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

Question

Currently trying to crate train Oliver. He sleeps straight through the night in his locked crate no problem. During the day when he naps, I place him in his locked crate after he falls asleep, and let him out when he's woken up. But when he is placed in his crate for a nap before he is fully asleep, after I lock the door and walk away, he whines and howls like no there's no tomorrow. Do I need to add more positive association with his crate like treats? Or should I just ignore his whining? Pet's info: Dog | Boston Terrier | Male | neutered | 2 months and 6 days old | 6.4 lbs

Bette Isacoff · Accepted Answer

If Oliver sleeps peacefully in his crate during the night, then clearly he is used to it. As for the daytime . . . you need to decide what the house rules will be, not he. Put him in the crate when he is awake, and ignore any whining or howling. Any attention, even negative attention such as scolding him, will reinforce the behavior. You may have to tough it out for a few days, but once Oliver understands that no amount of noise is going to bring results, he will stop. Just be prepared for an initial escalation if his antics worked in the past to either get him sprung from the crate or some other reward. He will wonder why they are not woreking now, and try harder. Be patient. He will stop if he gets no satisfaction from his efforts. Just be certain that you are not leaving him in the crate for too long a period of time during the day. Best of luck with this! If you need further assistance, you can click on the prompt to initate a consult.

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

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