Hello,

My 9-week husky will wake up around 2-3am to use the bathroom. I will take her out of the crate to go into the backyard to pee. Once that is done, she goes all wild and thinks it is play time for like an hour. I cannot seem to calm her down to go back to bed.

When I put her back in the crate, all she does in whine for over 30 mins. By that time, because I am worried about waking up other people, I go and take her out. I wait for her to calm down on the couch and fall asleep, then I am able to pick her up and back into the crate without issue.

How do I get her to understand to just go use that bathroom and go back to sleep afterward?

She does get plenty of exercise before going to bed earlier.

Thank you!

You've only had her a week at this point (assuming you got her at the recommended 8 weeks) so she is still getting a routine down, learning the rules, and getting used to the adventure that is living in this new place. For the most part time will do the work. Some do well if you crate them in the bedroom with you and will settle down faster, but don't give in to play. Some do well if you cover the crate with a blanket to create a dark den that will make them feel secure and a little more finalized about being in the crate. I used to give my big male a chew of some sort for him to finish the night when we first got him and his sleep cycle was weird so he had something to do that wasn't wake me up. Having a radio on in the background has been known to help dogs who deal with separation anxiety.

NEVER combine bathroom time with playtime. NEVER.
Even if you are letting the dog out to go to the bathroom and then plan to interact with her, don't. Let her go out to the bathroom, then come back in, wait a little bit, then go out to play.

Also, like anything, it takes time. Enforce the rules now, and don't give in. By letting her out to cuddle with you on the couch, your are teaching her that this is the proper thing to do. You will be stuck doing this for years if you don't stop it now. Crate her, deal with the whines, and she will learn how to behave.

How long do I let her cry for? People told me to ignore it and she should stop after 20 mins but she doesn't. She can go 40 mins to an hour with whining and gets louder and louder.

Also, she is almost 10 weeks old so we have had her for almost for 2 weeks.

bballbabe1855 wrote:

How long do I let her cry for? People told me to ignore it and she should stop after 20 mins but she doesn't. She can go 40 mins to an hour with whining and gets louder and louder.

Also, she is almost 10 weeks old so we have had her for almost for 2 weeks.

I am also wondering this. I have only had puppy for 2 nights, but she is not at all interested in going back in the crate after a potty break at 330 am. She went into the crate okay at bedtime, and stayed in the crate for about 3 hours before needing to go out.
How long do you let them out of the crate for with bathroom breaks, and once you put them in the crate, how long until they usually calm back down?
I live in a Townhome, so I am hoping the neighbors can not hear her sad little whining and howling.

We are first time dog owners.  But, we did get Mars at 8 weeks. He just turned 3 in December.  And let me tell you, that first few days was not easy, especially at night.  But what we did was to try and not to let him sleep much in the late afternoon/early evenings, played with him and tried to tire him.  Because if he sleeps all day he won't sleep much at night.  Potty breaks always on a leash (day or night), until he learns the meaning of "potty". And separate play time and potty time.  Potty time would only get "good boy" and no other interaction at night. We would take him out about every 2-3 hours.  At night, he was only out of crate for potty breaks.  And since his crate was by living room, one of us would sleep on sofa, close to him and we would take him out as soon as he would wake up.  The sleeping by him at night probably helped with the crying because he wouldn't cry at night--he did not feel alone (some people place crate next to their beds).   So short answer, only out for potty breaks.  After we learned to tire him, I don't remember him taking too long to settle back down after potty breaks.  One other thing we tried limiting water intake after dinner.  Your puppy's s coloring reminds me so much of ours.

Thanks Polly! Aww, Mars is so cute, so I hope my puppy will stay a light grey color! She howled and pawed/bit at the crate for about 15 minutes last night before finally calming down, I staying in the living room with her until she calmed, then went up to bed. I am hoping it gets easier for her as we go.