4 month old in crate - getting worse?

[Jeni1206]

Hi all, we have a 4 month old, been with us a few weeks now. The nights are getting worse rather than better it seems - is this to be expected at all? He barks for a good hour non stop, then settles but still barks on and off. He is taken out for a wee about 2-3am ish, then barks for another hour (sometimes more) when put back in. And then on and off till 6am ish when we get up.

The first week we had him we had some much quieter nights. Now it is consistently like this. The crate is small enough, he has his meals in there etc.

I've never used a crate before, and to be honest I would be happy to have him upstairs with me, but was using the crate to try and help with potty training (he still needs to go in the night it seems). I'm worried if I bring him upstairs now, he'll just wee all over my bedroom in the night.

Any advice would be amazing, we are very sleep deprived, struggling, and even having to keep kids off school today due to being so exhausted.

My puppy slept upstairs with me from day one, I put her bed next to mine and then covered the floor in front of it with puppy pads and sectioned off the end so that she couldn't wander around the room. I didn't need to worry about her toileting anywhere other than the pads then and I don't think she felt caged in because the barrier was quite low.

I got really lucky though because she's only ever had 1 wee during the night, she just wakes up at 5-6am to get on my bed and then goes back to sleep 😂 she's 6 and a half months now.

It’s a bit of both. Our pups crate is plenty big enough for her to move around in and change position. I hear her getting up before she has chance to think about being confined and she’s out and we’re down the stairs to the garden. One of the few benefits of being a light sleeper.

I personally wouldn’t crate in the day as I feel it’s not really in their best interests but I do train for it.

last dog developed incontinence at 5. She was crate trained. She slept crated at night so her wee soaked down vet bed into liners taking it away from her skin. She was clean and happy. She lived a full and happy life and died at 17 of dementia. I’m not sure we’d have managed it had it not been for the crate which thankfully she loved because I’d spent months helping her see it as a safe space. She certainly wouldn’t have been able to experience the great walking holidays and trips away as we couldn’t have risked her moving around.

Crates always have been divisive. They are a tool like anything and can be abused and misunderstood.

you have to do the best for the dog in front of you which the OP is doing.

Our pup had always liked his crate. We slept next to him for first week or so moving further away each night. Letting him out during the night and then just a really early start which has now become about 7:30. He chooses to go in during the day for naps. Last thing he goes out for wee and then takes himself to his crate. He's never messed in it, and in the morning he can't usually be bothered to come out straight away. It's his safe den not a cage. It's worked for us and him. He's 5 months on Thursday. Slept through since 11 weeks.
Last pup we had screamed blue murder if he was put in crate, even if we sat right next to it.
Guess it depends on the dog....

this

We ended up ditching the crate and she slept upstairs and woke us up when she wanted£ out. They sleep through pretty quickly.

If you dont want then upstairs. a friend said best thing to do is put them somewhere with hard surface, like kitchen. Nice warm bed and just wipe up any accidents in morning. And concentrate on day time house training.

but she’s probably just lonely. An hour is a long time to bark. I’d be with her.

ours is 4.5 months now and never took to his crate or a larger pen. We kept him in the living room overnight with puppy pads under the stairs (stairs in living room) and he slept where he liked, he moved around on and off sofa and in and out of his dog bed. living room so had a stairgate but after a few weeks he would howl up the staurs to us. we have a cat that sleeps in kitchen overnight and so moved his bed in their and cat sleeps up high like she always has and he moves between his proper bed, a large cushion on floor or a pile of washing and he's now happy as larry. i guessed he must have felt lonely and having the cat in tgere albeit out of his reach, was enough for him. just do what feels right, and if tge crate isnt working maybe tge kitchen will be a good space but allow him a few options to move about and that your cat can get up high if wanted. hope this helps!

i should just say he has puppy pads by back door in kitchen but rarely needs then now as is mostly dry overnight .