they need their own crate or can they share to be close to each other? I took them out this morning and they both used the restroom. VERY GOOD!!! YAY It is now 2:40 and I think they are finally back to sleep. So I am going to try and lay back down before I have to take off to school in the morning but let me know about the crate issue.
Hi Lauren,
Congratulations on your new puppies! Wow! That’s a tough schedule. They will probably be okay in the bathroom, but they may have accidents and tear things apart so beware. I’d get your pups crates as soon as possible. You should get your two pups separate crates. If you have a moment a great book on puppies, training, and raising is Puppies for Dummies.
Good luck with your puppy training.
Take care,
Colby
Thanks it is crazy but we are managing. They are doing good.They don’t seem to want to use the restroom in our bathroom no accidents, or use of the puppy pad, the past 2 nights and they didn’t wake up till 3 this morning. I believe my husband said one accident yesterday while I was out of the house yesterday. I will be looking in to that book. Thanks for all of the advice.
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
It sounds like you and your puppies are doing great. Best of luck going forward!
Take care,
Colby
Hi!
Thank you so much for this website! It’s full of really useful information!
I have a question, though… what if the puppy doesn’t stop barking/whining/howling for an hour at a time even if she can see me? I don’t want to reinforce her bad behavior by taking her out while she’s making noise, but she generally keeps it up regardless of whether I’m in the room or not, even if I’m right next to her and she can see me.
Thanks!
Hi Nathalie,
Your puppy sounds very similar to my 2 pups: Stetson and Linus. I tried doing anything just to make them stop barking for just a second. Usually clapping my hands worked best than I’d quickly give them praise and let them out of the crate. Try to give your puppy as many positive experiences with her crate as possible. Feed her in the crate and give her praise when she goes in. Throw a few treats in her crate and give her praise. Throw her favorite toy in the crate and give her praise. You can do all of this with the door open. As I mentioned in the article my pups have taken anywhere from a few nights to about 4 weeks to get used to their crate so make sure you’re patient, persistent, and consistent when it comes to crate training. Also, I made a list of things I’ve tried to get my pups used to their crate:
http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
Good luck with your puppy training!
Take care,
Colby
Thanks, Colby.
I read your posts and comments about Stetson and yes, Zouina (my pup) sounds very similar. I read through many of the comments here as well as your 14 useful tricks, and a few of them worked! Unfortunately, I don’t know whether it was one in particular or the combination, but the point is she’s sleeping (quietly!) now. Hopefully she won’t need to get up as many times tonight as usual. I’m jealous of the two dogs you had before Stetson. It’s too bad they didn’t come after him so you could fully appreciate them!
By the way, I tried feeding her in the crate and she just flat out refused to eat ,so that won’t really work. Treats work so long as the door is open
Once I get over this hump, I’d love to train her to be a service animal, too, so I’m sure I’ll be on your site quite a bit. Thanks for all the useful information and tips and tricks!
Hi Nathalie,
I’m glad some of the tips are working for you and Zouina. That’s great that you’re thinking about training her to be a service animal. You might also look into getting her involved as a therapy dog. There are lots of great programs out there. The two I’ve looked at for Stetson are Therapy Dogs International and Delta Society.
I’m happy to hear that things are going better with puppy training.
Take care,
Coplby
Colby,
Thanks again for the tips. She slept for 5 hours straight last night! What a relief!
I will definitely look into the therapy dog programs as well. It looks Delta, at least, requires the dog be at least a year old, so I still have quite some time until Zouina will be ready!
YAY! I’m glad you’re getting a little more sleep. Before no time you’ll be back on your regular sleeping routine. Good luck with Zouina’s training!
Hi – I, like so many others, love this blog!! Thank you! We are picking up our puppy on Friday and he will be arriving with a brother. His brother will be living with another family friend. What I am wondering is if it is better to keep them together the first night, since the flight will most likely be stressful. And then give the brother to his new family the following morning. Or if it is better (or all the same) to go ahead and have the family pick up their puppy the first day. That way separating them on day one, so the first night they already start getting used to their new surroundings and being without each other.
Any advice? And I’m sure I will have other questions later – as I am crate training and not sleeping through the night.
Thanks.
