How to Train Your Dog to Not Cry at Night
How to Train Your Dog to Not Cry at Night
Medium difficulty iconMedium
Time icon2-4 Weeks
Behavior training category iconBehavior
Introduction

Ever looked at a litter of puppies with their mom, sleeping in a giant pile, all together? So cute, right? Now you take your new puppy home and put him a bed or crate by himself, expecting him to sleep alone, through the night, quietly. Not going to happen!  

Sometimes having a puppy is just like bringing home a human baby--a lot of sleepless nights while everyone adjusts to the new environment. Because dogs are pack animals, their natural inclination is to sleep with others, in close contact, for safety and comfort. A young dog or puppy is especially geared to sleep closely in a group for safety, and a rescue dog or an anxious or insecure dog that has come from an abusive situation or a situation where they were deprived, may be nervous and anxious and more apt to cry when separated from their caregivers, such as at night when everyone is sleeping. 

Having a dog cry at night and keep you awake is not going to work in the long term, so owners need to find ways to train their dogs to sleep quietly at night in their own space, and for the dog to be comfortable with the arrangement, allowing dog owners to get a good night sleep.

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Defining Tasks

There are several methods you can use to help your dog learn not to cry at night and to be comfortable sleeping by himself, quietly. However, before working on stopping your dog from crying at night you will need to take some basic steps to ensure his needs are met and he is not crying for a genuine reason. 

Make sure your dog is well fed, has water, is well exercised, and has had lots of attention throughout the day, including affection and play. A dog that has had lots of activity and had his needs met is more likely to have a restful night than one that is full of energy or bored. Ensure your dog has had a chance to go outside to do his business before bed. And remember, a puppy may cry in the middle of the night when they wake because they legitimately have to go to the bathroom. Puppies do not have large bladders, and it is not uncommon to have to let a young dog out in the middle of the night for a pee break. You should work this into your plans if necessary.

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Getting Started

Most owners that want their dogs to sleep separately from them provide their dogs with a bed or crate to sleep in. The crate should be comfortable, with good, clean bedding, and a favorite blanket or toy for comfort. Your dog's bed/crate should be in a warm location so your dog does not wake up from cold. Crates or beds should be the appropriate size for the dog, too big and the dog will not feel secure, too small and they will not be comfortable. You may need to be prepared for a few sleepless nights at first, as you will need to ignore and not respond to your dog's crying. If you do, you will only reinforce the behavior. This might call for a set of ear plugs! 

There are several methods you can use to help your dog become comfortable and learn to sleep by himself without crying for attention at night. These methods may be used in combination to help your dog assimilate to their nighttime routine quicker.

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The Ignore Crying Method

Most Recommended

6 Votes

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Most Recommended

6 Votes

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1

Prepare

If you respond in any way to your dog's crying, even negatively, it will only reinforce his bid for attention. Be prepared to ignore your dog's crying at night. You may need to move your dog and his crate to another part of the house where you cannot hear him or use earplugs.

2

Meet needs

Teach your dog to be comfortable a crate. After letting your dog out for a bathroom break, have him go to his crate for bed. Do not carry him or drag him to his crate, which creates a negative association. Instead, reward him for going to his crate with a treat or a chew toy, and provide him praise and affection in his crate.

3

Ignore crying

Leave your dog in his crate and go to bed. When your dog cries, do not yell at him or respond in any way to his crying. Ensure that the entire household is on board.

4

Respond to quiet

If you need to let a puppy out in the middle of the night for a bathroom break, choose a time when he is quiet, not when he is crying, to let him out for a pee. After he has relieved himself, go back to his crate and provide another reward, attention, and praise. Return to bed.

5

Repeat

In the morning, do not let your dog out of his crate until he is quiet. If he is crying, wait until he stops for a moment before releasing him. Repeat this procedure for several nights. Eventually, your dog will learn that crying does not result in your attention or release from the crate.

The Crate Training Method

Effective

7 Votes

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Effective

7 Votes

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1

Set up crate

Set up a crate with comfortable bedding, and a toy or chew bone. You can introduce your dog to the crate at first by feeding him in the crate, to create a positive association.

2

Introduce crate

Put your dog in the crate for a short period of time, 10-15 minutes. Have the dog approach the crate himself to get a reward, do not carry or lead him there. Stay with your dog while he is in the crate, sit outside the crate or remain in the room. If he is quiet, let him out. If he starts crying, wait until there is a pause in crying, then let him out.

3

Practice quiet in crate

Repeat the procedure several times a day, until your dog happily goes into his crate for short periods of time with you present.

4

Increase time and distance

Gradually increase the length of time your dog remains in the crate, and the distance you are from the crate, moving farther away, leaving the room, then leaving the house, for short periods of time. Gradually increase to longer periods of time.

