New Puppy Crying at Night

      Puppies Crying and Distressed at Night

Instinct
It is entirely natural for a new puppy to call out for someone to come when separated. Pups alone in the wild would not survive without this alarm system.

All your new dog is doing is following it natural instinct when it cries when left alone.

Either in the nesting box or the wild, young pups learn that if they are separated from the rest of the pack, and they call for  help, members of the pack will quickly locate them.

If the puppy is very distressed and clearly upset., consider allowing it to sleep in your bedroom. Make this decision only after a few days of ongoing problems.

If you do move the pup to the bedroom, it will need to be within a secure area containing an OPEN indoor kennel/crate  especially if they are under 12 weeks.

It is therefore very helpful to have a  Puppy Play-Pen, as well as the crate, with newspaper down in the playpen. Never put paper in the crate.

Paper in the crate will teach the puppy that it is OK to defecate or urinate in the crate. Something you would certainly not want to happen. I sell the playpens as well as the crates and they are all British made. 

The reason for the  playpen is you should never shut the crate door under the age of 12 weeks. Many pups are unable to hold their bladders and bowels overnight to this age and toileting in their crate and bed really distresses them.

Puppy Pads
I never use puppy pads, they teach the puppy to toilet indoors, as they are impregnated with an attractor scent, possibly made from horses urine

The best setup is with a crate inside a puppy playpen. Then the puppy can defecate and urinate when required.

This is vitally important during those early days, whilst your pup is unable to hold its toileting overnight. Shutting the crate door on a very young puppy, can be a total disaster.

It can cause crate aversion and toileting problems, and may cause lasting anxiety. Until the pup is at least twelve to thirteen weeks old I would never shut the crate door overnight. See Toilet Training With a Crate.

What Crates and Playpens?
I have recently tested numerous crates and playpens. Nearly everyone was made in the Far East. Most were somewhat flimsy, and in some cases frankly dangerous.

 I then tried the only crates and playpens manufactured  in the UK.

These crates are so obviously superior in quality and safety, that I will not put a puppy or adult dog in any other type,

Guaranteed for the life of the dog and beyond. All these cages and playpens feature high quality electroplated finish, to ISO9002 standards.

Which ensures rust resistance and ease of cleaning and safety 

 I was so impressed, that I decided to stock them. I now sell them online from my website.

I should be able to dispatch them within 24 hours of the order being placed, except for the playpens, as they are made to order and take a few days longer. If you order early enough, I should be able to get the crates to you the next day

You can see the range I stock HERE.

Moving Pups Crate
Once the pup has settled down and is over the distress and the toilet training has worked,  then you can start to move the crate to where you really want the dog to sleep.

Start by moving the crate outside the bedroom door, then after a time  to the top of the stairs, then the hallway and finally in the place where you want the puppy to be.

You will normally know if the puppy seriously distressed, if it starts throwing itself at the bars trying desperately to escape, defecating or urinating and salivating in the crate is also signs of distress.

If you decide that the bedroom is not the best place for the puppy, and their are some very good reasons why pups should not be allowed upstairs unless seriously distressed. Puppies bones are soft at this age and the pressure on the joints of the front legs whilst manoeuvring downstairs can cause a condition called over-run.

This is when the bone between the pastern and the forearm pushes over the forearm joint causing lameness and premature arthritis.

Overcoming Crying
Before you decide to move the pup to the bedroom because of acute distress, this what you should do.

Initially to overcome this noise problem you must ignore it, to go down and scold the puppy would be counter productive.

The action of answering the pups cries, serves only to reinforce the crying when you go back to bed.

Irrespective of whether your appearance is positive or negative, the fact that you appeared at all in response to the cries will have reinforced this crying behaviour.

If crying and screaming  never elicits a response, then the pup will learn that this method of communication doesn't’ work.

What never works is waiting whilst the puppy makes even more noise,  then giving up and going to the puppy.

All that would teach the little horror was that being especially persistent really works!

As mentioned earlier, you cannot allow the puppy to become so distressed that it harms itself either physically or mentally

Plan to Succeed
Punishment does NOT teach your dog to be quiet, any more than it would a baby crying. Punishment or anger will stress him more, and could create behaviour problems or affect your future relationship with your pet.

You can help your puppy accept the separation more quickly, by carefully introducing him the area you want the pup to sleep, then carefully feed favourite treats in this area. If you are using a crate or playpen then you can leave a stuffed bone or kong in the crate, when you go up to bed.

I am a staunch advocate of crate training. Correctly introduced it speeds up the toilet training process. This gives the pup a secure and comfortable den and a bolt hole in times of stress. It can also be an invaluable asset when the pup gets older.

Situations where a dog may need the ability to accept and relax in a crate include: recovery from medical problems, broken bones, travel, emergency, and adjustment to a new home or a new family.

Obviously the best time to introduce a crate is when they are puppies. Why use a crate.  It aids the training of toileting outdoors. It is a safe haven. You can use it when your dog is convalescing. If your dog is injured or ill, the first thing that happens in the vets,  will be to put the dog in a crate. If he has never been crate trained this will be very distressing.

See Introducing a Crate to a Puppy

Further reading. The Alpha Myth. This dispels the myth that we can be the leader of the pack, the Alpha. It gives you an insight into a whole new way of training and behaviour therapy. It will also explain how you can bond better and arrive at mutual respect. You may find Killing With Kindness very useful with your new addition to the family.

There are lots of other puppy articles, covering everything from nipping and biting, to the top most popular names for dogs 2012/2013, You may be surprised at what comes top. Click on home and go to articles and hover over puppies.

You may also want to consider at this vital time in the puppies life, a Sound Desensitisation Disc. 

If young pups are gently desensitised at a very early age, then they often do not get problems with traffic noises, fireworks, gunshots, air brakes, police and ambulance sirens and thunder

Definitely worth the investment to help prepare these young pups for all frightening eventualities

Each sound has its own track, therefore you can put that track on repeat. This gently gets the puppy or older dog used to the very sounds that could cause them problems as they grow up. Only £9.00.

Remember, get your new puppy used to leads and collars, before they are allowed to go out.

If you wait until the pups is allowed to go outdoors, then you will have all sorts of problems, it will delay many of the important socialisation exercises, as the puppy will concentrate on the lead and collar, rather than it's surroundings.

I sell what I believe are the very best collars and leads for puppies and adult dogs.

They are manufactured specifically for me, you cannot buy them anywhere else.

Made from cushion web they are soft on the puppy, and your hands. Leads and Collars.