My 8 wk. golden retriever cries in his crate at night! What should I do?

Question

I have been able to stay home with our new puppy for 3 days now, but tomorrow I will have to put him in his crate for a few hours while I am in school. He still cries if I leave him in his crate overnight, but eventually he stops and goes to sleep. Should I feel bad if I leave him alone during the day knowing he's going to cry?? It sounds soooo sad!!

Answer 1

Yes, this time is tough.

I have a Golden pup too. For the first few days, I actually let him stay with me in my bed. Goldens are SO social that it's actually a good thing to sleep with them for a few days. So for the next few days, give in and let him get used to you and the new house, while he feels secure.

After a week, put him in his crate at night. He'll howl, but now you can do so knowing he's had some time to adapt. It can get annoying. Sometimes they'll howl for hours, sometimes just for a few minutes. But be strong - he has to get used to being in there.

I also keep my dogs in a crate when I'm not home. Don't do this for long periods - just a few hours at a time, if possible (barring overnight). I highly recommend this. Crate training is a good way to teach them to stop urinating inside and to build bladder control. Also, it gives him his own space. Most importantly, it prevents him from chewing everything when you aren't home (and pups WILL chew).

Right now, I have one dog that sleeps with me on my bed, the other on a pillow on the floor by my bed. It works out well. They are free to stretch, yet are both close to me. They actually helped choose this sleeping arrangement too, so it's nice. :-)

Bottom line - be strong when he howls. Make his crate a "fun" place to be, with toys, a treat or two, some music (from a radio) and soft padding. Giving him a treat when he goes in his crate or when you leave also helps with separation anxiety and helps him get that being in his crate is good! It's worked wonders for all of the dogs I've had.

Enjoy your new pup!

Answer 2

Well, he spent the first 9 weeks of his life snuggling with Mom & siblings, and now he is alone. I'd be crying, too! I am told those heartbeat devices work, I have never used one. What I have done is find a special toy, one he really likes. Only give it to him when he is crated. This has worked about half the time for me (I was a breeder, and crated puppies for a week before sending them to new homes to spare new owners just what you are experiencing). Don't use rawhides or a bone in the crate as they can be choking risks and should only be given when he is supervised. You can put a dirty towel (not one you care about) that was used by his favorite person in there with him, too. The scent may soothe him and calm him down. This works with some, not all pups. Don't cover the crate, he will just feel more isolated. Don't use a clock, they can chew on it & choke on the bits. It doesn't matter where you put the crate, it is often actually worse when he can see you. With some puppies, it is just a matter of time. It sounds cruel, but eventually they will stop. He is lonely and scared, not used to being alone. He will get over it, especially since he has the good example of your other dog in the next crate. Whatever you do, don't go see him when he is crying, or take him out of the crate to soothe him. The longest I've ever seen a puppy do this is about 2 weeks.

Answer 3

I went through the same thing. You need need to reward him when he goes in the kennel, you know give him a treat and say good boy for kenneling up. Then you need to leave the room and turn the light off and shut the door. Praise him when you leave the room. He wont like it and he will cry and it will sound sad. Just ignore it. He will give up and sleep. It may be helpful to put a bed and a toy in there with him but no a squeaky toy. Make sure before you put him in he has had his dinner and been potty. It will very hard to hear him cry and you will want to go get him but he will learn that if he cries he can be with you and that bad habbit is hard to break. You may want to put a tv or radio in the room on low for sound and am little light(even a night light but not a lamp). Try avoiding making alot of noise near him when he is in the kennel he will learn soon I promise.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Okay, now listen, the more he "knows" and "senses" that his crying is getting to you the "more" he will do it. Also, it is a "must" that Golden Retrievers be near the "main" activity of the house. Golden's love attention, and love people. You need to spend as much time as possible with your pup. I have a golden retriever and she would cry, I would call her name in a stern "firm" voice "Honey... go to sleep or Honey stop... or Honey no." Never allow her see you do this, that way she doesn't feel down when she is around you. I got all my information from ALL the Pedigree/Puppy Chow/Iams.. etc etc.. and I am telling you RIGHT now it works guaranteed!! Also, if your dog is nibbling/biting around... kind of make a growl/bark sound saying "NO" and the pup learns from this. Go to all the PET food products SIGN up on EVERYONE'S (I am talking about Petco.. pedigree/ puppy chow.. Iams etc etc) information and it will give you these tips AND show you videos of how to do things. My pup is now almost 5 months and she sits, lays down, stays, comes and goes in her cage. She also will sleep during the night with no accidents. For real now.. go check it all out.

