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The doghouse

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Original poster

How long to leave dog crying in crate

75 replies

ConsternationStation · 30/04/2025 12:42

I'm trying to teach our 6mo Cocker spaniel to be alone. I spend a lot of time walking, training and playing with her then leave her to her own devices for a little bit then pop her in the crate, act like I'm leaving, lock the front door and sit on the front step. After two minutes I can hear her crying and as soon as she hears me open the front door she stops.

How long should I leave her to cry in the crate? I currently leave her an extra minute or two before returning but I don't know if this is making it better or worse. Obviously I'm not going to leave her for 30 minutes crying solidly.

OP posts:
afaloren · 30/04/2025 12:47

I’m not an expert but I believe you should go back BEFORE she starts crying otherwise she thinks crying is what makes you come back.

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 30/04/2025 12:56

Does she already sleep in the crate? Is she used to it? 6 months seems quite late to introduce her to this and to be first introducing her to being alone. Do you have a larger safe space in the house where you could leave her with toys and music, and the open crate for her to sleep in?

Original poster
ConsternationStation · 30/04/2025 13:00

This isn't the first time I'm introducing this to her. She just doesn't like to be alone so it's been a long, ongoing process to get to the stage of me leaving the house.

She sleeps in the crate overnight and will occasionally sleep in there during the day although she prefers the sofa for that. There isn't really a good place in the house to leave her to have free range as she can still be a bit of a chewer. Music is always left on.

OP posts:
spiderlight · 30/04/2025 13:07

You need to go back in before she starts crying. Otherwise she's just learning that crying brings you back, not that she's safe home alone. She's also going to start building up negative associations with the crate if she's left in it to the point where she's crying. You need much shorter intervals so you're not pushing her above her threshold. Julie Naismith https://julienaismith.com/ is the best person to follow for issues relating to separation anxiety.

Julie Naismith | Help Dogs Be Happy Home Alone

Have lunch with your family while your dog chills at home, like my client Jen Go back to the gym, like Carla Leave your pet while you go to work, like Jenna Go back to your yoga class, like Beth

https://julienaismith.com

howcanitbetrue · 30/04/2025 13:15

shes only tiny. don't leave her to cry - you need to go back before she starts.

if she's only 6 months it's not been a long time training.

You need to practice flitting a lot more. You are currently setting her up to fail each time and potentially end up with a dog with acute separation anxiety

Facebook - dog training advice and support will be your friend here.

Frequency · 30/04/2025 13:23

She should never be crying in the crate, or uncomfortable in it, or wary to be in it.

The crate is supposed to be a good, safe space. If it isn't, you need to go back to basics with the training.

Crate training isn't locking a dog in and hoping for the best. That is cruelty.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUzF0g0PwY4

Marmaladelade · 30/04/2025 13:24

Crates aren’t for restriction - they are a dogs safe place - you don’t leave dog in crates and go out

Marmaladelade · 30/04/2025 13:24

The door should always be open!

Original poster
ConsternationStation · 30/04/2025 13:27

Ugh, I thought I was doing the right thing leaving her for an extra minute. I'll strip it right back to thirty seconds and try to catch her before she's upset.

Thanks.

OP posts:
bigknitblanket · 30/04/2025 13:28

Marmaladelade · 30/04/2025 13:24

Crates aren’t for restriction - they are a dogs safe place - you don’t leave dog in crates and go out

Part of keeping a dog safe is making sure it can’t chew things it shouldn’t. A large closed crate or a pen is fine for short periods while you go out (as long as the dog is happy in the crate obviously.)

RedHelenB · 30/04/2025 13:30

Take her out the cage. I think they're unnecessary.

bigknitblanket · 30/04/2025 13:30

OP have you tried a stuffed kong (if she’s on dry food you can soak it then stuff kong and freeze it) so she has something to soothe/distract her? If you do that you can put her in when she’s tired with the kong and just come in and out of the room regularly, and build up from there. As Pp said it’s important they don’t associate crying with you returning, so you have to time it right.

BigDahliaFan · 30/04/2025 13:49

Crating isn't compulsory. We left ours to find her own safe space. Which wasn't the crate. She eventually settled on the landing at the top of the stairs or the back of the sofa depending on mood.

Leaving for very very short amounts of time - when they aren't in the crate - is good as they eventually learn that you aren't that interesting and they can stay put when you leave the room.

She liked the crate to sleep in upstairs at night - but that lasted till about 5 months when she refused to go in it anymore and now lies on our bed or her bed.

Anyway crate training is hard, not all dogs like it, and there are other easier things to do. Have a look at Easy Peasy puppy squeezy.

BigDahliaFan · 30/04/2025 13:51

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogtrainingadviceandsupport/?ref=share

Don't leave them crying. Also training to fee safe alone and crate training are different things. I'd say don't crate.

Marmaladelade · 30/04/2025 13:53

bigknitblanket · 30/04/2025 13:28

Part of keeping a dog safe is making sure it can’t chew things it shouldn’t. A large closed crate or a pen is fine for short periods while you go out (as long as the dog is happy in the crate obviously.)

