How to Crate Train a Shih Tzu Puppy at Night
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Introduction
Your spunky little Shih Tzu puppy is going to have lots of playful energy and be incredibly affectionate towards you and your family. A Shih Tzu is a great companion devoted to pleasing you. He will want to feel secure and comfortable, so crate training him for nighttime sleep is the perfect way to build his security as well as keep your house safe from the adventures of a bored puppy.
Night time crate training gives your Shih Tzu puppy a comfortable, safe place to sleep all night long for the years to come. When you crate train your puppy for nighttime sleep, you are teaching him to go into his personal bedroom space when it's time to go to bed. Your Shih Tzu will begin to see his little crate as his personal space and might even start going into his crate during the day when he's tired and nap.
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Defining Tasks
Your Shih Tzu puppy will need a little extra time learning to sleep in the crate all night because, as a puppy, he's going to need to visit outside a few times during the night. Try to remember when your training your Shih Tzu puppy to sleep in the crate at night, he can hold his bladder for just about an hour for every month of his age. So if you are training your three-month-old Shih Tzu puppy, he might need to go potty every three to four hours, even in the middle of the night. Crate training a Shih Tzu puppy takes time and patience, but by the time your Shih Tzu puppy is potty trained, he will also have the understanding that his crate is a place for him to sleep with comfortable bedding every night when it's time to go to bed.
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Getting Started
To prepare for crate training a Shih Tzu puppy at night you're going to need a small crate. Your puppy’s crate should be large enough for your adult Shih Tzu dog to stand up and turn around. Don't make it too large of a crate, as it will give him room to go potty. Be sure to fill the crate with lots of soft, comfortable bedding, a dog bed or blankets work just fine, and some safe chew toys for your Shih Tzu to chew on while he waits patiently awake for you to let him out of his crate. While your Shih Tzu is potty training, be prepared to let him out for those moments. Also, be sure to have lots of tasty treats on hand for night training your Shih Tzu puppy.
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The Night Commands Method
Most Recommended
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Most Recommended
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Tire out
Where your Shih Tzu puppy out before bedtime. This might mean extra play time so he is nice and tired once it's time for him to go into his crate to go to bed.
Potty command
Teach your Shih Tzu puppy a potty command such as 'let's go potty' and take him outside to go potty just before you take him into his crate to go to bed.
Bedtime command
Give you Shih Tzu puppy a bedtime command such as 'let's go to bed' and place him in his crate
Treat
Condition your Shih Tzu puppy to go to bed by using the command and offering him a treat as you place himin his crate. Once he is in his crate with his treat, give him some time with the door closed to settle down.
Whining
Your Shih Tzu puppy wants to be with you, so he will probably whine a bit. Leave him alone and let it go. He will eventually settle down and go to sleep.
Night waking
Your Shih Tzu puppy is still potty training, so he will probably wake up at least once or twice during the night to go potty. When he wakes to go potty take him outside and give him a reward once he goes potty.
Back in crate
Immediately place him back in the crate and give him the good night command again.
Sleep
Your puppy should sleep for the rest of the night. Ignore his whines as he's falling back asleep.
Morning
As soon as your Shih Tzu puppy wakes up for the morning, give him a reward and take him outside to go potty.
Practice
Practice this every single night with your Shih Tzu puppy. It will take some time, but eventually, when you use the command, he will go into his crate to go to sleep. With growth and practice, he will also stay there all night without having to go potty in the middle of the night.
The Day Start Method
Effective
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Effective
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Crate placement
Place your Shih Tzu's crate in a busy part of the house during the day. This should be a small crate, so if you want to move it for night time sleep, it shouldn't be very difficult to do.
Naps
Start placing your Shih Tzu In his crate during the day when he is sleeping. Anytime your pup looks tired or falls asleep somewhere, lift him up and place him in his crate.
After exercise
Anytime your Shih Tzu plays with you indoors or outdoors, take him out to go potty and then place him in his crate. You can leave the door open for afternoon naps, especially if your puppy is still awake when you put him in the crate. If he's worn out he will settle down in his nice, soft bedding and go to sleep.
After meals
Schedule your Shih Tzu puppy’s meals, and after each meal take him outside to go potty and then place him in the crate for a nap. Again, you can leave the door open during this time. But if your Shih Tzu leaves the crate to go sleep somewhere else, be sure to pick him up and put him back in the crate for any naps.
Nighttime Introduction
After spending even one day taking all naps in his crate, your Shih Tzu should be fairly used to the crate as a soft, warm, comfortable, safe, and secure place to sleep. When it is time for your Shih Tzu to go to bed, place him in the crate, close the door, and head to bed yourself.
Not sleeping
If your Shih Tzu is not sleeping during the day, open the crate and let him out during the day as he wishes. If your Shih Tzu is not sleeping at night, ignore him and let him take the time he needs to settle down and fall asleep. Don't forget while your puppy is potty training, he will need to go out during the night to go potty until he's old enough to hold it all night.
