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Like new babies, new puppies often have trouble sleeping on their own at night. In the case of a new puppy that you have just brought home, you might want to keep him close by your bed for reassurance. Typically, puppies do not sleep through the night until they reach about 16 weeks old. Even older dogs who are at a new home have trouble sleeping through the night. As a new puppy owner, it is best to know this in advance so that you can plan to have your sleep interrupted.

A new home for a puppy could turn out to be a bewildering experience for him therefore it will help if you keep him close to you at night in his crate. If the puppy cries at night you could try talking to him to make him feel more at home.

As time goes by your puppy will start to settle in and so you can begin to gradually begin to wean him off your room slowly by slowly. This you can do by moving his crate further away from your room gradually so he is weaned into it. Before he realizes it he will have become accustomed to sleeping alone at night once he is more familiar with the settings of your home.

Puppies are comforted by familiar smells therefore you might want to place a towel close to you and then place it in his crate so that your scent remains close to the puppy at night and he will draw comfort from it. Do not be too quick to pick him up for comfort since he needs to be trained to sleep alone. Engaging him in exhaustive play will make him tired and he will drop off to sleep much more easily therefore avoiding the hustle of getting him to sleep alone.

It will only be a short time before your puppy gets used to sleeping alone if you are keen on getting him to get used to the idea without falling for the temptation of picking him up every time that he starts whining at night will have become accustomed to his new surroundings and both you and him can have quiet nights henceforth.

Another way to ensure that he sleeps through the night is to not let him sleep all evening. Puppies sleep a LOT and if you let him sleep before bedtime, then he will not want to sleep when you are ready for bed. If you keep him busy and get him tired before bedtime, then you increase the chances of hi sleeping through the night.

If you find that your puppy barks or cries at night, then it might just signal that he needs to go outside for a potty break. Resist the urge to ignore this, especially if it is in the middle of the night, as it will make housebreaking training even more difficult.