Why does my Golden Retriever puppy cry so much?

If your Golden Retriever puppy has been crying a lot you’re probably wondering why and what can be done about it.

In this post, I will show you a number of reasons why your Golden Retriever might be doing it and what you can do to get it to stop.

So, why does my Golden Retriever puppy cry so much? It is important to consider that it is not unusual for them to cry a lot. However, other possible causes include illness, fear, wanting attention, hunger, boredom or excitement.

Your Golden Retriever puppy might be doing it for a number of reasons and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are a number of things you can consider when trying to figure out the exact reason. There are also a number of things you can do about it.

Why your Golden Retriever puppy cries so much

Below, I will show you a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

Illness

The cause could be that it has gotten an illness or injury. This would be more likely if it has started doing it suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of it such as vomiting being less active. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Fear

The cause could be that something has been causing it to be fearful. It could be the case that it is going through a fearful stage which is not uncommon in Golden Retriever puppies or it might be the case that there is something in its environment that it doesn’t like.

It wants attention

The reason why it has been doing it could be that it wants extra attention. This would be more likely if it does it more when you have not been giving it a lot of attention and if you tend to give it more attention when it does it.

Instead, it would help to give it attention throughout the day by playing with it and training it. But, it would help to avoid rewarding it when it behaves in a way that you do not like.

It’s hungry

The cause could also be that it is hungry. This would be more likely if it cries when you haven’t fed it for a while and if it stops crying when you do.

Boredom

The reason why it has been doing it could be due to being bored.

This would be more likely if it tends to cry more when it is not doing anything and if it tends to cry at around the time that it usually gets to do something.

Golden Retrievers can be very active dogs and it is generally recommended that they get at least an hour of exercise per day as healthy adults. If your Golden Retriever is not getting much exercise, it would help to make sure that it does.

However, Golden Retrievers puppies are not supposed to get as much exercise since their joints are still developing. Generally, it is recommended to give a Golden Retriever puppy 5 minutes of exercise, 2 times per day, for every month of age. So, a 2 month old puppy should get about 10 minutes of exercise twice daily. (sources: here and here)

Other ways that you can reduce its boredom would be to spend time training it or to give it toys to play with.

Excitement

Sometimes dogs will seem like they are crying when they are actually excited. This would be more likely to be the reason why your Golden Retriever does it if it cries more in situations such as when you come home or when you are playing with it.

Nature

It is not unusual for Golden Retriever puppies to cry a lot. Sometimes they will cry without any apparent cause. It is likely that it will begin to cry less as it gets older.

However, if it is crying constantly then it would help to take it to a vet to rule out illness or injury.

Things to consider

What is different when it cries

It would help to consider if it cries more at certain times since it could be the case that the timing has something to do with it.

If it only seems to cry at certain times it would make it more likely to be due to things such as fear, boredom, excitement, wanting attention or being hungry.

If it seems to cry at random times it could be that it does it naturally or it might be ill or injured which would be more likely if it started crying a lot suddenly.

When it started crying

If it did not always do it, considering what else happened when it first started could also be helpful since it could be the case that the timing had something to do with it.

If it started crying a lot more suddenly it would make it more likely to be due to things such as illness, injury, learning that it gets rewards, or something happening that caused it to become fearful.

How to get your Golden Retriever puppy to stop crying all the time

Below are some things you can do about your Golden Retriever puppy crying all the time.

Avoid punishing it

It might be tempting to punish your Golden Retriever puppy when it misbehaves. However, it is very important not to do so. If you do punish it, you will likely cause it to become fearful, it will develop behavioral issues and it will not be trusting of you.

Instead, it would help to get it to behave the way you want with the use of positive reinforcement training.

Avoid negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement is where you inadvertently reinforce bad behaviors by rewarding them. Instead of giving your Golden Retriever things that it wants when it misbehaves, it would help to reward it when it behaves the way that you want it to.

Take it to a vet

If you cannot figure out why it has been crying or it has been showing signs of being ill or injured, the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular Golden Retriever and to rule out the possibility of it being ill or injured.

Ensure that its diet is correct

If it is not getting the nutrients that it needs in its diet it could be causing your Golden Retriever puppy to cry. If you want to get your Golden Retriever to cry less and for it to be as healthy as possible it is important to make sure that it is eating correctly. It would also help to consult with your vet on its diet and to make sure that no one else has been feeding it.

You can look here to see what you should be feeding it.

Give it things to be distracted with such as a chew toy

In addition to the above, you could also give it things to be distracted with such as chew toys or puzzle games so that it does not feel the need to cry as much.