Need some tips for crate training a new puppy

So my girlfriend and I have recently gotten a 9 week old beagle/basset hound mix and she is overall a very well behaved puppy. One part we have been having trouble with though is crate training her at night. She usually starts off ok but she whines a lot during the night, resulting in little sleep for either of us. I get up at about 4am to let her out and my girlfriend gets up early to let her out so it's not that she has to pee. We found that putting her crate in a place where she can see us in the room helps relax her and send her to sleep. My girlfriend wanted to know if we were to put her in the crate on our bed to see if that relaxes her, but does anyone know if this will mess up her training in the long run? Thanks for any tips you can give, Giant Bomb!

I'd avoid putting it on the bed. You don't want to reinforce the feeling of the bed being a place where she can go to calm down or else you'll never get her off of it.

Consistency mate.

We crate trained our lab, best decision we ever made. If the whining is keeping you awake, maybe invest in some ear plugs until she is more settled?

That's not really an issue with me, but my girlfriend can't sleep with something in her ears. We'll keep it up and see if she improves with it on the floor :) Thanks for the tips :)

If you let her sleep in your room, there's a decent chance she will always want to sleep in your room. If you're okay with that, go for it. If not, grin and bear it. 
 
Not sure why you'd want to put her on the bed if she's already quiet on the floor of your room... Or is that not the case? 
 
EDIT: Just found this on this page: "BEDTIME: The crate should be moved into the bedroom first as the mere presence of the owner will be comforting." 
 
So I guess it's actually recommended to do so.

Keep it locked up until he pisses and shits up the cage. After awhile the dog will realize it's not very pleasant to lay in it's own waste so it will pick it's butt up to the side of the cage and shit outside the cage, making it easier to clean up. We had great success using this method for my son and daughter.

I'm not a dog expert by any means, but I have gone through this process twice before and I find it's best to drape a blanket or sheet over the cage/crate like you do with birds.  Getting up in the middle of the night is only encouraging the whining.  The puppy has to learn what bedtime is, and once that sheet comes down it's time for sleep.  I used to sit with my dog on my lap in a dimmed room outside the cage before putting him in his cage in order to help calm him down and make him more restful.  After doing this for some time he started just getting off my lap and going in by himself.  Just make sure that the crate is just large enough for the dog to get up and change positions in, otherwise it might pee/poop in one corner of the crate and sleep in the other.

Trying to comfort it while it's in the crate is a bad idea. Instead, you must psychologically torture the puppy unless it is in the crate. Hire some bloodthirsty clowns to roam your house and the problem will solve itself.

great puppy training stories! keep em up!

@Video_Game_King said:

Trying to comfort it while it's in the crate is a bad idea. Instead, you must psychologically torture the puppy unless it is in the crate. Hire some bloodthirsty clowns to roam your house and the problem will solve itself.

Best idea so far.

@Video_Game_King said:

Trying to comfort it while it's in the crate is a bad idea. Instead, you must psychologically torture the puppy unless it is in the crate. Hire some bloodthirsty clowns to roam your house and the problem will solve itself.

Best idea so far.