How To Soundproof A Dog Crate

Beginner Info, Soundproofing

how to soundproof a dog crate
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In this post, I’ll walk you through various aspects of the soundproofing dog crate and also, how soundproofing can help you to stop your dog from barking in a crate?

My close friend is a dog trainer and over a period of time, I’ve developed an interest in dogs.

Though I’ve just a couple of them still I can say that I learned a lot from my puppies.

Needless to say, my friend has helped me train my puppies.

Wait, now they aren’t puppies anymore, in fact, they are full grown dogs.

I hope you’ll agree that dogs are among the most lovable creature on this planet, and most of us, have a couple of them at some point in time in our life.

The dog is a synonym of faithfulness and loyalties.

If you’ve had a couple of puppies then you would be well aware of the fact that they bark and scream a lot when they are detached from their parents.

Once you’ve adopted puppies and brought them home, you may feel irritated and annoyed for a couple of days because of puppies’ constant whining and barking.

In my case, the whining of my puppies was to the extreme especially in the night, and dealing with it wasn’t easy.

For a couple of weeks, it was difficult for me to have a sound sleep.

There was a time when I even decided to give the puppies to my trainer friend.

But, fortunately, things settled down quickly, and I started enjoying the company of my puppies.

My dog trainer friend advised me to buy a dog crate and soundproof it.

I was REALLY excited about the idea and thought of implementing it at the earliest.

It is next to impossible to soundproof dog crate 100 percent.

However, you can expect a significant reduction in the unwanted noise once you’re done with soundproofing crate.

So, without any further ado, allow me to throw some light on the best practices to muffle a dog’s barking and soundproof a dog kennel.

How to Soundproof a Dog Crate 

Moving further, I’ll walk you through the step by step method to soundproof a dog crate effectively.

In case, you’re on a shoestring budget, then I’ve got a good news for you.

Almost all the methods that we’re gonna discuss henceforth are budget-friendly and highly effective.

You don’t need to worry even though you’re a newbie because we’ll be covering almost everything from scratch.

What Are Soundproof Dog Crates

As the name suggests, soundproof dog crates are the crates used to dampen the dog barking.

These crated are made of sound absorbing materials which not only absorbs the dog barking but also reduces the intensity of the barking.

Personally, I’ve felt that soundproof crates reduce dog anxiety and protect them as well.

For example, dogs are highly anxious if there is a big storm.

However, if they are in a soundproof crate then you can expect them to sleep well without showing any sign of anxiety.

I’m saying this because I’ve personally experienced it.

Though soundproofing a dog crate is a good way to dampen the barking still it isn’t the full-fleshed solution.

In fact, you’ll need to add a couple of things to ensure that you keep the barking levels to the minimum.

How to Stop Dog Barking in a Crate

By following some simple tips and tricks, you can easily stop dog barking in a crate. Let’s discuss all the hacks one by one.

Reassure the Puppy

Are you aware of the fact that puppies bark more when they feel frightened?

So, it is important for you to understand that they should feel comfortable and safe when you are leaving them in a soundproof crate.

One of the ways that I use to keep my puppies calm is by playing some good music that is designed to keep the puppies/dogs calm.

Prevent Leaving Your Puppy in the Bathroom

When I didn’t have an experience, I used to leave the puppies in the bathroom when I had to leave for the office.

I’m damn sure that there will be many of you still doing the same mistake.

Most of the bathrooms aren’t made of soundproofing materials (until you’ve soundproofed) so, the dog barking will travel through the bathroom walls faster than your expectation.

At the same time, if your bathroom is quite big then the dog barking may lead to echoes, reverbs, and vibrations.

Nevertheless, placing sound absorbing materials in your bathroom may help you to reduce echoes drastically.

Definitely, Don’t Give Emotional Farewell to Your Puppies

From day 1, you shouldn’t give your puppies any emotional farewell.

Well, from emotional farewell, I mean living for office after hugging the puppy.

Emotional farewell can leave your puppies in distress, and thus, you may expect them to bark more and more once you’ve left for your office.

Try to leave for your office fast without hugging or showing affection.

Train Your Dog for Exhaustive Exercise

It’s always good to train your dog.

If you’ve got a plan to train your dog then I would recommend you to put your dogs on exhaustive exercise because it will help them to develop better.

At the same time, exhaustive exercise will leave your dog/puppy with almost no energy.

In short, if your dogs are tired then they won’t have the energy to bark.

After an exhaustive day, all your dog will need is good food and good sleep.

There isn’t anything new in it. 

Even we as a human feel tired after an exhaustive exercise and thus needs a sound sleep.

There are many ways to exhaust your dog.

Playing with your dog or taking them for a morning/evening walk, etc are some of the ways to help your dog get a night of better sleep and also, keep quiet in the crate.

Get a Dog Sitter

I would recommend a dog sitter if you’re willing to spend a few bucks.

