She has us trained - how do we change that?

[Deb, Buford & Smokey]

We have an 11 week old Labrador puppy, Smokey, that is barking (not whining) several times during the night.  We want a good night's sleep so any help is appreciated!  I know that the issue is likely something my husband or I are doing so please tell us what to change. 

Here are what I consider to be pertinent facts:

1 - she was separated from her litter at 5 weeks old and given to us (no control over that)

2 - She has a Snuggle Puppy

3 - She is in a large "airline" (plastic) crate. 

4 - During the day, she is only crated for 3 hrs at the most. Very few accidents and lets us know when she has to go outside.

5 - Buford is her big goldendoodle brother (about 3 and rescued through DRC). They get along famously.

6 - Food and water picked up by 6.

So here is a typical night:

11:00 PM  Hubby takes both dogs out for their last trip of the night

2:00 AM  Smokey barks.  She will continue for over an hour if we let her. One of us will get up, open the kennel and let her walk straight outside.  Buford comes with us.  She will pee (always) and sometimes poop (but rarely).  She definitely wants to play but we take her back inside and put her back in her crate.  She is wide awake and "rompy".  Once back in the crate she usually barks for under 5 minutes (and we ignore). 

Repeat on most nights at 4:00 AM and again at 6:00 AM.

I am willing to try anything although it would be difficult to keep Buford from accompanying us.

I got more sleep when my twins were babies than I am now so any suggestions would be appreciated (I take criticism well so be blunt if you have to)

(And I wanted to post this in the Puppy Group but couldn't figure out how to direct the post there if anyone wants to let me know or move it!)

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

I don't know that this is the answer for everyone but this is what we resorted to and it worked beautifully.  Polly was a pitiful whiner and crier the first couple nights, so bad that I even snuck in to make sure she was not caught on something.  When I could not take it any longer I put Meg in the crate with her (Meg had not been crated for nearly 8 months by then) they frequently laid together on the carpet.  They laid right down together and not a peep the rest of the night or for the next month.  As Polly grew I felt it was too close to leave them in there together but by then Polly didn't care.  Now Polly goes straight in and lays down, if I have the crate door open and Polly hasn't noticed then Meg will circle her and then go in the crate, as Polly follows Meg comes back out.  Occasionally Meg tries to lay down in there with her but they are way to big to fit all night like that now.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Here are my suggestions....like others said....move the crate to where you are. I would invest in a wire crate. Our dogs as puppies got very hot even in a wire crate. The airline kind has even less airflow, in my opinion. Puppies can't hold it as long at night and the fact that she does go potty says she has to go. It will get better the older she gets.