Hi Kali,
Thank you! I’m glad you like the blog. I do my best not to bring home two puppies at the same time, but if I did I think I would keep them separate from the beginning. In your situation I would therefore just let the family pick up the puppy on the first day. Good luck with your new puppy!
Take care,
Colby
Thanks Colby. The brother went home with his new family and both did alright with seperation. Now, I’m losing my mind with potty training! I don’t understand! We watch him like a hawk, we take him out often- we’ll take him our for a long time, 20 mins, or an hiur, and nothing. Then as soon as we come back in, he’ll potty inside! And doesn’t stop when we startle him or even pick him up, just like a faucet that won’t shut off. We praise and treat when he does it right, outside. I use natures miracle after he goes inside, I’ve sprayed no-go around. I don’t know what I’m missing, what I should do to make it work, and how long I should expect it totake.
Also, he’s gone in his crate a few times. That’s weird, right? Any suggestions??
Thank you!! Kali
Hi Kali,
Congrats on getting your new puppy! I’m guessing your puppy is somewhere in the 7-11 week age. A lot of times pups don’t have full control of their bladder until they are about 12 weeks old (maybe even longer). It’s very common for them to potty outside and then potty again in the house. If you’ve had him for a few days then hopefully you’re noticing his potty cues like circling, sniffing around, etc. Try to always take him out the same door to the the same spot. Eventually he’ll start to learn and automatically start walking towards the door when he has to potty.
You want to make sure he’s in the right sized crate. If it’s too large he may decide to potty in his crate. It should only be about just big enough for him to stand straight up and turn around. Make sure you thoroughly clean the crate with Nature’s Miracle and if it’s not an issue of the crate being too large you might start by shortening up his crate training sessions during the day and if you’re having problems at night then set your alarm half way through the night so you can let him out at least once to potty.
Hopefully that helps. Good luck with your training.
Take care,
Colby
Hi Colby
I read your information before bringing my 8 week old Labradoodle home. The first two nights i slept by her crate downstairs, gently talking to her when she woke up and letting her smell my hand. I took her outside to relieve herself when she got a bit agitated, which she only needed to do on the first night. On the third night i slept upstairs and went down to her when she woke up. She quickly went back to sleep when she saw i was still around and ready to comfort her. From the forth night to the present (two weeks later) she has slept through the night for 8 hours without crying or needing the toilet.
Your information definitely made me feel more confident about the crate training process, which in turn helped my puppy feel secure.
Thank you.
Tamsin
Hi Tamsin,
Thank you for letting me know about your training experience. It’s really nice to hear that some of the things I mention hear on the blog are actually helping others. Here’s to continued success with your puppy!
Take care,
Colby
Hi Colby,
I’m adopting a 2 month old yellow lab. I was wondering if it’s a bad idea to leave him in the crate during the day for a couple hours a few times a week before I have gotten him completely comfortable with it. What do you recommend I do with him when I leave to go to class for a few hours a day? I’m never gone for more than 2 or 3 hours.
Hi Brandon,
Congratulations on your new puppy! A couple hours a day a few times a week should be okay for your pup. When you let him out of his crate make sure you get him to stop barking/whining/crying (if he is) before you open the door and let him out. If he seems to be very uncomfortable in his crate during the day you might try putting a KONG with a little bit of peanut butter inside to keep him occupied. However, make sure you don’t leave anything in his crate that he can consume. Here are some other things you can try if he’s having trouble staying calm in his crate: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies-14-useful-tips/
Good luck with your new puppy!
Colby
Hello, I just got 2 Peekapoo puppies about 1 yr old. The other owner let the dogs sleep on there bed. So I did last night but would like to crate them at night. I will follow your instructions and see how it goes. But they keep looking at me like i am surpose to do something. ( I haven’t had a dog for 30yrs.) So any idea what I need to do or is that just what dogs do? There potty trained and I took them out for 2 walks now is there anything else I should do? Thanks for the help.
Hi Norma,
Congratulations on your new dogs! It sounds like you’re doing things right. All dogs are different some will want more attention than others. They are pretty young so they may require a little more exercise and play time. You might take them to an obedience class just so they can socialize with other dogs and it will give you a chance to ask a dog trainer any questions you may have with your dogs.
Good luck with your training!
