We've had 4 AWFUL nights so far. My wife is ready to give him back, and I'm so tired that it's hard to argue. Kids love him, as do I -- and he's growing on my wife -- but we are all exhausted. He hits stride at 10:30 pm and doesn't slow down until 1:30 or so, and is then at it again around 4. Hes fine with his crate during the day, but when the lights go out and we go to bed, the crying, whimpering, and barking starts. When he doesn't let up for awhile, we take him out; he does his business but then wants to play. Am I doing right? Should I just let him cry it out until he figures it out? Is it ok to crate him in the garage where we can't hear? Seems harsh but I don't know.

I know we need to be patient, but I dont know if we have a few more nights -- or weeks -- of this.

I'd love a miracle, but perhaps I just need some encouragement.

Give him treats when you put him in his kennel. When he's not whining and crying, give him treats then as well.

Also, no matter how much whining and crying there is, do not let him out. If you do, they will keep doing it. It's tough, but it is the only way to do it.

Is the crate in your room next to the bed? If not, move it, he is just lonely.

Also try more active play before bedtime. He will settle into a routine, it just takes a while.

I had to put my lab in the garage years ago when I crate trained her. From what I remember, it took almost a week before she realized that barking and crying wasn't going to get her out any sooner. We also had a beagle that we put her crate in our room at night and she wouldn't make a sound, take the crate out of the room and she barked constantly. I think all dogs have different personalities. We also found that putting a blanket over the crate to make it totally dark more like a natural "den" worked for her as well.

Taking him out of the crate is a mistake. Doing this gives him the idea that crying/barking will lead to being let out which is not your goal. Just put him in the garage until he learns what you are teaching him then you can put the crate back in the house. If he starts crying again, then put him back in the garage for a few nights.

Good luck

Dang I feel like we lucked out with our lab. He is about 10 months old now and when we got him we crated him straight away (first night). Only let him out once around 2 in the morning to pee and then straight back into the crate. We had a blanket over the crate and had a small radio on low so he felt like there was someone else there with him. But we only had maybe 3 nights where he didn't sleep through the night without howling and barking.

Now all we have to do is say kennel up and he goes straight to his pen and lays down. But I definitely think that the blanket and radio helped. He now sleeps under the bed because it is very dark under there.

Hang in there. It gets better.

put him in the garage. set your alarm for 2 am, let him out for 5 and go back to bed. test him in 2 weeks in the house ..... rinse and repeat.

Symapthies. Just went through this issue with our lab. At 2mos we started by abt 4mos sleeping the night. Rule of thumb confine in crate on schedule, but age and need to elimnate is related. Check but think is is abt 2-3hrs for 8wk.. we actually kept a log. Check
http://www.purina.com/dog/training/cratetrainingvideo.aspx . Dog styed in utility room and was happy. Learned to bark when it was potty time and that was it. Secret, if dog barked to get out and did not potty, back in crate no treat. Took about a week for schedules/idea to mesh.

Dog now kennels (crate) at 9:30pm on command, sleeps night and is up 6:30-7am no problem.

++1Rabble

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The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs. ~Charles de Gaulle


[This message has been edited by TwoDogs (edited 2/21/2012 9:40a).]

We got a little frog shaped thing that makes several different types of noise to calm the dog. Worked like a champ for us. Ours would sleep through the night until about 6-6:30 with it at 8 weeks old. Now if I could just get the little bastage to stop eating wood and s***ting in the house we will be good to go.

Master:

1:1 venigar water in a squirt bottle applied to surface will help. IF not jalapeno juce painted on surface will do the trick.

Just let him piss himself in the crate. Nobody likes to sleep on his own piss. He'll learn sooner or later.

Take some old clothes and rub your underarms with them , preferably when you smell a little ripe. Put them in the crate so the pup still has some of your scent with him so he smells you when you're not there. It might help to calm him down & help keep him company.

Covering the crate with a blanket helped my dog out.

another good tip about keeping a lab in the house is to put some wind chimes up next to the door and ringing them every time you bring her out, that way she'll just let you know by ringing the chimes that she needs to go out, she'll try to cheat sometimes cause she just wants to go outside but if she's gone to the bathroom recently you know she's just lying. Works marvelously with our two dogs

^

I just did the bells on the door with my new pup. Took about a week to sink in but she get it now.

Didn't have a problem with crate training, I just roll it into my bedroom and stick it in a corner when I am ready to go to bed. She is never eager to get in but doesn't complain about it. Now if I could get her to stop wanting to bite my fingers...

quote:

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IF not jalapeno juce painted on surface will do the trick.

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You would think so but the little turd ate hundreds of jalapenos, cayennes, serranos etc... from my pepper garden and had no problem with the heat. Got some of that Fooey spray and it seems to be helping some at least.

Master:

That IS one tough dog. My pup does stay away from the jalapeno juced desk chair..for now.

We found in the crate training phase that a fan blowing on crate worked to sooth. Perhaps the air circulating or just the noise..who knows. One thing we found, recommended, make sure the crate is 'just' sized for the pup. We used a full size but put an expandable divider in crate to adjust for growth.