The All Night Method
Effective
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Effective
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Crate
Set up a crate in a place you would like your Shih Tzu puppy to sleep at night. The crate should have soft, comfortable bedding and should be only large enough for your Shih Tzu to stand up and turn around.
Potty outside
Take your Shih Tzu puppy outside to go potty before bedtime.
Playtime
Spend a few extra minutes every night playing with your Shih Tzu puppy to wear him out of any excess energy he may have.
Good night, puppy
Put your Shih Tzu puppy inside his crate and close the door. With the door closed, you can give him a small treat and wait for him to settle down.
Walk away
Walk away from your Shih Tzu puppy giving him a chance to go to sleep on his own. Ignore any whining you may hear. Your pup will be pretty adamant he does not want to be in the crate, but in order to crate train him to stay in the crate all night, you will need to give him time to settle on his own.
Sleep
Once your Shih Tzu puppy is asleep, it might be a good time for you to get some nighttime sleep as well.
Waking
While your Shih Tzu puppy is still house training, he will need to go outside and go potty every few hours. This will mean for the first several months at least one to two times a night your pup may need to visit outside to go potty. These are the only times he should be waking at night.
Rewards
Be sure to give your Shih Tzu puppy rewards for staying in the crate each time he is successful. Over time, he will stay in the crate longer and longer without whining and without waking until morning.
Morning
When your Shih Tzu puppy wakes up for morning take him outside right away to go potty. Be sure you are also giving him a reward each morning once he wakes.
Written by Stephanie Plummer
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 02/13/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
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Training Questions and Answers
Hagi.
Shih Tzu
Nine Weeks
Question
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0 found this helpful
Hi. I bought my dog today got him home in a small carrying crate. I then set up his larger crate and introduced it into the crate as the breeder I got him of had all the pups in a crate. The problem is he will not stop following me into the loo. the kitchen, if I move at all he is running after me. He is constantly lying at my feet if I move, he moves to my feet he just wants to sleep at my feet as soon as I move my feet when he is sleeping, he wakes and moves toward my feet then falls asleep again. He is a great wee puppy and very good at going to the toilet without prompting at all.
Nov. 28, 2022
Hagi.'s Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, First, know that being your shadow is quite normal with puppies this age - you are their safe space. Working on Crate training to build independence can help, teaching Place and working on pup working up to longer periods of time staying on place with a chew toy, and teaching Out - which means move away, are good ways to begin building independence. Stay consistent about insisting pup sleep in the crate at night and when you aren't home, even though pup prefers your feet, to help with potty training, prevent destructive chewing habits, keep pup safe, make future travel and boarding easier, and build independence some to prevent adult separation anxiety. Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Surprise method - if you need additional crate training help. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 28, 2022
Finn
Shih Tzu
8 weeks
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My normal work schedule has me gone at least 8-9 hrs a day, but I am home right now due to having the flu. So my new puppy has more attention than he with would normally have. His breeder said to keep him in a playpen with a peepad, but I’d prefer to crate train. He uses the peepad well, and is responding to crate training at bedtime. I’m wondering right now how much play time he should receive while I’m at home right now, and whether I should use the playpen during the day that he’s used to or crate train instead. He also can’t go outside until he receives his 8 week shots on 10/24.
Oct. 13, 2022
Finn's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Since you will be going back to leaving home soon and that will be your normal schedule, I would generally keep to training consistent with your regular routine. With that said, you can do a bit of both. You can get an exercise pen and a wire pen and actually connect the pen onto the crate, making the crate like a den attached to the pen, so pup has a sleeping/calm area and is getting used to the crate for future crate use, and have an indoor potty inside the general exercise pen area for pup to come out of the crate and be able to use while still being safely confined without access to the rest of your home. Check out this article I have linked below. You would of course close the second door on the crate that let's pup out into the main area of your home when not supervising pup or home, to keep them inside. The crate and pen setup together and a dog food stuffed chew toy are great ways to set up a puppy's area, especially one who will be staying in it often. Additionally, I personally prefer using grass pads instead of pee pads too, simply because they transition to potty training outside later more easily, and puppies tend to confuse them with carpet and rugs less often, but you can certainly use a pee pad instead if it's currently working well for you. https://fydogtraining.com/training-tips/2018/3/15/5-ideas-to-make-your-puppys-setup-amazing At this age, puppies tend to nap about every forty-five minutes. In an ideal world pup would have either training, playtime, other exercise, affection, meals, or an interactive toy to play with about every hour and a half throughout the day. Most puppies with our schedules realistically don't get that, but the closer you can get to that type of routine the more pup will enjoy it; whatever your schedule allows, just try to make good use of time with pup when you can, keeping that time more interactive with training, toys, play, exercise, or your company and attention, will go a long way toward a happy, well adjusted puppy, even if that means morning, evening and weekends most weeks. Check out the Surprise method from the article I have linked below. You will need to use the playpen for pottying when you are gone for long days, so that will need to be the norm, but when you are home, you can certainly practice the Surprise method in the crate, pen, or both, to help him get used to that time alone confined. Surprise method: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Oct. 13, 2022