Is your Golden Retriever puppy crying in the crate but you don't know why or how to stop it? Imagine for a second you know exactly why your puppy is crying and how to stop it. That's what I'm going to tell you in this post. I used these tips to help my Golden Retriever puppy Charlie, who used to cry a ton, finally stop crying in the crate.
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Why Your Golden Retriever Puppy Is Crying
At first, a golden retriever puppy crying can be cute. You want to cuddle that sweet little fluff, hold them tight, and just let them know that everything will be fine. But when you can't sleep because your puppy is crying, that cuteness wears off really fast.
If you're going through this now, just realize that it's a phase and will stop soon. And one day, believe it or not, you're going to wish your adult dog was a sweet little puppy again. But that's not much help right now, is it?
Puppies cry for different reasons, so the ways to get them to stop varies. We're going to cover each reason why they cry and how to stop it, but there's one thing to remember. Do not punish your puppy for crying.
Crying Is One Of The Few Ways They Know How to Communicate
At this stage in their life, it's one of the few ways they know how to communicate, plus it's helped their ancestors survive in the wild for thousands of years, and they're just a puppy, so they're not really gonna understand why you're punishing them.
The good news is that, with proper training and understanding, your puppy will stop crying. Your puppy may cry in the crate for several reasons, including being scared or lonely, not tired, uncomfortable, bored, needing to potty, hurt, sick, hungry, or wanting attention. We'll get into identifying each reason that puppies may cry in the crate and the solution to get them to stop.
But first, there's one more big rule that you need to understand about puppy crying. Do not positively reinforce crying in the crate. Remember that the first big rule was to not punish them for crying. And the second big rule is just as important.
Do not positively reinforce crying in the crate. Puppies are smart, and every time they cry you let them out of the crate, they're going to realize that every time they cry, they get what they want. Instead, you need to positively reinforce good behavior. If you're taking them out of the crate, you need to wait until they settle down before you take them out.
If you positively reinforce their good behavior, puppies can learn to not cry in the crate in just a few short days, although some do take longer than that. Alright, now let's dive into the 9 reasons why your Golden Retriever puppy is crying in the crate and how to get them to stop.
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Reason #1
Reason number one, your puppy is crying because she's scared or lonely. Let's look at it from your puppy's perspective. If you just recently got her/him, just imagine what he's thinking. He's probably thinking that he lost her pack and now he's all alone in this unfamiliar box. I'd be scared too.
In the wild, if a puppy were to be alone, they would cry to let other members of the pack know where they are. So crying in the crate is totally natural.
Now this is similar to crying in the crate, but the solution to solve it is totally different. And we're going to cover that in a little bit. But here's the solution for when your puppy is crying because she's scared or lonely.
Solution
What your puppy needs to know is that you'll come back and that the crate is safe. The shortcut to doing this is to actually not leave her alone and instead put her crate in your room. That's one way to do it, but it's not the only way.
What we did with our dog when we first brought him home was that we slept in the living room where his crate was for the first three nights when he was home. The fourth night we left him alone and of course, he didn't like it and he cried, but within a few short days, the crying actually stopped.
To help your golden pup realize that the crate is safe, put a toy or two in there with him, play games involving the crate, and you can feed her in the crate. Eventually, he will get comfortable and stop crying in the crate because he's scared or lonely.
Reason #2
Reason number two, your puppy is crying because she's not tired. If your puppy is not getting enough exercise and burning off all that crazy puppy energy, her reaction when you put her in the crate might be to cry and whine. Putting a puppy full of energy in a crate is setting her up for failure. And the solution to this is to go play.
Ways to Tire Your Golden Retriever Puppy Out
Games of fetch and tug are great ways to physically tire her out, and training is a good way to mentally tire her out to burn off some of that puppy energy. Playing with or chewing on toys is another great way to burn off energy.
Reason #3
Reason number three, your puppy is crying because he's uncomfortable. Does your puppy have a nice comfy bed? Is there enough room in the crate? If your puppy is uncomfortable in the crate, then he might let you know by crying.
Solution
The solution, make sure that they have a comfortable bed with enough room. You don't want them to have too much room or they think that their crate is a master bedroom with a bathroom on one side, but they do need enough room to lay down and be comfortable.
