Hey there. I can speak to having a baby bully - I got my Ramsay at 6.5 weeks. For the first week he would whine every night when I put him in his crate to sleep. All you can do is ignore it. I've also heard that you should have the crate in a room that is not your bedroom... this can make them even more attached you you and make separation anxiety worse in the future. What I did during the day was every time Ramsay would fall asleep, I'd put him in the crate so he would get used to waking up it. This seemed to also work.
You can also play games that make your puppy enjoy the crate! Like putting his food bowl in there and then closing the door with him on the outside! He will go crazy wanting to go into the crate! You can also put him in the crate and feed him treats/kibble through the sides - again, teaching him that his crate is a happy place.
Also, I found this really helps! If he begins to bark or whine at all when in the crate, you can put a blanket over the crate so he cannot see out. He will soon learn that barking = owner go away. Once he stops barking, uncover the crate and reward. If he continues to bark, rattle the crate a little to make him stop barking. Say 'quiet', uncover and reward. This method worked for Ramsay like a charm! I was so happy when the behaviorist told me about it.
Ramsay is now 3.5 months old (15 weeks) and I feel comfortable leaving him for 1.5-2 hours alone in his crate and I know he won't bark. He is great at night and will go into it when I point into it. He sometimes even goes in on his own!
It is definitely not an over night thing, but with making the crate seem like a fun place, your puppy will love it soon enough! Hope all of this helps![]()