Puppy crying at night? - Why & Several Tips To Overcome This

Bringing a new puppy home is more or less like bringing a newborn home. Much like a baby, it is exciting, but it might take a while before the new puppy gets settled in its new environment. Before they adapt to your home and routine, it might be a while and a little disruptive to you, especially if you have a puppy crying at night. This is why you want to get them settled in as quickly as possible.

If you just brought a new puppy home, it’s understandable if you are frustrated and feeling helpless about their little cries at night that are keeping you awake. Just like human babies, puppy cries mostly indicate some unmet needs. If you are wondering what to do with your crying puppy at night, we will be telling you all you need to know.

Should I leave my puppy to cry at night?

We would never recommend just leaving your puppy to cry at night as there is usually a reason they are crying. Could be they need to go to the toilet as they often can’t hold it in all night, they could be anxious and scared if they have just been separated from their brothers, sisters and mum and wake up in the middle of the night to find themselves alone. There are ways to properly deal with crying puppies which I discuss below.

You might notice when you bring your puppy home that they always want to be where you are. They might be following you everywhere you go from room to room. This is because most young pups might be anxious about being left alone.

Puppy a sleep in night after crying as was left alone

If your puppy is sleeping in a different room alone, this could be one of the reasons they are crying. You might want to consider setting up their crate in your bedroom until they can learn to be independent. If you leave them crying in another room alone, they might develop separation anxiety, which might, in turn, lead to some more behavioural issues.

There are other reasons that your puppy could be crying at night, and knowing what these issues are and how to resolve them might go a long way.

Here are some tips on how to stop your puppy’s cries at night.

Also, check out my guide on whether cocker spaniels should be left alone?

How to stop your puppy’s cries at night

They need a bathroom break

Puppies, unlike grown dogs, need to go to the bathroom once or twice in the night. If you are woken by your puppy’s cries at night, you might want to take them out for a bathroom break. To make help make your sleep as less interrupted as possible, taking your puppy out for a bathroom break should be the very last thing you do before going to bed.

If you don’t want to go out in the middle of the night, you should buy some puppy pads and train your puppy to use them instead of going out.

Crate training

Dogs are natural den animals. You will need to crate train your new pup as early as possible. A crate provides your pup with a safe space where they can go to rest. As soon as you get your new furry friend home, you need to condition them to like their crate. In the beginning, your young pup may not like their crate and this could be a reason they are crying at night.

Puppy in crate can help puppies sleep better as its a safe place

If you are having trouble with crate training, here are a few tips. Pick a crate your furry friend will love spending time in. Ideally, a dog crate should be big enough for your puppy to stand and turn around but not bigger. This way, the pup won’t be tempted to potty in one corner of the large crate. Give your puppy treats when they get in the crate. This way, they will come to associate the crate with a reward. Also, never use the crate to punish them for bad behaviour. You want them to associate the crate with good.

You can learn more about crate training in this detailed guide for training cocker spaniels

Physical exercise

Giving puppy exercise but not to much so they sleep better

Puppies are naturally very energetic. This is why you need to make sure that they get enough physical exercise during the day if you want them to be tired enough to sleep for hours at a time.

Give them some toys

Your puppy might be bored when they wake up with nothing to do in the middle of the night. If you leave them a few toys to play with when this happens, it may stop their cries at night.

Make sure they don’t have any other issues.

If the crying persists for long periods of time we recommend you should have a vet look at the puppy to ascertain that they are physically okay.

Check out my review of the best puppy starter kits which include everything you need

In conclusion,

While we all want our little furry friends to be independent as soon as possible, you want to let them slowly develop their independence as they adjust to being in your home.

Puppy sleeping at night after being trained

Remember that when you bring the puppy home, you separate them from their dog family and uproot them from their previous familiar environment.

For this reason, you should let them down easily. For the first few days, you might want to put their bed or crate in your bedroom so that they know you are close or maybe sleep in the same room as them if possible. This might help with the night crying. Leaving them alone to cry it out is not advised, as it might lead to your puppy developing anxiety disorder and other behavioural issues.

If your puppy is maybe not crying and is crying at night check out this guide on how to relax them so they sleep at night

Puppy crying at night? – Why they cry and what to do about it to help them settle

Should I leave my puppy to cry at night?