Colby
Hi Colby,
I am soon going to be fostering a puppy [ about 10 months old ] and I will take time off work for the first week or two but after that my schedule is :
Monday : work at 12:00- 2:30
Tuesday: Work from 9:30-3:00
Wendseday : Work from 11:15 – 2:30
Thursday: – Work from 8:00-3:00
Friday: Work from 11:30-1:45
Saturday: HOME ALL DAY
Sunday : HOME ALL DAY
Will this schedule be okay for the 10 month old puppy?
Should I keep my puppy in a crate when I’m at work?
Do you have any more advice?
Oh and the dog is a Great Pyreneese.
Thanks So Much,
Jivani
Oh I looked at my schedule and I am home all day on friday too!
Hi Jivani,
Congratulations on your new foster puppy! I think your Tuesdays and Thursdays are definitely too long period of time to leave your puppy home alone in the crate. You might want to look into having a friend or family member stop by the house for an hour or two to spend time with your puppy on those days or you can look into hiring a pet sitter.
A 10 month old puppy should be okay in the crate on your other work days. That being said it might be too long depending on how your puppy was raised previously. Hopefully you can figure out his behaviors during those first couple weeks.
We love Great Pyreneese! Excellent dogs.
Good luck with training!
Colby
Hi, I just brought home my 4week old malit-poo yesterday, he did great during the day, he did not pee/poo inside the house at all, I took him out almost every hour && 10min after he ate/drank water…( His name is Louie btw)..his 1st night was great, he did sleep with me on my
bbed on his little couch…he woke up around 2:30am (whining very little) I put him on the,
Oops sorry didbt finish my 1st comment…cont..I put him on the ground where I have a puppy pad && he peed & poopd on it..I put him back on his couch && he went back to sleep, he woje up maybe an hour later && did his buisness again..after that he stayed asleep
Im scared to take him outside, bscause he doesnt have his shots yet..soo is allowing him to pee and poop in the puppypad a bad idea? One more question..he was bathed yesterday morning..when can I bath him again? && is he still to young to take him to get groomed?
Hi Valerie,
I think we got to your comments on the Facebook page. I hope my advice helped.
Take care,
Colby
I recently saved a mini Aussie mini dachshund cross approximately 6 weeks old she was going to be put down because the owners weren’t expecting litter and didn’t want her. I work in law enforcement and work 12 hour shifts and can’t always make it home to let her out. My roommate leaves for work later but can you give me some advice for a younger pup and having to be left alone for 6 hours. I hate to leave her alone but couldn’t allow her to be put down just because her owner couldn’t get her dogs fixed and had an Opsie litter. Your page has helped a lot just not sure about younger puppies and long hours alone. Thank you for your help and advice
Hi Dani,
Thanks for rescuing a puppy! If you can’t be home for long stretches during the day I’d either recommend asking a friend or family member to stop by the house for an hour or so during the middle of the day or you can look into hiring a pet sitter. Leaving your puppy at home for such a long period of time could result in behavior problems down the line.
Good luck with your new pup!
Take care,
Colby
Hi! I’m 14 years old, and in my family I am the one who will be training our new puppy because I am most experienced. We recently had a puppy who passed away because he ran out the door and into the road and went under a car; at only one year old.
We live on a very busy street and we are picking up a new puppy next week. He is a malteseXshihtzu, and I was wondering if you could give me any tips on training him not to run out, so we don’t have to deal with what happened before. Thank you so much if you read this. :]
Hi Lia,
Congratulations on your new puppy! When your puppy is young I would keep him on leash or on tie down anytime the front door opened. I would look into enrolling your puppy into dog obedience classes that work on off leash training. Also, work on perfecting commands like your dog’s name and his recall.
Good luck with your training!
Colby
Hi, I am 14 years old. We got a 6 week old Husky, and may I add probably the most cutest dog alive. Although, we do have a few issues. I’ve noticed when we put her in her kennel to sleep, she whines, yelps, barks, and howls; I’ve been woken up around 2:00 am each morning, and I really need my sleep for school. Another issue is her bathroom choice, it seems every time she enters the house she has a sudden urge to poop on the carpet; there has only been one time where she hadn’t, and that was when she pooped twice in a row outside. Third, I feel like I’m not very good at teaching her, her name. Her name is Lila (Lie-la), a few tips on that would be awesome! I have a few other questions regarding training, I’ve heard hitting (lightly) a dogs but with newspaper works, or if it uses the bathroom in the wrong place rubbing it’s nose in it (I’d rather not…) Do these really work, get back to me ASAP Thanks.