5

Reinforce quiet

Only let your dog out of the crate when he is quiet and calm. If your dog starts crying, sit near the crate and talk to him, but do not let him out until he stops crying. This teaches your dog to gradually become used to being alone, in a safe place, and that calm quiet behavior with no crying will result in the opportunity to be with you.

The Alternative Comfort Method

Least Recommended

2 Votes

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Least Recommended

2 Votes

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1

Prepare sleeping place

You can make your dog learn to accept sleeping in his crate or designated sleep area without crying by making it more attractive to him, much like when he was with his mom and litter mates.

2

Provide warmth

You can provide a heat source, like a heated water bottle, but ensure it is not too hot and that it is not something your dog can chew on and puncture.

3

Provide company

You can provide the company of another pet--another older dog or even a cat--or consider adopting two puppies at a time. Letting your dog sleep with the company of another pet may settle him and ease him into sleeping without his caregiver at night. Another option is to provide similar sized stuffed animals that resemble litter mates, but be careful they do not have loose buttons or parts that your young dog can chew off and choke on.

4

Provide sound

Use an old fashioned clock that ticks wrapped in a blanket in your puppy's bed. Some dogs are lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sound of a clock that resembles their mom's heartbeat. Be sure the dog can not chew on the clock and injure himself.

5

Provide activity

Provide a rawhide chew bone, or puzzle feeder with food to keep your dog entertained while he goes off to sleep.

6

Getting comfortable

All of these steps can help your dog to become acclimated to their sleeping place, feel safe, and teach them there is no need to cry at night.

Written by Laurie Haggart

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 11/06/2017, edited: 01/08/2021

Training Questions and Answers

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Benji
Dog breed icon
American Staffordshire Terrier
Dog age icon
8 Weeks
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Question
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He bites and nips quite hard when playing ( always stop ) when holding him, patting him or just walking

Oct. 10, 2021

Benji's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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1128 Dog owners recommended

Hello Melissa, Check out the article linked below. Starting today, use the "Bite Inhibition" method. BUT at the same time, begin teaching "Leave It" from the "Leave It" method. As soon as pup is good as the Leave It game, start telling pup to "Leave It" when he attempts to bite or is tempted to bite. Reward pup if he makes a good choice. If he disobeys your leave it command, use the Pressure method to gently discipline pup for biting when you told him not to. The order or all of this is very important - the Bite Inhibition method can be used for the next couple of weeks while pup is learning leave it, but leave it will teach pup to stop the biting entirely. The pressure method teaches pup that you mean what you say without being overly harsh - but because you have taught pup to leave it first, pup clearly understands that you are not just roughhousing (which is what pup probably thinks most of the time right now), so it is more effective. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite I would also work on teaching the Out command, and then use the section from the article on How to Use Out to Deal with Pushiness, to enforce it when pup doesn't listen, especially around other animals or kids. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Another important part of this is puppy learning bite inhibition. Puppies have to learn while young how to control the pressure of their mouths - this is typically done through play with other puppies. See if there is a puppy class in your area that comes well recommended and has time for moderated off-leash puppy play. If you can't join a class, look for a free puppy play group, or recruit some friends with puppies to come over if you can and create your own group. You are looking for puppies under 6 months of age - since young puppies play differently than adult dogs. Moderate the puppies' play and whenever one pup seems overwhelmed or they are all getting too excited, interrupt their play, let everyone calm down, then let the most timid pup go first to see if they still want to play - if they do, then you can let the other puppies go too when they are waiting for permission. Finding a good puppy class - no class will be ideal but here's what to shoot for: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/puppy-classes-when-to-start/ When pup gets especially wound up, he probably needs a nap too. At this age puppies will sometimes get really hyper when they are overtired or haven't had any mental stimulation through something like training. When you spot that and think pup could be tired, place pup in their crate or an exercise pen with a food stuffed Kong for a bit to help him calm down and rest. I would also practice touching pup gently and giving a treat each time you touch pup and they don't mouth your hand, to help pup learn to receive and love touch tolerantly. Finally, check out the PDF e-book downloads found on this website, written by one of the founders of the association of professional dog trainers, and a pioneer in starting puppy kindergarten classes in the USA. Click on the pictures of the puppies to download the PDF books: https://www.lifedogtraining.com/freedownloads/ Know that mouthiness at this age is completely normal. It's not fun but it is normal for it to take some time for a puppy to learn self-control well enough to stop. Try not to get discouraged if you don't see instant progress, any progress and moving in the right direction in this area is good, so keep working at it. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Oct. 11, 2021

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Buddy
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cockapoo
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12 Weeks
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Hi, we’ve recently gotten this lovely cockapoo called buddy. We’ve previously had puppy’s and they used to cry for the first few nights when being introduced to our home as they are missing littermate mom etc. this little guy hasn’t stopped for 2 weeks. We’ve tried everything like crating him but that was very traumatic for him he hated it and got urine all over himself as he relieved him self in the cage. He also doesn’t pee on the wee mats. Is there any advice you would recommend?

