Crating - To Ignore or Not to Ignore?
Hello,
I'm crate training my 10 week old puppy and have read and spoken to various sources and have received differing opinions relating to what to do when the dog starts to cry/whine/bark in the crate.
Some say the best thing to do when the dog is crying/whining/barking is to just ignore it - if we respond, even with corrections, the dog will perceive it as getting attention and therefore, a reward, but I'm a little concerned that without corrections the dog will learn that it's okay to bark incessantly. Other sources recommend giving a quick "Quiet" or "No bark", etc.
Last night we ignored our pup when she began bark at around 3 a.m.- our pup barked for about 2 hours with hardly any break. When I finally got up, I took her out to go to the bathroom and returned her to her crate so I could walk my other dog - when I left for walking my dog the pup was crying, and she was still barking when I returned about 20 minutes later.
Any thoughts/opinions? Is it better to be consistent and ignore completely (all the time), or are there times when it's appropriate to correct - and what type of correction is best? I did try giving a "quiet" once last night and the pup did seem to get louder for a few minutes.
Thanks!
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