Hi Kylie,
Congratulations on your new puppy! I’m glad you’re so interested in working on his training. I’d recommend you get a book called Puppies For Dummies. It’s great and will really help you learn how to train your puppy. We also have a lot of information on this site, but it’s not in any order so the best thing to do is to use the search box in the upper right of the website.
It’s common for your puppy to not like staying in her crate when you first start working on crate training. Make sure you read this article: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies/.
You need to work on your pups potty training. Make sure and read this article: http://puppyintraining.com/how-to-potty-train-a-puppy/
I wrote an article on how to teach your puppy her name. Take a look at this article: http://puppyintraining.com/how-to-teach-your-puppy-his-name/
You never want to hit your dog with anything. You could end up with some serious behavior problems. You also never want to rub your dogs nose in any accidents in the house he won’t understand what your doing and may eventually become afraid of you.
I hope that helps.
Good luck with your training!
Colby
Hi Colby, first I want to say thank you very much for your website and blog. I have learned so much.
We are picking up our 8 week old golden retriever puppy on Thursday and I’m so excited. I wanted to ask if you had any specific advice for me as I also have two very small children.
I intend to crate train her and I was going to have her in my room at night but my 1 year old daughter also sleeps in my room so I’m a little nervous that the entire night will be a puppy wakes baby, baby wakes puppy fiasco.
Just reading one of your posters comments I thought it might be a good idea for myself and Cailín (puppy) to sleep in the living room for the first week or so. Having had 2 babies in quick succession I’m used to not sleeping for long stretches but I’d rather not have everyone’s sleep disturbed if possible. Do you think that is feasible and that eventually she’ll be ok in the kitchen in her crate?
I have arranged for a dog trainer to come on Thursday afternoon for an hour to help me with settling the puppy and I suppose giving me advice about how to handle the puppy with the children. But any advice you could give me would be really appreciated. Thank you
Hi colby,
Did you get a chance to look at my query? I’d love your opinion
My puppy is settling well but she will pounce on my youngest any chance she gets. I do have her on leash all the time as you suggest and find that a great tip.
Thanks so much
Hi Laura,
I’m sorry I did send a reply, but I see it didn’t show up on the blog. How did the first few days go with your puppy? Those are usually the most difficult. To answer your question it should be fine for you to sleep in the living room and over time she should be fine sleeping in the crate in the kitchen. We have specific rules in the guide dog program and that’s why the crate must be next to our bed. However, with your personal pet you can do things differently. It may take a little time for you puppy to adjust to sleeping alone, but all of my pups have gotten used to staying in their crate by themselves. I hope everything is going well with our puppy’s first few days home.
Take care,
Colby
I have a 13 week old lab. At night when I place her in crate she whins and cry bark all through the night. I have to be at work 530am in the morn so just needing some advice
Hi Jennifer,
Here’s an article I wrote that has some suggestions on things you can do when crate training your puppy: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies/
Good luck with your training!
Colby
We will be picking up a new puppy Shih poo for our daughter in a month at which time the pup will be 8 weeks old. My daughter is planning to use puppypads so when she has to be out of the house and leave the pup it will have a place to go and not be distressed having to “hold it”. Also, our winters are very cold and can be nasty so she is worried that for a pup the size of a shih poo it might be just too cold for it to have to stand outside in a pile of snow to do it’s business.
If she uses the puppy pads through the winter months and then in the spring tries to retrain it to get it to go outside will she have any success or will the dog just be confussed? Ideally it would be nice if she didn’t have to use the puppy pads forever.
I have not tried this, but you should be able to re-train your puppy from going on potty pads to going outside. When you transition to having your pup potty outside I would start your pups potty training routine from the beginning and make sure your very strict with where she can (outside) and cannot (inside) go potty.
