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SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt?
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The puppy is probably stressed and absolutely freaking the hell out. I wouldn’t be leaving him alone if I were you, unless it’s for naps. Does it have toys, food? Do 5 week old puppies even eat solid food yet? That’s crazy. Well, you literally have a canine infant so it’s going to bark, cry and be a small stressed out dog. Maybe try some music, some ppl say it helps. You can also get some toys that help with separation anxiety like this, maybe also read some articles on how to ease separation anxiety. Do you have any friends that have sound knowledge with dogs, or maybe their parents? Not trying to be rude but you sound very young, I would even suggest taking the pupper to the vet to get checked and getting professional advice and help with how to raise the puppy.
I would agree that he was too young to be taken away from his mother but you just have to work with that now. I would suggest this - [link]
It’s a stuffed dog that has a heat pack and has the recording of a heartbeat. Really soothes some puppies, especially the younger ones.
My puppy did that and I kid you not I looked up separation anxiety on Amazon and came across this thing called a snuggle puppy, reviews were amazing, I reluctantly tried it. The first night I had it she slept the entire night through for about 9 hours. She was only 7 weeks old too. Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt [link]
For HER it is, lol. To help keep her in there, fold a T-shirt that you have slept in, put it on top of the blanket. Cover the crate part way with a towel, making it dark is the best. This heartbeat and warmth toy helps to soothe them too. SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy [link]
getting a snuggle toy for my pup turned the corner on crate training 100%. It allowed us to introduce crate games and enforced naps. But honestly, at 9 weeks I was still doing the open door crate inside an X pen thing. but starting at 10 weeks I was able to close the door on the crate. we did a lot of open crate/ pen acclimation first. the pen was only big enough for food/ water/ and pee pad (we took away pee pad starting 10th week).
It’s a long shot, but if the puppy is feeling separation anxiety then I’ve heard some people have had amazing results with this toy: SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt, Small (SP101) [link]
It supposedly mimics a mom’s/littermate’s heartbeat and soothes them. As long as the puppy isn’t destructive when left alone then maybe that might help enough to get through the adjustment period. Hope that helps!
Focus on the basics for now. Just get him to respond to his name, nothing else at first.
Don’t worry about following scent trails for now, that’s advanced nose work. There are skills to build before he gets there. For training, other than come when called, start with basic obedience like sit, stay, down, and leash walking (use a harness). Once he has those well you can build on that a lot.
R+ training is the only way to go with any dog, it’s the proven way that is effective long term at training the wanted behavior.
You can get him puzzles to engage him with mental stimulation (which is as important as physical exercise). Just Amazon search “dog puzzle toys” and you will see a lot of options that require finding treats. Snuffle mats are great for this.
For bedtime habits, work on crate training. Make it a comfortable place with a nice bed. Cover it on all sides except the door at all times with a dark blanket and when the door is closed and locked cover the door too. When he is inside, you can use a Snuggle Puppy, it’s a stuffed dog with a heating element and “heartbeat.” It helps the dog feel less alone.
You can also put a high value treat like a Bully Stick or Kong in the crate to build a positive association with the crate.
You have a bed you like, make sure the crate is a bed he likes.
Too young. Let him bond with you. I got this for my pup and it was helpful.. but seriously no training until he’s about 8 weeks. Be his parent and love him. That’s what he’s missing. SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy [link]
There is plush puppy you can get on amazon that has a battery powered plastic heart inside of it (you can remove it) that beats and reminds the puppy of being with it’s mother or litter mates. It also comes with a heating pad too! We are only 2 weeks into our puppy adoption and I’m feeling very overwhelmed too, but this toy has been the first thing our puppy will entertain herself with with out us being around!
Here is the link:
SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy [link]
A MUTE BUTTON
Ok, but seriously...It's expensive, but I've heard of some breeders sending this home with their puppies. I bought one myself and left it with the breeder during our last visit before pick up so she could let the puppies play with an sufficiently rub their smells all over it (which resulted in us getting a photo of our puppy snuggled up to it a few hours later). It's a great transitional device for them leaving the litter.
Something I do with all my dogs, and maybe something that would be nifty from a breeder, is having a binder with important information pertaining to the dogs, and dividers for different categories. I keep their health records in there, the 3 page document with information we get when I bring them home, registration paperwork, print outs from class, certificates, etc. I think getting a binder to neatly store all important information on my dog is very useful, and getting one from the breeder with suggestions on training, expected puppy behavior, etc. would be pretty useful.
