Linus cried every couple of hours the first couple of nights that I had him in his expen, but then I moved him to a carpeted room, covered the floor with a plastic tablecloth and adjusted the expen so it's only big enough for his bed, his water dish, and a pee pad. The first night I slept in the room with him, with the TV on. The second night, I slept in the room with him (with the TV on) for about an hour, then moved to my bedroom. Now, he sleeps just fine in there by himself (with the TV on). It was really the carpeted room that made the biggest difference.
The other big difference was my belief in tough love. He might cry and whine, but eventually he'll calm down and fall asleep. If he really doesn't stop, don't go in and pick him up, that's only reinforcing the bad behavior. Instead, sit several feet away and talk to him with a really calm voice until he calms down a little bit and realizes that he's not in any danger, you're just in the next room.
Bully sticks are also really helpful! |