# Puppy barks & scratches doors all night long!!



## sobemike (Aug 29, 2013)

hi everyone, we just rescued a 3 months old puppy a couple of weeks ago. he gets lots of attention and lots of playtime including long walks through out the day. However at nights when left in backyard (which he is primarily at), he wont stop jumping at my sliding doors, scratching them, and barking all night long. It has become a pain because now he either wakes my kids up numerous times at night from all the noise he is making and I am worried I will be hearing from my neighbors soon. Should I crate him at nights outside? or stick with the dog house? any other suggestions would be much appreciated.


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## tottie86 (Aug 23, 2013)

I would crate him inside at night for sure- he's crying at the door because he scared and wants to be with you-


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## apollo_and_shadow (Aug 29, 2013)

Definitely crate him inside. Its not a bad thing to do !


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## ThisGuy82 (Aug 29, 2013)

If you are not crating your dog inside at night, you are doing things wrong.

All dogs should be crated as puppies, and it should be a place of security and NEVER a place for punishment.

When your dog is older, if you want it to be a protector at night in your yard, that is fine... once properly trained to do so. But any dog not crate trained as a puppy, does not deserve to have its human.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

ThisGuy82 said:


> But any dog not crate trained as a puppy, does not deserve to have its human.


you probably meant to say doesn't deserve to be had by its human but why do you say that? why is crate training a must?

i know it's the preferrable thing to do but i don't like the idea (unreasonably, i'm sure, but still), so does that mean i'm somehow abusing my dog?


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## ThisGuy82 (Aug 29, 2013)

My reply may have come off a bit harsh, I do not mean it meanly, because i am sure you mean the best for your dog.

My father loves to have a dog, but refused to ever do what was appropriate in raising a dog, so his dogs were always prone to running away and being adopted by other people. And of course he would become infuriated, because he only got exotic breeds that were purchased in the 3000+ dollar range. It was pathetic to watch as a child.

Dogs have a certain level of training that is demanded and crating is the most basic requirement, unless you have a pack of dogs on large property for your puppy to assimilate, which 99.99% of dog owners do not meet that qualification.

On top of that, you own a German Shepherd Dog. They are smarter than almost every other breed out there. If your dog becomes bored, he could get in to a lot of trouble and hurt himself or, even worse, someone else.

There are TONS of resources on the internet (this website being one of them) as to what you need to be doing with a puppy or adopted dog, or in your case both.


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## ThisGuy82 (Aug 29, 2013)

lalachka said:


> you probably meant to say doesn't deserve to be had by its human but why do you say that? why is crate training a must?
> 
> i know it's the preferrable thing to do but i don't like the idea (unreasonably, i'm sure, but still), so does that mean i'm somehow abusing my dog?


In my opinion, yes.

Dogs are den animals. They need a place to call their own. You would not raise your child without a bedroom would you?

My dogs spend their first 2.5-3 months crated 85%+ of the time until they can hold their bowels and be trusted to not get in trouble. I have never had a puppy fuss more than 2 weeks over being crated, and then inevitably considering it their preferred place to be. They will go in and stay in when tired even with the front gate open.

My exception is if you own a large piece of land and you have a group of dogs which will always dwell outside for protection purposes, even then t it is situation based.

I have never met a dog trainer that thought, "yeah crating is an optional function."

People not informed of dog behavior associate crating with punishment. It is not. Puppies do not enjoy it at first, but I have never seen a properly crated dog not willingly go in to its crate when commanded. Even better, they will go their on their own to relieve the stresses of life for peace and comfort.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Crate training or not, keeping a 3 month old puppy outside is so incredible unsafe. At the very least, bring him in and keep him in an exercise pen... if you refuse to crate. It is not health mentally or physically for them to be outside unattended at night at that age.


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## mharrisonjr26 (Feb 10, 2011)

Wow this guy You are full of misinformation. Sobemike your pup is to young to be outside in the backyard are you kidding me. 3.5 months old is like a 6 year old child. With no protection for him for the whole nite your asking for trouble in the future. You have to make your puppy feel safe. I use Crates so not against crates but def not essential. Especially for a pet . I think you need to at least make a place for him to sleep at night and keep him INSIDE until he is a little older.

Why dont you keep him inside?


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## ThisGuy82 (Aug 29, 2013)

mharrisonjr26 said:


> Wow this guy You are full of misinformation. Sobemike your pup is to young to be outside in the backyard are you kidding me. 3.5 months old is like a 6 year old child. With no protection for him for the whole nite your asking for trouble in the future. You have to make your puppy feel safe. I use Crates so not against crates but def not essential. Especially for a pet . I think you need to at least make a place for him to sleep at night and keep him INSIDE until he is a little older.
> 
> Why dont you keep him inside?


Such as? I welcome constructive criticism of my points. Considering I put "In my opinion." I feel like your points will be limited.


