If you’re a new dog owner or perhaps just new to crate dog at night, there’s a good chance there’s a bit of a pit in your belly right now. After all, your dog could be barking up a storm, howling and whining like he’s being tortured, and you just don’t know what to do. It’s completely wrong to crate dog at night. Instead, make sure you follow these helpful tips.
Many dogs get spooked when they’re taken out of their crates. So before you even think about taking your new dog out of his crate for the night, you should try talking to him. If he seems fine and doesn’t seem too bothered by being alone, you might want to let him go for the night. If you don’t get any responses, it may just be instinctive for him to be a bit skittish and worry about leaving his crate. Once he is in his crate, though, you’ll never take him out of it without supervision.
Dogs that have been crate trained to do certain things will whine and cry a lot at the new dog. This is completely natural, and you should never punish him for this. Puppies whined and cried in the past because they were only learning to be pack animals. You shouldn’t expect them to stop whining once they become house trained. This is part of crate training. If a dog starts whining because he has been abandoned, and you don’t bring him home right away, try to reassure him and bringing him home with you a bit later so he can see that you’ll come look for him.
When dogs are crate trained, they tend to sleep better at night, too. This is because dogs need to get a lot of rest to maintain their energy levels. When they aren’t getting enough rest, they will start to whine or cry during the night. Crate training also ensures that your dog sleeps better in general. All this extra sleep is good for him and can help prevent health problems such as diabetes.
Another advantage to crate training a dog at night is that you can easily see when he is doing something wrong. Sometimes it’s easy to tell when your dog isn’t sleeping, eating, or doing his business after dark. This is because dogs tend to lick their fur all night long, and if they are doing something that is not normal, they usually leave a mark on their fur to make it obvious. If you know your dog is whining at night while you are away, you could check to see if he has made a mess. Some dogs just need to be let in, but some don’t mind being let out on occasion.
If you are thinking about crate training a new dog, you might think that putting him in the crate at night is cruel, but most dogs enjoy it. He might whine at first, but after a few days, you will start to see him sleeping soundly in his crate. If you do decide to take him out on a leash, be sure to do so calmly and slowly. Don’t pull on his leash because this will confuse him. He might get scared and bolt from you.
If you decide to crate train a dog during the night, it’s best to set aside an area where your dog can be alone while you are asleep. If he gets comfortable with being alone, he’ll relax when you leave and sleep much better at night. If you have other dogs that you want to crate train, you can do it when they are out of the crate so that they know where they’re supposed to go to bed.
If you are still wondering is it cruel to crate a dog at night, you should realize that dogs don’t like it when they are left alone for long periods of time. It is natural for them to worry. It’s just good for their mental well-being that you help them learn to be more independent.