How to stop my 7-week-old puppy from crying in his crate all night?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Jasper is very young and likely lonely. Barking in the crate at 7 weeks is very normal. You can try putting a blanket over the crate to create a "den-like" environment. If he doesn't chew up toys you can place a large stuffed animal for his to snuggle up with. Still try to hold your ground and ignore him. You can also consider putting the crate in another room and everyone closes their bedroom doors until he is fully crate trained. I hope this helps and I wish you and Jasper the very best!

Move his crate into your room. As he acclimated, you can gradually move it out. You can also try a cover, nightlight, leaving a radio on low and place a heating pad under the crate to provide warmth. Use on with a thermostat and make sure he cannot get to it or urinate on it. A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, may decrease any anxiety.

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.

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.

I would try putting Co co in a crate at night. Keep in mind she's quite young, and it will take time for her to adjust to being in a new home away from her mother and siblings. It's truly like having a newborn baby in the home! But the good news is that puppies will get better at sleeping at night faster than babies. If you are comfortable with it, you can have her sleep with you at night in your bed. That might make her feel more comfortable. I hope you get some sleep!

Poor Koko! The most common reason that puppies tend to cry at night, is when they are separated from their families - this often happens if they are crated in a different part of the house at night. Dogs are very social animals, and young puppies in particular would normally never be alone when they are sleeping - so they will often bark and cry if they are separated from you. I would recommend having Koko sleep in a comfy dog crate, right beside your bed. If needed, you can even place the crate on a low table or chair so that she is at eye-level with you - this way, she is in her own separate space but she can hear you and smell you beside her. This is also a good arrangement because it allows you to hear her if she cries to go out during the night - many puppies this age can't "hold it" for more than a few hours at a time, so nighttime potty trips are often needed for a while. Once she is older and sleeping through the night with no problem, you can gradually start to move the crate further away from the bed, or even eventually into another room if you prefer.

Young puppies like this are often anxious about being left alone, even if they're just in a crate across the room. You can help him learn to enjoy being in his crate by giving him a special long-lasting treat each time you put him in - something like a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter works very well for many puppies. This will help to keep him busy and encourage him to settle, and will also teach him to associate good things with being in his crate.