Congratulations!
But for what?
Because you just found out that apart from sniffing and scratching, your little puppy cries and whines, too, especially at night. And sometimes they cry a lot, non-stop, and as a dog owner, you really can’t do much about it.
But what if we say there are some tested and proven techniques to stop your puppy from crying at night. In this article, you’ll learn many things, from “why do puppies cry” to “how to stop puppies from crying.”
To understand this problematic behavior in puppies, let’s deep dive into the root cause behind it.
- Why Do Puppies Cry At Night?
- 5 Reasons Behind Puppies Crying At Night
- How To Stop A Puppy From Crying At Night
- 11 Ways To Stop Puppy Crying At Night
- How To Train Your Puppy Not To Cry At Night
- How Long Will A Puppy Cry At Night
- My Puppy Won’t Stop Crying – What To Do?
- My Puppy Crying In Sleep – Is This Normal?
- Should I Leave My Puppy To Cry At Night?
Why Do Puppies Cry At Night?
Just like human babies, crying in puppies can be considered the earliest form of communication. As a dog owner, you should always respond to their howls, whines, and noises to know the real reason behind their crying.
There can be multiple reasons behind their uncomfort and body issues, which lead them to cry. Our beloved puppies feel left alone at night, and many dog owners observed increased problematic behavior at night time.
Now, there are 2 types of crying behavior in puppies/dogs:
- Natural Crying: Puppies cry naturally when they’re distressed, anxious, and afraid. They start making weird noises because they feel uncomfortable and seek owners’ support.
- Learned Crying: Learned crying is something they learned over time to grab the attention of you and your family members. They usually do this to seek treats, rewards, or just want someone to be around them.
5 Reasons Behind Puppies Crying At Night
When our puppies are sad and anxious, they vocalize in a range of noises to communicate the issue they are facing. The reason can be anything from being hungry to distressed.
Now that you are aware of 2 types of crying associated with puppies, let’s see some common reasons behind puppies crying at night.
1. They Are Hungry
There can be times when your puppy misses their night dinner, which later turns out into a big thing for them. When they feel hungrier, their stomach starts aching, just like us, and they start crying to get some food.
2. They Are Sick
If you’re observing frequent crying in your puppies, then it may be a sign that they’re sick. There can be several sickness symptoms in small puppies ranging from fever, dizziness, diarrhea, or even loss of energy.
Sometimes, even an increased heart rate can make them distressed, and they start to behave weirdly.
3. They Are Afraid
It’s night, and your new puppy is still not strong enough to conquer the demons of darkness. Puppies do fear sometimes because of loneliness which makes them uncomfortable and anxious.
As a result, most of them start howling and whining. This usually happens when they’re 4-8 weeks of age as their brains observe more things that humans can’t.
4. They Get Bored
Well, this is a no-brainer. Puppies do not have any fixed sleep cycle, and you should not expect them to go to bed at sharp 11 PM. On the other hand, small puppies are jolly in nature and always expect to be involved in something.
The silence and boredom at night make them feel lonely, and they start making noises to feel their own presence.
5. They Seek Attention
Puppies believe that their owners should always be close to them. It doesn’t matter if it’s midday or 2 AM in the night. Sometimes they can wait for a full day to play with you, and when they feel unnoticed, they start seeking attention.
To grab your attention and affection, they start crying to greet and spend time with you. This is a case of learned crying in puppies.
How To Stop A Puppy From Crying At Night
After understanding why our small canines make terrible noises, let’s find out some ways to reduce their crying behavior.
It would be best to start looking if they are in any pain due to illness or wounds. You should start taking care of them when they cry because they seek your help at that stage.
Simply stopping them or yelling at them will make them more distressed and uncomfortable.
11 Ways To Stop Puppy Crying At Night
There are many ways to minimize their crying behavior, and it totally depends upon the owner’s approach. Once you find out the real cause behind the situation, it will get easier to find a working solution.
