# Puppy Whining at Night



## aznVampire (Jul 20, 2010)

Is there anyway that I can tell the difference between when my puppy wants attention and when she wants to go outside for a potty break at night?


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## Lily.m (Sep 13, 2009)

If your dog is in an area at night where she/he can pee or poo then ignore her (put newspaper/pads on the ground away from where ur pup is sleeping.

They will cry regardless of needing to got potty or not. 99% of the time they'd be crying for attention.

Better off ignoring the cries now or you could end up with an adult dog with separation anxiety.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

Over time, you'll come to know what your dog is telling you. For now, put her on a feeding schedule, and regular trips outside to potty. What goes in must come out, so keep track of when she ate, and when she had to poop. Then you'll get to know her personal routine, and get her out to potty when she needs to go. 

Just like with a baby, if their belly's full and diaper dry, you can let them fuss a bit with no harm. But don't just ignore your puppy, even if she just needs attention. Puppies feel pretty vulnerable all alone without mom and littermates, so it's perfectly ok to reassure her (and is not going to cause separation anxiety). Establish a daily routine that provides some structure. Dogs, just like children, thrive on structure and routine, and makes them feel secure.


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## Lily.m (Sep 13, 2009)

Is it really that good of a idea to tell this person to not ignore the puppy crying at night? Isn't that how most dogs end up getting separation anxiety?


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## fblough (May 28, 2010)

We have been ignoring our puppy...now 5 months old...and she was better for awhile but now whining has progressed to barking. Still only for ten minutes or so then she settles down again but i'm afraid that the barking will become a routine. She goes in her crate ok at bed time but it is at 2:00 a.m. and then she is ok till her normal wake up time. It is not everynight but becoming more frequent. Very FRUSTRATING!!! 

Feeling tempted to put her crate in another part of the house but unsure if that will make it worse or better. Now she is in another bedroom across the hall so she can hear us rustle around. We don't really have room for crate in our bedroom and because she still chasing our cat, we cat feel safe letting her just sleep in our room on the floor yet.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

Lily.m said:


> Is it really that good of a idea to tell this person to not ignore the puppy crying at night? Isn't that how most dogs end up getting separation anxiety?


It's perfectly ok to briefly reassure a young puppy in the night, and doing so is not going to cause separation anxiety. All puppies show some anxiety when separated, which they outgrow as they grow. Providing a daily routine with structure makes a puppy feel more secure, and, when coupled with ongoing training, will build confidence, so s/he is not afraid to be alone.


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## FrostQ (May 5, 2010)

I have the same problem. This thread really helps.
I have 2 questions:

1.) Should I ignore whining/barking? She doesn't need to potty...but seems like she just wants attention.

2.) When can/should I let the pup sleep outside of the crate? She's fully potty trained (although only 4.5 mo. old). Is it bad training to start letting her out of the crate at such a young age? Will this promote separation anxiety?


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

> =FrostQ;855293]I have the same problem. This thread really helps.
> I have 2 questions:
> 
> 1.) Should I ignore whining/barking? She doesn't need to potty...but seems like she just wants attention.


During the night, a 4.5 month old puppy should pretty much sleep through the night, however, a lot depends on whether or not she's on a feeding schedule, what time she's in bed for the night, and, the size of her bladder. If, as you stated, she doesn't need to potty, then briefly reassure her with her hand (crate next to your bed), and tell her "quiet." Then ignore her. 



> 2.) When can/should I let the pup sleep outside of the crate? She's fully potty trained (although only 4.5 mo. old). Is it bad training to start letting her out of the crate at such a young age? Will this promote separation anxiety?


What's the rush? Keep her in the crate where she's safe, and can't get into trouble. Lucia, my "puppy" will be 2 yrs. old next month. She's still in the crate when I'm gone (I work the overnight shift) for her safety and MY peace of mind. When I'm home, she's not crated, but she's used to the routine. When I put my shoes on, she trots off to the bedroom, and goes into her crate of her own volition. Because that's the routine, so that's what she does. No fussing, whining, or barking. Now Lucia was one who would cry and yip when I left the room, when just a babe. I conditioned her by saying the same phrase whenever I left the room (I'll be right back), gradually staying away for longer periods of time. She learned that I would, indeed, come back, so relaxed. I'm a real stickler for structure and routine, because it helps make the puppy/dog feel secure, because they know what's going to happen. Given Lucia's early indication (with the screaming fits), separation anxiety wouldn't have been a surprise, however, by remaining calm, providing a daily routine with structure, and being consistent, she got over it. Ongoing training helped build her confidence, so she's ok being alone, with or without my other two dogs.


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## FrostQ (May 5, 2010)

Is it advisable to have the crate next to the bed? My trainer said that the bedroom is for "big dogs" only.


