# 5 month old puppy started crying at night



## Katie179

We have a cockapoo puppy that is 5 months old. We have had him from 8 weeks.
The last two weeks he has started to cry when he put him in his crate to sleep at night – endlessly. We have had our next door complain so we can’t just let me cry it out. His crate is covered, not in sight of doorways, comfy and has an item of our clothing in side. He did go to bed fine with no fuss but lately its been a different story. It now has turned that me or my partner have to sleep on the sofa just so we can get some sleep and stop next door from complaining – He doesn’t lay with us! He lays on the other sofa. Soon as we put him back into his crate he cries. We would leave him out at night in the living room but he cries whenever we leave the room and scratches at the door.
He does struggle being left alone. We use to keep him in his crate while we went to work. I would leave at 9am come back at 1pm, walk him and put him back into his crate at 2pm and then return home at 5pm. 
We have a dog camera and noticed he got upset around 4 and would cry until we came home (as well as next door telling us too)
So, we have recently have let him have free roam of the living area and no more crying. He just sits on the window waiting for us to come home – mostly a sleep.

He has 3 walks a day, One in the morning, afternoon and evening. Please help! We need some sleep


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## 2ndhandgal

Are you in the UK?

If you are I would suggest the problem is likely to be fireworks and he got scared in his crate. You could have him in his crate in your bedroom where he may well settle.


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## Katie179

We are in the UK yes, but where we live we don’t hear any fireworks. 

Having him in our room isn’t really something I want to do. 

When we go away and he stays with family I would hate them to have to have him in there room. 

😞


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## 2ndhandgal

You may not hear any but I would be very surprised if he has not heard some wherever you are in the UK - even my friends in deep countryside have had them at times affecting them and their dogs and timing for his problem is spot on for fireworks


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## Brian999

My own personal opinion, when he is put in his cage he knows you are not there for him, night and day ! Leaving him in a cage for 4 hours, then taking him out for an hour, then back to the cage for another 4 hours. At his age, my own opinion also, he needs to be out the cage for longer periods of time. He has most likely linked the crate into no one around and hence makes a noise. If he has been in it for 4 hours, then taken out for an hour only to put him in it again is no fun for him, hence the problems. Anyone with better knowledge please feel free to correct me


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## Brian999

Also, walking him then putting him in a cage again does not work. The dog still wants to play. I was under the impression that walk a dog for an hour so he is knackered and will be sleeping after it. WRONG ! After the walk he still needs attention for at least another hour to calm him down. Personally I do not use a cage at all. I started to use one when we first got Lily, and she was happy with it. Told her "bedtime" and she would wander in herself. Now she has the full use of downstairs and never had a problem. However, Lily went to work with me most days. When she was left alone, we started off with ten minutes, then an hour, then 20 minutes, then 4 hours. She never knew how long we would be out. Never looked back since.


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## Nessie22

I would suggest that the puppy is firstly too young to be left for such long lengths of time, whether crated or not. They don't understand that you have to go out to work. They just know you're not where they want you to be, which is with them. This situation, in my opinion, can kick off separation anxiety in a puppy and also make toilet training more difficult in the long term as even if your pup shows signs or 'asks' to go out, there is no one at home to let them out to relieve themselves. Maybe a doggy daycare centre would be a kinder way for your new family member to deal with your working hours.


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## Katie179

Thanks for your help but it’s not the day we have a problem with anymore it’s night time. He doesnt like being on his own, he wants to see us while he sleeps.


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## sianruns

Hi Katie,

We left our pup for similar hours when he was little. I understand that to give a pup a good quality of life, sometimes we have to still work full time  Dexter is now 8 months and is such a happy boy! At 5 months he started to cry again in his crate, but we put it down to the postman knocking on the door and frightening him. A week or so of crying later, and he settled down again. When he reached 7 months old, we did however start letting him sleep in our room... but still have success crating him during the day whilst we are at work - and also if we leave him with friends/relatives. Not sure if any of that helps, but stick with it! We also started leaving him with a Kong during the day, as sometimes he'd get a little upset and pull at his blankets - the kong has stopped this


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## Brian999

Katie179 said:


> Thanks for your help but it’s not the day we have a problem with anymore it’s night time. He doesnt like being on his own, he wants to see us while he sleeps.


Cage in your room so he/she can see you ?


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