Hi Colby, this is my first night with my new puppy, it’s now 3:30am I feel like I had another newborn!! He crus a lot, I’ve taken him out several times throughout the night and put him right back in his crate, I have something with his mommas and daddy’s scent and a few stuffed animals for him to lay on or under, he seems to calm down when I get up just to let him know someone is here but I don’t remove him from his bed. I have another dog that’s 11 years old, he crus when the puppy cry’s but doesn’t seem to want
Much to do with the puppy, our older dog won’t even sleep in his bed that’s in our room, I think because the puppy is there. I really want him to love his Lil brother and I’m hoping that in time he will. How many times during the night should I take the puppy out and should I have food and water in his crate all night? Thank I for all your help
Susan H-k
Hi Susan,
Sorry for the late response. We don’t put any food or water in the crate with our puppies. I will take my pups out to potty any time they wake up and start crying, but I immediately take them back to their crates when they finish doing their business. In general it’s around 2-3 times the first few nights. After about a week or two they usually sleep through the night. However, every puppy is different. Some sleep through the night on day 1 and others have taken over 4 weeks (I’ve had friends who said it took 2+ months for their pup) before they sleep through the night.
Hopefully that helps. Good luck with your puppy.
Colby
We picked up our 8 week old chocolate lab yesterday and we’re a couple of hours into our second night. I’ve done exactly as you say in your article but I’m afraid she seems to be like Stetson. She has been howling non-stop for an hour now. I “shh” her and talk to her but it just makes her worse. Wish us luck!!! With a five month old baby I’m starting to think we my have jumped the gun getting a puppy so soon!
Hi Lisa,
A puppy is a lot of work. I wrote a bunch of tips on crate training in this article crate training puppies. That is definitely a tough assignment to have a 5 month old child and an 8 week old puppy. Good luck with your training!
Take care,
Colby
Hi Colby,
Update: We’ve had Ruby for four nights now and she’s been great! She only cried on the second night but now it’s like she’s been here forever. She already asks to go outside to relieve herself, sits and waits for her meals to be put down before going for them and can sit on command! So proud of our puppy!
Thanks for your support
Lisa
Thats awesome Lisa! I’m glad Ruby is doing so well.
Hi! So I have a 3-month-old malteseXshih tzu named Romeo. Throughout the month we’ve had him, we noticed that when we take him out in the backyard, when he’s done doing his business, he starts going into this rage and running circles super quickly around the yard barking and growling. At first I try to chase him; but if you take one step towards him he bolts. I don’t want him to learn to away when we go near, so I have to resort to yelling until he gets scared, and walks up to us with his tail between his legs. He’s also tiny so I’m scared he could find a way to get into the road. What should I do? He’s knows come,
Okay, and his name, but it never seems to work when he goes into that crazy mode! Help? Thank you so much
Hi Sofi,
I would try taking your puppy out on leash when he goes to potty. As soon as he’s done walk him on leash directly back into the house.
By the way, puppies love playing the chasing game. Here’s an article I wrote about why you should not chase your dog: http://puppyintraining.com/why-you-should-not-chase-your-dog/
Good luck with your training,
Colby
Hello! So, I have a very small puppy who used to be afraid of all other dogs. Now, we want to socialize him more -he is 3 months old. But as we notice him breaking the fearful habit, we noticed him getting more aggressive. He snaps and bares his teeth, claws, etc. we need to curb this right away! Before he grows older, or messes with the wrong dog who WILL hurt him. Please help. What can we do??
Hi Anny,
One thing you might try is enrolling your puppy in a puppy kindergarten. These classes will help your puppy socialize with other puppies and people. It will also give you a chance to ask a dog trainer any questions you may have about your puppy’s behaviors.
Good luck with your training!
Colby
My family and I will be picking up our puppy ( yellow lab/ Aussie Shepard) He will be 6 weeks old. This puppy is mainly for my visually impaired little guy who is 2 right now. If he needs guide dog assistants we wanted this puppy to be that for him. What can we do right now with the puppy until we can put him in training for it?
Hi Vanessa,
Congratulations on your new puppy! Do you have a guide dog school or trainer you plan on working with? I would check into that first and ask them what you need to do to prepare your puppy.
