I have 2 husky puppies one is now 10 weeks and the other is 12 weeks. When we brought them home the 10 week old was only 6 weeks so every time she whined at night we got up to let her out as her bladder and bowel control was obviously lacking. I also made the mistake of laying beside the crate the first couple of nights to provide them some security. I have corrected the issue of having to lay by the crate however now 4 weeks later they are still waking up every 3 or 4 hours to go out. I have tried to correct this issue as well as however they both whine, howl, scratch and dig to get out of their crate if I don't respond right away to them waking up. I realize that I have caused this by getting up when they whined in the beginning however now they seem to get so worked up I worry that I am causing anxiety about being in their crate. I do not intend to crate train them indefinitely however until they are fully house trained I would like to use the crate. They typically get 2 to 3 hrs of exercise each day in the form of 2 to 3 walks with some running as well as constant playing in between.

Last night was my first night to trying prolong the time between going out; they feel asleep at 8pm (I work at 4:30am) and were up again at 12am I took them out then as they had gone about 5 hrs by then but they did not go back to sleep until 2:30am. I actually had to move the crates to another room so I could try and get some sleep, which I didn't :). Any suggestions on making this less painful for them and me or do I just have to deal with the whining until they get used to sleeping through the night?

I have also heard that taking a pup from its mother between 6 to 8 weeks can cause issues. Is this true and if so is there anyway to correct them?

Thanks for your help,

At 10 and 12 weeks their bladders are still pretty small, and will not be able to go long periods with out using the potty. If they are alerting you that they need to go out side, then they ARE doing their job, and sounds like you are doing a good job house breaking them. Some pups can take a full year to fully train, it all depends on the dog, as all are different. How old were they when they left their mother? If they were too young, then the best thing you can do is socialize them with other puppies and adult dogs. Leaving the mum before 8 weeks, can cause serious aggression and training issues. The longer they stay with the pack, the better. 6 weeks is definitely too young to leave their mum. You may have some training issues ahead, is there any doggy socialization or puppy classes where you live?
Oh and a great way to provide some security while they are in their crates would be to leave a ticking clock, or any sort of sound machine by the kennel (you can get them at Wal Mart) or even the radio left on low.

Also here is a thread to another post, her issue was different, but it explains why it is important to leave pups with their mums for as long as possible.
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/mother-dog-keeps-growling-her-seven-week-old-puppies-why-421343.html

I figured their bladders were still pretty small however I have been reading so much and many articles claim that they should be sleeping through the night. I was starting to worry that I was creating a bad habit by responding to their cries every couple hours each night.
The 10 week old was actually just under 7 weeks when we picked her up however for the first week or so she was quite aggressive with other dogs. She is getting much better now but I have noticed that she is constantly chewing her feet and is very vocal when I come in the room to let them out of their crates.
The 12 week old and I are having power struggles right now... she is the boss of the 10 week old and feels she should be the boss of me. We are working on that right now too. She was 8 weeks when she came to us and actually came from a family that has a team of sled dogs however her mom is very stubborn and a siberian which is stubbornness in itself ;).
They are both starting puppy training classes in Jan and I am looking into dog parks/playgrounds as well as taking them everywhere with me to socialize them with people and dogs.
I will definitely try a ticking clock... I currently use a fan in my room but am willing to try anything to take some stress and anxiety away from them.
Thanks for your response; I feel better knowing I am not creating issues and they are progressing they way they should be.

Chewing paws can mean a couple different things, the most common being allergies and stress. She could be stressed over the power struggle with the other dog, or it could simply be the dog food. A lot of people don't take the time to understand why it is so important to keep socializing "trouble" dogs, so good job with the puupy classes and walking them in areas where there is normal everyday distractions. I recently lost a dog to aggression, it was aweful. Books and stuff you read really are just guide lines as all dogs are different. What works for one, may not work for another. The issue would be if you were rewarding this 'annoying' behaviour, but simply being there doesn't nessassaraly mean you are rewarding it. It may even help with them realizing that you are the "alpha dog" . Keep it up!
A dog that comes from a pack like sled dogs, generally are a little more stubborn :) They want to run the show!