We just brought our 6 week old baby boy ("Marley") home yesterday afternoon. I placed him in the crate around 10:30ish and he cried ALL NIGHT! I had a Sleep Sound Spa going, a night light was on, he was in our bedroom (by the bed), he had pottied and he had a stuffed animal in the crate with him...AND HE STILL CRIED. I keep hearing how wonderful the crate is, but even this a.m. I placed him in there...he screamed and cried and barked...when I let him out...he went right to sleep. How long do I fight this before I see a difference?

It's all compeletly normal...hang in there! :)

You might try putting a blanket or sheet over his crate-when he starts in barking knock on the crate w/ out saying anything else-this should scare him a bit and stop him from crying. At 6 weeks of age however he will probably need to go out to potty every few hours at first. Take him out and put him straight back into the crate w/out making a big fuss over him.

Welcome to the bb!

Yup, what Tammy said ... it usually only lasts a couple of nights. Don't give in!! Praise and treats when putting him in the crate. Do NOT let out while crying unless he's got to go outside to do his business.

Welcome to the board, by the way, and hang in there! :D

Wow, I have definitely been there!!! Both of my puppies screamed like they were being tortured the first few nights in their crates :eek: !!! The first week or two can be pretty traumatic, and I'm sure it's not easy for the puppy either!! Just follow Gunnergirl and Barb's advice and in a few weeks you'll be SO GLAD he's crate trained and goes to his crate without a fuss!!!:angel:

My puppy Akasha cried the first three nights non stop! After that it was bedtime as usual. It does get better, hang tough. If you let them get their way when their young, it is harder to make them learn later.:D

I would sincerely like to thank you all for replying to my crate training dilemma. At least I know it's normal. My sister raved about her dog (Doberman) just loved his crate from the start. I thought it was just us. There is comfort in numbers! Thanks so much. I will continue to plug away and hopefully I will be back to report everyone is resting comfortably!

By the way...this is the coolest website I've seen thus far. I popped in here by accident and ended up retrieving some most valuable information! :)

Thanks for the compliment about the website. We like to think we're the best! :D ;) Seriously, though, we try to keep things civil and help people out with their questions.

Nice to know that what you're going through is perfectly normal, isn't it? It seems like an eternity, but it lasts only a short time. Keep us posted! :)

Well I would like to report that last night was a wonderful success. I placed "Marley" in his crate at approx. 9:45ish (so I could give my daughter a bath...any my husband was already asleep), never heard from Marley until 4:00 am!!! I actually checked on him at 2:00 am to make sure he was alright because I understood that they were only able to comfortably hold their bladder for approx. 2-3 hrs at this age...he was comfortably sound asleep. I took him out...he peed and pooped, we played a little bit and I put him back in his crate where he slept until 7:00 am this morning. He fussed for 5 or 10 minutes after being placed in there, but settles down. AMAZING! If everything continues on this course, that would be splendid. Also....he (without our prompting) got up, let himself out the doggie door, went down the steps...whiddled...came back up the steps and let himself in the doggie door (AT 7 WEEKS OLD!) I am overjoyed! He is the cutest thing you ever saw! I am so thrilled!!!! This is, however, my 2nd lab. I had a female named "Sarah" who was my first child. Loved her beyond words. We had to have her put down approx. 2.5-3 yrs ago, wherein I vowed to never do this again because it was simply more painful than I cared to endure again.....HOWEVER....I miss having that companion! She was the smartest dog I ever knew, the most gentle and compassionate dog I ever knew!! I still miss her so much and I try desperately not to compare Marley to her. We did not crate train her, as a matter of fact it's been sooooo long since I went through that phase with her...I don't even remember it (except for the fact she chewed up 3 remote controls) so everything is brand spanking new to me now. But SO FAR SO GOOD!!! Thanks for listening. I am enjoying the chats!!! Have a wonderful day and I will pop in again real soon!!! :p:

Glad to hear that things went so well last night. We also brought our puppy home at 6 weeks of age. I think he cried for at least 5 nights straight. It could have been longer but they all blurred into one huge sleepless night. lol He is now 11 weeks old today and doing better. He still wakes up about every 3-4 hours to go outside. But he goes right back to sleep. I even tried making sure he had his dinner by 5:30 and limited his water intake after 9 pm. It was much better because he got up at 12 to pee and 4 to poop so it was a much better nights sleep. I think he is a little spoiled too. I give him TONS of attention and he can't seem to play with his chewy toys by himself. Does that sound normal or spoiled?
Melissa