All of the puppies we raise are bred at the guide dog school. They come home and live with puppy raisers from 7 weeks until 18 months where the raisers teach them basic obedience, good house manners, and socialization. After 18 months the puppies return to the school where they start their formal guide dog training learning how to walk in a harness, intelligent disobedience, etc. After 6 months of formal training dogs are matched with visually impaired and blind handlers where they go through another 28 days of intense training.
I’m not sure if schools accept dogs outside of their breeding program and that’s something you should definitely look into.
Good luck with your new puppy!
Colby
just got my very first pet 8 hours ago, that’s around 6pm my time. at first he wouldn’t want me touching him even before the previous owner introduced me to Koisky, my MiniPinscher, but after few hours at home he knows only me and tries to jump off and bite others… don’t know what to do… now that I am about to sleep, since he likes to cuddle and sleep beside me, I ran across this article and read about not bringing the dog to my bed to sleep.. so what I did was to place a designated bed for him (not a crate) for him to sleep but with a leash.. will I keep doing this to train him his bed?
Hi Koisky,
Congratulations on your new puppy. We crate train all of our puppies. If you have a new young puppy I would recommend crate training rather than tying him down with a leash. We have an article on crate training puppies here.
You also might want to consider bringing in a professional dog trainer for an in home evaluation of your puppy.
Good luck with your new puppy!
Colby
Hi Colby,
First I’d like to say that this is a great website and I really am impressed that you can reply to almost everyone. So I’m just doing some early studying before I get my Golden pup in a year or two and I’m a bit confused on when to take the pup out to potty at night. Now, we shouldn’t take the dog out when it’s crying but you take him out to pee when he’s whining? Do you mean that we should just keep to a night time schedule (1-2hrs) between going to the potty at night? Thanks!
Hey Daniel,
I’m glad you’re doing some early studying before bringing home a puppy. I’m sure you’ll be well prepared in a year or two.
You never want to let your puppy out of the crate when he is crying/whining even if it’s because he has to potty. You first want to get him to stop crying/whining for a few seconds and then let him out of the crate. In general if your puppy is crying/whining you don’t want to let him out of the crate while he’s crying/whining because then he will associate crying/whining with being let out of the crate.
You don’t really need to keep to a night time schedule unless your puppy is having accidents in his crate without warning you (he’s not crying to be let out). Some pups will wake up, potty in the crate, then go right back to sleep.
Most puppies won’t have too many problems with crate training and potty training. Some of the instances I mentioned with Stetson were pretty extreme. Overall most of my pups were used to the crate after a few nights.
If you do run into some problems with crate training you might want to check out this article: http://puppyintraining.com/crate-training-puppies/
I hope that answers your question. Please let me know if you need more clarification.
Good luck when you get your new puppy!
Colby
Hi Colby,
Your information is great, thank you so much and good on you for helping everyone. I am about to view and hopefully purchase our golden retriever puppy in 8 weeks time (the litter has just been born)
I was just wondering what you think about our idea/plans in terms of getting the new puppy used to our lifestyle. We always had goldens but the youngest was 2 years (they have always been rescue dogs) and my hubby has always taken them with him in his big Jeep to work where they used to relax in the back of the car with open boot. They used to have water and being taken for a walk as much as possible during breaks. Perhaps worth mentioning that my hubby always works outside on residential homes, hence the car is usually parked somewhere in the green and he always has the dogs in his eyesight (I hope this makes sense).
Now the problem, we understand that a puppy of 8 weeks is a very different story to our old boys who happily slept most of the day in the car until daddy came and took them for a walk before going back home at the end of the day. We therefore thought about getting a crate and training the puppy according to your suggestions during the night as well as in the day but in the car boot (a big boot). We were hoping he can get used to this kind of routine and later down the line he’ll be able to simply have a big bed in the car boot and we’ll be able to leave him there without the crate (as we used to with our other dogs). The puppy will have had his first set of vaccinations and presumably we will be getting the 2nd lot in as soon as we take him home (I think 8 weeks is about the time for the 2nd set but need to check this of course).