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## skier16 (Feb 21, 2013)

leaving a 3 month old outside alone is cruel. GSD's want to be with their people. put a crate in your bedroom and have him sleep there.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

I don't consider crate a punishment, I just always want him near me when in home and he is. And when I'm not home we lock him in a 8x3' hallway inside our apartment. 

I don't think a crate is a must. I know they end up loving it later on, I just couldn't make myself last thru the getting used to stage. 

Maybe they must have a den, maybe not, but they sure seem very opposed to it at first. My dog's den is my apartment. 


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## ThisGuy82 (Aug 29, 2013)

lalachka said:


> I don't consider crate a punishment, I just always want him near me when in home and he is. And when I'm not home we lock him in a 8x3' hallway inside our apartment.
> 
> I don't think a crate is a must. I know they end up loving it later on, I just couldn't make myself last thru the getting used to stage.
> 
> ...


Perhaps you should look up a guide on how to train your dog. My current dog I am having more trouble with than any other dog I have ever had, but that is because I took the puppy at 6 weeks from an irresponsible owner, and she missed out on the last 2 weeks she should have spent with her siblings and mother.

But every other dog (8 weeks or older) it took maybe a day to get them comfortable with using by following some basic strategy... (ie - using treats to get them to enter on their own accord, instead of forcing them inside)

A hallway nor an apartment is a den. A den is someplace with enough room for them to lay, with walls and a rough near by.

For your dogs sake, I hope you reconsider. If you are not willing to put that much time in to training your dog for a crate, what else are you skimping on? You have a German Shepherd (I assume given the site). They are one of the most trainable and intelligent dogs you could own... It could not be easier... It is like taking a 5th grade math test as an adult, easy.

Try harder.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

The #1 reason that convinced me to crate train my puppies was that in the event of any type of emergency or even a stay at a animal hospital having to be in a crate should not be an added stress to my puppy/dog. There are several more reasons but it also keeps your puppy safe when you can not watch him/her.


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## LoveGSD's (Aug 22, 2009)

_leaving a 3 month old outside alone is cruel. GSD's want to be with their people. put a crate in your bedroom and have him sleep there_. 

I totally agree with this. The puppy has a new home and wants to be with you.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

ThisGuy82 said:


> If you are not willing to put that much time in to training your dog for a crate, what else are you skimping on? ....
> Try harder.


?? where did you see me say anything about time? i said i didn't mind him near me at all times and when i saw how much he hated the crate the fact that i liked him near me didn't make me want to push it.


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

lalachka said:


> ?? where did you see me say anything about time? i said i didn't mind him near me at all times and when i saw how much he hated the crate the fact that i liked him near me didn't make me want to push it.


Outside alone at night is big and scary and dangerous. If you don't want to crate train, find another way to keep him inside to sleep until he is much older. That sound of a puppy outside alone ar night crying breaks my heart. Your neighbors probably aren't too happy either. 


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Capone22 said:


> Outside alone at night is big and scary and dangerous. If you don't want to crate train, find another way to keep him inside to sleep until he is much older. That sound of a puppy outside alone ar night crying breaks my heart. Your neighbors probably aren't too happy either.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


lol, it's not me, i'm not the OP. my doggie is in my apt all the time. i also don't like the idea of outside dogs but to each his own. however, not when they're young IMO


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

mharrisonjr26 said:


> 3.5 months old is like a 6 year old child.


Closer to a 3 year old. Online Conversion - Dog Years Calculator

Keep your baby inside. He's scared and lonely and is looking for his pack. (That's you, btw.)


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I agree with keeping a puppy inside, to many unforseen things can happen and you could wake up one morning to find a dead or missing dog.

THe puppy is acting this way because they WANT to be WITH their people..

And as for crate training, I am all for it. Mostly for the reasons Kiya listed. What if you have an emergency and your dog has NEVER been crated? You have to leave him at the vets? He goes BONKERS cause he's never been in a crate..

Or in a car, crates are great way to secure a dog in your vehicle. It also gives them a quiet place to go if they want to.

So to the OP, get a crate, crate him inside at nite , sure he may not even like that, but he'll be alot quieter at nite in the long run


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

lalachka said:


> lol, it's not me, i'm not the OP. my doggie is in my apt all the time. i also don't like the idea of outside dogs but to each his own. however, not when they're young IMO


Lol. I didn't mean to quote you. Wrong person  


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## sobemike (Aug 29, 2013)

Thank you for all your comments. Just to be clear, I am not against crating a dog nor am I trying to be mean to my dog! My original question was to understand whether crating the dog would solve the issue or not? My previous dog was from a breeder and he was already crate trained so I didn't have any issues with that. This dog even though it was rescued (after only a day being in the pound) had never been in a crate. In any event, I got him a crate today and he is inside. Hopefully he will be happier this way and I can get a good night's sleep.


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