But really, I've never had a lot sent home with me after getting dogs, beyond a gallon bag of food to transition with and a toy that smells like mom.
Just got a lab puppy last month!
I currently buy Blue Buffalo puppy dog food for large breeds. It comes in a pinkish bag and our pup seems to love it. Always getting comments on how pretty her coat is and how shiny. Totally recommend it!
Goat horns! We currently have 3 of them and they are around $4 from Petsmart. Currently still all in one piece and it is hours of chewing for our pup. Also Kongs. We got the binky kong for puppies and due to the shape it must hit the right spots as our dog loves to chew on it.
Get the Heart beat toy for your dog at night: [link] Amazing toy that our dog still will cuddle at night when sleeping. Also get a harness asap. We got one from Kong also that has a real nice hand grip. Used it many times to keep her close and controlled when other dogs/kids are around. Also get a crate for their size at that moment. We bought a 24" crate at first and at 4 months are now upgrading to 36". Plenty are sold on facebook marketplace for 50% less than you'd find at Petsmart.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions! Will be about 2 months ahead of you with my puppy!
There is already a lot of good advice in this thread. Don't give in, feed her meals in her crate, etc. But here is something else you can try as well.
Before I got my puppy, I was browsing this sub and someone recommended this behavioral aid toy.
I ordered it and I think it worked great. At the very least, it made me feel better about tearing her away from her mom and litter mates! I used the heart ticker for a long time afterwards too just to calm her down for sleep time.
Have you thought of getting a snuggle puppy? It is a plush toy with a battery powered heart beat inside it. The sound combined with the plush toy are supposed to mimic another puppy or mom they can snuggle up against to reduce anxiety.
I have the kennel in the living room which is just on the other side of my door. The reason being, she still whimpers every minute or so when she's on the bed with me at night (I was doing this to see if it was just being alone was why she was crying).
My thought process was if she's in the kennel next to my bed and continues to cry and whine, then I won't be able to sleep AT ALL. I'm currently using the can w/ pennies while I'm going to bed to stop her, and then she stops for about an hour or so, and I've been putting music in my ears and closing my door to try to just let her realize her crying isn't getting her anywhere.
I realize I definitely am not doing some things right and am probably making my life harder by "taking the easy way out" instead of taking a few really bad nights to help her stop.
I'm going to try the covered bed tonight (I just bought her one of those heartbeat toys too, to see if it's her missing her sister:
If both of those together don't work, I'll try to bring her in my bedroom and just accept the fact I may not sleep!
Not like I'm getting much anyways :)
We got a snuggle puppy for our 11 week puppy and it has been a life saver!! You can find them on Amazon - Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt [link]
Has a heart beat in it and heating pad that will make him feel like he's with his litter mates. We used the heating pads at first but found them unnecessary and expensive to use on a daily basis since you would have to buy replacements often but may be good for such a young puppy to have the heat aspect as well. Recommend watching him with it first because there is velcro at the bottom to get where the fake heart it is so just make sure he can't chew it. Our puppy treat his like his littermate and loves it.
I have a 7 week old Goldendoodle and bought a SmartPet Suggle Puppy (Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt [link]). They have a heartbeat and a place for a warming pack, really helped my little guy I think. He snuggles with it every night and seems to love it. It was expensive, but I feel it was worth the splurge!
I did towels in the crate since I worried about potty training, but my guy has been awesome and had no accidents. Just make sure to take them out often (I do every hour when he's awake!) and take away food/water at least an hour before bed.
Good luck!! Stay patient with crate training, it's been my biggest obstacle so far.
we got a Snuggle Puppy and rubbed it on the mother, father, and litter to get the scent on it. The Snuggle Puppy comes with disposable warming packs and a heartbeat simulator (battery operated). It REALLY helped with the transition. I highly recommend investing. Our little guy didn't cry or whimper at night at all!
My husband and I did the same thing when we got our pittie mix ;) Here's a link to one of the toys I am talking about but there are a couple of different ones to choose from [link]
The ticking toy was a great idea and I did go that route. We bought her this the day after we got her: [link] The ticking doesn't seem to matter to her very much but if it has a heat pack inside, she lies on top of it and it soothes her.
I think I will need to spend more time easing her into confinement with treats and play, like you said. Because of the circumstances I haven't done as much as I probably should, but I will need to work on it with her.