Below are 11 proven ways to quiet a crying puppy at night:
1. Proper Bedtime Routines
Scheduling proper bedtime routines with your puppy can be very helpful. For example, after their night meal, make sure to walk them for at least 5-10 minutes and take them to the toilet. After walking, clean their bed and ensure they sleep comfortably.
Check out proper lighting, curtains, unwanted sounds at their bed location to give them proper space. Then, when they get a pleasant and relaxing sleep, there are lesser chances they will cry or whine at night.
2. Tiring Them
This is one of the most popular ways that many dog owners use to stop their pets from crying. By tiring them, you make it easier for them to go to bed early, and chances get high that they won’t wake up in the middle of the night.
Some good ways to tire them out are playing with them in the daytime, taking a good walk after their night meals, or just letting them enjoy their toys.
3. Potty Train Them
New puppies use to hold their poop and pee because they are afraid to go to the potty. But when it becomes irresistible for them, they start crying to communicate their condition.
If you haven’t trained your puppy for potty training, then you should plan it as soon as possible. This will not only help you to maintain a cleaner home but will also help your puppy to lower their discomfort.
Related: How To Make A Dog Poop Quickly?
4. Crate Training
If your puppy sleeps in a crate, then training them to live in a crate comfortably can be very challenging for any dog owner. First, you need to build a strong positive connection between your puppy and the crate.
Start rewarding them when they move into the crate by giving small treats, hugs, etc. Hang some toys in the crate so that they enjoy playing with them.
When your puppy starts loving their presence in the crate, they will settle down more quickly in the crate at night and ultimately make lesser noises.
5. Keep Them Close
It may not sound like a good idea, but many animal experts believe that when pets sleep close to their owners, they feel more confident and relaxed.
You can adjust their sleeping bed or crate near your room, so they always find you close to themselves. Making them sleep in your own bed is entirely your choice. However, preference should be given to their own bed or crate.
6. Use Music To Calm Them
Sometimes your pet can show higher levels of stress and anxiety, which can cause them discomfort. Soothing or relaxing music can help them relax, and their body will start calming down.
Experiment with different genres of music and observe what makes them most comfortable and relaxing.
7. Teach Them To Be Alone
As I’ve already mentioned above, puppies do feel afraid and fearful when they feel left alone, especially at night. Their growing brains start observing more and more things which is one of the reasons they don’t sleep.
To counter this, you should start teaching them to stay alone at least for a few hours. Gradually build this habit and start ignoring them for a while. This way, your little furry friend will adjust to the alone environment, and the loneliness at night won’t discomfort them.
8. Seek For Medical Problems
If your puppy struggles with some medical problems, it’s pretty hard to stop them from crying, and dog owners should not do it. The pain makes them uncomfortable to sleep; hence they cry without stopping.
The best way to deal with this situation is to go for a veterinary checkup of your puppy. The vets will examine their body and list out the internal problems if they are suffering from anything.
9. Check On Stomach Bloating
Bloating is common in dogs and can be a reason behind why they are not sleeping properly at night. In addition, eating something uncommon or wild can lead to a stomach upset and cause a lot of trouble for the little puppy. One easy way to check on stomach aches in dogs is by observing their sitting and body language.
If you find out that they are struggling with a stomach ache, then you should upgrade to proper quality dog food. Stick with less oily meals and food that is rich in proteins and fibers.
10. Limit Distractions
Puppies are curious, and they observe a lot. So, if you’re planning to chill on Netflix with your dog, you will be able to sleep comfortably after the binge-watching marathon, but unfortunately, your puppies won’t. TVs, Laptops, Any screens, make them more curious, and their brain avoids releasing sleeping chemicals.
As a result, they sleep less and make a lot of noises. So it’s better to keep them away from any distractions, especially at night time.
11. Accept The Reality
Last but not least, accept that you’ve adopted a puppy and you need to deal with several problems, especially in the initial stages. Puppies whine and cry a lot compared to adult dogs, so it’s entirely normal for them to wake you up at night.