*******
The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs. ~Charles de Gaulle

MAster, my lab and your dog must be related. Boudreaux ate about 3 dozen hot chilis last year off my plant.

Also, for the OP. If you get one of those key finder things that beep when you whistle this will really help (did for me). Dog whines and the pitch sets off the beeper, scares the crap out of them the frist few times, then figures out that

"Hey, this damn thing beeps every time I cry. Hmm, no cry no beep... ok I'll go to sleep."

Worked very well for crate training, now when he goes and stays with my parents for a weekend if I'm out of town he doesn't want to get out of his kennel, and prefers it to the runs my dad built for his dogs. It is hilarious, one week I left my truck, kennel in the bed and he would stay in the truck bed for everything but bathroom breaks, food, and chasing deer and squirrels.

Dog is an absolute moron.

Mine went absolutely nuts the first week I crated her. Barking all night, going to the bathroom in the crate. You just have to deal with it for awhile.

Also put him/her in the crate with you in the same room. When he/she cries ignore it as much as possible, when they stop give a treat and praise. Continue this as much as possible. Only let em out when needed to use the bathroom/play. Do this for a month or a little under and all should be well.

it will help if you try to wear him out completely before bedtime. Run his little ass hard so he will be tired and sleep. It doesn't seem like he is tired enough if he is wanting to play at night.

Might be sleeping to much during the day.

good luck it will get better.

Ear plugs FTW. And you just gotta stay firm and not let him out of the crate.

We got a new dog recently, that's about a year old. He had never been crate trained. We kept him in our guest bathroom in his crate to keep him apart from our other dog. At first, he would wake up in the middle of the night barking. There were several nights I almost let him out the front door.

Someone suggested putting a clock that ticks in the bathroom with him at night, that he would like the noise. We tried it out and it's worked ever since. I don't know if it's the clock or he's figured it out, but I'm leaving that clock in there at night.

I didn't read all the replies but here is my opinion:

Leave him in there the same number of hours as weeks old unless is is tolerating more. Put the kennel anywhere you can't hear it but DO NOT put it in your room. You need to create a confident dog that learns nothing bad happens when they aren't right by your side. No matter how much noise they make don't get them out until it is time. Wife and I wore headphones to drowned out the whining. Now my pup doesn't have to sleep with me to be happy and she is a string confident dog that has learned to figure things out on her own(which is good cause she is a hunting dog).

I've always heard don't leave them in there longer than the number of months they are old plus 1/2 (so if they are two months old, only leave them in there for three hours) without taking them outside. It worked for my boxer when crate training and he never had a single accident in the crate. The first few nights were pretty bad, but we moved his crate into my office on the other side of the house and he took to it pretty quickly. Good luck, I know it can be hellish at first, but it will be worth it.

Ol' Jock, just give the puppy to me. I'll take him off your hands.

Did you take his brother la fours?

Had a GREAT night last night in our room. One pee break after 5 hours then back to sleep.

Thanks for all of the advice. Still need some patience and encouragement but I appreciate all of the replies.

Had the same problem w/our, now, 1 yr old female. The blanket over the crate helped, but the magic answer for us was having my Son get a flashlight and shine the beam on the floor...she would chase that thing until exhaustion!! Started sleeping like a champ after that.

I'm awaiting for my French Brittany to arrive, on March 1st. I read a book 'How to Help Gun Dogs Train Themselves' by Joan Bailey. It was one of 3-4 some people I trust highly recommended. Anyhow this book concentrates on puppies, 10 weeks to 1 year old. And concentrates on conditioning.

She actually recommends the dog not sleep in the same room as you sleep.

Still torn on whether she'll sleep in my room or not.

Reading this thread has succeeded in scaring me.

Growing up when we got a new puppy my mom always put a small alarm clock(one that ticks) in there with them. She claimed it felt like a heart beat to them and calmed them since they probably had been sleeping next to their mother and sibling for pretty much all their short lives. Don't know if that's true but it made sense when I was little and we never had any problems.

Yeah, in addition to the clock, you can warm a bottle, wrap it in a towel, and throw it in there with her so she feels as if she's with her fam again at first.

My pup is hit or miss. She is about 6 months old but we've only had her for two. Some nights she puts herself to bed and sleeps all night. Others both are impossible. The last two nights she's been up at 4 am whimpering. I take her out to pee and put her back in the crate. When she starts again I drag the crate into the hall and shut the door. She's back a sleep in no time.

Crate training is one of the best things you can do for a dog. They will learn that it's also a safe place for them. All I have to say to mine is "bed bed bed" and he makes a beeline for his kennel.

Also, to get them used to their crate and to give it a sense of a safe place to be, try playing fetch with your dog and throwing the toy into the crate everynow now and then. Worked wonders for our dog because he was hesitant and a bit scared of it at first. Now he loves his crate and if it is ever raining or he can't be outside while we are gone he goes straight for his kennel and doesn't fuss the whole time.

SEC Ags

Where did you get the French Brittany? I've been looking for one.

What are acceptable treats for an 8-week old pup?