Moving Toward Independence

After the first week at your bedside, start inching the crate toward its permanent spot — about one foot per night. Go that slowly on purpose; the puppy barely notices the change and never feels abandoned. Rush it and you trigger a setback.

Pair this with a fixed bedtime routine: last potty trip, small crate treat, lights down, soft white noise, then quiet. Repeated nightly, that sequence becomes a sleep cue the body answers with drowsiness.