My 9-week-old puppy cries in his crate when I'm in the room. Why?

Young puppies like this are often anxious about being left alone, even if they're just in a crate across the room. You can help him learn to enjoy being in his crate by giving him a special long-lasting treat each time you put him in - something like a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter works very well for many puppies. This will help to keep him busy and encourage him to settle, and will also teach him to associate good things with being in his crate.

Perhaps (and without being there, I can't tell for sure) Loki keeps crying because he gets your attention. You do not need to stay with him, nor does he need something to keep him occupied at night. He needs to learn that nighttime is for sleeping. Once you are sure that all of his needs have been attended to, put him in his crate and walk away . . . and stay away! Do not go back, yell, try to soothe, etc. Once he realizes that his noise won't get the desired result, he'll stop. However, he may get worse temporarily. This does not mean that the tactic isn't working. On the contrary, it means that what he was doing before no longer gets the desired result, so he's ramping up the behavior in the hopes that more will be better. Stand your ground! He will eventually learn for himself that nothing is going to work, so he may as well go to sleep.

Leave the crate open for him to go in and out during the day. At night, use a cover over the crate so he cant see you. Leave a nightlight on for him as well as a radio tuned to a talk station on low volume for "company". At his young age, he's going to want to be close to you. It will take time for him to acclimate to being in the crate.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh goodness Rocco is cute! Rocco is still very young! He likely misses all his litter mates. Making the crate a good place to be is your best approach. When he is out with you, leave the play pen/crate open so he can walk in and out. Give good treats and toys in the crate with the door opening. Tie the toy or rawhide chew with rope in the crate so he can't take it out to play with or eat. Teach him how to "go to his bed" which will be the crate. When he is tired pick him up and lay him in there. If you have free time snuggle with him. It will take time and like I said at 8 weeks he is very young and this is normal behavior. I hope this helps and good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Jasper is very young and likely lonely. Barking in the crate at 7 weeks is very normal. You can try putting a blanket over the crate to create a "den-like" environment. If he doesn't chew up toys you can place a large stuffed animal for his to snuggle up with. Still try to hold your ground and ignore him. You can also consider putting the crate in another room and everyone closes their bedroom doors until he is fully crate trained. I hope this helps and I wish you and Jasper the very best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not atypical but rather typical behavior for a puppy. I recommend that you ignore her while she does it and she will eventually learn that her crying will not lead you to go get her which is better as she will become more independent. Best of luck!

It can be hard for a 7-week-old puppy to be comfortable sleeping by himself in a crate, as normally puppies this age would still be sleeping all snuggled up with their mother and littermates. I'm not sure where Jasper's crate is in your home, but I always recommend putting it in the bedroom right beside your bed at first - you can move it later on if you want to, once he's a bit older and sleeping through the night without any problems. This way, he's much less likely to whine and cry because he knows you're right beside him. If he does fuss a bit, you can talk softly to him and rest your hand on top of the crate for him to sniff. For small puppies, if needed, you can even get a soft-sided pet carrier and have him sleep in this on the bed at first. You can gradually transition him to the floor once he's comfortable and no longer crying at night.