My puppy cries all night long!!
My puppy is a few weeks old, got her when she was 5 weeks old she feeds on her own and also sleeps alone. The first two nights she cried a little but soon settled into her bed in the kitchen, but the last two nights she is crying so loud all night! Its midnight and I’m still awake over her crying, I was told to ignore her as she’s only looking for attention but it is getting impossible to ignore! She’s keeping my whole family awake and they are starting to get stressed and annoyed too! Please help before it gets worse. Almost we hear this from every new pet owner.
If you’ve just bought your puppy home, you need to be absolutely sure that she is barking because she needs to go potty because many young pups simply can’t hold it through the night. She may also be getting used to sleeping in her crate or sleeping alone. She may cry because she feels isolated or lonely. In this case, her cries may be relieved with experience as she learns that time alone is okay. But it is also possible that your puppy may be distressed and crying out in panic.
There is no quick fix
Dogs are pack animals and don’t like to be separated. For instance, our dogs sleep upstairs with us in the hallway outside our bedrooms. When they were little I had their beds on our bedroom floor.
I don’t agree with crates and cages, it is just not for me, but my friend crate trained her dog and he is fine with it. She has the crate in the living room, which is very important, the people she got him from told her it is important to have the crate in a busy family area so that dog doesn’t feel punished and segregated when he is put in the crate. So if you are separating the puppy at night and put him in a way this might be why he is crying. They will settle better sleeping somewhere they feel comfortable and where they feel safe. Being put away and feel not secured must be strange for him
Puppies do cry. It was like having a newborn baby again. Their bladders can only hold a small amount and they need to let out often. Including through the night. I used to go to bed at midnight, get back up at 2 am to let them out, go back to bed then get back up at 6 am to let them out again. You just need to gradually increase the time between wee’s until they can go a full night. Also if the toilet is small and he needs a wee this could also be why he is crying, trying to get your attention to let him out as they don’t like toileting anywhere near there bed or food.
Why do puppies cry
Small puppies in the wild are extremely vulnerable and it is vital to their survival that they are never left alone unless in the safety of their den. To a puppy, a den is a place where the puppy was born and grew up, and it represents complete safety. Your puppy won’t cry in his den unless his other needs (toileting thirst etc) are not met. That’s because he feels totally safe there. Even when his mother is away.
But when you bring a new puppy into your own home. He is leaving his den, or place of safety, far away. Even though you have provided him with a lovely cozy bed or basket, he doesn’t yet feel safe there.
If at any time your puppy is left alone outside of his ‘den’, he will cry and if there is no response to that cry he will make a distinctive and piercing alarm call to alert his ‘grown-ups’ to his predicament. This alarm can be extremely loud and may seem as though he is screaming or howling in pain.
In the wild, this alarm could save a puppy’s life. In your home, it is pointless and annoying, but your new puppy doesn’t know that.
And of course what happens to many puppies on their first night in a new home, with no familiar den, is that as soon as night falls, they are to all intents and purposes abandoned. Hence the howling and yelling. Your puppy is literally screaming for his life.
Crying is a response to a strong physical or emotional need. Such as
- Fear
- Pain
- Hunger
- Full bladder/bowels
- Crying for Attention
What to do before bedtime
Take up any food or water after six or seven o’clock to make sure your puppy is running on empty when it’s time to sleep. Otherwise, you’ll be making trips to the bathroom all night, or worse, your puppy will eliminate in the house.
Shortly before you go to bed, spend some time playing with your puppy. You want him to be tired enough to sleep soundly. Definitely, don’t let him nap within an hour or two of bedtime or else your puppy will be ready to play when you’re ready to sleep.
Just before bed, take your puppy outside to his soiling area and wait for him to go. When he does praise him and bring him back inside. This reinforces good behavior and begins the house training process.
How do you deal with the puppy crying at night?
The answer is to pre-empt the fear screaming that some puppies (not all) do during their first few nights away from home by keeping them next to you at night.
That means having the puppy in your room while you sleep. The best solution is usually to have the puppy in a crate or sturdy box, next to your bed.
Fortunately, puppies don’t need to see your face with the light on in order to feel safe. They are happy to be able to smell your presence and hear your voice and even your breathing
One note of caution: Don’t let the puppy sleep in the bed with you. He’ll eventually expect to be allowed in the bed, and it can lead to numerous behavioral problems as your puppy grows.
The vast majority of new puppies will settle happily at night in this situation. And after a few nights, you can then move the puppy downstairs to his crate or puppy proof room. He may still cry a little, but it won’t be because he is not afraid. And he’ll get over it more quickly and be far less distressed than a puppy who is effectively abandoned on the first night in a strange home.
Crate Training 101
crate training correctly, a few basics:
- Place the crate where the dog can see what’s going on but rest peacefully, such as the corner of a living room.
- In the crate have a comfy bed, chew toy and bowl of water.
- Partially cover the crate to make it cave-like.
- Seed the crate with kibble or treats so the pup thinks it’s an ace place.
- Never use the crate for punishment.
