“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort,” said Jane Austen. Home is a place where everyone feels safe and comfortable. We are quite familiar with our family members and can freely communicate without hesitation. Now, the case is similar for a puppy too. Alienated from its mother, it can be exasperating for a puppy to adjust to a whole new environment. Thus, it becomes essential for one to crate train the puppy. A crate provides a puppy with a suitable and comfortable environment. The most mundane issue for puppy owners has been, “The puppy crying in the crate at night” or “The puppy barking in the crate all night.” One can stop the puppy crying at night by crate training the puppy. The puppy won’t stop crying at night unless it feels comfortable in its crate.
How to Stop Puppy Crying at Night
There can be several reasons as to why the puppy cries in the crate at night. A little bit of crying is okay, but if the puppy keeps on crying for a more extended period, it may lead to inevitable unpleasant consequences. A prolonged crying can also make the puppy succumb to death. Therefore, every time a puppy cries, adopt specific measures to stop the puppy barking in a crate all night.
- Firstly, the main reason for a puppy crying at night is to eliminate. It is crucial to keep in mind that the puppy needs to eliminate regularly. A 3-4 months old puppy is too small to go on its own to eliminate. Thus, the owner should take the puppy out to eliminate periodically at night. One can set the alarm to wake up at night and take the puppy out to eliminate so that the puppy crying can stop. Now, while taking the puppy to eliminate at night, time should not be wasted on playing with the puppy or on any other activity. The owner should take the puppy straight to the eliminating area and, after eliminating, should direct it back to the crate.
- To stop the puppy crying in the crate at night, stuff the crate with toys for the puppy to play with or chew bones or a treat for the puppy.
- Feed the puppy a couple of hours before moving it to its crate to sleep. Whereas, keep a water bowl inside the crate with enough water in it for the night to keep the puppy hydrated.
- It is often a case that the puppy may sleep during the day time and, therefore, may not be able to sleep at night. It can also be a reason for the puppy barking in the crate all night. The owner should play with the puppy for a more extended period so that it gets tired and goes to sleep early.
- At the beginning of the crate training session, it is evident for the puppy crying in crate first night. To avoid this, the owner should try to keep the crate in the same room where he/she sleeps, or else the puppy may feel alienated, and won’t stop crying at night.
- Now, whenever it is that the puppy sleeps somewhere outside the crate, the owner should slowly and carefully lift the puppy and move it inside its crate. It will thus develop a habit in the puppy of sleeping inside its crate.
- At this stage, as the puppy can now accept the owner as its mother, it is normal for the puppy to love being around its mother. Thus, at night sleeping alone in the crate make it cry. So, one can pretend to sleep along with the puppy to make it feel safe and surrounded.
- Always remember to praise your puppy whenever it wakes up from a nap in its crate. It will make the puppy associate more happily with its crate.
- As humans, we often tend to fall asleep in the presence of soothing music. Thus, the owner can use this trick to get the puppy to sleep. Last but not least, one should avoid placing any noisy material near the puppy’s crate. However, some breed of puppies is a little more energetic than the rest. So it’s normal that some puppies take a lesser period than the other. The best way to stop the puppy crying at night is by crate training the puppy.
Crate Training to Stop the Puppy Crying at Night
To prevent a puppy from crying at night, one needs to crate train the puppy. “A crate is an enclosure where the puppy can feel safe, secure, and easily be transported from one place to another.” It can be difficult for the puppy to get adapted to the new environment around itself. Also, it is essential to provide the puppy with a safe corner inside the house. Thus, there can be several reasons listed for Crate Training a puppy.
House-Breaking
Puppies usually avoid soiling their place. One needs to sustain the natural habitat for the puppy. House-breaking, thus, becomes a compelling reason for crate training. As the puppy slowly becomes familiar with its crate and can now accept it as its safe and comfortable house, it will surely avoid soiling its new ‘den.’
Safety
Although one would try to make the house safe and comfortable for the puppy, yet the house could not surely be pet-proof. So, it’s essential for providing the puppy with its own private space, which can be danger-free for the puppy.
Fear of Strangers
The puppy may not always want to be in a crowded place. It’s recommended to provide pleasant surroundings for the puppy, which is noise-free and away from the gathering. A crate will provide a certain kind of privacy to the puppy where it can stay in silence and avoid strangers. Also, it can be a noise-free zone for the guests or the people in the house.
