Why does my German Shepherd puppy cry so much?

If your German Shepherd puppy has been crying a lot then you’re probably wondering why and what you can do about it.

This post will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd puppy cries so much and what you can do to stop it.

So, why does my German Shepherd puppy cry so much? It is not unusual for German Shepherd puppies to cry a lot. Possible causes are illness, fear, wanting attention, hunger, boredom or excitement.

There are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure out why your German Shepherd puppy does it.

Why your German Shepherd puppy cries so much

Each of the different reasons that your German Shepherd puppy cries so much will likely come with a number of clues.

Below, I’ll mention a number of reasons why your German Shepherd puppy might be doing it and the signs to look for.

Illness

The reason that your German Shepherd puppy has been crying a lot could be that it is ill or injured.

This would be more likely if it has started to cry a lot suddenly and it didn’t use to cry so much in the past. It would also be more likely if something recently happened that might have caused it to become ill or injured.

If you think that illness or injury might be the cause then the best option for you would be to take it to a vet.

Fear

The reason that your German Shepherd puppy has been crying a lot could be that it gets frightened. This would be more likely if it only seems to be crying when things happen that might frighten it. Examples could be when a bigger dog comes near it, when someone it doesn’t know enters the room or when there are loud noises outside.

Related post: Why is my German Shepherd always afraid?

It wants attention

It could be the case that your German Shepherd puppy cries a lot because it wants to get attention from you.

This would be more likely if it only seems to start crying when you have not given it much attention for a while and it doesn’t cry when you are giving it attention.

In this case, it would be likely that it has learned that crying gets it the attention that it wants so it cries more. To stop it you could try giving it more attention throughout the day and to stop giving it attention when it starts crying and then to carry on giving it attention when it is not crying.

It’s hungry

The reason could be that it is trying to let you know that it wants food. 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

Another reason that it cries a lot could be that it is 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.

German Shepherds are meant to be very active dogs and it is generally recommended that they get at least an hour of exercise per day. If your German Shepherd is not getting an hour of exercise per day then making sure that it does would likely be a good start.

However, German Shepherd puppies are not supposed to get as much exercise since their joints are still developing. Generally, it is recommended to give a German Shepherd puppy 5 minutes of exercise, per day, for every month of age. So, a 2 month old puppy should get about 10 minutes of exercise daily.

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

Excitement

It could also be the case that it seems to cry when it becomes excited.

This would be more likely if it only seems to cry when things happen that would cause it to get excited.

Examples could be:

• When someone comes home
• When it is about to go out for a walk
• When you are playing with it

Related post: How to tell if your German Shepherd loves you

Nature

It is not unusual for German Shepherd 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

Before trying to get it to cry less it would help to know exactly what is causing it to cry so much. Below, I will mention a few particularly helpful things that you can consider.

What is different when it cries

A useful thing to consider would be when and where your German Shepherd puppy tends to cry. If it tends to only cry in certain situations then it would be very likely that it has something to do with the crying.

Possible things to consider would be:

• If it only cries when certain people are around
• If it cries when you’re not giving it attention
• If it cries when it is about to do something it likes such as a walk
• If it only cries when things such as thunder, sirens or lightening occur

When it started crying

Considering when your German Shepherd puppy started to cry more would likely help in understanding why it is happening.

If your German Shepherd puppy started to cry more, suddenly, then it would make it more likely that it has started to cry more due to things such as stress, fear, being mistreated, illness or injury or a change in its lifestyle.

It would help to consider what happened at around the time that your German Shepherd puppy started to cry more.

Things that you could think about would include:

• If someone left home
• If another pet passed away
• If something happened that might have caused it to get injured
• If someone was mean to it
• If you moved home

If it did start crying a lot more, suddenly, then it would help to take it to a vet to rule out illness or injury.

How to get your German Shepherd puppy to stop crying all the time

Below, I will mention a number of things that you can do about your German Shepherd puppy crying all the time.

You can look at the book Training Your German Shepherd on Amazon to get more tips about how you can train your GSD.

Avoid punishing it

It might be tempting to punish your German Shepherd puppy by shouting at it or even hitting it. However, it is very important not to do so. If you do then you will likely cause it to become fearful, it will develop behavioral issues and it will not be trusting of you.

Avoid encouraging the behavior

If your method of getting it to stop crying is to give it things that it wants, it could be the case that you have inadvertently encouraged it to do it more.

Instead, try to avoid giving it attention or rewards unless it is necessary and then to reward it when it is being well behaved.

Take it to a vet

If you are unsure of why your German Shepherd puppy cries, it has started doing it suddenly or it has been acting unusually then it would help to get the expert advice of a vet.

Ensure that its diet is correct

If it is not getting the nutrients that it needs in its diet it could be causing your German Shepherd puppy to cry. If you want to get your German Shepherd to cry less and for it to be as healthy as possible it is important to make sure that it is eating correctly.

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

If you are unsure of what food to get for your German Shepherd, consider getting dog food designed specifically for German Shepherds. You can find dog food specifically designed for German Shepherd puppies on Chewy here. 

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

If you think that boredom could also be the reason that your German Shepherd puppy keeps crying then it would be an option to give it things to keep it distracted.

Things that you could do could include giving it toys to play with, puzzles for dogs to complete or chews to chew on.

You can watch the video below to see more tips on what you can do to get your German Shepherd puppy to cry less.

You can watch the video below for more tips on what you can do to get your German Shepherd puppy to cry less.