I hope she will turn out to be a good little companion! I think she will as long as I address her needs early (exercise and consistent training). I believe any dog can be a good dog if you treat them right. I just need to learn how to do that with her.
try this instead [link] also put a tshirt you wore or blanket/rag you slept on in her crate.
I hope it works for you! And always be sure to wait for a period of time (at least 2-3 minutes of quiet has been my rule) after he stops making noise entirely before you let him out. There needs to be a long enough period of quiet so he understands that being quiet is what is getting him out, not making noise.
Another thing that might help is covering the crate with a sheet to keep the puppy covered up. Seeing a big open room around himself while he is alone might scare him. He might feel a bit safer if he is "hidden" in a smaller space.
I actually tried it for the first time this morning when my pup started crying when I re-crated her after her bathroom break at 5am. She stopped crying after probably less than a minute of being covered and she was dead silent until I got up for work at 7:30am. I wish I had tried it sooner, and I hope it continues to be successful tonight...
At the very least, it should help prevent her from seeing my cats walking around free in the middle of the night and start crying as a result.
One more thing I will be trying once it arrives tomorrow from Amazon is a snuggle puppy... It is a bit on the expensive side, but I am thinking it might help for my puppy. She really prefers to cuddle up in peoples laps to go to bed instead of in her crate or the floor, so I am hoping that having something in the crate with her that is warm and has a "heartbeat" will help soothe her.
My 8 week old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (closely related to Goldens) was not a fan of the crate at all. We'd put her in there, even if she was tired, and she'd start whining up to a half hour.
I read about the Snuggle Puppy and the reviews on Amazon seemed too good to be true, but I wanted her to have an easier time and $30 seemed worth a shot. So, we got her this and honestly, it helps so much. The newer model comes with a heart that has an 8 hour setting, a continuous setting (runs until battery dies) and off.
So, what we do now is throw in some Freeze Dried Beef Liver Treats (the Ferrari of dog treats) in her Kong, top it off with some peanut butter and put that in the crate with her Snuggle Puppy. She'll go in there, work on her Kong and lay down. Once she lays down we cover the front of her cage with a blanket or towel to reduce some of the light and she goes to sleep with nary a whimper. It's been working day or night. It definitely comforts her. I highly recommend it.
Just an FYI - this comment was auto-removed because referral links aren't allowed. If you want to post something from amazon, it needs to be chopped down to just the item number, like this:
your dog will develop separation anxiety if you continue to isolate the dog while you are gone for work, without preparing it to be isolated properly. i don't know where you got the idea about ultrasonic devices...that's not going to decrease your dog's anxiety . it will just make it more fearful.
i would consider the following
- roping someone into staying with the dog at home
- daycare - allow your dog to be with other dogs while you are gone.
- trying a heartbeat toy - [link]
- desensitizing & training your dog to being home alone. there are a lot of online resources on how to do this - [link]
if any of these options don't work for you , you might want to reconsider rehoming the dog or apply for work from home jobs only. these days its very hard to even have a dog and be able to go to work, you need to be able to afford to send your dog to daycare, or someone needs to be home all the time ( for most families it's often the mum and kids).
Some dogs can be trained to be home alone just fine, but many don't make it through the training. it's reliant on breed temperament and personality.
Should try this. They are used to sleep in a pack, probably miss their litter mates.
This anxiety snuggler was a hit with my dog when she was a puppy.
Congrats on the puppy!
For supplies I would recommend G&E Pharmacy They are local and supply vets. Reasonable prices and have a lot of selection. Homes Alive is also a wonderful store, too. Very spacious and puppy friendly so bring them in to say hello. If you can, avoid Petland and Petsmart as much as possible.
Socializing
This part it tricky during covid but even if it's just going to a park...Sitting on a bench... and feeding them treats as people pass by.
I know that the puppy killer (parvo) fear is real. I put my pup in my backpack and went on nice leisurely walks. I also went biking secured with them in a child carrier. They loved the breeze and new smells. May not be a great option in the frigid temps but once it warms up. It might be fun.
Once they were vaccinated, attend puppy socials or find other pups in your neighbourhood. Most of the doggy daycares around town have puppy socials for an hour. Its delightful to watch the sheer joy of a bunch of puppies running around together.
This might sound odd but take time for yourself and spend time away from them. Its very easy to get wrapped up in taking care of their needs. You are doing your best for them when you are at your best.
I highly recommend the Snuggle puppy It worked consistently. No whining. No fuss. Just turned on the heartbeat, placed the heat pack inside and vuahlah.
