Crate Training

[cheryl & oliver]

ok, guys, we are having a very bad time with Ollie at night. I walk him around 11-11:30 pm, and then put him in his crate for the night. HE does not sleep thru the night...He gets up somewhere around 5 am,or before and barks and carries on. We have taken him out and he will pee and poop, and then we put him back, and he is quiet for maybe a few minutes and it starts all over again...This is really becomming a major problem. I have taken away water after dinner, he is walked several times at night before bed. He usually seems to fall asleep around 10 PM, and I let him sleep until 11-11:30 and the wake him and walk him, and put him into his crate...Do u think we should just let him carry on,?...He can do this for what seems like forever, and then quiet for a few minutes and as I say he starts all over again...Both DH and I are exhausted with this to say the least. I have a wonderful neighbor next door that tells me she hears him, but not to worry, she knows we are training him, and she gets up anyway, not because of him....Any help would be appreciated....or ideas? or did any of u have this with your dogs?..He is going to be 4 mos old Aug. 3rd. He is walked often during the day too, Maybe we are walking him too much?.....Thanks, Cheryl

[Tammy & Gracie]

Okay, so the first time is explainable, he needs to go out. The next time he is bored and wants you. After he has gotten up and peed and pooped, if it's still too early to get up I would ignore him. Every time you let him win, he learns that if he cries more, you will do his bidding...I think this will pass, but right now he thinks he is winning. Is the room light? Is the crate covered? Darkness may help him settle. By 4 months though Gracie was sleeping thru the night and by that I mean from 10 pm till anywhere from 6 to 8 am. She never wakes up before me. If I stayed in bed all day, she would snooze happily in her kennel till I moved.

[cheryl & oliver]

I totally agree with you...The room is dark, and there is no light coming in to wake him. We have to put a light on to get him and take him out. I have never had a dog that did not sleep thru the night, and it is very frustrating...I think we are going to let him carry on until he learns that we are the alphas, not him...I feel so bad when he cries, and whimpers, but he has to learn that nighttime is sleep time, I will close my bedroom door to help with the noise from his barking...Thanks for the reply....

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

After the 5 am poop and pee let him have a sip of water (he probably is dry) then go back to bed. When he starts up firmly smack the crate and say OLIIE SHUSH!!! In a mad voice. He will get the hint eventually that morning and breakfast and all that doesnt start until you are good and ready. I found with all my dogs that if you dont train them they will train you - and they seem to be more successful trainers - lol! Give them an inch and they want a mile.

[cheryl & oliver]

His crate is not in our room, I do not have the room to put it in there. I don't want him to get into the habit of sleeping in our room, I always had my dogs in another room crated until they were really housebroken, and then they had the run of the house to sleep. Most of the time they slept in the Den, or on the tile floors, did not like the carpeting. I will try that sip of water but he has peed in his crate, so that is why I don't give water, but I guess if he pees, he can have some and hold it for a bit. Maybe that will help...And that is what the vet said, he is training us, lol, not vice versa.

[Tamara & Giada]

You can use a shake can.

We also had a little white noise to sooth our puppies......like a fan or a dishwasher works well! The radio too!

[Karen & Lucy]

We had to put Lucy's crate right beside my side of the bed and I would put my hand down on the crate so she knew we were there and she would go right back to sleep. She slept all night from day 2. If you have no room in your room how about right outside your room or as close as possible so she knows you are close. These dogs seem to need to be near you. Good Luck

[Adina P]

I don't remember, is his crate in your bedroom or in another room?

[cheryl & oliver]

No he is not in our room, and I can't have his crate in my room, not enough room.

[Kyoko]

I am thinking that 11pm ~ 5 am may not be too bad for 4 months old.... I think Charlie slept between 11 pm ~ 6 or 7 am around that age...( That is around that time I wake up and start moving around - Her crate is in my bedroom) If she woke up before, I simply took her out for pee, put her back in a crate, and just told her "Shhhhh" if she cried. She was not a big barker, so I did not have much problem like that....I also pretended to be asleep and did not move. LOL.
I think it helped that her crate was in my room, because she was able to see that I went back to sleep and still sleeping - It is still a quiet time.

[cheryl & oliver]

We would love if he slept until 6 or 7. but he doesn't, maybe it is normal for them to have to go at this age, but I have never had a dog that didn't sleep all night, lol. When we take him out we do not have a conversation with him, we just walk him and put him back in his crate. then tell him shh, back to sleep and we walk away. I can't have his crate in my room, not enough room, and DH does not want it in there. he is afraid that one of us might trip over it during the night, lol when we make a bathroom run...Once our dogs were housebroken and could be trusted, they can sleep wherever they want. I guess I am just frustrated at this point..or amybe I am just tired, lol.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

If the crate is in your room, you can cover it to make it dark and tell him to "Go To Sleep" in a stern voice, or offer him a toy to calm him down and see if he will than go back to sleep.

[cheryl & oliver]

The crateis not in my room, but it is dark in the room where it is, and I do say Go
To Sleep, see u in the morning, nitey nite. He has his favorite toys in his crate now. he has a wonderful lambskin mat in it too...