whimpering dog

Question
I have a douchound which is 4 years old that we rescued from a shelter, very cool dog. However, because we are still trying to potty train the dog we have to put the dog in a tiled laundry room which the door is opened but we put up a child safety gate to keep the dog from roaming the house and going potty throughout the night. In the laundry room which is about a 4' by 6' spc. we have some of her toys and pee pads as well as a small amount of water etc.   Once the lights go out the dog goes crazy by trying to get out or whimpering and barking. I have been spraying the dog with a water aottle which isnt working and sometimes I try my best to ignore the dog but it has been weeks and still with ignoring the dog it won't stop. I cant sleep and i am waking up to shush the dog all night, this is driving me crazy and I am feeling like I want to take the dog back which I know I will hate myself for. do you have any advice to help me.

Answer
Aleks-

I wouldn't spray with a water bottle, this usually has no effect. The key is to ignore her. ONLY give her attention when she is being quiet. Try leaving on some soft music for her so she doesnt  feel so alone in the dark. Leave a few blankets with your scent in the room with her. Don't get up to shush her, just try your hardest to roll over and go back to sleep. I KNOW its hard, trust me! But, ignoring is the only way to break it. She has to learn that you are not going to give her any attenion while she is barking or whining, but only when she is being quiet. Right now, you are reinforcing the behavior by giving her attention when she does it, even if its negative attenion like shushing her or spraying her with the bottle.

Remember: Soft music, maybe a night light so its not pitch black, blankets with your scent on them, a toy to keep her distracted (I like a kong stuffed with peanut butter) then IGNORE HER!!!!!!

I hope this helps!