Keep a Dog From Whimpering & Barking in His Crate
When traveling by air with your dog, you will often be allowed to keep it in the cargo hold or even in the passenger cabin if it is appropriately crated. At home, too, dogs and especially puppies must often be confined in a small space. They may be unhappy about it at first. Fortunately, there is much you can do to prevent your dog from whining and barking in his crate. It's called "crate training."
Instructions
Training Rover to be Quiet in His Crate
1. Expunge any guilt you may feel when placing your pet in a crate for the night or while you're off to work or the movies. Jacque Schultz, a companion animal programs advisor, argues that crating "on a humane schedule teaches puppies bladder and bowel control and limits a teething demon to his own property. A dog crated in a car has a better chance of surviving an auto accident and little chance of causing one." Moreover, hotels and motels are happier to welcome a pet when they know it will be crated; and the dog "will feel more comfortable when left alone if he is in his own 'room.' "
2. Use plastic airline crates for a dog that often travels with you, or for a dog that is most comfortable in well-enclosed, dark spaces. Use a wire crate at home to let the dog see what's going on and still feel part of things despite being cordoned off. Make sure the crate is roomy enough for him to stand up in, lie down in, and do the walking-around-in-a-little-circle thing that dogs like to do. It should not be so large that a puppy still being house-trained can't easily steer clear of the consequences of any misadventures. If a movable divider is not already installed in the crate, use a makeshift wall to temporarily divide a crate that your pet is expected to grow into.
3. Give Rover a chance to get used to crate life. Leave him inside for only short periods at first, then gradually lengthen the span to nine hours maximum. Feeding him in the crate will teach him to become accustomed to this environment. Install a soft blanket for bedding.
4. While your dog is still learning to like his home-inside-his-home, send him to his crate right after he has been out for a walk or has begun to show signs of sleepiness. Later, when he must be tenanted in the crate while still alert and energetic, he'll be more comfortable with the experience.
5. Leave your dog undisturbed when he is in the crate so that he gets the feeling that this is entirely his own space. Make sure he has his favorite toys to chew on.
6. Resist the urge to obey your dog when he whimpers and barks, begging to be released from the crate. (Unless, of course, some kind of emergency makes release mandatory.) If you let the dog out merely because he complains, he'll get the idea that complaining works. Some dog owners recommend that you gently spray the dog with water (near the face but not in the eyes) when barking is excessive. When the dog quiets down, reward his good behavior with a pat, a kind word or a treat.
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