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Our 8 week old Doxie puppy is having the hardest time in her crate. If it's in the middle of the day or in the middle of the night she cries and gets herself extremely worked up. I know this is normal for a puppy this young, having just left her mother only a few days ago but....can her constant crying and yelping harm her in any way?

>>Our 8 week old Doxie puppy is having the hardest time in her crate. If it's in the middle of the day or in the middle of the night she cries and gets herself extremely worked up. I know this is normal for a puppy this young, having just left her mother only a few days ago but....can her constant crying and yelping harm her in any way?
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Yes, but bear in mind that it will hurt her less now to get over it in a few days than it will to keep it up and have it get worse and worse over time. You need to help her through this by NOT going to her when she makes noise. When you go to the dog, you prolong the problem by reinforcing it. This can result in a dog who stresses terribly and causes herself grave injury when she gets older. The learning needs to happen now.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Thanks for replying. Yes, we do not cater to her when she cries...we let her go because we know she needs to get used to being by herself and crated. Was just curious if her stressing out was harmful.
Last night was a tiny bit better but we still have a loooong way to go.

>>Thanks for replying. Yes, we do not cater to her when she cries...we let her go because we know she needs to get used to being by herself and crated. Was just curious if her stressing out was harmful.
>>Last night was a tiny bit better but we still have a loooong way to go.

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Puppies tend to dramatically increase the noise just before they settle down and accept the crate and learn to rest in it calmly. You may in fact not have far to go.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

have her spend time in the crate when you are present in the room also so she doesn't associate the crate with being deserted? If you haven't already, you might try putting a piece of clothing with your scent on it in the crate. I don't know if the ticking clock to duplicate the sound of a heartbeat really helps, some say it does.

>>have her spend time in the crate when you are present in the room also so she doesn't associate the crate with being deserted? If you haven't already, you might try putting a piece of clothing with your scent on it in the crate. I don't know if the ticking clock to duplicate the sound of a heartbeat really helps, some say it does.

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This post reminds me that we haven't mentioned keeping the crate in your room at night. That way the puppy gets used to the crate without having to get used to being alone at the same time. It reduces the stress and hastens the time the puppy will relax in a crate.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com