Puppy whining like crazy in the crate?

L

livelikeriley

New member
Hi - I'm crate training my 13 week old cocker spaniel. It's been about two weeks and he goes in after playing in the morning when I leave for work and then gets let out at lunch when I come home - then back in till I get home in the evening. He whines when I leave and I can hear him in the hallway while I wait for the elevator, but I didn't realize how bad it was until I was working from home today and hate to put him in the crate for like 15 mins. while I went to the bathroom. He went crazy - not just whining but full on barking - I would have let him out as soon as I got out of the bathroom, but he was whining and I didn't want to reward bad behavior, so I waited for him to calm down and then let him out.

Is this normal - everything I've read online says that after a few days or a week or so they get used to it and will stop whining - but that's not the case - and I've never used the crate as punishment, so he shouldn't hate it (I always give him treats when he goes in etc. as well) - any suggestions?
 
sounds normal to me. if you're home, he wants to be with you..and when you leave, he doesn't quite understand why you left him.. i bet if you left him out and left, he'd still bark because he wants to be with you. make sense?
 
i think its mostly normal, just anytime you can take them out, please do. all pups cry at first. and its prolly not the fact of the crate, but because they are alone. try leaving some music, or tv on for them. it helps sometimes. not too loud though.
 
I agree with all the other answerers! You're doing all the right things. Your dog would definitely benefit from more exercise and training. Exercise will make him happy and training will give him the confidence that he needs to handle being separated from you.

I've never had a cocker spaniel, but every other dog I have had has been crate trained. Some dogs handle it better than others. My keeshond was terrible! But my pit bull and chocolate lab did really well. The yellow lab not bad, but not as good as the chocolate. The difference between all of these (other than breed) was training. My pit bull and chocolate lab were very well trained. The other two...not so much. It makes a big difference. When I say trained, I mean just obeying and doing tricks and stuff.
 
I would be persistent and consistent, sounds like you're doing the right things. You'll probably find that he was making such a fuss because he knew you were still in the house. Maybe you should do more crate training while you are still at home, so he gets used to that too.
 
my lab didnt have a problem being crated but my lab/pit mix did. i had gotten 2 giant crates because i wanted them to have room. they were 2 months apart so for the first few months they were both small enough to share one crate and still have room to move and lay down and walk a bit. when i tried to put ariel (lab mix) by herself she went nuts but after having a pal with her she calmed down and for years afterward would try to run in with him when they were full grown. it was cute but almost funny at the same time. they were raised together and they were both bored. maybe leave a tv on low or a radio. or maybe get an alarm clock with a tick and wrap it up under a towel or her bed. she is lonely.
 
Did you train him to accept the crate as his home before using the crate, or did you just stick him in there one day and leave?

You may want to return to the basics and let him adjust a bit more. Throw treats in there and let him go in after them. Praise him while he's in there. Do that for about 15 minutes. After that, shut the door behind him when he goes in. More praise and then open the door. Do that for about 15 minutes or so. Then do it again, only leave the door shut for several seconds. If he stays calm, give him a treat and let him out. If he barks or whines, ignore him until he's quiet. When he's finally quiet, praise him for that and let him out. Do this for awhile, varying the amount of time you leave him in there. Always praise him when he reacts appropriately. After he's doing well with that, put him in the crate and walk away. If he's quiet, he gets praise, a treat and can come out. Vary how long you leave him in there and how far away you are from the crate. Whines and barks get ignored and quiet gets praised. Some dogs get the hang of it after only one day and others take more time.

If you're doing all that and he's still reacting negatively, then make sure you are taking him for a nice long walk before putting him in there. A tired pup (with an empty bladder) will gladly lay down for a nap in their crate. Also, include one of his favorite toys. A Kong with peanut butter and some treats usually does really well. If he's mentally stimulated while in the crate, he won't be bored and start the whining/barking.

If you're also doing that and still nothing, it may be separation anxiety.
 
Yep. Stop giving him the treats. It's been 2 weeks. He is expecting a treat, wants the treat and therefore is verbally conveying this.

Put him in his kennel. Walk away and ignore. After a couple of days he will realize he is not getting ANY treats no matter what he does.

Also, I suggest MORE exercise. Walking him would be very good.
Start your obedience training NOW. Sit, stay, down. Don't wait. He's certainly old enough.

ADD: Why do people think 'treating' a dog for everything creates a balanced dog?!!!!!
 
Back
Top