My puppy whines in his crate during the day. What should I do?

This is definitely a difficult situation, because you have a dog (with the mindset of a puppy) that has a normal amount of energy for his age and seems to view the crate as a negative place to be. The crate should be a place that the pup likes to go to, so there is a great deal of training that will be required to get him to associate the crate with good thoughts (like treats). Also, the crate should not be overused. If a dog is spending more than 8 hours a day in a crate, then there's a good chance that they will eventually go stir-crazy. The other thing that needs to be addressed is Ollie's energy. The best way to release this pent-up energy is regular exercise. In his case, it may be best to have exercise where he is running - like when playing fetch at a dog park. I recommend starting two hours of this (AM and PM) to start with. He may need more. Working seven days a week and raising young kids must make free-time for training and exercise very difficult. If you are able to hire help (i.e. a dog walker, or trainer), then this may be your best option. If it is not possible for the dog to get adequate exercise and training, then the only other option I can think of is a consult with a veterinarian, or a veterinary behaviorist. Sometimes medication is needed for certain circumstances in order to facilitate training. I hope that helpful for you. Good luck and I hope all goes well with Ollie.

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.

Acclimate him gradually to the crate. Walk him in and out of it several times daily. Offer praise and rewards when he complies. If you have a crate with two doors, allow him to walk through while on a leash. Increase the amount of time as Oliver progresses. If he resists do not force him, just end the session and try again after he settles down. A pheromone product such as the Adaptil collar or DAP diffuser may decrease any anxiety during this training period.

It's okay, but ideally we want Baxter to enjoy being in his crate and not whine or cry at all - so next time, I would recommend giving him a special, long-lasting treat of some kind when you put him in his crate. A Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter is a great option for many puppies. This will help him get into the habit of settling down right away when he goes in, and will also teach him to associate good things with being in his crate. This should cut down quite a bit on the barking and whining, and help to set him up for a lifetime of enjoying his crate :)

Dogs (as well as people) do things that get results. If you talk to Sienna when she is whining, or if you let her out of the crate, or even yell at her to be quiet (because negative attention is better to a dog than none), she will continue this behavior. If you ignore her completely when she whines, she will learn that this behavior no longer gets the attention she wants, and she will stop. Just be sure all of her physical needs have been met before you crate her. Also, be prepared for an increase in her fussing temporarily if you have been responding to her at all), because what she was doing is not working anymore, so she may feel the need to "up the ante" to get a reaction from you. Be sure you ignore her every single time, no matter how long it goes on. She will stop!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is a tough part of puppyhood! In general the advice goes to ignore the crying entirely and only pet, talk to, or let Vito out when he is quiet. Otherwise he learns “Hey! Crying gets me attention and out of this crate!” Patience and dedication over several days or weeks with this method usually does the trick. I’ve attached a good handout in the link below with other things you may not have considered about crate training. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Vito! 

vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/local_resources/pdfs/behavior_pdfs/Crate_Training_Your_Puppy.pdf

Hello. Crate training takes time, so keep persevering. That being said, expect dogs to be able to hold their bladders the number of months they are in terms of hours, as a general rule. They can hold it a little longer at night. Expect to have to wake up in the middle of the night to let him outside. Bring him outside, let him pee, then right back inside into the crate. No playing or else he will get used to that. The whining and barking should subside soon. HAve fun with him!