Show quote history

A large closed crate is a different thing

you can make them safe without a crate

LandSharksAnonymous · 30/04/2025 14:19

Definitely don't leave her in the crate crying - she could easily end up associating it with bad memories (and therefore refusing to go into it at night) or, if she gets very distressed, causing herself harm (I use this example a lot, but I know someone who's puppy dislocated it's jaw on the bars of a crate because it got so distressed whilst being 'crate trained).

Remember, Spaniels are super prone to SA - I know that's crappy, because we can't always be around. But I agree with PPs, you need to go back to her before she cries - or you risk teaching her that crying = you coming back. You need to build it up slowly. Remember, 'alone' training also starts by leaving them downstairs whilst you're upstairs, leaving them alone in the room when they're asleep etc.

survivingunderarock · 30/04/2025 15:05

Alone training is about making it so boring that you are leaving they don’t want to come. That won’t happen for a while yet with a puppy.

Its about changing emotions that you leaving is scary to ok you’ll be back so I’ll just chill here on my bed/sofa/floor then building it up very very slowly.

It’s not about crying to make you come back. It’s about not being bothered about you coming back as they know you will so not getting anywhere near crying.

So you need pup to choose not to come for them to be truly ok alone rather than just coping. Yes it can be done. With any mature dog. Not a pup but the independence games start now as they will all be very safe and under threshold.

Useyourfork · 30/04/2025 16:01

Our dog was happy in her crate at that age. I remember putting a blanket over it and had her dog bed in it, it was like a cave and it just became her bed. We used to put her in it after a walk for a bit and give her frozen peas that she had to hunt for.

Discombobble · 30/04/2025 16:04

I’m not a dog person, but I do not understand bringing a pet into your home and then shutting them in a cage, especially if it distresses them. I never came across this when I was a child, with our dog or anyone else’s - it seems needlessly cruel

BoyDoIMissSecrets · 30/04/2025 16:04

https://themuttyprofessor.co.uk/blog/to-crate-or-not-to-crate-your-dog/

Dogs are polyphasic sleepers. This means they sleep in short periods, like to get up and move around, and change positions. Changing surfaces that they sleep on also helps them regulate their temperature. Therefore, crating dogs goes against their natural way of sleeping and removes all options of them fulfilling this instinctive behaviour.

A young dog lying in front of a dog crate

The crate debate: To crate or not to crate your dog – The Mutty Professor

Why I am against crating I am personally very much against crates, with the exception of if a dog has an injury or needs to be prepared for travelling somewhere

https://themuttyprofessor.co.uk/blog/to-crate-or-not-to-crate-your-dog/

DisapprovingSpaniel · 30/04/2025 16:05

Remember, Spaniels are super prone to SA

This is worth repeating. Spaniels are bred to bond extremely closely to a single handler and to be extremely sensitive - that's why they can work so precisely at a distance. It's not to say a spaniel cannot be left but just that it is really worth keeping in mind you chose (?) a breed that has a very strong inbred urge to always be with you and a low tolerance for upset. Keep that in mind because it probably means this dog may a lot longer than you would expect and need a lot more patience than a more independent breed might.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 30/04/2025 16:10

This thread is interesting timing for me as I have dog friends who are very 😳😳😳 that I am yet unable to leave my 5 month old puppy home alone for 5 hours several times a week (1 hour for every month of age apparently … at that trajectory I’ll be able to leave him for 8 hours alone soon 🤔 which I very obviously won’t do!)

MissyB1 · 30/04/2025 16:19

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 30/04/2025 16:10

This thread is interesting timing for me as I have dog friends who are very 😳😳😳 that I am yet unable to leave my 5 month old puppy home alone for 5 hours several times a week (1 hour for every month of age apparently … at that trajectory I’ll be able to leave him for 8 hours alone soon 🤔 which I very obviously won’t do!)

My schnauzer is 9 years old and has never been left on her own for more than 2 hours. And we built up to that very very gradually.

Bupster · 30/04/2025 18:01

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 30/04/2025 16:10

This thread is interesting timing for me as I have dog friends who are very 😳😳😳 that I am yet unable to leave my 5 month old puppy home alone for 5 hours several times a week (1 hour for every month of age apparently … at that trajectory I’ll be able to leave him for 8 hours alone soon 🤔 which I very obviously won’t do!)

My cockerdor is a year old and hasn't been left alone for more than a few minutes, because he very clearly isn't ready. I'd rather it took another year than I left him to get distressed and he started believing that it was awful and dangerous for me to go.

Wexone · 30/04/2025 18:21

Never ever have used a crate. my dogs have their own space to move around in. when leave them they have kong toys snuffle mats and licky mats given ti them they have their own beds in the back living room. which is closed when we go away nothing for them to chew buy enough space for them to move around different beds or the sofa to lie on..lie in the sun or by the fire. get a good walk before we go too. some dogs hate enclosed spaces such as crate as reminds them of when they were a puppy. a dog remembers everything