If your dog cries outside your bedroom door a lot, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible reasons and what you can do about them.
Possible reasons why your dog cries at the bedroom door are that it has some separation anxiety, you have inadvertently encouraged the behavior, it wants something from you, illness or injury, boredom or being fearful of something.
Since there are a number of possible causes, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the cause, it should become a lot easier to figure out what to do about it.
Why your dog cries at your bedroom door
Below are a number of common reasons why dogs do it and what would make them more likely.
Separation anxiety
The cause could be that it has some separation anxiety. This is would be more likely if it tends to do it more when you leave to go to your room for a long time such as when going to bed at night. In this case, it would help to try to reduce reasons why it might be anxious by feeding it and letting it pee before leaving it for a long time. If it does tend to cry at night, I have written more about why that might be the case in this post.
Encouraging the behavior
It could be the case that you have inadvertently encouraged it to cry at the door by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it starts crying outside your door, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards. Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not cry, to wait for it to stop crying before rewarding it and to encourage it not to do it as shown below.
It wants something from you
The cause could be that it wants you to give it something. This would be more likely if it tends to cry outside your door at specific times such as when you would normally feed it or exercise it.
Illness or injury
The cause could be that it has gotten an illness or injury. This would be more likely if it has not only been crying outside your door, if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured and if it has started doing it suddenly. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
Boredom
The cause could be that it is bored and looking for ways to stimulate itself. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when it has not been able to get any exercise. If it is healthy, it would help to ensure that it is able to get the daily amount of recommended exercise for its age and breed.
Fear
The reason why it has been doing it could be that something has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more at times when it might be fearful such as when there are noises, such as sirens, outside.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.
What else happened when it first started doing it
If your dog did not always cry outside your door, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.
If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as if you suddenly stopped letting it sleep with you, it became ill or injured or that it realized it gets rewards for doing it.
When it cries outside the bedroom door
It would also help to consider what is different when it cries outside your bedroom door.
If it does it when you are in the bedroom, it would be more likely to be due to one of the reasons above. Whereas, if it does it when you are not there, it would be more likely that it wants something that is in the room.
What to do about your dog crying outside your bedroom door
Below are some things you can do in order to get your dog to stop doing it.
Reduce reasons why it might be anxious
As mentioned above, it could be the case that it does it due to having some separation anxiety. It would help to reduce reasons why it might become anxious by feeding it and letting it pee before leaving it for a long time. It would also help to give it exercise and to give it another comfortable place to stay so that it can rest more easily when you are not around.
Avoid encouraging the behavior
As mentioned above, it might be the case that you have been encouraging the behavior by rewarding it. Instead, it would help to give it rewards when it does not cry and to wait for it to stop crying before rewarding it.
Give it attention throughout the day
It could also help to give it attention throughout the day so that it is less likely to feel the need to get it from you. Ways to give it attention would be to train it, exercise it and to play with it.
Get help
If your dog has been doing it excessively and you cannot get it to stop, consider getting help from a dog trainer or behaviorist. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog and to see how to get it to stop.