Oct. 2, 2021

Buddy's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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1128 Dog owners recommended

Hello Katie, First, for the potty training I recommend switching from pee pads to disposable real grass pads. I would set up an exercise pen and cover the floor of it with the grass pads. Keep pup in the pen until pup goes potty, being ready to give several treats and lots of praise when you see pup do so, then letting pup out of the pen after they pee, when you can supervise pup in the home, so pup learns that the quickest way to get out is to go potty on the grass pad quickly. Once pup will immediately go potty on the pad when you take pup to the pen, I would gradually remove the additional grass pads, one at a time over the course of a couple of weeks, until pup is peeing on just the one remaining grass pad, continuing to reward pup for going potty in the right spot on the pad as you make this transition. From there, I would follow the rest of the steps for phasing out the exercise pen overtime, like the exercise pen method from the article I have linked below covers. That article mentions a doggie litter box but the method can be used with a pee pad or grass pad instead too. You can also try this same approach with pee pads, but I recommend the grass pad because pup appears to be a puppy who is more likely to confuse the pee pads, which are made of fabric, with other indoor surfaces, like your carpet and rugs. The grass pads tend to be less confusing for such dogs. Indoor potty training is also based on location, not just surface, so when setting up your exercise pen, choose an area where you plan to leave a pad long term, don't move the pad around a lot, because pup will be learning to go potty in that location, not just on that surface. Exercise pen method: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy I am assuming you are planning to use an indoor potty with pup long term due to their size. If you are not, I would go straight to crate training to teach outdoor potty training instead of doing indoor first, if your schedule can accommodate that, because that will be easier in the long run for you and pup. I will address the crate crying below. For the nighttime crying I would crate pup, but pup needs to be worked through their issues with the crate, which in turn should also help with the nights. You may find you need to use these same steps to get pup used to the exercise pen you will be using for potty training. Will a pup who protests these things a lot, it often makes us want to just not confine pup at all, but pup will have to be confined at some point in their life for travel, injury, surgery, boarding, to address behavior issues like chewing, ect...Trying to introduce confinement like a crate or pen later is much harder on pup than working pup through it right now while in this developmental stage where pup is more open. With the above said, first, work on teaching the Quiet command during the day using the Quiet method from the article linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Second, during the day practice the Surprise method from the article linked below. Whenever pup stays quiet in the crate for 5 minutes, sprinkle some treats into the crate without opening it, then leave the room again. As he improves, only give the treats every 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hour, 2, hour, 3 hour. Practice crating him during the day for 1-3 hours each day that you can. If you are home during the day, have lots of 30 minute - 1 hour long sessions with breaks between to practice this, to help pup learn sooner. For some pups waiting them out, then rewarding the quietness is all you need. For the occasional really persistent pup, who doesn't pause for even a couple of seconds in an hour, you will need an interrupter too. It's not fun to use a slightly firmer approach but in the end this is a lot easier on pup than their highly anxious behavior continuing, and provides the opportunity for you to reward the calm behavior so pup learns that instead. Whenever he cries in the crate, tell him "Quiet". If he gets quiet - Great! Sprinkle treats in after five minutes if he stays quiet. If he continues barking or stops and starts again, spray a quick puff of air from a pet convincer at his side through the crate while calmly saying "Ah Ah", then leave again. Only use unscented air canisters, DON'T use citronella! And avoid spraying in the face. Surprise method: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Repeat the rewards when quiet and the corrections whenever he cries. When pup is being patient and quiet in the crate, let pup out calmly. If pup tries to rush the door, close it again, making pup wait. Practice this until pup is waiting inside with the crate door open. At that point, happily tell pup "Okay" and let them come out calmly. You want to set that expectation of staying calm as they exit, so they don't get into the habit of getting anxious and excited in anticipation of being let out. At night I recommend only correcting, not giving treats because the treats will keep pup up. Take pup potty still when they cry when it's been at least three hours - and genuinely might need to go potty. To decrease the chance of pup having an accident in the crate make sure the crate is only big enough for pup to turn around, stand up, and lie down, and there is nothing absorbent in the crate like a towel or soft bed. You can use something like www.primopads.com or k9ballistics.com crate mats instead. The peeing in the crate is probably used to pup's uncertainty about the crate though, so working pup through that may mean accidents still at first, but if the accidents continue after several sessions, I would check back and adjust the training to help avoid that. I would actually practice the above protocol in the exercise pen first if pup also cries in the pen, while simultaneously doing the potty training there. If pup has accidents in the exercise pen that won't be an issue, and having pup get used to being quiet and calm in the exercise pen through your rewards and feedback, will also help pup adjust more quickly to the crate training once you do that. Because pup is protesting so strongly pup actually be a pup who needs to work on training like this, to build calmness and independence in the long run possibly even more than the average puppy to avoid other issues, like separation anxiety as an adult. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Oct. 5, 2021


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