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Border Collie Puppy Crying In Crate?

Your puppy does plenty of adorable things that you love. From pouncing around with their big, clumsy paws snoozing in all sorts of weird positions and unknowingly posing for the cutest pictures.

However, puppies require time, along with some diligent training, in order to grow into a well-behaved adult dog. And in a lot of cases, crate training your puppy is often necessary to help keep them safe and out of trouble.

But, if you’ve tried crate training your puppy, you’ve probably discovered that it’s not easy. One of the most frustrating—and heartbreaking—things of crate training is when your puppy cries in their crate.

In order to reduce frustration and stress not only for the puppy but everyone else in the household, it’s important to take the right steps. That means that a pup needs to be trained to use their crate while feeling at ease and comfortable in the crate.

Why Your Border Collie Puppy Is crying In Their Crate?

It’s quite normal for puppies to cry in their crate. A young puppy that’s new to their crate may cry because they’re not yet accustomed to the confinement. It’s important to remember that they’re probably still getting used to being away from their littermates, making them feel lonely and confused and, as a result, they’ll vocalize.

Dogs and especially puppies are social and will want nothing more than to be with their pack all the time. So, it’s not surprising that they will try to get your attention whenever they feel isolated.

Getting Your Collie Puppy To Stop Crying In Their Crate

While dog owners may not be able to completely avoid the puppies crying behavior, there’re at least some ways of reducing it. It’s very important to practice proper crate training and to avoid teaching your collie pup bad habits early on.

Steps To Help Cut Down On Puppy Crying When Crated

Try Ignoring the crying

One of the biggest mistakes that new puppy owners make is to give in and start giving their puppy attention or taking their puppy out of the crate once the crying begins. The Best thing to do is to ignore the whining. Giving your puppy any type of attention will just reinforce their behavior.
The goal is to teach your puppy that quiet and calm behavior results in them getting released from their crate.

Pick the right-size crate

It’s important for your puppy to have enough space in their crate to help them stay comfortable. Their crate should be large enough that they can stand up, turn around and play with toys.

If you’re unsure if your crate is too small, then consider getting a dog crate that has a divider that you can use to adjust the size of the crate as your collie puppy grows.

Getting your puppy comfortable with their crate

Familiarizing your puppy with their crate is one of the best ways to help cut down on anxiety and should help reduce whining.

One of the first steps should be to take your time acclimating your puppy to their crate. Your puppy needs the opportunity to learn that their crate is a happy and comfortable space. If you start crating without an adequate ‘getting to know you’ period, then your pup could be more likely to protest in the long run.

You should never use your puppy’s crate as punishment. Providing your puppy with treats, chew toys and bedding in the crate will help with the overall experience.

Consider using dog treats to reward your collie puppy when they’re being quiet and calm in their crate.

When your puppy is accustomed to their crate, they will enter it readily on their own. Another good idea is to leave the crate door open when it’s not in use.

It should eventually become their safe haven where they can enjoy time chewing on their toys, relaxing while watching the rest of the family go around their business.

Make sure to provide plenty of potty breaks

Remember that puppies cannot “hold it” for as long as an adult dog, so it’s your responsibility to make sure that your young puppy has ample opportunities to go outside, even in the middle of the night.

Kennel soiling is often caused because of the puppy getting left in the crate longer than they can control themselves. A good rule of thumb for figuring out the number of hours your puppy needs between bathroom breaks is by adding their age plus one.

For example, if your puppy is around 2-month-old then they can usually hold it for three hours, and a 3-month-old puppy can usually hold it for four hours. It’s better to be safe than sorry and to use your puppy’s age as a good estimate for how long they can go between bathroom breaks. There’s no such thing as too many trips outside while your puppy is potty training.

Crate Placement

Another factor causing their crying could be down to where you have your puppy’s crate.

Crate placement can definitely have an impact on your puppy’s reaction. For example, if the crate is put in a faraway room, or worse yet, the basement or garage, then your puppy might feel too isolated and react by crying.

It’s always best to keep the crate in an area where the rest of the family spends a lot of time. It may even be a good idea to use two separate crates — i.e., one in a family room or living room and the other for the bedroom where your puppy will sleep.

In addition to helping your collie pup feel less anxious, having the crate close to you will allow you to hear whenever your puppy needs to go outside.

The majority of young puppies simply can’t hold it for the entire night, so you must be able to hear when your puppy wakes and cries looking to go outside. If not, then your puppy may be forced to soil their crate.

Make Sure They Get Enough Exercise

Make sure that your puppy is getting lots of exercise and attention while outside of the crate. By doing this, there’s a good chance that your collie pup will be ready for their nap when crated.

To help keep your puppy busy, consider adding an interactive dog toy or treats in your puppy’s crate, also helping to reduce boredom. You could give your puppy a safe, hard, rubber busy toy stuffed with a little peanut butter or a few treats whenever you crate them. Doing this consistency with this delicious ritual could help your puppy get excited to go into their crate.

Puppy Crying in The Crate: When to Worry

While puppy crying is not uncommon, dog owners should be on the lookout for any excessive whining or unusual behavior, whether the puppy is in their crate or not.

Talk to your veterinarian if crying is new behavior for a puppy who has previously handled being crated well or if you’ve noticed any other worrisome symptoms.

Dog owners should stay alert and reach out for help if the puppies crying doesn’t eventually subside. A little bit of puppy whining in the crate should be expected. If your puppy is reactive, the entire time when crated, regardless of the duration, or if they have self-injured from attempting to escape their crate, then it’s important to connect with a trainer or veterinary behaviorist.

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