Every night when I go put my 1 yr old mix in his cage he will start to cry when all of the light go off. I would give him a bone and that works for a little while then he will go back to crying. After about 30min has passed he would fall asleep. Is there something wrong with him or is he just scared of the dark?:)

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Originally Posted by ashley132

every night when i go put my 1 yr old mix in his cage he will start to cry when all of the light go off. i would give him a bone and that works for a little while then he will go back to crying. after about 30min has passed he would fall asleep. is there something wrong with him or is he just scared of the dark?:)

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Why not try putting an old shirt of yours in the cage. Something you have worn and not washed. The smell of someone he loves may be enough to comfort him and let him fall asleep. Any chance of moving the cage next to your bed or is that out of the question?

He's sad to be sleeping alone so it's normal that he's crying about it. Try covering his crate with a blanket to help him feel more secure. Eventually he will stop crying at night, although it may take some time. Whatever you do, don't give in and let him out of the crate to sleep! He needs to sleep in his crate to understand that you are in charge of the household, not him.

One night when I was very desperate, my new puppy had the neighbors' dogs barking, I tried lying down next to the crate like I was going to sleep there. You can talk softly or even sing. At the worst the puppy will whimper for a few minutes before settling down to sleep. Give it a few minutes to be sound asleep, and you can get up and go to bed. Unlike everything I have ever read, this works. I have used it on a dozen or more puppies their first few nights with 100% success. I can't say it will work with an older dog like yours.

It also wouldn't hurt to leave him a little light. I usually leave a little light for my new puppies.

If he is a chewer, putting a blanket over the crate could be dangerous. He could pull it in and choke on the shreds.

It and many other things you may find useful are in the ''What does a puppy need?'' sticky, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251802

I am able to put him near my bed some night but only on sat because my dad is not home(he has o get up very early) but if I do that he will still cry even if I put a blanket on a light on or a bone. Can dogs be afraid of the dark? I also have two other dogs that don't sleep in a cage. We had them longer plus they don't shed as much also my puppy is not house trained so we decided just to keep him in the cage. But the cry sometimes goes ojn in the middel of the night and wakes me up and have have to go to school.

I think singing is a great idea-it may not work but it can't hurt! I don't know if dogs can be afraid of the dark but chances are he's just lonely. Most dogs rely much more on their ears and nose than their eyes, so I tend to think the dark probably doesn't bother them like it does people.
If worse comes to worse-is there somewhere in the house that he can sleep where his crying won't disturb anyone?

He sleeps in our kitchen

If you are having trouble with him being housebroken, check the housebraking sticky, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251809 It may help.

My puppy used to do the same thing until about two weeks ago. I put an alarm clock nest to her crate and turn the music on with the volume fairly low and she stops whining, or I just leave the TV on because her crate is next to the TV. The noise seems to calm her.

A trick I used for my pups and younger dogs was to wrap an old style wind up alarm clock in a towel and put it in the dog bed. Get one that ticks audibly. It's said that the ticking mimics the heartbeat of another dog and they will sleep easier. Dogs naturally sleep in a pile,anyway. I like the idea of using something with your scent on it. That way the dog won't be so lonely at night.