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## fblevins1 (Jul 21, 2010)

I am not skilled enough with dogs to offer practicle advise but I will say, that at least with our dog when it was a puppy: It went through phases, whining at night was one of them and it passed, scratching at the glass on the patio when we were in the living room, that passed too. Hopefully this is a phase that you and your puppy will pass though together and then you are off to the next phase. 

Your puppy will one day reflect on this and believe that it made the right choices and trained you right.

Good Luck.


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## aznVampire (Jul 20, 2010)

I always keep my puppy in her crate next to my bed. So far, she's getting better. She only whines whenever she has to go potty.


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## DogsRCool (Jul 13, 2010)

FrostQ said:


> Is it advisable to have the crate next to the bed? My trainer said that the bedroom is for "big dogs" only.


I tried putting the crate next to my bed, assuming that the dog would want to sleep in the same room as me and that it would comfort him to have a view of me while I slept, but it seemed to backfire. I'm guessing that was because having me in his line of sight prompted the dog to try harder to get my attention.

I wound up putting the crate in the room with the air conditioner instead, figuring that a little distance from me, plus the hum of the air conditioning (Some dogs are comforted by a little white noise) and the cooler air (He's a cold weather dog) would make it easier for him to sleep. And he's been crying a lot less and actually goes into the crate voluntarily sometimes when I tell him to and offer him a treat or an ice cube. 

So, it might be worth a try in your case too. If nothing else, having him further away would probably make it easier to sleep through the whining, and you'd be a more rested understanding owner with him the next day. 

But whatever works. If the dog is doing fine in a crate in your bedroom, there's no reason to mess with success. All dogs and all owners are different, and so sometimes things may work for you two that don't work for others, and vice-versa.


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## Johnny English (Jun 17, 2010)

I've got a similar problem, we have a ten week old Aussiedoodle who is driving us mad. We live in a townhouse where the kitchen and living room are on a split level floor; I've put baby gates on the stairs up to the living room and the stairs down to the entrance hall, and his room is the kitchen diner where he has both a crate and a bed.

It started out that he would cry and whine whenever we weren't in his room, but he has started to get a lot better if we're in the living room; the odd cry aside, he seems to be happy as long as he knows we're nearby. At night, though, he's a bit of a horror. He doesn't really like his crate, although I've been putting treats in there several times a day for him to find. We give him his final feed at around 6:30pm, then take his water away around 8pm. He gets taken out to the backyard a few times during the course of the evening and also last thing before bedtime at around midnight to 1am; he then goes into his crate without too much of a fight, but as soon as we cover it up, turn out the lights and go upstairs the crying, howling and whining starts, but that's only for ten minutes or so until he falls asleep. He then usually lasts until around 4:30-5:30am before he cranks it up again, so we let him out of the crate, take him to the backyard to relieve himself and then give him the run of the kitchen while we go back to bed, but that is becoming somewhat pointless as he'll bark and cry endlessly until one of us finally gets up and sits in the kitchen for a bit.

I know that everything says we should ignore him until he gives up, but I'm concerned that our thus far very tolerant neighbours are going to quite rightly get annoyed, and I need to get some sleep sometime soon! Any suggestions please?


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Johnny--your pup is only 10 weeks old, so you can expect the barking/whining to continue for a while. Gracie is nearly 6 months old and she still barks like mad in her crate during the day. At night she is super, but if the sun is shining, she is having none of the crating.

You need to stay strong and ignore--stop going into the kitchen in the morning. It's what he wants (and he is getting it).

This morning Gracie started whining at 5:45. I took her outside, she did her business, and she put herself back into her crate. She slept until 6:45 when the sun started coming up. She barked/whined in her crate on and off until 8:30. She did not have to go, I was in the room with her...she just wanted out. I made it a point to stay in bed until she stopped barking and then I got up, went about a few small chores (brushing teeth, making bed, etc.) before I even looked at her.

It takes time--and people here can agree I have (and am still having) my share of problems with Gracie and her crate and her constant desire for attention--but you can't give in.


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## Johnny English (Jun 17, 2010)

Thanks for that - I suspected that might be the answer. I don't have a problem with him being out of the crate once I'm up, but I just want to get up at my time of choosing instead of his! I'm not talking about a lie-in until 11am, but right now 7:30 sounds like a dream........

One other question if I may. As well as his crate he's got a big soft bed in the room, I'm wondering if maybe that was a bad idea. He really likes his bed (he's sleeping in it now as I type), but I'm thinking that it means that the only time he uses his crate is when I put him in it at night. If I take away the bed will he be more inclined to sleep in the crate during the day (which has got a cushion in it as opposed to the hardwood floor) and thus get him to like his crate more, or is he just going to think he's being punished?


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