I will be picking him up over a weekend and then I am also planning on taking a few days off (I am flexible with work/can work from home too when I need to) to ensure the puppy has enough time to adjust before my hubby starts taking him with him during the day. Do you think all of this is possible/realistic for a puppy at this age? How long should we wait until we should take him out and about a daily basis in the car? He will be looked after throughout the day, played with, watered and ‘walked’ but for the ‘in-between-times’ he will be in a crate in the boot (with the boot being open of course to ensure he won’t be hot or anything). Also would it be ok to feed him during the day in his crate? At the end of the day he’ll also get my full attention with more quality play, exercise and training.
Please let me know if our little ‘plan’ is realistic or totally unacceptable. I also understand that every puppy is different and will not only take to a crate differently but might also take longer in general. I just want to make sure our idea is not completely unreasonable and we do right by the puppy. Thank you so much in advance for your advice, greatly appreciated!!!
Hi Marie,
How exciting for you! You must have read some of my posts and comments because every puppy is different
Here are some concerns I’d have for your plan:
1. I don’t let our pups out in common areas or places where other dogs frequent until they have had their final round of vaccinations. This is mainly because of the risk of diseases like Parvo. I would be concerned letting your pup out to potty in unknown areas.
2. At 8 weeks of age I wouldn’t leave my puppy in his crate for more than 2 hours during the day. If you crate your puppy too often they could end up with behavior problems. Also, at such a young age they will have trouble holding it for long periods during the day.
I often feed my dog meals in his crate to help him get used to it and make it a positive experience.
Have fun visiting your puppy and at pickup. I’m not sure if you saw this post with my video picking up Dublin:
http://puppyintraining.com/puppy-in-training-tv-ep1-picking-up-your-puppy/
Good luck with your new puppy!
Take care,
Colby
Hi Colby,
Sorry for the delay, I’ve been off sick for a while but thank you so very much for your helpful comments. I have organised to work from home for the first few weeks until puppies vaccinations are in place and to ease him into everything. Once again thank you very much for your help!!
No problem. I hope everything goes well with your new puppy and training. Remember to take a lot of pictures when he’s little. Before no time he’ll be full grown!
Hi there,
I realize this thread is quite old but I’m hoping you can give me a bit of advice. Tomorrow we will be picking up our lab/pitbull mix from the Humane Society. She is approx. 3 months old. We have made an area for her in our mud-room with a few toys and a wire kennel. This is the small area we have chosen for her to occupy while we are not home. However, I am just wondering about sleep. I have read from you, and other sites, that the puppy should sleep in your bedroom. I was going to pick up a smaller kennel for her to sleep in by our bed but I was worried this “new” area would be confusing for her. Am I a bad (puppy) mom if I make her sleep in the kennel in the mud-room? (It’s such a great location since it’s close to the back door and our bedroom in on the third floor of the house)
Thanks for any advice!
Hi Aeriel,
Congratulations on your new puppy! I’d recommend setting up your crate in the bedroom, but I think you’ll be fine having your puppy sleep in the mud-room. Good luck with your training.
Colby
Im bringing home my new puppy today and i really need to know how much food i should be feeding her for each meal shes just under 2 months and she weighs no more than 5 pounds shes a small dog
Sorry it’s been a few days and you probably figured out by now how much to feed your puppy. The best thing to do is ask the previous owner how much and what type of food they are currently feeding your puppy. As she gets bigger you’ll have to increase the amount you feed her. You can also talk to your vet to find out approximately how much to feed your puppy. We wrote an article about how much we feed our puppies (http://puppyintraining.com/how-much-should-i-feed-my-puppy/), but the amount will be different for a smaller puppy like yours.
Good luck with your new puppy!
Colby
My wife and I just brung home our 9 week old mini schnauzer and it has not used the bathroom and it hasnt eaten or drank any anything. Is this normal for a puppy`s first night in its new home?
hello! so tonight i am getting my first puppy ever, i am really nervous but happy at the same time, i want to know in regard to peeing, i will want to let my dog sleep with me every night and become like a child to me, i dont want her to pee in my bed while im asleep so what do you reckon i do? please help
I guess we were blessed with our purebred maltese as he didn’t bark at all the first nights. But how do you get a small dog to go down steps on his own?
Using training pads to help with toileting is great. my puppy was using them after a few days. You must ensure you put them in the same place and reward and make a fuss of your puppy when he usesit. Ignore if he forgets or misses. Take your puppy out as much as possible, in the garden at first until he has had all of his boosters. Check out my website for more info.