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What do you do when a dog cries and won't sleep?

I'm watching the sweetest 6 month old puppy. He is crate trained, and his parents said to crate him at night. I did the first night, and he cried all night long. I have an upstairs roommate and didn't want him to have to hear that all night, so the second night I left him out, and he still cried all night-- it was a little more manageable crying, but he went potty on my floor. Any suggestions how to get the dog to settle in his crate overnight? I contacted the owners, and they just said this is unusual and he settles down. That's not been my experience.

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Hi Marianne! One thing I like to do with puppies and young dogs is to try to tire them out before bed time so that way they are more inclined to sleep better during the night. You can do this with a walk (if the puppy is going on walks) or just playing in the house! A tired puppy sleeps better.

Great, thanks for the tip. I am hoping to do some tiring him out tonight. I know he's used to the dog park, but unfortunately it's been raining all day. We may have to put on our rain boots and brave it :)

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I like to get puppies good and tired right before bed, with a full tummy. I "tuck them in" in a crate beside my bed about an hour before I usually go to sleep, and I just lay in bed beside the crate with a lamp on, reading or playing on my phone. That lets the puppy get settled and allows me to provide some comfort to him without losing a night of sleep. They usually settle down sooner if you take an extra hour or so to ease them in with a bed time routine of some sort.

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The pup has just had his world turned up side down when the client drop him off at your home. New house, new people, new smells, and where is mommy and daddy? What is happening is normal and typical for almost all dogs. I agree with the other comments to tire him out before bed time, and as he becomes comfortable with you and your home it should dissipate.