You'll hear plenty of opinions about crate training and food and everything else under the sun. Find what works for you. You got this 😉
I tell everyone to get a Snuggle Puppy. We had one for our puppys first night home and he didn't make a sound and slept all night. He is two years old now and still sleeps with it nightly. Expensive? Yes. But priceless to him! https://www.amazon.com/SmartPetLove-Snuggle-Puppy-Behavioral-Brown/dp/B000C9YHFS
- Why does my puppy want me to take him back?
He’s 4 and a half months old, separated from his mother, and potentially missing his littermates. He’s anxious and lonely...and you’ve just become his world, even though he still barely knows you. But he doesn’t want you to take him back.
- What can be done about his kennel?
He needs to spend more time in his kennel during the day so he can continue getting used to it. Crate training takes time and patience. My pup was the same way when I first got her at 3 1/2 months, and now she’s very comfortable with her kennel. When he goes outside and pees, reward him with some play inside and then back in the kennel...with a toy or two of course to keep his mouth occupied. Stay in the room with him. He needs your presence to feel secure, and the more secure he is the quicker he’ll get used to his crate.
Also I found this dog “toy” on amazon that’s a plushie with an artificial heartbeat thing. My pup loved it, it helped keep her quiet at night when she slept in her kennel in my room. Here’s the link: SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt [link]
- I have no answer, other than maybe try consistently taking him out the backdoor to do his business. Crate training or umbilical cord training might be able to help with this.
Look, the first few months are going to be hell. I know because I’ve lived through them with my now 7mo goldendoodle. There have been so many times where I’ve broken down, asking myself if it was even worth it to get a puppy. I cried so much. I vented to my mom. I seriously considered putting her up for adoption a few times because she’d pushed my limits so much that I was about to break. And now I’m glad I pushed through it. She’s still annoying sometimes, but she’s much better behaved and she’s essentially potty trained at this point. She’s my baby girl and I love her with all my heart.
You stick to your training, no matter how rough it gets, and I promise things will get easier.
This was not the post I was expecting when I read the title. I was expecting a post about an anxious dog, this is much more adorable. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at your situation, but it is adorable how anxious you are over your first foster.
Crate training, start there. You can’t have a destroyed apartment if she can’t access the apartment. She may have crate anxiety, there is no way to know that yet, you can try putting a Snuggle Puppy in her crate.
Try to keep other things out of reach, especially things you like, care about, or that are important. Here are some tips for dog-proofing your apartment.
You don’t need to stay up at night worrying, you can get a baby monitor (even one with a camera) if it makes you feel better. But it’s not necessary.
Training pads can help with accidents, so can an enzyme cleaner (if the training pad wasn’t enough).
Just relax, help her be a dog, and it will go well.
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I don’t know how long it will last, but have you tried a Snuggle Puppy?
For the first while you should sleep with her in same room or area.
At night have her on a potty schedule, set an alarm and get up and wake her up to take her out before she cries to ask to go. Do not let her associate crying with you taking her out of the crate. Assuming your pup is 8 weeks - you should be taking her out at least twice overnight - example - 11:00 pm bedtime potty break - set alarm for 1:30 am potty break, set alarm for 3:30/4:00 am potty break; up around 6:30 am. As she gets older you will be able to spread out and eventually eliminate the nighttime breaks. The important thing is you get her out before she asks. When you take her out, do not speak to her a lot, just be very quiet and soothing and tell her to do her business. When she is done give her a treat pick her up and put her back in crate quickly and quietly. She needs to learn night time is not play time or fun time. I would not leave a lot of toys in her crate during the night for playing.
For at night, you may want to try one of those stuffed dogs that has a heartbeat https://www.amazon.ca/SmartPetLove-Snuggle-Puppy-Behavioral-Brown/dp/B000C9YHFS
Maybe you could try the Snuggle Puppy. Idk if it will help your dog, but it 100% helped my girl. For the first few weeks she had it, it became her new best friend, she brought it with her everywhere. I usually only had it turned on when I would leave and when she went to bed for the night. I picked up some extra hand warmers to put inside it.
After a week or week and a half I stopped using the heat packs, and after a month or so I stopped turning the heart beat on. She now loves her crate, and is great at home during the day. It seems a little pricey for a "dog toy", but I would buy it again 100 times over. Worth every penny.
SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt [link]
I also got one of those Wyse cams for like 25 bucks and is set it up online of her crate when I left. The app has a microphone so you can talk to your pup. The first few times she was super confused, and it didn't seem like it was helping at all. But after doing it a few times, it seemed to work... She'd perk her ears up, tilt her head, I'd talk to her again, and she'd stop barking/howling/whining and lay back down. I think it took about a week or so.
Edit: pet tax [link]
She loves her little puppy!
This one has a little device that gives a heartbeat in it. We ordered it on Amazon for fairly cheap:
He's a baby - the crying is normal, the first week or 2 you can expect crying as he gets used to the crate. It took my girl about a week before she stopped crying in it. I also bought a sound machine off Amazon for cheap that I put on loud so she doesn't hear noises and get distracted and cry.
The toy was not the cheapest, but it works great. Here it is: https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Pet-Love-Snuggle-Behavioral/dp/B000C9YHFS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526918487&sr=8-3&keywords=puppy+toy+heart
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Name: <em>Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy</em>.
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I'm by no means an expert and regularly consult this subreddit for advice, so you'll likely find much better advice from others. However, I do have a 17 week old puppy that has been a challenge, especially at night, so I can relate. She has also gotten significantly better since week 11, but she's not perfect yet when it comes to sleeping through the night.
I know how painful it can be to have to get up so frequently and not get rest. And the longer it goes on, the more it will wear you out. And if you're not able to get proper rest, you won't be able to tire her out in the day/evenings before bed because you're so tired yourself! So here are a few of my tips for bed time:
In my experience, 2 walks a day for 10 to 20 minutes each walk should be sufficient at that age. I have a Samoyed who is also a working breed, and in the beginning that seemed more than enough for walking. Also, don't walk her too close to bed time. We put our puppy to bed between 9 and 10pm depending on the day, and she is typically walked once at 7am and then again around 5 to 6pm; we don't walk her much later than that most days.
One toy that has seemed to help us (and was suggested by others on this subreddit) is the Smart Pet Love Snuggle Toy. It's a toy that has a battery powered heart beat inside that simulates the mother's heart beat. This toy really helped calm our puppy down in her crate at night the first couple of weeks. She still likes it now at 17 weeks, but I don't think it's as important as she gets older. And it is a tad pricey, and I can't guarantee it works since it doesn't work for everyone, but I know how it is when you can't get a good rest: you'll pay anything and try everything if it will mean some improvement!
Put on a leash every time you take her out at night! Bring her to the same spot to go potty as well! Again, I'm not an expert, but based on your post it seems like your puppy is associating "going potty at night" with "play time" because you are letting her run around, she's grabbing sticks, and you're trying to catch her. That is getting her worked up and she thinks it's time to play. Make potty time during the night as BORING as possible. Take her out on a leash, tell her "Potty" maybe once or twice, and give her like 5 minutes to do her business. Don't let her run or grab sticks. If she is distracted, bring her back inside and in to her crate. Don't talk to her either. If she doesn't do her business, bring her back inside and in to her crate. She will learn over time. Also, while giving treats for potty during the day is probably fine (we did it too in the beginning but are phasing it out), don't give treats for potty at night. It might be providing her incentive to wake you up to go potty when she is bored at night.
As others suggested, make sure your crate is the right size. If it's too big, they will feel that they can soil one end and sleep/rest at the other end. So get a divider and make it smaller so that there is only enough room for the dog to lay down and turn around. It shouldn't be roomy at this stage.
Try draping blankets/towels or get a crate cover, and cover the crate. This will eliminate the distractions. If you still feel as though you need to sleep beside the crate, cover it so she can't see you, but perhaps put your fingers in to the crate near where the puppy is to let her know that you're still there. As she calms down, remove your fingers from the crate.
Puppies tend to sleep a lot, like 16 or so hours in a 24 hour cycle, so a puppy should eventually start sleeping better at night. When we got ours when she was 9 weeks, we slept beside the crate (in our kitchen) for the first 3 weeks (until she was 12 weeks old), and then slept on the couch in our living room (closer to the kitchen than our bedroom) for 1 week until she was 13 weeks old. Then we began to transition to sleeping in our bed. In order to do this, we would put her in her crate at night, cover it with towels, and drape our fingers inside the crate until she stopped whining/barking (we didn't verbally try to calm her during this time, we were silent for the most part). Once she calmed down (10 to 20 minutes later), we would then quietly go to our bed.