Avoid Chaos
The puppy may misbehave vexed by the sudden change in the surroundings or due to not being familiar with the people around or even because of being over-enthusiastic. Also, some puppies have a natural habit of chewing shoes, clothes, chairs, etc. So, to avoid any such consequence, a puppy needs to be trained to stay inside its crate.
However, it becomes an outstanding suggestion to follow, as of what is the suitable place for placing the crate. Place the crate in the corner of the house where it can be safe. Once a puppy is trained to stay in the crate, place the crate close to the entrance of the house. Thus, providing an easy way out for the puppy at the time of defecation. Whereas, during the period of training, it should be kept in mind to place the crate in such a position as to prevent any escape.
Ingredients for Stuffing the Crate
Another critical point to keep in mind while crate training a puppy is to fill the place with proper ingredients.
- Firstly, the place should be made comfortable and cozy for the puppy. It can be done by using blankets or cushions to make a proper bed. While in some cases, puppies are likely to chew the bedding. Thus, it’s better to avoid putting it there. To help a puppy with chewing habits, one can also stuff the crate with chew toys such as ‘foodie puppies Spike dental chewing bone toy,’ which is available on Amazon.
- Secondly, it can be preferable to put some toys in the crate, to allure the puppy to get inside the crate and love the place. Also, place any kind of threat, that is a food item which the puppy likes inside the crate. I would advise you to avoid feeding the puppy with added sugar, as it may lead to health and dental problems.
- Thirdly, provide a water bowl to the puppy inside the crate. For now, the puppy can easily access the water bowl on its own when thirsty. It can even be helpful in a situation when the owner needs to go out for a more extended period.
The Perfect Crate for a Puppy
Now it is equally important to have an idea of which crate can be an ideal crate for the puppy so that the puppy feels comfortable and stops crying.
Most importantly, the crate should neither be too large nor too small. However, it should be spacious enough to let the puppy crawl freely inside it.
A wire crate is often preferable over any other kind of crate. A wire crate can easily be collapsed and transported from one place to another. Mostly, puppies dislike frequent traveling. However, once they become comfortable with their crate, it is easy to use a wire crate for keeping the puppy safe while traveling. Also, a wire crate helps in natural air circulation, which is not the case in any metal or wooden crate.
Hindrance in Crate Training
Now there can be various reasons for the puppy to avoid the crate.
Puppy Crying in the Crate
The puppy crying at night may be for mostly three reasons.
To eliminate – It is during the time of defecation or elimination that the puppy may cry.
To come out of the crate – As it takes time for the puppy to adjust to its new den, it often ends up crying to get out of the crate. Closing the crate door too quickly can also be a reason for the puppy to cry in the crate.
Fear
Fear is another reason for the puppy to avoid the crate. The fear of being away from one’s mother and in a new environment can cause a delay in the crate training process.
How to Crate Train a Puppy
It is essential to know how to crate train a puppy to stop the puppy barking at night in the crate.
STEP 1 – Making the Puppy familiar with the Crate
Initially, familiarise the puppy with the crate. Always keep the crate in a corner where the puppy can reach quickly. Furthermore, keep the crate away from any suspicious location to avoid any mishap. Also, keep the doors of the crate open. Closing the crate doors may scare the puppy.
Now stuff the crate with proper toys, treats, chew bones, etc., so that the place becomes favorable for the puppy.
Try to keep the treat, at some distance from the crate. However, slowly bring it closer to the crate. Now, remember to help the puppy connect the treating with the crate, so that it may get in the crate with ease.
Also, the puppy can use the crate as a prop and associate it with a happy place and get cordial with its surroundings.
STEP 2 – Feed the Puppy inside the Crate
Now try to feed the puppy inside the crate. During the puppy’s feeding time, encourage it to eat inside the crate. It will help in generating its habit of spending more time in the crate.
So, now it will even become more familiar with the crate. Meanwhile, keep treating the puppy for any good deed it does. Reward the puppy with a treat once it finishes eating inside the crate. It will make the puppy happy, joyous, and follow your further instructions.
STEP 3 – Start Closing the Crate’s Door
Now, as the puppy learns to stay inside the crate for quite a long time, slowly try closing the crate’s door. Once the puppy has generated the habit of eating inside the crate, close the door. But remember to open the door as soon as the puppy finishes its meal.
