How do I stop my new puppy from crying constantly in her crate?

It is normal for a puppy as young as Bella to need to go outside once at night. I'd recommend taking her outside when she starts whining: make sure you go straight outside because you don't want her to think this is play time. If she does not urinate or defecate bring her back inside and out her directly in the crate. If she starts whining again do your best to ignore her until the morning. This is generally something she should grow out of as long as you are consistent.

Perhaps (and without being there, I can't tell for sure) Loki keeps crying because he gets your attention. You do not need to stay with him, nor does he need something to keep him occupied at night. He needs to learn that nighttime is for sleeping. Once you are sure that all of his needs have been attended to, put him in his crate and walk away . . . and stay away! Do not go back, yell, try to soothe, etc. Once he realizes that his noise won't get the desired result, he'll stop. However, he may get worse temporarily. This does not mean that the tactic isn't working. On the contrary, it means that what he was doing before no longer gets the desired result, so he's ramping up the behavior in the hopes that more will be better. Stand your ground! He will eventually learn for himself that nothing is going to work, so he may as well go to sleep.

Begin with crating her for very short periods of time. Gradually increase that time as she acclimates. This will take time and requires patience and consistency. Offer a special toy or treat as a distraction. Praise and reward her as she acclimates. A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, may help to decrease anxiety. This same method can be used to acclimate her to your absence. Additionally, you can prepare to leave several times daily then put everything away and stay or actually leave. Upon your return, ignore Lily Belle for 15 minutes or until she is calm. Do not make a big deal about coming or going. Consider a pet day care program or having a dog walker visit during the day. At her age, she should not be crated for more than 5 hours before being let out to relieve herself. This time can increase as she matures. The general rule is 1 hour of crate time per month of age plus an additional hour.

Thanks for asking about crate training your puppy. I'm a professional dog trainer. It sounds like you are doing some of the general recommendations for crate training, like feeding in the crate and giving treats in the crate. I'm going to share with you all of my tips for crate training. But the two most important things are to ALWAYS give high value treats for going into the crate and never let him out if he's crying or barking. For you I recommend doing this: Step 1: Throw a handful of yummy treats in the crate and say "Crate" or whatever phrase you want to use and let him go in to eat them. While he's eating them, close the door and stand there. When he's finished eating the treats and not crying, open the door and let him out. Do this 5 times. This teaches him that he gets lots of treats in the crate. The crate is good! Step 2: Throw the treats in the crate, say the word "Crate", let him go in and eat, close the door and walk out of site for a few seconds or a minute (very short time). Come back when he's not crying. Open the crate and let him out. Do this 5 times. This teaches him that you put him in his crate, leave and come back and let him out when he's not crying. Step 3: Throw treats in the crate, say the word "Crate", let him go in and eat, close the door and walk away for 5 minutes. Come back when he's not crying. Open the crate and let him out. Do this 5 times. This teaches him that you stay away longer but you still come back and let him out when he's quiet. Step 4: Do same thing for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and then at night. Step 5: Now that he knows the crate is good, keep reinforcing it by always giving treats to go in. Give him a stuffed Kong or special toys that he only gets in the crate. Keep feeding him in it and don't let him out when he's crying. More tips: Guidelines: 1. A puppy should be able to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably in the crate. 2. Do not leave any extra space inside the crate where the puppy might be able to eliminate. If the crate is large, place another barrier inside that will leave just enough room for the puppy, as stated in step one. 3. Place a towel or padding in the bottom of the crate for puppy to lie on. Remove if you feel the puppy will chew or ingest it. 4. Select an area in your home to set up the crate. This should be in a room where the puppy is engaged with family activities and able to view the family. This may be the family living room or master bedroom. 5. Setup the crate and let the puppy see it in his environment and explore. Keep the door open and hide yummy treats inside, he will learn that good things happen in his crate. 6. Hold a yummy treat in your hand and lure the puppy into the crate. As the puppy enters the crate, say “Crate” or whatever word will be used as the crating cue, and praise and treat. 7. Continue to leave the door open and keep hiding treats under the crate bedding. This will encourage the puppy to explore the crate. 8. Repeat several times until she is comfortable going into the crate. Additional Information: • NEVER force the puppy into the crate. • If a puppy should begin whining or barking in his crate, check your housetraing schedule to ensure the puppy does not need to potty. If the puppy just eliminated, wait until she is quiet before you let her out of the crate. Wait patiently for a split second of silence, and then open the crate door. If you let a puppy out of the crate when he is whining or barking, this will become an “I want out of the crate” cue. • The crate should become a calm and positive environment. • For crate training to be successful, the puppy must view the crate as a refuge and associate it with positive experiences. • Add special yummy treats or toys that the puppy only receives when he is in the crate. Food-stuffed toys like Kong’s work well and make the crate a happier place for the puppy. • When a puppy is left alone in his crate, play soft music in the background.

t.onscYou are the rulemaker in your home, not Dalia. She is doing these things because they work, and she has become spoiled. Once you put her to bed for the night in her bed, not yours (be sure all of her needs have been taken care of), do not do any more for her. No matter how much she cries, whines, etc., ignore the behavior completely. Not even one little "NO!" By all means, do not bring her into your bed or get out of it and stay beside her. You may find that she gets even worse, but that is actually a good thing! It means that she recognizes that there's a new sheriff in town, and she's not going to run things anymore. She will probably make a last-ditch effort to try to get you to do the things you were doing for her. DON'T GIVE IN! After a few nights, when she realizes that her fussing isn't working, she will stop. Good luck with this! If you need further assistance, you can click on the prompt to start a consult.

Dogs (as well as people) do things that get results. If you talk to Sienna when she is whining, or if you let her out of the crate, or even yell at her to be quiet (because negative attention is better to a dog than none), she will continue this behavior. If you ignore her completely when she whines, she will learn that this behavior no longer gets the attention she wants, and she will stop. Just be sure all of her physical needs have been met before you crate her. Also, be prepared for an increase in her fussing temporarily if you have been responding to her at all), because what she was doing is not working anymore, so she may feel the need to "up the ante" to get a reaction from you. Be sure you ignore her every single time, no matter how long it goes on. She will stop!

There is no need to use the clicker for this. (I'll bet that, if you have children, you didn't use one to reward them when you put them in their cribs at night! Once you know that Sota's potty needs have been taken care of, simply put him in the crate and walk away. Do not look back, or try to shush him, or tell him to be quiet. Ignore any noise from him. Once he learns that his fussing is not going to get him what he wants, he'll stop.