Even at 17 weeks, she will still whine for 1 to 2 minutes once she's in her crate for the night, and lately we've been having problems with her whining about 10 minutes in to bed time around 10pm, which then means we get up and take her outside on leash and silently, for one last opportunity to go potty. After 5 minutes, we go back inside, put her in her crate, and she is then silent until about 5 or 6am. It's not perfect, but it's getting better.
Sorry for such a long reply, but I've sort of been there and I know the pain. Puppies are hard work and require a ton of patience, all of which is harder to do when you are not able to get proper rest yourself. So these are a few tips that I found helped us with our little puppy.
Best of luck to you!
Hey everyone, I just wanted to thank you all so much for your detailed and thought-out replies, they were super helpful!
I wanted to follow up and say that the second night went much much better than the first, based off of a few changes I made after reading the feedback here. On her second night, she only cried a few minutes in total the whole night, mostly after returning her to her crate after taking her out to the bathroom. Here are the changes we made:
We decided to keep the crate in the kitchen because I think she has a bad association with our bedroom after a sad first night, and is most comfortable in the kitchen.
We purchased the Smart Pet Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Toy from a local pet store. It comes with a battery powered mechanism on the inside that simulates the heart beat of the dog's mom. When she was tuckered out from daily activity, we got her used to the behavioral toy (as in, not a toy to chew but a toy to cuddle with). This seemed to bring her comfort in her crate. Oddly enough, I was also mildly comforted by the sound of the dog toy's heartbeat haha.
We made sure she was good and tired by the time bedtime rolled around. We sprinted around the back yard during the day and took her for a short 15 minute walk right before bed in a quiet area with no one around.
The biggest thing that we changed is that we decided to keep the crate in the kitchen because she has spent most of her time in the kitchen, and we made a make-shift bed for ourselves on the floor right beside the crate. Then we got her to go in to her crate, closed the door, and went to bed right beside her. At first she cried a bit, but anytime she did we gently told her to "shush" and we put our hands nearby so she could lick or smell them while she laid down in her crate.
The above steps brought about a lot of success the second night and we finally got some decent rest. She didn't cry much and had a good sleep too, I think. The kitchen floor isn't the most comfortable, but it is worth it!
Thank you to everyone who provided some advice and feedback, I really appreciate it!
Hey everyone, I just wanted to thank you all so much for your detailed and thought-out replies, they were super helpful!
I wanted to follow up and say that the second night went much much better than the first, based off of a few changes I made after reading the feedback here. On her second night, she only cried a few minutes in total the whole night, mostly after returning her to her crate after taking her out to the bathroom. Here are the changes we made:
We decided to keep the crate in the kitchen because I think she has a bad association with our bedroom after a sad first night, and is most comfortable in the kitchen.
We purchased the Smart Pet Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Toy from a local pet store. It comes with a battery powered mechanism on the inside that simulates the heart beat of the dog's mom. When she was tuckered out from daily activity, we got her used to the behavioral toy (as in, not a toy to chew but a toy to cuddle with). This seemed to bring her comfort in her crate. Oddly enough, I was also mildly comforted by the sound of the dog toy's heartbeat haha.
We made sure she was good and tired by the time bedtime rolled around. We sprinted around the back yard during the day and took her for a short 15 minute walk right before bed in a quiet area with no one around.
The biggest thing that we changed is that we decided to keep the crate in the kitchen because she has spent most of her time in the kitchen, and we made a make-shift bed for ourselves on the floor right beside the crate. Then we got her to go in to her crate, closed the door, and went to bed right beside her. At first she cried a bit, but anytime she did we gently told her to "shush" and we put our hands nearby so she could lick or smell them while she laid down in her crate.
The above steps brought about a lot of success the second night and we finally got some decent rest. She didn't cry much and had a good sleep too, I think. The kitchen floor isn't the most comfortable, but it is worth it!
Thank you to everyone who provided some advice and feedback, I really appreciate it!
I've edited the original post to include the above information in case anyone comes looking for the same advice in the future.
try this - [link] along with a tshirt that smells like you
If you want to be able to sleep get this [link]
This might help [link]
D'awwww! What a cutie! You can find some good advice on /r/Dogtraining & /r/puppy101. I just brought home my little girl, Star, last week and so far the best advice I can give is make a schedule (feeding, peeing/pooing, sleeping, etc.) and stick to it! Also, if you have multiple trainers in the house make sure everyone is on the "same page". Consistency is key. :)
EDIT: Oh, and the Momma Dog Toy has been awesome for night time! No whining or separation anxiety at all! :D