SHOULD YOU LET YOUR NEW PUPPY CRY?

When you get a new puppy, there are so many things to learn.  Everyone has an opinion and everyone has “expert” advice to share, from friends and family to experienced dog trainers.  I read lots of books articles about puppy training before bringing Icy, our beautiful Siberian Husky puppy home, so I felt well prepared for Puppy Parenthood. 

Icy with my husband, at 12 weeks old.  She was such a little darling!

Little did I know that sometimes the "expert" puppy training advice you receive turns out not to be so smart. 

Should You Let Your New Puppy Cry?

New parents are often advised not to pick up their baby every time she cries because the baby will never learn to settle down and go to sleep.  She quickly learns that the parents will always pick her up to hold and comfort her when she cries.   

Puppies, like babies, will usually cry at night when they are put to bed in their new home.  They miss their mother and littermates, and are frightened by their new surroundings. 



Icy had giant bat ears when she was a puppy!

Puppy parents are often told to let their new puppy cry at night and not run over and pick them up to hold and comfort them.  I was given this advice by a trainer as well as several well meaning friends.  I had also read it in several publications.  

Sometimes, although advice is given with the best of intentions, you later regret following that advice.  That was the case with me.

I followed the advice, letting my sweet puppy cry in her crate the first night we brought Icy home.  It was awful laying in bed listening to her cries from the living room down the hall.  We were sure the crying would last only a day or two, but it continued night after night.  

We were so distraught thinking our poor puppy was in distress!  We consulted a trainer who told us to hang in there.  He said it was important not to “give in” to her crying.  “You just have to let her cry”, he said.  Not knowing any better, we listened to him.  

The nighttime crying went on for a couple of weeks.  She would cry for almost an hour every night, and it was sheer torture, for all of us!

This video was taken with a cell phone when Icy was 12 weeks old.  Cell phone video wasn't very good years ago so it's pretty grainy.  I still love it though.  She's playing with Froggy, the very first toy we bought her. 

That was 12 years ago, and to this day I thoroughly regret following that advice.  We were so clueless at the time.  Now I know better.  If I had it to do over again, here is what I would do differently.

What to dog when your puppy cries at night:

>First of all, we should not have placed her crate in another room.  I would either put her crate in my bedroom or in the hallway right outside my bedroom where she could see and hear me. 

> We should have placed an item of clothing with our scent on it in the crate with her.  A sock or t shirt would be perfect.  Having our scent in her crate would likely have made her feel more secure. 

> I would consider putting a ticking clock wrapped in a blanket in the crate, or one of those stuffed toys that has an electronic “heartbeat”  that mimics the sound of a mother’s heartbeat to calm my puppy.

> We should not have let her cry for an hour or more the way we did, I would allow the crying for only a short time before speaking softly to her to calm her down.  

> I would have her remain in her crate to sleep, but attempt to calm her.  If the crying was really persistent, for heaven's sake I'd fu**ing pick her up!  Would it really be so bad to pick my frightened puppy up and comfort her??  I don't think so!  I still tear up thinking about her crying in her crate the way she did.

Fortunately, things turned out all right.  We have a super strong bond with our beautiful girl.  Icy is a happy , joyful dog who loves everyone she meets, both dog and human!  She's a senior pup now at the age of 12, which I can't believe - where did the time go?! I still spoil her rotten and we like it that way! She deserves every ounce of spoiling I can give her.

I still feel badly about those first few weeks after we brought her home.  I can’t change the past but the next time I bring home a puppy, acclimating her to our family will be a very different experience!



Our beautiful, sweet girl at 5 years old

How have you, or how would you, handle a puppy that cried at night when it was time to go to sleep?  Leave us a comment and share, we always love hearing from you!