Alright, so you got a new puppy and everyone, I mean everyone, says kennel training is the way to go, especially for nighttime. And they make it sound like a walk in the park. Well, let me tell you about my little adventure with this. It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, more like a stumble through a very loud, very dark forest at 3 AM.
Getting Started: The Optimism Phase
So, first thing I did was get the crate. I read all the stuff: make it comfy, not too big, not too small. Goldilocks of dog crates, right? I put in a soft blanket, a chew toy. “This is gonna be his little den,” I thought. My little guy, let’s call him Max, seemed curious at first. Sniffed around it. Cool.
Then came night one. Oh boy. I put Max in, closed the door, and the little dude looked at me like I’d just sold his favorite toy. Then the whining started. Not just a little whimper, mind you. This was full-blown, “I’ve been abandoned forever” opera. I lasted maybe 20 minutes. Caved. Let him out. Big mistake. You gotta be strong, they say. Easier said than done when you’re running on zero sleep and your heart is breaking.
The Trial and Error (Mostly Error) Period
The next few nights were rough. I tried moving the crate into my bedroom. The idea was he wouldn’t feel so alone. Well, he wasn’t alone, and neither was I with his constant serenade of sorrow. My sleep schedule was a mess.
I started to really dig into this. What was I doing wrong? Here’s a list of things I tried, because why not share the pain:
- Feeding him in the crate: He’d gobble his food down, then immediately start crying to get out. Smart little fella.
- Tossing treats in randomly: He’d go in, grab the treat, and dash out. Like a furry little bank robber.
- Covering the crate with a blanket: This actually helped a tiny bit. Made it more “den-like,” I guess. But it wasn’t a magic bullet.
- Leaving the crate door open during the day: I wanted him to see it as a good place. He’d wander in, nap for a bit, then wander out. Progress? Maybe. But nighttime was still a different beast.
The hardest part was the potty breaks. Is he crying because he needs to go potty, or is he crying because he wants out to party? At 2 AM, your brain isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders to make that call. I took him out, he’d do his business (sometimes), then we’d go back in, and the crying would start all over again. It felt like a never-ending loop.
The Turning Point: What Actually Worked (for Me)
Okay, so after what felt like an eternity of sleepless nights and puppy tears (and maybe some of my own), things started to click. It wasn’t one single thing, but a combination, and mostly, it was about me changing my approach.
First, consistency became my religion. I had to stop caving. No matter how much he cried (unless I genuinely thought it was a potty emergency). I got earplugs. Seriously. Best investment.
Then, I dialed back the nighttime expectations and focused on daytime.
- I started with super short crate sessions during the day. Like, put him in, give a high-value treat (cooked chicken was the winner), close the door for literally 5 seconds, open it, praise him. Rinse and repeat. Slowly, and I mean slowly, increased the time.
- I made sure he was really tired before bed. A good play session, a short walk (once he had his shots, of course). A tired puppy is a less whiny puppy. Usually.
- The “last call” for potty right before bed was non-negotiable. And I mean, like, the very last thing before he went into the crate.
- I also started using a specific phrase, “Kennel up!” every time he went in, followed by a treat. He started to associate the crate with good things, not just a nighttime jail.
The whining didn’t stop overnight. But it got shorter. The first few nights of being super strict were awful. I felt like a monster. But then, one night, he whined for 10 minutes instead of an hour. Then 5 minutes. Then, silence. Sweet, beautiful silence.
Where We Are Now
Now? Max trots into his kennel when it’s bedtime. Sometimes he even goes in there on his own for a nap during the day. He sleeps through the night. I sleep through the night. It’s a miracle. It took a good few weeks of solid effort, and some nights felt like a total setback.
So, yeah, when people ask how I did it, I tell them there’s no magic trick you read in a book that just works. It’s about patience, being more stubborn than your puppy, and a whole lot of just sticking to the plan, even when you’re exhausted and just want to give in. You just gotta grit your teeth and push through it. It gets better. Eventually.
