Why is my dog whining in his crate?

[RachelZimmerman]

I have had my dog for three months. He has had no problems sleeping in his crate at night until the last week. I was very ill right before he started this. I was home constantly and one night I was so sick I left him sleep by the couch by me. Ever since then, when I crate him he will start to whine and when I don't come he starts barking and pawing at the crate even worse. I tried to ignore it and just let him go on, but he gets worse and worse and I'm worried he is going to hurt himself in the crate. I have tried to make loud noises when he starts to whine. I tried moving his crate to my bedroom last night and even that didn't help. I'm so confused because he had no problems with this until recently. Please help...I'm not getting much sleep.

 

[Emiiiex]

Are you still ill? - He may want to be with you still if you are.
If you are not, then it is just a temper tantrum; don't take him out of the crate when he is whining or he will think if he whines = he comes out the crate.
Also, what is that dogs state when he goes into the crate? if he is hyper then he is going to feel trapped, = barking and excessive biting of the crate. Be sure he is drained before going in his crate, this is fro relaxing and a safe place for your dog.

You could also use sound, if he starts to whine, make a sharp 'shh' sound then walk away, when he is calm bring him out the crate and reward him, this should work after a few tries *do this during the day, and work up the time he is there when quiet before you bring him out*
And make sure he comes out when you say, not when the door is open, my 14 week old puppy will sit/lay in his crate until I ask him to come out, and he used to whine, cry, bite the cage and try to bark to come out.
Also make sure your crate is big enough for your puppy to turn around stand/sit and lay down. however not to big.

Good luck!

EDIT!
For the person saying about 'how bad crates are' they are better for dogs, they are den animals so there for a crate is perfectly safe for dogs if used properly.

If a crate is used properly with a dog, then it becomes a safe place for them.

 

[BirdieWilson]

he just dont want u to leave him he wants u 24 7

 

[JessicaShelton]

If the crate is small then maybe your dog just needs more breathing room. Or he just doesn't want to be in the crate. You could ask someone at a pet store maybe or look for a website. I bought a dog house last year and my dog has always been afraid of it. I recently trained my dog to lay in her dog house by putting treats in it. The only time i gave her a treat, I'd stick it in the dog house and she eventually started going in there on her own. You should try putting treats in his crate.

 

[bballsabrina5]

My dog was like that also. So we just gated him up in the corner of my kitchen with his bed and toys. We call it "his room" and he goes in there to sleep and thinks of it as his own space now. That might work for your dog. Maybe the crate is too small for him?

 

[Radness]

Would you like to sleep in a crate? I bet your dog doesn't either. I bet three months was his limit and now he is just plain angry with the crate. A similar thing happened with my dog (a cavalier king charles spaniel). He doesn't bark at all but when in that crate, something made him go MAD! Now, I have placed his bed into a bathroom and he sleeps happily in there with NO PROBLEM! I would rather sleep in a more spacious place than a little crate. I bet you would too. So try it! You never know! He may just like the idea. I hope this helps!

 

[TomK]

Your dog's crate should be his den. He should always feel safe and comfortable there. Maybe size is the issue. Perhaps he needs a bit larger crate to have more room to move around. If that isn't the issue, then dominance almost has to be.

 

[jjaanbutt]

Don't neglect the obvious: he may have to pee, poop, or drink water.

If you've taken care of all these needs, just tell him to "Knock it off!"

 

[btdt]

Don't neglect the obvious: he may have to pee, poop, or drink water.

If you've taken care of all these needs, just tell him to "Knock it off!"