New puppy waking up at 3am to play, crate training issues – advice please!!

[aaarcher86]

Hi everyone,

We have a new puppy in our house (3 month old standard poodle). He’s a fun little guy but one thing is not going well: nighttime! I need some advice please.

Now first let me confess that we were unsuccessful right off the bat with crate training. By the 3rd night of crate training, he barked non-stop for 2 HOURS with no signs of stopping. We have a young child sleeping in the house, and I couldn’t have him doing this. So after 3 bad nights, we decided to move him up to the master bathroom and gate him in there. So now he can see us, hear us, but still has a safe cozy place to sleep and won’t pee on the carpet. (it seemed like separation anxiety to us in the crate).

We still have issues however. He wakes up in the middle of the night to simply play with us (I think). He wakes up and barks/wines, so I assume he has to go outside so I go get him and bring him downstairs. He then proceeds to run around and not even bother trying to go to the bathroom. I stay outside with him until he finally goes, then bring him back upstairs. Even after I set him down, he’s sort of wound up and wants to play.

I know he’s still young, and too young to hold his potty all night. But are we doing this right??

Our other dog stayed nicely in her crate all night (and sometimes had accidents, of course, but no barking/whining). By 5-6 months or so she was holding her potty all night and now sleeps in the bed with us (and hogs the bed!).

Thanks for any advice!

Welcome to Puppyhood! Lol

He just sounds like a normal puppy. Mine would whine in their crates too for the first week until they got used to it. With our shepherd, I put the crate right next to the bed and just stuck my fingers into the holes. It really takes some determination, but you've got to let them 'bark it out' otherwise, they win!

As far as the playing and stuff... normal, BUT, it's where the crate really comes in handy. Ours would do the same thing. I swear - I felt like I had a newborn getting up every 3 hours at night to take her out. But that's genuinely what they are, newborns. It's the same concept - babies/puppies sleep during the day and need to be trained to sleep only at night, etc. She'd go outside and run around and I'd ignore it and just kept saying 'potty' with lots of praise when she finally did, but once she did her business went right back into the crate. She doesn't have the room to run and play in there. It's bedtime! This is when we sleep!

I'd really try to stick with the crate and just power through the initial barking, or it's going to get worse as the dog gets older. I'd try to crate the pup for an hour once or twice during the day to get them used to the crate and realize that you ARE going to let them out of it. I would NOT let the pup out if they're barking like crazy. I'd wait until it stopped. Make sure to put them in right after a potty. I'd also get a KONG toy and put a bit of peanut butter in there and put the toy in the crate with the pup. It takes the bad feeling of the crate away and they start to look forward to it because they get some peanut butter to eat.

 

[ZuZugal]

We have an 8 week old lab pup. Got her at 6 weeks. Put her in her kennel every night for sleeping.

She would get up 4-5 times a night at first. Then my son put a small fan in his room. She has slept like a baby ever since. Guess it is a soothing "white noise" just like it is for people.

 

[dizzy99]

Spraying the hound with a little water (no more than a gentle rain) didn't scar him for life. Now that he sleeps outside his favorite summertime activity is playing in the sprinklers. Good clean fun.

and you leave your dog outside.

 

[wilkeliza]

and you leave your dog outside.

We had outside dogs when I wad younger. My dad had a farm so the working dogs stayed outside to protect our free roam herd. Of course the barns had cool air, a mister fan, fileted water, and auto feeders so they could go chill in there if it was too hot.

 

[PizzieDuster]

When our golden was a puppy, I didn't have it in my heart to crate him. So we bought one of those gates that you can make into a circle, but it has no cover, just a small swinging door. It was big enough for water, sleeping, toys and puppy pads. I could hear him play then hear him go to the pads. Sure enough, each morning I had to change the pads. From the pee and from him playing and spilling the water.

I had puppy pads all over the place. He was so good. He'd be chasing my daughter then run over a pad - immediately stop, pee, then keep on going. Of course I had to mop the paw marks from running through it. At least he got trained to use the pads - he knew where they were all over the house. Those puppy pads are not a good look, all over the place (entryway, hallway, before the family room, my bedroom, daughters bedroom), but we never had an accident. Now, we have no back yard grass, sprinklers, or kitchen mats. He chewed them all up. Sigh. No wonder he was so quiet out there.

Puppy pads!!!

They grow up so fast!