Is there a certain age for a pup to stop crying/whining?

[diswunfoo]

Currently right now I have a female chihuahua/terrier and pretty soon I'm planning on getting a 7 week old labrador. I still live with my parents and they know of this, the main problem they have is the pup keeping us up all night. They recommend me to wait until the pup is older so it won't cry/whine anymore when we take him in. I mean...is that even possible? I'm thinking that no matter what, they will whine/cry until they adjust to their new home. Is this correct?? Now I mentioned that I had another dog because...at night, my chihuahua/terrier sleeps in her kennel, so what if I had the lab pup slept in that kennel with her, would he still be lonely and cry/whine? Crap...but then again, it's still a pup. Now I have a fear of it defecating in the kennel. Feedback please ladies/gentlemen! thank you!!!

[doglover]

It really depends on the dog, my pup cried when he was first put into his crate but this was also the first night he was home. He settled down after a while and it did take a few weeks for him to realize crate=secure place and now he's fine. The only time he whines is when he has to go out and is in his crate, or he hears someone and he's not near them. You could keep the dog in your room in her crate. That helps a lot. Ignore the whining though, unless it wakes up and starts, then it probably has to go out to pee, also make sure to take her/him out to pee before putting her/him in the crate. It shouldn't go in the crate if it's the right size. It should be big enough that she can sit up in and move around in, but not large enough to pee or poop. I would suggest getting a crate that would fit your dog at full size that has a divider in it so you can expand it as he/she gets bigger. That way you're not paying money for more crates as it gets bigger.

Also, keeping your puppy on a schedule will help out a lot. My pup got used to when my sister got up to take him out weekday mornings but it took him a bit longer to realize on weekends, he sleeps in. Now he knows on weekends do not disturb until at least 9. :P Try to get the pup at least 8 weeks.

[Smuag]

The dogs should not share a kennel for any reason. The key to crate-training is that the dog views the crate as their own 'personal space' and will refuse to use the restroom in the same place they sleep. The puppy may whine, but a good way to reduce the amount of whining is wait until it is fully weaned at AT LEAST eight weeks old. 12 weeks would be even better.