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I have a 3 month old doberman. He is not housebroken yet. Iwant to crate train him, to avoid accidents. He hates being in it a t night. We tried music and left a light one. He sleeps about 3 hrs then cries. We did get up in middle of night to take him out. I can tell between the cry for "I'm alone" to "I need to pee". Nothing worked to keep him quiet, so we gave ina nd put him in our bed.He was one happy puppy! I put potty pads over me, incase of an accident. But I wonder is this ok, or will he expect to sleep in the bed? Do I let him? Once he is housebroken, I will welcome him sleeping with me, cause I dont hear well. And he would hear someone at door before I do. Does a crate by our bed help? He still won't be able to see us. I've had an adult, but never a puppy. I have read so many books, called several rescue groups for info. I don't want to do anything wrong and cause a problem that is my fault, not puppy.

>>I have a 3 month old doberman. He is not housebroken yet. Iwant to crate train him, to avoid accidents. He hates being in it a t night. We tried music and left a light one. He sleeps about 3 hrs then cries. We did get up in middle of night to take him out. I can tell between the cry for "I'm alone" to "I need to pee". Nothing worked to keep him quiet, so we gave ina nd put him in our bed.He was one happy puppy! I put potty pads over me, incase of an accident. But I wonder is this ok, or will he expect to sleep in the bed? Do I let him? Once he is housebroken, I will welcome him sleeping with me, cause I dont hear well. And he would hear someone at door before I do. Does a crate by our bed help? He still won't be able to see us. I've had an adult, but never a puppy. I have read so many books, called several rescue groups for info. I don't want to do anything wrong and cause a problem that is my fault, not puppy.

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A crate by your bed is usually best until the dog is at or past puberty (say a year of age or older) and the adult temperament is more apparent. At that point you have a better idea of whether this is a dog who belongs on the bed or not. Taking away the privilege once you've given it to the pup is hard on you both. Best to get him used to snoozing in the crate from the start. There are other reasons, too, like you and him surviving the destructive chewing stage that typically starts around 9 months.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

ok. I will put crate by bed. but I 'm sure puppy will howl it's lungs out. so far only 1 accident in the crate.
I think he has a bladder infection, he wants to go out a lot and he keeps licking himself. How much water is ok for him to drink in the evening?

What worked for us with Kane, who is now 2 years old, was to put a blanket over the crate. He still didn't really like it, but he'd go to sleep alot sooner. Once he was totally housebroken, though, we stopped using the crate. It took a little longer with him to housebreak because he was sick and had uncontrolable diarreah for a while when he was young, but once he got better, he didn't have anymore accidents. He's been sleeping on our couch since he was about 10 months old or so, with no problems.

>>ok. I will put crate by bed. but I 'm sure puppy will howl it's lungs out. so far only 1 accident in the crate.
>>I think he has a bladder infection, he wants to go out a lot and he keeps licking himself. How much water is ok for him to drink in the evening?

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He needs adequate water, but you want to try to schedule both the water and any vigorous exercise that would make him need a lot of water for earlier in the evening. To cool him off, one thing you can offer him in the evening is ice. It can also sooth gums when they're teething.

Be sure to get him checked out by the veterinarian on that infection. The longer something like that lasts, the harder it will be to housetrain the dog, plus the infection is more likely to keep coming back over and over if you don't clear it up promptly and completely. It can even cause kidney damage!

Dogs usually learn to be quiet quickly in the bedroom, plus the stress that makes them yell is GREATLY reduced. See, dogs have a survival instinct to call for help when left alone. In the wild, a puppy alone would be in great danger of death. When you're in the room with the crated puppy, he's more likely to relax and sleep. It tends to work very well.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com