We just recently adopted a 8 week old german shepherd puppy (she is now 12 weeks) We put her in her cage only when we leave the house and when we go to bed. When we first got her we put her cage downstairs in the living room and she would bark and cry most of the night. I had read that putting the cage in our room would help and it has, to a point. We go to bed around 11pm, and round 3am she wakes up whinning. We will tell her to shush and she will normally be quiet for another 30 minutes but after that she will bark. So we take her outside and she pees and then goes back to her cage until around 6am. I don't want to let her sleep in the bed because I have a slight allergy to her and I would like to have a "dander-free zone", although we have tried putting her in the bed she still get's up around 3am, runs around the room and then wants to be let out. (I am nervous of letting her sleep without being caged because I don't want her peeing in our room)

I guess my question is will she grow out off this or are we doing something wrong?

When we got our puppy (at eight weeks old) we put a little teddy bear in her bed with her. She was used to the company of her siblings and mother and found comfort in the teddy. I think your puppy needs a comforter such as this. Give her one during the day and see what kind of reaction you get. Good luck.

I don't want to sound harsh but yep... you are doing something wrong ;)

All dogs need a set routine and once they learn that routine they will be happy.

You have been letting her out to go potty at 3am... she has learnt this routine and now knows that you will get up and let her out if she cries during the night.

It is important not to let the dog out if it is crying... ever.

Mary's idea of the stuffed animal is great... you can even buy ones that make a ticking noise like a heartbeat to help simulate their litter mates being there.

Toys are good as the pup will sometimes wake up and amuse itself before going back to sleep.

You can try leaving the puppy somewhere like your kitchen or laundry overnight with a puppy training pad but if you do decide to do that make sure you stick with it... otherwise you will just be constantly changing the routine and confusing and upsetting the pup.

What sort of crate are you using and where exactly is it located?

If you have a wire crate I would recommend covering it with a blanket or sheet (depending on the weather there) This makes the pup feel more secure as opposed to being in an open wire crate.

We have a wire crate with a pan on the bottom. I put a comfy towel on the bottom so she can snuggle with it. Her crate is on my husband's side of the bed.

I just hate ignoring her because when you ignore her she barks louder... we put her pigs ear in there when we leave I will try the teddy bear trick

We have all been through it with a new puppy.
Sleepless nights are unfortunately the norm for the first few days, even weeks which is why I recommend getting a puppy if you have holidays so you aren't dead tired at work!

You just have to be consistent.
Try completely covering her crate with a blanket of a night so she knows that once that blanket goes over her, there is no getting out.
Using the blanket is also good for when you want to sleep in some days for an extra hour or two (once the pup is older)
I can 'trick' mine into thinking it is still night time because it's dark inside the crate.

Getting your puppy on a schedule of regular eating and potty times is important. Make sure you limit the amount of water before bed time. That way when you take her out before bed she has a better chance of not having to go potty. When my dog was a puppy the water bowl came up out of reach at 8pm. I would take him for his last potty at 10.00pm then bed time.