my first Rottweiler pup - she cries a lot at night

by Jessica
(Bartlesville)

Hi, I just got my first Rottie. she's 11 weeks old.

please help me she cries all night, what can I do?








Hi Jessica
That's a cute little girl you've got there :)

It's perfectly normal for a puppy to cry when left alone, in the wild she would die if she wasn't right next to her pack - and you're her pack now so she gets scared when she's by herself.

Of course, she's not in the wild, so she's perfectly safe and she needs to learn that it's okay to be by herself for short periods. The best thing to do is to ignore her crying and fussing as long as she doesn't need a potty break and you know that she's been fed and isn't thirsty etc.

It's difficult to ignore a pup who is howling I know, but it's a battle of wills that you need to win. At night take her out for her last potty break, then put her in her crate with a couple of safe, sturdy toys, tell her goodnight and leave her. Don't come back to soothe her, talk to her (even to reprimand her), make eye contact etc. Just ignore her.

Don't ever take her out of her crate because she's making a fuss (unless of course she needs to go potty, in which case take her out without any fuss and minimal interaction, then put her right back when she's done her business). When you want to get her out for any reason, wait for a lull in the noise (at least 30 seconds or so) before getting her out. If she thinks making a noise will win her freedom she'll keep doing it and get louder and more stubborn about it.

You can see my Puppy Crate Training page for more help with this.

Best of luck with that cutie.