I didn't want to hijack any of the other crate training threads since this is a different topic though similar.
Our puppy is crate trained...mostly. He's got no issues going in his crate and letting me lock him in and walk away when he's been exercised and is tired. I'm not sure what he does during the day since we're at work, but at night when we're trying to sleep he barks and howls after a few hours. At first, I thought he needs to go potty so I'd take him outside. Lately though, when I'd take him outside, he wouldn't go at all. So I'd put him back in his crate and he'd be ok and then an hour later he's howling again.
I don't let him out until he stops barking/howling and he knows it. So when I get up and he hears me, even though I'm not looking at him or going towards him, he'll stop barking but he'll whine. I don't let him out then I just wait until he stops whining and I can hear him wacking the crate with his tail. I even make him sit stay before I open the door. But this could be a long time and when I would rather be sleeping, it's really frustrating.
We let him sleep with us in our bed a couple times and he's been OK. He'll sleep long past when we expect him to get up.
I will say we don't keep his crate in our room. Our room isn't the biggest, and his crate is huge. We keep his crate in another room where the other dog sleeps, and not upstairs. We've trained them to not come upstairs unless we've allowed them to come up. We use "Upstairs!" as the command. The puppy is really good about it too. He'll follow me to the bottom of the stairs and sit until I use the command. Anyway, I am losing sleep over this. I dont' want to have to have the puppy in my bed just to get a full nights rest.
I dont know what to do. I don't think my husband is willing to rearrange our bedroom so we can squeeze the dog crate in but I'm the one getting up at 2am to deal with the puppy. Or even if we agree to let him howl his heart out, I can't fall back asleep while he's howling. And yeah...practice for babies but even babies grow out of it not get worse!
Our puppy is crate trained...mostly. He's got no issues going in his crate and letting me lock him in and walk away when he's been exercised and is tired. I'm not sure what he does during the day since we're at work, but at night when we're trying to sleep he barks and howls after a few hours. At first, I thought he needs to go potty so I'd take him outside. Lately though, when I'd take him outside, he wouldn't go at all. So I'd put him back in his crate and he'd be ok and then an hour later he's howling again.
I don't let him out until he stops barking/howling and he knows it. So when I get up and he hears me, even though I'm not looking at him or going towards him, he'll stop barking but he'll whine. I don't let him out then I just wait until he stops whining and I can hear him wacking the crate with his tail. I even make him sit stay before I open the door. But this could be a long time and when I would rather be sleeping, it's really frustrating.
We let him sleep with us in our bed a couple times and he's been OK. He'll sleep long past when we expect him to get up.
I will say we don't keep his crate in our room. Our room isn't the biggest, and his crate is huge. We keep his crate in another room where the other dog sleeps, and not upstairs. We've trained them to not come upstairs unless we've allowed them to come up. We use "Upstairs!" as the command. The puppy is really good about it too. He'll follow me to the bottom of the stairs and sit until I use the command. Anyway, I am losing sleep over this. I dont' want to have to have the puppy in my bed just to get a full nights rest.
I dont know what to do. I don't think my husband is willing to rearrange our bedroom so we can squeeze the dog crate in but I'm the one getting up at 2am to deal with the puppy. Or even if we agree to let him howl his heart out, I can't fall back asleep while he's howling. And yeah...practice for babies but even babies grow out of it not get worse!