A dog sitter can be your dog, next door friend. 

The good news is that your dog will not feel lonely whenever you’re away from home because of the dog sitter.

In fact, your dog will get a friend in the form of a dog sitter to play with and get rid of the loneliness.

Nonetheless, if you’re on a shoestring budget and can’t invest in dog sitter then I would advise you to request your friends and family to look after your pet when you’re away from home.

In my case, I trust my next door neighbors and they are more than happy to keep my pets when I’m away for my home.

Position the Dog Crate Well

Let me tell you, one of my secrets that most of the soundproof consultant doesn’t share with their clients.

The success of a dog crate to a large extent depends on its positioning.

I always suggest placing the crates in a room with which your dog is familiar else the dog will get agitated.

For example, a living room or a bedroom is among the good places to place the dog crate.

Once I did the mistake of placing the crate in the basement.

When I returned home, I found my pet behaving in an abnormal way.

Later, when I took her to the trainer I came to know about the mistake that I made unknowingly.

Train Your Dog to Stay in a Crate

Most of the newbies wouldn’t be aware of the fact that dogs will not stay in the crate by itself.

You need to train them to stay in the crate for a longer period of time.

Of course, the initial few days would be a challenge for you.

Whenever you’ll put your doggy in the crate she will start whining and barking.

Sorry to say, but you need to be firm to make your dog disciplined.

I know many dog owners who feel training a dog is more of cruelty.

But, I don’t agree with the aforementioned statement.

I firmly believe that by training your pets you’re making them familiar with a disciplined and healthy life.

At least for the first few days, letting a dog IN/OUT of the crate may be a challenge but over a course of time, your pet will be used to the crate.

Moreover, you’ll notice an increase in the duration of stay of your dog in the crate.

Buy a Toy for Your Puppy

I’m assuming that most of the dog owners do have a couple of toys for their dogs.

However, if you haven’t bought a toy for your dog then buy one on a priority basis.

There are lots of advantages attached to it.

As mentioned earlier also, toys can keep your pet busy and thus, can be very helpful in reducing the anxiety.

Comfort toys can prevent your dog from getting distracted.

Since your pets will be busy with the toys, so chances of them barking and whining reduce drastically.

When it comes to dog toys, the market is saturated with the options.

In fact, I would recommend you to try any of my two favorite toys; Snuggle Puppy, and Kong Toy.

Trust me, Snuggle Puppy (Check the Current Price On Amazon) can do wonders when it comes to soothing your puppy.

Similarly, Kong Toy is one of the best engaging toys for your dogs.

I’ve bought both of them for my puppy, so I can say with confidence that they are worth every penny spent.

Place a couple of toys in your dog’s crate and let them do wonders for you.

Definitely, your dog will be occupied for quite a few time.

Kong Dog Toy claims to solve 90 percent of the behavioral problem.

Don’t believe me?

Well, check out this self-explanatory video.

Soundproofing Dog Crate

Till now, we’ve discussed some of the hacks that can help your dog to remain calm.

Though these tricks will help you to get rid of your dogs whining and barking still it isn’t a full-proof solution.

Let me tell you, whatever you do, your dog will bark and whine for some time on a daily basis.

So, what’s the master plan?

As a soundproof consultant with a decade of experience, I’ve completed quite a few projects successfully still I found soundproofing a dog crate a challenge.

Can anyone GUESS the reason?

If you’re an avid reader of this blog then you would be definitely aware of the fact that for the optimum outcome of a soundproofing project, you need to block even the smallest of the holes in dog’s crate.

I’ve written a detailed article on soundproofing doors, windows, walls, etc, and in these articles, I’ve explained the importance of closing gaps, cracks, and holes in the vicinity of the doors and windows.

But, you can’t apply the same trick in the case of soundproofing dog crate.

You need to leave enough space for your dog to breathe properly.

So, in the layman language, there will be some space that will allow the traverse of sound waves.

Well, it is crystal clear that you can’t seal the crate completely.

All you can do is to install some sound absorbing materials inside the crate to reduce the intensity of the noise that goes through the open space in the crate.

Install Crate Cover

As the name suggests, crate covers are the covers that you can use to cover the crate.

Depending upon your requirement and budget, you can go for regular cover or soundproof crate cover.

Personally, I prefer soundproof covers.

Once placed on the crate you’ll find a tangible reduction in the unwanted noise.

Take the measurement of the dog crate and get the cover accordingly.

Pro Tip: Always go for the cover that perfectly fit the crate.

Well, I prefer this crate (Check the Current Price On Amazon) over the others.

Needless to say, this is not the first crate cover that I’ve used.

Previously, I tried a couple of covers but they didn’t perform satisfactorily against the unwanted noise.

Nevertheless, if you can’t afford the cover then a good alternative could be a soundproof blanket.

Even you can use a regular blanket.

