need advice.......please

**Ever85** · 03-15-2010, 06:39 PM

Please help..... my puppy cries all night while in her crate. she wakes up every 2 hrs and doesnt always need to go to the bathroom. I try to ignore her and sometimes she settles down and sometimes she gets worse. if she does have to potty she goes right back in the crate but she'll cry for about 40 mins. then shes awake in another 2 hrs. But during the day she will sleep for a while without waking up.

Even during the day she cries. she cries while she eats, while she goes outside, while she walks around. I dont understand why she whines so much. My mom has her brother and my inlaws have her other brother and they both said their puppies sleep just fine. Is there something wrong with her?

I try to put her in her crate as much as possible, like when she falls asleep on the sofa I put her in her crate but she just screams her head off and I dont want to take her out while she is whining so I ignore her. Sometimes she calms down and sometimes not.

I have tried putting her crate in the living room, in the bedroom, covered, not covered you name it I have tried. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

**Garth** · 03-15-2010, 06:57 PM

Vet.

**BigBrownDog** · 03-15-2010, 07:02 PM

How long has this been going on? Has she been cleared by the vet?

Some puppies are very vocal - she may be one of them. She could also have a medical issue - but I would think that you would see other symptoms - like lack of appetite or lack of energy or constant peeing.

**tkeizer** · 03-15-2010, 07:03 PM

I feel your pain and frustration - we had the same problem with our Aila when we first got her ... many sleepness nights on the kitchen floor. Unfortunately, persistence and perserverance are really the only things that will work.

My only question is could your crate be too big? We found out that the crate we were using was too bog as we were using a crate that we had purchased for our 12 year-old lab when we had to put her on a plane. So after many sleepless nights and praying our neigbhours wouldn't complain to our strata, I tried to make the crate smaller by taking two king-sized pillows, encasing them in a sheet and then wrapping an un-washed t-shirt of mine and my boyfriends on either ends of the pillow bundle and stuffing it in the crate. It sufficiently made the crate a lot smaller -- miraculously, Aila went into her crate that night and after only a few minutes of protesting, she quietly snuggled into the pillows and fell asleep. I still had to wake up every 2 - 3 hours to let her out, but she went back in with little protest each time.

Can't say this will work in your case, but even if your crate is the proper size, it may be worth it to stuff some piece of clothing in there so she can smell you and feel as if she's not "alone".

Good Luck!

**Ever85** · 03-15-2010, 07:10 PM

Thanks for getting back to me. this ahs been going on for 3 nights. we have only had her for 4 nights. I called the vet and left a message im waiting for her to call me. I think tonight i will try making the crate smaller.

**kaytris** · 03-15-2010, 07:56 PM

make the crate the best place for her to be... play games with the crate, tossing toys and treats in, feed her in the crate, etc. At first leave the door open, then shut it momentarily, then work up to longer times (ping pong it back and forth - sometimes a momentary close, sometimes longer, sometimes not shut at all). Let her go in on her own, no forcing or putting her in - most puppies will willingly follow a tossed treat.

You've only had her a few days, so part of this is likely due to the huge upset in her routine - from sleeping and playing with m om and littermates and the breeder's family, to a move to a new house, no littermates, and a box she's expected to sleep in all alone - she'll adjust. Having you close by will help - can you put the crate beside your bed, and drop your hand down for a comforting sniff?

**montoya's** · 03-15-2010, 08:25 PM

Have you considered something, and that is not crating her? I have a 5month old and she has no idea what a crate is, she is well behaved and yes i have to pick up all that i do not want chewed up but don't we all have to do this with our labs? none of my previous labs were crated either. something to consider.

**Deanna1002** · 03-15-2010, 09:03 PM

I think the 1st thing is to rule out any health issues. If the vet clears her then its just attention that shes seeking. Don't give her any type of attention when she does this. Trust me i know how it feels, it seems like they'll never stop... but they do =)

my two girls were the most vocal pups ive ever heard. My yellow lab was always a good girl since birth so we just decided to not crate her anymore. My black lab she screamed until she had no bark in her left. A few weeks later and she loved the crate. Never barks and whines.

these pups are smart, and if you give in to any whining even if its telling her to quiet down they'll take that as attention and just cry harded and longer the next time. The best way to extinguish this is to not say a peep. Do praise her when shes quiet.

**BigBrownDog** · 03-15-2010, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by kaytris

Having you close by will help - can you put the crate beside your bed, and drop your hand down for a comforting sniff?

The first week I had Blaise home I kept him in a laundry basket next to my bed at night. When he stirred, I would lay my hand on his back and he settled quickly. I am a really light sleeper - so this worked OK for me.

After that we transitioned to the crate - and his complaining was minimal. I covered the crate when it was bedtime and he quickly learned what I expected - to the point that he would put himself to bed at 9:00pm after a couple of weeks of having a schedule.