# 8 week old Puppy - Barking in Crate



## AndyP (Mar 21, 2011)

Hi there, 

Just got a 8 week old puppy on Friday - we're doing crate training. First night was rough, she whined, barked and cried until I slept on the floor next to her crate. The next night she was good until around 6am then started to panic. Last night was great, she cried for a bit...we told her to be quiet and she was pretty good for the rest of the night. So progress has been shown in just 3 days, which I think is pretty positive.

But two things worry me right now. When I'm alone and go to take a shower, with her in her crate, she goes crazy. Same thing if I leave the house and leave her alone (which I'm trying to do to get her use to it).

I know you're not suppose to go pay attention to a dog when it's barking in the crate but a) she get's to the point where she sounds like she's panicking and going over the edge b) we live in an apartment and I'm worried about noise complaints.

Thoughts? Is this just normal behaviour from an 8 week old puppy missing her mother or is this something I should nip in the butt.

I should add that I've waiting 20-30 minutes for her stop barking, when I get out of the shower or come back...and she just doesn't stop.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Yes, it's normal! She's such a baby right now, she's been separated from mama, brothers and sisters, and everything she's known. Now she's with you, with new sights, smells, and sounds. 

One thing you can do is put a note in your neighbors' mailboxes or on their doors, explaining that you have a new puppy, you know there might be some barking, but that you are trying your best to work through it as quickly as possible, and appreciate their patience with you and your puppy. Some homemade cookies along with the note couldn't hurt! 

Next, I really think crating at night is best for puppies. It keeps them safe, they're not wandering around making messes, and getting into things, etc. But, it can be scary for them at first. So, at night time, keep it up. Ignore her whining. EXCEPT, you might try setting your alarm to see if she needs to go out to potty at night, as it's better to get in the habit of taking her out, rather than letting her pee/poop in her crate overnight.

But, during the day, some pups can't handle being left in a crate, during the day, for as little as 20 minutes with out being acclimated to it, first. So, start with small increments of time.
- when you ARE home with her, do some crate exercises or conditioning. Put an extra yummy treat, like a frozen stuffed kong, in the crate, and let her go inside. Don't even shut the door. Do this a couple times a day. Hopefully, she will stay inside to nibble on the kong, but if not, fine.
- after a couple days, put the kong in the crate, get her to go in also, and shut the door for as little as 1-2 minutes. Then, let her out. But, make sure, if she whines or cries, that you wait for a break in the whining, no matter how brief, before you let her out.
- do this several times a day, for a couple days.
- gradually increase the time she's in the crate. Very gradually, like don't go from 1-2 minutes to 10 minutes, lol! 

If you do this kind of gradual build up, the goal is to let her know that no matter how long she's in the crate, she will always get let out eventually, and that there is something good in the crate (the frozen, stuffed kong) that can keep her busy while she's in there. And, it can help her be more comfortable in the crate at night, as well as in the day.

Also, you can try covering the crate, putting an unwashed piece of your clothing in the crate (your scent might soothe her), put a kitchen timer near by (the ticking is comforting, like mama's heart beat), etc. 
Good luck!


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Babies cry, puppies bark, it comes with the territory.


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## AndyP (Mar 21, 2011)

Thanks guys!

We actually just had the 4th night and she didn't make a peep the entire time other than a few whimpers here and there. We were really impressed. We go to bed around 11-12, so we don't let her nap after 9. Run her around like crazy.

Funny story, we actually put notes on our neighbors doors (we live in a condo). I left my cell to tell us if it's a huge issue that she's barking. We got one response telling us "Good Luck, puppies are awesome!" and then another that said "Thanks for the gesture, but your puppy was barking too much the other night and if you could have a back up plan if it persists."

(she barked for maybe 5 minutes that night)


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## tguinter (Mar 22, 2011)

Hello, and congrats i do remember those sleepless nights and we did the same thing, the first night i couldnt take it and got him out of his crate, the 2nd i slept by the crate so wednesday came and i was exhausted. eventually we just had to deal with it, he would go nuts in there i thought he would hurt himself, but he finally learned it is ok. And when leaving him in the crate to go to work or wherever was rough also, i park in our garage and could hear him going nuts, it would just break my heart. But he needed to get used to it and we had to be stern with it or he would never learn. Now i have given in and he sleeps in our bedroom at night sometimes with us or on the floor. other than that when we are gone he is in his crate and does wonderful, so much as when we say "Rusty go in your crate" he looks at you and walks right in. So you are doing great it just takes time and persistance, it will get easier. Puppies are so wonderful to have. As for your neighbors I wouldnt worry about it, i dont live in a condo/apartment but our neighbors are a little on the grouchy side about noise, he barely barks especially outside but they are just grouchy. So i wouldnt let it bother you, they will get over it, atleast you told them.

Good Luck


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

Whew, I'm starting to feel very blessed that my 9-week old adores his crate!

I also heard that it helps to put an unwashed shirt of yours in the crate with him so he can smell you...and to definitely keep his crate in your room (within "snoring" distance) so that he can hear that he's with his human packmates. Lastly, I've heard putting a ticking clock near him helps as it simulate's mom's heartbeat


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