Is your puppy forming a habit of crying and whining when you leave him in his crate at night, or when you leave to go shopping? With a little steadfast determination and patience, you can eliminate this behavior with a few easy steps. To teach a puppy to not cry in a crate, the puppy must first associate a sense of safety and happiness with the crate.
Things You'll Need
- Crate
- Treats
- Dog toys
- Blanket
Instructions
Determining the Cause of the Crying
A puppy may cry in a crate when the puppy needs to go outside to eliminate. Try to determine if the puppy needs out of the crate to eliminate. Use key phrases that the puppy associates with eliminating. If it is determined that the puppy needs to eliminate, take the puppy outside. Do not, however, use this time for playful activity. Let the puppy eliminate and return him to his crate.
If it is determined that the puppy does not need to eliminate, do not give in to the puppy's cries. Letting the puppy out of the crate when it cries will reinforce crying behavior. Do not, however, punish the puppy by yelling or reprimanding him. The goal is to associate safety and happiness with the crate.
If the crying persists, the puppy may need to start the crate training process over again.
Teaching a Puppy Not to Cry When Crate Training
Place the crate in an area of the house that is familiar to the puppy. Let the puppy explore the exterior of the crate while placing one of the puppy's blankets inside of the crate. Use treats or dog toys to encourage the puppy to enter the crate. Do not, however, force the puppy in the crate. Be patient. This step may take time.
Once the puppy is comfortable with entering the crate, place the puppy's meals near, or in the crate. Gradually work on getting the puppy comfortable with eating his meals in the back of the crate. This may take time. Start by placing his meals near the crate, and gradually moving the meals in, and futher back in the crate. Once the puppy is comfortable with eating his meals at the back of the crate, close the door while he eats. If the puppy cries, do not let him out. Let the puppy out only after it ceases to cry.
Encourage the puppy to enter the crate for short periods of time when others are home. Use treats and praise the puppy for entering the crate. After the puppy enters the crates, close the door on the crate and remain near the crate for several minutes. After several minutes leave the area for a short time and return. If the puppy is not crying, let him out of the crate. Continue this process several times a day, gradually increasing the duration of time that the puppy is left in the crate.
Do not rush this process. Patience and persistence is key. Rushing a puppy too quickly into crate training will result in anxiety and apprehension associations with the crate.