Answer 5

When my Black Lab was that young I tried crate training and he cried and cried. My husband took him out because he felt bad. I think he will get over it and it is truly the best place for him to be when you are gone. I am going to start to crate train mine in one week and I know i am going to feel just as bad as you. It will be best if you leave the door open to the crate when you are home so he can go into it when you are there and not always associate it with you leaving or being in there for a long time. When they are left out, they eat everything and can hurt themselves and your possessions. Keep up with it and the outcome will be good. Also try putting something with your scent like a sweater or stuffed animal in the crate so he can smell you and be comforted. Good luck.

Answer 6

Get an old throw pillow, about the size of your computer screen, and one of your older clean t-shirts that you don't wear much, and pull the tee over the pillow the same way you would if putting on a pillow case, tie off the arms/neck area, and if he has a favorite chew toy that will clip to the shirt, tie off the rest of the tee so that it is now a fitted makeshift 'pillowcase' find a spot to clip the chew toy and put that in the crate with him when you go to school. He should be able to recognize "your scent" and the added bonus of it wrapped around a soft & squishy pillow should provide a sense of comfort. The only thing that could make it better for him is you are able to attach his favorite chew toy.
I hope this helps both of you, that little puppy is adorable! Good luck.

Answer 7

he will be fine i have a golden retriever and he is now four years old. i felt bad too when he would cry at nite. like how u get the feeling that u want to let him sleep with u cuz u feel so bad for them. i know we all get that way.

he is fine he just wants to have attention. cuz he thinks that he is alone and no one is around.

there are many things that u could do to try to calm ur puppy down.

u could put an alarm clock in the crate. that seems to help them cuz it's some noise to let him know that he isn't alone. also it is known that the alarm clock reminds them of their mother's heart beat. just remember to get the old fashioned one that ticks.

another thing u could do is put some toys in the crate with him. that also lets them know that he is not alone. wat we would do when i had to leave for school. i would put some toys in his kennel. i would put in a squeaker, and a rope and a tennis ball in there. so it would keep him accupied for the day.

so i hope this helped u out a little bit and u can feel less guilty when ur dog cries in his crate.

also another thing is they say it takes up to about a year before they get used to being in their kennel.

so good luck and remember this when u feel guilty.

Answer 8

Don't feel bad...the worst part of crate training and separation anxiety is being tough! A few things we did to calm our pup down was a hot water bottle and a ticking clock and a sweater that has your scent on in (resembles another puppy/pack member(you) in there with him). Also a kong with a treat stuffed inside kept him busy when we were away. This is perfectly normal, don't worry...in a few days he'll get used to his crate and it will be his safe haven for life! It took our pup four nights till the crying stopped. Just make sure you never put him in there for punishment and the crate will be his own private den...he'll even retreat there on his own to get away from everything from time to time!

Answer 9

we have a 14 month old golden and also got him at 8 weeks. he cried the first week or so in his crate and then was fine.he goes in the crate on his own now.i am home all day with him and my kids and if he needs a rest on his own goes right in and sleeps.try putting some blankets in for him and mine loves stuffed animals.he should be fine in a few days when he gets used to it and knows it is not a punishment but his own space! good luck,goldens are great!!

Answer 10

Even though his crying may sound terrible and you may feel like he's being tortured or something, you actually do have to tough it out. There isn't much you can do except be consistent. I think that if you make his crate comfortable - with toys, blankets, etc. and then leave a TV or radio on so that he doesn't feel lonely, he should get over it relatively quickly. Good luck!

Answer 11

Dont feel bad becasue this is normal all puppies do this after becoming seperated from there brothers and sisters. What you could do is put a clock that ticks off the seconds near his cage. And the ticking helps. But dont put any favorite toys in there with him becsue since he is a puppy he could tear them apart and eat them which wouldn't be too good. But dont feel bad about leaving him in there he'll soon grow out of it. My Choc. lab when he was a pup did the same thing but then he grew out of it. When we got Charlie a choc lab/rottweiler puppy he was like that to and at night i put a radio near him or left the tv on since i couldn't find a clock. And now he can only sleep in his cage for some reason. He will not sleep out side of his cage!