6 mo old lab puppy whining in the middle of night

Question
We have a 6 mo old yellow lab puppy.  We got him at 8 weeks and immediately had him in crate.  He has done great with this until about 1 1/2 weeks ago.  Now he is getting whining and barking on and off throughout the night. At first, we thought he wasn't getting enough exercise so we made sure he is getting plenty of excercise, also not giving him too much water before going to bed.  We're starting to think he just doesn't want to be in there and wants to be around us.  Please help!  We're not getting any sleep!

Answer
This is likely part of the maturing process.  I think sleeping 8 hours is a people thing, not a dog thing. He just needs to learn that even though he needs less sleep now, the strange pack he is in sleeps all night.  Neuter him if not already, and obedience train him.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm