If your Golden Retriever is always crying you might be wondering why and what you can do about it.
This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about it.
So, why is my Golden Retriever always crying? Possible causes are illness or injury, wanting more attention, a problem with its diet, boredom, separation anxiety, excitement or being fearful.
There are a number of reasons why it might be doing it and it could be the result of a combination of reasons. However, there are some 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 is always crying
Each of the different causes might come with some clues. Below are some possible causes and what would make them more likely.
It is ill or injured
The cause could be that it has gotten an illness or injury. This would be more likely if it has started crying a lot suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured like vomiting or limping. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
It wants attention
The cause could be that it is looking for attention. This would be more likely if it tends to cry more when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it more attention when it does it.
It would help to give it attention throughout the day by training it, playing with it or exercising it. But, it would help to avoid rewarding it with attention when it cries unless it seems to be doing it for a different reason.
It has learned that crying gets it what it wants
It could also be the case that it has been doing it because it has learned that it can get things when it cries. This would be more likely to be the reason if it cries more at certain times such as when you would normally feed it and if you tend to give it things such as extra food or treats when it cries. Instead, it would help to reward it when it is being well behaved.
It is bored
Golden Retrievers are a breed that requires a lot of daily exercise in order to be fully stimulated. When they don’t get enough exercise, it can cause them to behave abnormally and it might be why yours has been crying especially if it cries more when it has not gotten exercise and at the same time that it normally gets exercise.
Generally, it is recommended for a healthy adult Golden Retriever to get at least an hour of exercise per day. If yours is not getting that much and it is healthy, it would help to make sure that it does start getting more.
Stress
It might be the case that something is causing it to be stressed that is causing it to cry. This would be more likely if it started doing it a lot suddenly and if something happened recently that might cause it to be stressed. Examples could be if it recently moved homes, an owner left or another pet died.
Fear
The reason that it cries could be that it is fearful of something. This would be more likely if it does it at times where it might be frightened of something such as when there are fireworks or construction works.
Excitement
The cause could also be that it is excited which would be more likely if it does it in situations such as when you come home.
Ways to get your Golden Retriever to stop crying
Below are some options you have when getting it to stop doing it.
Take it to a vet
If you are unsure of why it has been crying, it has started doing it suddenly or it has been showing signs of illness or injury, it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to rule out the possibility of it being due to a medical condition and to get expert advice tailored to your particular Golden Retriever.
Exercise
As mentioned above, it is important to make sure that your Golden Retriever is able to get exercise on a daily basis. There are apps that you can download now that allow you to find local dog walkers in your area that you can book via the app.
Positive reinforcement training
Positive reinforcement training is where you get your Golden Retriever to behave the way that you want by rewarding it when it displays the behaviors that you want.
to use it to get it to stop crying you would reward it when it does not cry and it normally would and stop rewarding it when it does cry.
Avoiding reinforcing the behavior
It would also help to avoid giving it rewards when it cries such as attention, treats or toys so that you avoid reinforcing the behavior unless it seems to be doing it for a specific reason such as to go outside.
Give it attention
It would also help to give it attention throughout the day so that it does not feel the need to get attention from you as much. Ways to give it attention would be to play with it, train it and to exercise it.
Give it distractions
In addition to the above, you could also give it things to be distracted by such as toys, chews and bones.
Things to consider about your Golden Retriever crying
Below are some things to consider when trying to figure out the exact cause.
When it started
If it started crying a lot suddenly 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 doing it.
With that being said, if it did start crying a lot suddenly, it would make it more likely to be due to an illness or injury so it would be recommended to take it for a checkup with the vet.
When and where it does it
It would also help to consider the timing and location of the crying since the timing could have something to do with it.
For example, if it tends to cry more when you are about to leave home then it would be more likely that it does it due to having separation anxiety.
How old it is
It would also help to consider how old it is. If it is a puppy then it would be likely that it will calm down as it gets older but it would still help to avoid inadvertently training it to cry a lot and to give it lots of training now. If it is older then it could be crying for any of the reasons mentioned above.