Whenever the puppy sleeps, lift it with care and move it inside the crate, which will help in making the crate training process time-saving. In the meantime, don’t forget to reward the puppy with a treat and immediately take it out if it needs defecating.
STEP 4 – Use Certain Word to Command the Puppy
This step is significant as the puppy must learn to associate certain commands with specific actions. One should try training its puppy to link words with the entry and exit from the crate.
Give the puppy an order to enter the crate using small terms like ‘in’ or ‘kennel up.’ Also, order it to come out of the crate, using words like ‘out’ or ‘free.’
As it’s a crucial part of the training, practice this step twice or thrice during a day, as per one’s convenience. First, ask the puppy to ‘kennel up’ and as it follows the command, treat him with its favorite food or treats of its liking.
Now, command it to come out of the crate by saying ‘free’ and then again reward the puppy for it. Keep repeating the same seven times at once. After a 5 minutes break, restart the process, but this time treat the puppy only when it gets inside the crate so that it doesn’t relate to coming out of the crate with a treat.
STEP 5 – Start leaving the Room
As of now, the puppy has already got acquired the habit of staying inside the crate for quite a long time. It becomes easier for the owner to leave the puppy in the room. As the puppy gets in the crate, carefully close the crate’s door and without making any noise move outside the room. One should try acting normally while walking out of the room, so it does not grab the puppy’s attention.
Practice this step twice or thrice during a day. Never make the puppy exhausted during the session. Always separate the process in more than one session.
STEP 6 – Start leaving the House
Now moving a step forward, one can now start leaving the house. Initially, try to leave the house for a smaller duration and then move on to leave the house for a more extended period. Remember, not to close the door and instantly leave the house as this may create a feeling of fear in the heart of the puppy that he is left alone immediately after getting in the crate.
Also, avoid freeing the puppy right after coming back to the house, as this may even generate anxiety in the puppy. The puppy may spend the whole of its time waiting for one to go back. Thus, now the puppy can be kept in the crate for some time longer and can even be left in the house without hesitation. However, it should always be kept in mind that the crate should be placed in a safe place so that the puppy doesn’t land up hurting itself.
Important
Never leave an 8-10 weeks puppy in the crate for more than an hour. A 3 months puppy can be left in the crate for 3 hours. A 4 months puppy can be left in the crate for about 4 hours and so on. Furthermore, although now the puppy has generated the habit of staying in the crate, puppy crying in the crate all night can still remain an issue. One needs to have patience and restart the crate training process when things go south.
Actions to Avoid while Crate Training a Puppy
It is crucial to keep in mind that the one training the puppy should restrain himself/herself from performing specific activities.
NEVER USE A CRATE TO PUNISH THE PUPPY. Punishing the puppy by locking it up in the crate may develop in its fear. It will start associating the crate with a punishment cage, and the puppy won’t stop crying at night.
Don’t leave the puppy for an extended period in the crate. Do not leave the puppy in the crate for too long. Usually, do not leave a puppy of 8-10 weeks in the crate for more than an hour. Also, do not use the crate often. The puppy should be let free for a longer time during the day.
The puppy’s demand to let it free should not be considered too often. The puppy may bark and cry while inside the crate. However, ignore it until it stops barking or crying. Now, after some time, open the crate’s door so that the puppy learns not to make noise to be heard.
One should not let their children inside the crate. The puppy should be made to feel that the crate is its den and that only the puppy can be there. One should respect the puppy’s privacy.
Do not leave the puppy in the crate during illness. One should pay due attention to not locking up the puppy in the crate when it’s suffering from disease or had recently recovered from illness.
Do not keep the puppy in a crate when too young. Keep in mind not to hold a puppy in the crate when it’s too young to control its bladder and eliminate it on its own.
Keep the crate clean. The crate should always be clean. If the puppy eliminates in the crate, clean the crate immediately. This way, the puppy doesn’t associate with the crate as an eliminating area. Also, avoid the use of ammonia for cleaning the crate as it smells like urine.
Cover a wire crate with a blanket. At night and during winter, cover the wire crate with a blanket to keep the puppy warm inside its crate. However, take care that the puppy doesn’t chew the blanket.
Conclusion
Thus, it is clear now as to how to crate train a puppy at night and how to stop the puppy from barking at night in the crate. Firstly, crate training a puppy it the most crucial step which should be taken to stop puppy crying at night. As one had trained its puppy to stay in its crate, it should be kept in mind that specific actions, as mentioned above, should be avoided.
