Should You Let Your Dog ‘Cry It Out’?

Pet parents whose dogs won’t stop barking probably have had the thought: Should I just ignore them? If I let them keep up their seemingly relentless whines, will they eventually stop? After all, many parents of humans choose to let their babies “cry it out” so they can learn to sleep independently. Does the same apply to pet parents hoping to build independence in their dogs? 

The short answer: It’s rarely appropriate — or effective — to let your dog just keep on cryin’. The truth about why dogs bark, and what their humans can do about it, is nuanced and largely dependent on each dog — but it’s crucial for pet parents to understand how to address this behavior.

Why do dogs “cry” in the first place? 

To understand why you should or shouldn’t let your dog cry it out, it’s important to understand/ dogs vocalize to begin with. According to canine behaviorist and dog trainer Karen B. London, a general rule of thumb is that dog vocalizations “communicate either emotions or needs.” 

To have their needs met, “some dogs bark to try to get attention,” London says. A dog’s motivation for seeking this attention can vary, from boredom or lack of enrichment to frustration that a need isn’t being met immediately. (Anyone with a dog who has had to wait until 5:01 p.m. — instead of 5 p.m. on the dot — for their dinner may be well acquainted with this behavior.)

Many dogs cry (which sounds more like a whine) to express anxiety or fear. Separation anxiety is a significant cause of dog “crying.” Many dogs vocalize when their humans leave them alone. Many puppies cry when they’re separated from their mother and littermates; they’re fearful of their completely new environment and family. 

It’s also important to recognize that many dog breeds bark because humans bred them to do so. 

“Certain breeds are designed to alert us to things, to point things out,” says Robert Haussmann, a certified professional dog trainer. “Barking has been very valuable to us throughout our history with dogs.” 

What’s more, a dog’s breed may lead them to feel especially understimulated, which can cause crying. For example, “a young, active sporting breed may be climbing out of [their] skin just sitting in the house all day, so barking becomes a bad habit like pacing or biting your nails,” Haussmann says. 

Importantly, in some cases, a dog may cry because they are experiencing pain, so it’s crucial to rule out all medical causes of whining before assuming it’s a behavioral problem. “If a dog seems like they’re not motivated [to bark] by any external stimuli,” they may be experiencing something internal, “like an intestinal obstruction, broken tooth, or UTI,” Haussmann says.

Is letting a dog cry it out ever OK? 

There is one circumstance in which it may be appropriate for a pet parent to let their pup continue to make noise.

“If a dog is barking in a very demanding way, but they’re not distressed, then I think ignoring that type of attention-seeking behavior, so they’re not getting what they want out of that behavior and reinforcing demanding behavior, is acceptable,” London says.

It’s also important to remember that barking or crying itself is not even necessarily a problem. “It’s when barking is out of place or disrupting our lives that it’s a problem,” Haussmann says. 

When does letting a dog cry it out make things worse?

According to London and Haussmann, this approach rarely works. 

“We need to take care of what dogs need, and when they’re trying to let us know they need something, it’s worthy of our attention,” London says. She adds that instead of ignoring an upset dog, pet parents “should either give them what they need or reorganize their circumstances so they don’t need to cry in the first place.”

For example, many puppies cry in their first days in a new home. Many new pet parents are told to let them carry on with their crying until they fall asleep but, London says that’s not the best advice. She says the period early on when pet parents are bonding with their new pet is “when we most want to build trust … and if [a puppy] communicates that something is wrong, [pet parents should be] there for them.”

What’s more, while letting a puppy cry it out may technically work, in that the puppy may stop crying, it comes at a cost. Dogs who are left without comfort ultimately stop crying “because they’re so hopeless” and learn crying doesn’t work — not because their human actually addressed the reason they were in distress.

Haussmann agrees, adding that if a dog is barking because they’re reacting to a traumatic situation, “letting the dog scream is only going to create more trauma.” What’s more, Haussmann says, crying is not the problem; it’s a symptom of a problem, and it’s a pet parent’s job to identify the problem and try to solve it. 

For example, if a dog is barking due to separation anxiety, “the main problem is that your dog is not comfortable being alone or being confined or being separated from you,” Haussmann says. “That has to be addressed, and the dog needs context for that situation,” which includes training that works on building up a dog’s comfort with the crate.

What should pet parents do instead of letting their dog cry it out? 

The best approach to minimizing your dog’s vocalization is to try to address the reason they’re doing it in the first place. “My general advice is that it often takes a little bit of experimenting to figure out what about that situation is not working for the dog,” London says. 

To identify why a dog is continuously barking, it can be helpful for their humans to return to the reasons why dogs bark in the first place. They have a need that isn’t being met or are expressing an emotion. In response to barking, pet parents should ask themselves: Could they be hungry? Are they bored? Do they need to pee? Or could they be feeling anxiety or distress? 

Once a pet parent feels they’ve identified the cause of their dog’s barking, they should focus on doing what they can to change the situation that led to that cause rather than trying to change their dog’s response to it. 

For example, maybe a dog is whining because of something uncomfortable or distracting in their environment. If a dog barks every time they’re in their crate, their humans could try to make the crate more comfortable with soft cushions or a dog bed. Or, perhaps the crate needs to be moved from facing a window to a dark, quiet area of the house.

Many puppies cry in their crates because “they’ve been with their litters and their mom and they’re taken somewhere different,” London says. “It’s such a big change, and we can’t completely ease the shock of that, but we need to be sympathetic to it.” Instead of letting those puppies bark, pet parents can offer them toys that have a ticking sound that mimics a heartbeat, London says. Or they can try to ease the transition by staying near the puppy’s crate and waiting until they’re quiet and calm before leaving them.  

When in doubt, Haussmann recommends pet parents hire an experienced trainer or behavior specialist who can help them get to the root of why their dog is upset.

At the end of the day, dogs bark and whine — and they do so for many reasons, some benign, some that are cause for concern. It’s up to pet parents to understand the difference and help find a solution that ultimately benefits their dog.