We have recently got a 11 week old Shih Zhu puppy and the poor thing is crying badly at night, its heartbreaking. We have him in the kitchen in his basket with bowls of food/water and puppy pads down should he need to go to the toilet.

After reading some post on this forum we have tried putting some old t-shirts with our scent with him in his basket, but no joy, we are considering getting a crate as the breeder we bought him off informed him that he has been raised this way.

Can anyone provide any other tips which might help our little Chester settle down?

Yes , get a crate if that is what he is used to . Then cover it in an old towel or blanket to make a snug den .

Do you go to the puppy if it cries? if so that will only make the situation worst. The pup will realise if it cries you will come.
to settle the pup for the night take it out to the garden for the toilet then settle the pup in it's bed/crate and do not talk or give eye contact as this makes being separated from you alot more stressful. turn the light out and leave the room, puppies are the same as babies and soon realise that if they cry and you come they get attention. It will take alittle time for the pup to settle and you may get a few noisy nights but it will work.
It's up to you if you want to get up in the night and take the pup to the toilet but make sure you follow the same things ie no attention etc well apart from if the pup wees or poos then lots of praise.     

perhaps a DAP diffuser as well? (dog appeasing pheremone)

Hi,

When you say recently, how long has he been with you?  If he has literally just come to you then he will be feeling very unsettled, he's come away from all he has ever known in his little life (mum, litter mates, smells etc) so you are his comfort and then at night time he doesn't have you either - I'd cry too :-)

I would get the crate as that is what he is used to and either take the crate up to your bedroom and have him next to your bed until he is feeling settled and secure.  If you don't want him in your bedroom long term then gradually move the crate further and further away from your bed, then by the bedroom door, then in the hall way etc until it is where you want it.  If you don't want him in your bedroom at all then sleep down stairs with him until he is settled, again gradually moving the crate further away. 

I think in the long run you end up with a more settled and confident dog more quickly if you help them feel more secure initially.  I'd also give the DAP collar a try too.

"I think in the long run you end up with a more settled and confident dog more quickly if you help them feel more secure initially."

I totally agree. KarenClynes suggestions about getting a crate, and to let the pup initially sleep near you, is very good. It's vital for a young pup to feel secure, and relaxed enough to be able to sleep. Sleep is very important for both body and mind.

If for some reason you don't want him in your bedroom at all, not even for a short period of time, then I'd suggest you move into the kitchen instead. It's not forever, and it's well worth it in the long run.

Well, first night using the crate and he was FANTASTIC, went in on his own accord, fell asleep around 10ish and didn't wake up till about 5am, he did have a little accident in his crate tho, is this anything to worry about?

We have only had Chester 5 days, so I think him crying was just getting used to the place.

not suprised he had a little accident he's still very young.either take him out in the night for a wee and put him straight back to bed or you will have to expect this till he gets abit older.

I had this problem with my lab when he was little. It seemed to go on for weeks with me getting up every 2 hrs for about 4 wks. I thought he was not going to settle. I had to go on to a week of night shift and had arranged for him to go to my dads over night. I had warned Dad about this problem and had asked him not to fuss over him at night. To my amazment he slept all night long. I was very surprised, but when i got off my night shift he was back to his old ways. It turned out that my kitchen was just too cold for him. I put a heater on the lowest setting and he slept all night for me too. It was bliss for us both!

So another sleepless night, we can get him in the crate to sleep but only for about 1 hour at a time, this morning he was crying at 3am and had some accidents in his crate. In the end we brought his basket into our room and reassured him we were around and he sleep till we woke up.

How do we stop the accidents happening in his crate, I'm thinking this is caused due to distress.

my shih tzu was the same. He cried on and off all night and would'nt give in. In the end gave up and he sleeps in my room under the bed and has been fine ever since

Hi!

U have received some solid advice in previous posts.
                                                                           
I totally concur re: having the puppy in his crate in your bedroom, at least for awhile & if desired, moving it further away from your bed over a period of weeks..Then out of the room if u wish, when he is sleeping thru the nite without 'accidents' & without fussing while alone. He may even start whining if u are late coming to bed and want to be moved into a quiet, darker place - My Airedale did and with the crate door open also. She was sleeping thru the nite at 11 1/2 weeks..My male Sheltie was 13 weeks though..

As far as him messing in his crate - yes, it cld be stress causing it and/or are his evenings an exciting, busy time for him filled with loud noises - If even just a bit, then he needs a calm, quiet time about 15 mins to a 1/2 hr before bedtime, in order for his body functions to slow down and always go to bed at the same time so his bedtime bathroom break occurs right before bed.

Do u withhold food in the evenings & cut off his water by say 9 pm each evening regularily?  Plse stick to a schedule, any deviation can cause problems..

As your puppy is crying during the nite and thereby 'TELLING' u he wants to go out, I suggest u get up immediately and let him go out to the bathroom or he will continue to go in his crate & housebreaking him will beome more difficult..                                                        
U cld also set your alarm for the middle of the nite & let him out. Puppies bladders & bowels cannot be counted on to be well controlled til approx 3 - 4 months old..depending on the breed and pup. 
                                                                                                                                         
Within a short space of time, he will cease messing in his crate...as his control develops & u will both be able to sleep thru the nite  :)

Hope my suggestions help :)

Our nightly routine with Chester is a bit of a mess, I thinkthere is room for improvement, we tend to give him a feed about 8pm then take him to the area where the puppy pads are laid out to try get him to go to the toilet, sometimes he just wont go, so we keep an eye and play with him till he needs to go or goes elsewhere in the house. Again he doesn't always go.

About 10pm he starts to become sleepy and starts lazing about on the floor, when this happens we say to him 'basket' and try tempt him into his crate, which to be honest isn't really a problem. The crate door is open at this point once Chester falls asleep, we close the door, and pull the blanket down over the front of the crate should he wake up and come to the door before he starts getting distressed or starts yelping/barking we open the door.

May i suggest you give his last feed alot earlier, i feed my dogs at 8am and then again at 4pm, this means they get most the toileting done before bed time. Also after a walk or play early evening make the rest of the time quiet so he isn't wound up before bed time.
We do all our walking and play before 7pm then the dogs are tired and everyone settles down in the lounge for the rest of the evening.
It is important that everything is calm a while before bed apart from going out to the toilet before bed.

> this morning he was crying at 3am and had some accidents in his crate

he may have been crying because he needed the loo, he's still a baby so will probably need through the night for a bit.

get up, let him out without speaking to him, straight back in the crate and back to bed with you. don't talk to him or do anything that suggests it might be play time.