Soundproof blankets are made of sound absorbing materials that are capable of dampening the external noise.

Bonus Tip: The thicker and denser the blanket the better it will perform

However, you need to place the blanket with caution.

It is very important to make sure that the crate doesn’t become too dark or hot after placing the blanket.

If either of the two happens, then the dog will become uncomfortable and anxious and thus, will start barking and whining.

Install Absorption Sheets

Absorption sheet can enhance the sound absorbing capability of the dog crate if installed properly.

These sheets are made of sound absorbing materials and thus, are perfect for the crate.

Since the sheet comes with grommets/eyelets so you can hang it inside the crate to cover the walls.

It also helps in preparing a dark and warm environment to help your dog sleep faster.

If you’re not willing to buy new sheets then you can use the old ones.

They may not be as effective as the new ones still they are capable of dampening your dogs barking. 

Soundproof the Walls

If you’re the one who has received complaints from your neighbors about your dog nuisance then you must think of creating a protective layer that can prevent the sound from reaching your neighbor corridor.

You can go for a permanent solution such as soundproofing a wall or even an entire room.

It goes without saying that the soundproofing wall is a costly affair as compared to soundproof door crate.

On the other hand, if your downstairs neighbors are complaining then you need to look for the options to soundproof your floor.

The same holds true for the upstairs neighbor and in this case, you’ll have to find out the ways to the soundproof ceiling.

All in all, you need to make a smart decision as per the requirement.

If DIY projects aren’t your cup of tea then the best thing that you can think of is a soundproof dog crate.

Soundproofing a Kennel

Don’t confuse above method with the ones required for soundproofing a Kennel.

There are quite a few good methods to soundproof a kennel.

Because of the hard surface in the kennels, the noise level at times could be extremely high.

When the sound waves interact with the hard surface of the kennels then a majority of them get reflected causing echoes, reverbs, and vibrations.

Our aim should be to reduce echoes as much as possible.

One of the simple yet effective ways could be the installation of acoustic tiles on the walls of your dog’s kennel.

The USP of these acoustic tiles is the industrial standard adhesive which helps them to adhere to the walls and ceilings of the kennel without any problem.

Without any doubt, I can say that these tiles are great at absorbing sound.

They are made of recycled cotton materials and comes in a variety of colors, sizes, and designs.

You can also consider acoustic panels for soundproofing the dog’s kennels.

The good thing about the acoustic panel is that you can choose from a variety of available fabrics.

In case, you want to decorate your dog’s kennels then you can get custom made acoustic panel which has images printed on them.

Needless to say, acoustic panels are good at combating the noise of mid to high frequencies.

Another good option could be sound baffles. (Check the Current Price On Amazon)

These are lightweight and also easy to suspend from the ceiling.

These baffles may grab the eyes of individuals who give preference to visual appealing objects.

They are excellent at absorbing echoes and reverbs inside the kennel. 

FAQs

  • I’ll be taking up some of the frequently asked queries in this section.
  • In case, you’ve any doubts or queries related to the topic then feel free to email us.
  • Our team will respond back at the earliest.

How do I get my dog to stop whining in his crate?

  • Well, whether it’s a puppy or a well-grown dog never leave him in the crate for a long.
    • Following some of the basic rules can help in stopping your dog’s whining in the crate.
      • Don’t keep the dog in the crate for too long
      • Never use the crate for punishment
      • If your dog is agitated then let him calm down before putting him in the crate
      • Try not to reward your puppy for whining
    • Lastly, try to avoid giving water to the puppy before bedtime to prevent waking up at midnight to pee.

How do I get my dog to stop pooping in his crate?

  • To stop your dog from popping inside the crate you need to train him.
  • For example, always praise your dog when he is popping outside.
  • Even reward him for popping outside.
  • On the other hand, whenever your dog gets ready to poop inside the crate, CLAP and say “NO”. 
  • By doing so, you’ll make him realize that he is doing something wrong.
  • Take him outside the crate so that he can do his business there.

It’s A Wrap

  • I’m a dog owner so I know how much a dog owner loves his dog.
  • After all, it is just like your child, isn’t it?
  • Unfortunately, frequent complaints from neighbors about dogs whining and barking can kick you out of your apartment.
  • All you need to do is to work on a dog crate soundproofing project.
  • After soundproofing my dog’s crate, I breathe a sigh of relief.
  • Finally, I was relieved from the tension of my neighbors’ continuously knocking on my door.
  • All’s well that ends well.
  • Are you ready to soundproof your dog crate?
  • What is the budget that you’re willing to spend for soundproofing your dog crate?
  • Did you apply the aforementioned methods?
  • Last but not least, the soundproof door crate is something that you should opt for if you have adopted a puppy.
  • It will make your as well as your neighbor’s life easier.
  • It would be great if you could share this piece of information with the ones who are in need of it.
  • After all, sharing is caring!