It’s hard to live with those terrible noises, but you should know how to deal with them as a good dog owner. A good way is to ignore them when they cry and reward them when they stop. This way, they will realize how you’re treating them, and they will adjust accordingly.
How To Train Your Puppy Not To Cry At Night
Now, if you want a long-lasting bullet-proof solution for stopping your puppy from crying, the only proven way is to train them.
The ideal age to start training small puppies is from 6 to 8 weeks of their age. At this stage, their mind starts developing, and they become ready to learn new things.
3 Common Puppy Trainings To Stop Them From Crying At Night:
- Potty Training: Start with potty train them. You can start with housetraining them so they will quickly learn the relevant commands and habits. So whenever they feel potty at night, they can go for it without needing your support. Make sure they are not eating their own poop.
- Separation Anxiety Training: This is a must-need training for any pet. You should start ignoring your puppies for a while so that they can start adjusting to the situation when no one is around them. This training comes in handy when they sleep alone at night in a separate room.
- Sleep Training: You will be surprised to know that puppies sleep a lot. They can sleep upto 15-17 hours a day. This happens in the initial 3-4 months of age, and the sleep comes in small chunks of a nap. It would be best to encourage them to have a proper sleep schedule and relax as much as possible.
Just remember, you don’t rush anything. Your puppy is small and needs some time to learn new things. So accept them as untrained puppies and let them enjoy their life.
How Long Will A Puppy Cry At Night
The clear answer is, It depends.
Unfortunately, nearly all puppies cry/whine a lot on their first night at your home, and you can’t do much about it.
Some dog owners even shared their first-night puppy experience and said, their puppies cried nonstop for the first few nights in their home. But after spending a few weeks with them, the puppies learned about the new environment and stopped whining at night.
So, for how long do puppies cry at night?
If you just adopted a new puppy and they are spending the first few nights in your home, then expect them to cry a lot. This is not common in all dog breeds, and you should not worry about this. Some puppies will cry for the whole night and some cry for an hour or two. As already said, it all depends on the puppy’s behavior.
Some puppies will whisper slowly and won’t make weird noises, and some will even start howling from day 1.
Just take it normal and start enjoying the companionship with your new family member.
Now it’s time for some common questions and challenges faced by dog owners.
My Puppy Won’t Stop Crying – What To Do?
If you’re facing this situation, then it can be a natural crying of your Puppy. Puppies usually cry a lot when they are struggling with any pain.
It can be a sign of any internal illness, medical problems, or sickness. However, if you observe this behavior for quite a few days, it’s time to see your vet immediately.
Vets will help diagnose the issue and will help out your Puppy in eliminating that pain.
My Puppy Crying In Sleep – Is This Normal?
This is not such common behavior in puppies, but some little canines do cry in the middle of their sleep. There is no proper answer to why this happens, but experts say this can be because your Puppy might be dreaming.
Again it’s totally common for them to cry or whine in sleep as long as you’re not waking them to interrupt their sleep. So consider it as a dubious situation, similar to humans, when they talk while sleeping.
Should I Leave My Puppy To Cry At Night?
This is a common mistake that dog owners make to leave their puppies crying alone at night. Even if they seem to be settling down on their own, you should always seek the reason behind their crying behavior.
Just because they stop crying after a few hours doesn’t mean they’re now OKAY!
It’s never recommended to leave them alone at night because it will make them more afraid and fearful. They need some time to learn how to stay alone and independently.
Final Thoughts!
Seeing your Puppy crying at night can be overwhelming, and you should not get panicked or annoyed in any scenario. Instead, you should find out the real reasons why they’re crying and start applying the methods shared in this article.
Always delight and reward them when they make good moves, learn new commands, and start obeying your actions. And most importantly, never ever punish or yell at your small puppies.
Do share your experience with your crying Puppy at night and how you’re dealing with them. The comments section is waiting to be heard from you!
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