Should You Let Your Puppy Cry It Out in the Crate?
No—at least, not always. A few minutes of mild whining can be normal as your puppy adjusts to crate training, but prolonged or panicked crying can lead to fear, crate aversion, or early separation anxiety. If your puppy settles within 5–10 minutes, it’s usually okay to give them space. If they escalate, show signs of distress (panting, trembling, escape attempts), or refuse food, step in with gentle reassurance. Use gradual, positive crate training to build confidence, pairing the crate with comfort, enrichment, and calm routines.

Wondering how long until your puppy stops crying in the crate—or whether something’s wrong? If your puppy cries, whines, howls, or barks nonstop when crated or left alone, they could be showing early signs of puppy separation anxiety.

While some vocalizing is normal, especially on the first night of crate training, excessive crying that lasts for hours or happens every night may signal a deeper issue like separation anxiety.

In this post, you’ll learn how to tell the difference between normal crate adjustment and separation anxiety-driven behavior, how long to let your puppy cry it out in the crate, and when and how to intervene effectively.

We’ll also walk you through positive, gentle crate training techniques that help your puppy feel safe, calm, and confident—whether you’re in the next room or away for the day.

Training a puppy is one of the most rewarding and formative experiences for any dog owner. These early months are crucial for shaping your puppy’s behavior, social skills, and overall confidence. But let’s be honest, keeping a young pup engaged and cooperative isn’t always straightforward. That’s where training treats come in. The right reward can work wonders in reinforcing good behavior and creating positive associations with commands. But not all treats are created equal.

Fostering a strong bond with your new puppy is one of the best ways to turn them into a dream companion. 

Building a bond can begin from the moment you pick your pup up and bring it home, so being prepared and knowing how to make your puppy’s first experiences with you the best they can be can help you bond with them.

Here are our top 10 tips for how to build an instant bond with your new puppy starting on day one.

Puppy training tips from a Los Angeles dog trainer: Puppy training can start as soon as you bring your pup home and can be as simple as taking a few minutes at mealtimes to create positive associations with your pup’s name, a slap to your thigh, and a pointed finger. 

Puppy training requires structure, consistency, and patience. Get a professional dog trainer’s 5 top puppy training tips and mistakes to avoid when bringing a new puppy home. Being prepared from the start is the key to successful puppy training!

Puppy Training Tips: How to Socialize Your Puppy Before They’re Fully Vaccinated

Socialization is how you help your puppy build positive associations with the world around them during their critical early development stage—between 4 and 16 weeks of age. But if your puppy hasn’t had all their shots yet, how can you safely expose them to new people, sounds, and environments? We’ll show you how.

Puppy Training 101 - An essential aspect of puppy training is teaching a puppy not to bite you. The first step a puppy parent must learn is how to respond appropriately when a puppy first sinks its teeth into you. 

Not sure how to potty train your puppy? Get a professional dog trainer’s top 5 tips for how to quickly and effectively housebreak your puppy.