Said It Here

Puppy refuses to go back in crate after night potty break

Puppies often freeze, run away, or bite when approached for a middle-of-the-night crate return. This makes it impossible for owners to get back to sleep and turns routine toilet breaks into an exhausting battle.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Ignoring the whining and howling
  2. 2
    Using a house line or collar to guide the puppy
  3. 3
    Picking up the puppy to carry them back
  4. 4
    Trying to let the puppy sleep loose or confined to the kitchen
  5. 5
    Using high-value treats like cheese to create a positive association with crate time
  6. 6
    Offering frozen green-lipped mussels when asking the puppy to go to the kennel
  7. 7
    Providing choices of locations or cooling options like fans

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

“She will run to the bathroom where she has a clear view of the living room and lay down, I'll grab a treat and give her the crate command and she just doesn't move.”source ↗

“I can't go and grab her because she bites.”source ↗

“I haven't slept normally in months and it's starting to show.”source ↗

Similar_Ad_5963 · r/puppy101 · 1 upvotes

“I have a 6 month old toy poodle puppy who is not wanting to be put into her crate. We put her in there for naps and bedtime, and as soon as I approach the crate, she starts to climb all over me and wants nothing to do with being put into it.”source ↗

Firm-Return-5986 · r/puppy101 · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

r/puppy101behaviordog trainingpet carepuppy caresleep deprivation

People with this problem also raised