Puppy crying, help!

[Zombie101]

Hey everyone,
I got a new puppy recently and he has been super good so far in terms of sleeping in his crate. But the past few nights he has been getting up nearly every hour in the hour and screaming crying when I put him back even though he has been outside and has had water. At the time of posting this he has been just screaming for about an hour now. I dont want him to learn that crying gets him out of his cage but I cant just let him cry as I live with three others who dont want to be woken up by him. Any suggestions to keep him from crying like this?
Thanks in advance.

[Catherine]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Are you sure the puppy is alright? How old is he. Maybe he was a bit young to be taken from his mother. Could he be teething? Can you contact the place where you got the puppy. I hope he is okay.

[LPC]

Why do you have to keep your puppy in a cage? If he is still not able to control his faeces, then putting newspaper down on the floor for any mess is preferable to locking him away. Locking a puppy away in a cage for the night means that he feels isolated and abandoned.

If the puppy is young, he may well be missing his mother, as Catherine has pointed out. He could be complaining because he doesn't want to be locked up. So the answer could easily be to leave him free to be with you at night, in a dog bed, with newspaper on the floor.

How old is the puppy? You say that you give him water at night, but are you sure that he has been properly weaned? Perhaps he was taken away from his mother too soon. Where did you get your puppy from? He may still need milk. You should be able to buy puppy milk from a pet store.

Every best wish to you!

[Zombie101]

I was told hes 8 weeks but honestly looks closer to 5 or 6 weeks. Unfortunately he is a rescue and I have no way of contacting the breeder. He seems to be alright just eating kibble and I have had him for almost 2 weeks now and this is the first incident I've had.
The only reason he is in a crate at all is to get him used to it when I'm ar school, work etc. Last night the only way he would stop crying was if he was in my bed. Hopefully this is a one off thing.
Thank you for your suggestions, hopefully I can get him to sleep on his own, the last thing I would want would be for him to feel alone.

[LPC]

Hmm, if he is only 5 weeks old - and I think you could be right - then this would explain everything. Please read these web pages very carefully. They will help you understand the situation:

https://pets.thenest.com/puppy-dogs-read...-3689.html
and
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/he...dults.aspx

Weaning may have been done too abruptly, too. It might be prudent to give him a little puppy milk in addition to "normal" food. The kibble, if you must use it, should be designed for puppies and young dogs. Please see this page about weaning:

https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/...eaned.html

I'm glad that you had him out of his cage and with you last night. He needs to establish love bonds at this young age, having been taken away from his mother at too young an age. That is not your fault; it is the fault of the original human who handed him to a refuge way too soon.

Please give him all the attention you can during these vital first weeks with you. He wants to be with someone for love and attention. Locking him in a cage will only distress him.

Later, when you have to go to school or work, it would be better for him to be free in your room rather than locked up in a cage. Ideally, you should arrange for a dog-loving person to take him for walks whilst you are out. That will reduce the chances of "accidents" and will also give him the company he needs.

Every best wish to you and your puppy!

[Catherine]

I am glad someone who has a dog is replying to this thread. LPC, I read all the articles and they were really informative. The same information is somewhat true for cats. Animals need the right amount of time with mom so they can learn and be secure.
I wondered if your puppy was weaned too soon and was feeling distress at being alone. Since he is a rescue and very young he does still need his mother. I hope it is possible to get him over his anxiety and socialize him properly. Good luck with him. Let us know how he is doing.

[Tobi]

Tricky, Zombie101....

That little pup is for the first time feeling very alone in the world and scared. He is missing his litter sisters and brothers to cuddle up with, and he is missing his mother.

Now it is up to you what you want to do, but if you make this choice, that's it for the rest of your lives!
My suggestion is get him in bed with you. Hundreds of other people will not agree with that, and think it is very BAD!

Or, if you don't want him actually to sleep next to you, then bring his bed in your room and train him to sleep in it.

Training him....that won't be easy but not hopeless either. You may have some sleepless nights while doing it. That is give him a tiny treat  an a "good boy" (lots of affection) every time he goes to his bed and lies down there, and just remove him from anywhere else.

However the totally pain-free way is to let him sleep with you!

There is no dishonour in that. My dog slept with me all the time and she was good. It didn't make her badly trained in any other way. I liked her company. She was an excellent dog and companion.

The only reason he is screaming/crying is because it is natural for a dog to cuddle up next to someone at night, and he feels teribly lonely.

What I said above is only my own feeling. Many wouldn't agree.

[Catherine]

I would agree with you. I would want the little dog to snuggle up with me so he would feel safe. Later when he is an adult dog, his presence would mean safety for me. I like having my pets nearby day and night. That is why I have pets.