Reason #4
Reason number four, your puppy is crying because she needs to potty. If your puppy is crying because she needs to potty, that's great news. That means that she's starting to get potty trained, but obviously, she can't tell you that she needs to go, so you're gonna have to figure that out yourself.
Has she gone in the past hour? Did she just drink a lot? did she just play with a toy? Did she just eat? All of these activities could make your puppy need to go potty and it's your job to not put your puppy in the crate if she's got a full bladder. This will set you up for failure in your crate training efforts and it's going to cause the process to be a lot slower.
Solution
The solution is pretty obvious here. Take them out to go potty. Give them some time outside and make sure that they've completely done all of their business.
Reason #5
Now the next reason that your puppy might be crying in the crate is because they're bored. But before we get into that, take a second and think about how much you love your puppy. It's really important to remember that and to remind yourself of it, especially when your puppy is being difficult.
This will help renew your patience and be a better puppy parent, and your puppy will thank you for it. And if thinking about how much you love your puppy put a big ol' smile on your face. Alright, now that we've got a big ol' smile on, let's dive into reason number five.
Nobody likes to be bored. And since Golden Retriever puppies have an attention span of about two seconds, it's really easy for them to get bored. Of course, crying can be one of the ways that they express that.
Usually, a bored puppy is a misbehaved puppy. This is when they'll start chewing on things that they're not supposed to, like your shoes, or your furniture, or even their bed.
Solution
Tire them out, or keep them entertained. You achieve both of these by giving them fun and exciting toys to play with, by taking them out for walks, or by playing with them before you put them in the crate.
Reason #6
Reason number six, your puppy is crying because he's hurt. Puppies, like kids, may cry because they're hurt. If your puppy is crying and you're not sure why, give them the old rubdown. Play with all of their limbs and joints and paws, and if you hear a yelp, that might be a sign that they're hurt, and that could be the reason that they're crying. Another giveaway may be a limp.
Solution
Of course, the solution for a hurt puppy is to call your vet. They can help diagnose what's actually wrong and help get them better.
Reason #7
Reason number seven, your puppy is crying because she's sick. Just like if they're hurt, puppies may cry because they're sick.
Is your puppy lethargic or is she avoiding you when she normally follows you around? Is she vomiting? Is she excessively licking or biting an area which may be a sign of infection, allergies, parasites, ticks, or fleas? Does she have diarrhea? Or has she not gone in a few days?
These all may be signs that she's sick, which could cause her to cry. And of course, the solution to a sick puppy is to call the vet.
Reason #8
Reason number eight, your puppy is crying because she's hungry. Most people get crabby when they're hungry, and Golden puppies are no different. Most puppies act like they haven't had a meal in weeks when you bust out the food bag.
But you can usually tell that a puppy is getting enough food or not getting enough food by the way that they act between meals. Is your puppy full of energy like a normal pup, or are they lethargic? If they're lethargic, that might be a sign that they're not getting enough food.
Solution
The solution, talk to your vet. Check with your vet to see how much food you should be feeding your puppy and then make sure that you're giving her the right amount.
Reason #9
Reason number nine, your puppy is crying because she wants attention. When puppies are 8 to 12 weeks old, they go through what's called the bonding stage. This is when they learn who their new parents are and establish a strong connection with them.
If they feel like they're not getting enough attention, they might cry to let you know. Now, before we get to the solution, here's a quick warning. If they cry because they want attention, and every time you give it to them, they might learn that every time they cry they're going to get attention, and that's going to lead into the habit of always crying.
Solution
Give your puppy a ton of love and a ton of attention when you're playing with them, and play with them often. Let them know that you're their parent and that you love them, but if they're crying just because they want attention when you're giving them plenty of it, don't reward their crying.
Wrapping Up
So we just covered the nine most common reasons why your Golden Retriever puppy might be crying, but I want to hear from you. Which of these reasons causes your puppy to cry the most? Let me know in the comments below.
Now we all know that puppy crying can be so frustrating, so if you know somebody with a new puppy, make sure to share this article with them so that they can identify if something is actually wrong, or they can stop the puppy crying if there's nothing actually wrong.
