Is it possible to soundproof my dogs crate?

problematic situation. i understand. i've had the same problem, but worked nights, so neighbours were even more mad.

i wouldnt try to soundproof the crate, cause i'd be worried about air supply, ya know..

i'm sure some people will come along and have some good advice soon.

maybe if you had someone help you take care of him during the day and slowly get him used to being alone? i know it's a long shot,...

Can you try leaving him in a room or an ex-pen?  Maybe if he more room he would be calmer.  Do you give him a Kong or something to occupy him?  How long are you leaving him crated for?  Does he just bark oaccassionally all day or does he show other signs of separation anxiety - such as soiling his crate (I know he's a puppy so take this one with caution - you might just be leaving him too long for this one) or panting excessively, foaming from the mouth, trying to escape his crate, barking the *entire* time you are gone, etc etc.  Then that's something a bit different.

 My only other suggestion is to excercise him pretty hard right before crating him so he's so tired he falls asleep.

I agree with NicoleS, start from scratch with crate training, or provide larger enclosed area....but exercise in most important.

It's not easy, but at 9 weeks old puppies need a lot of attention in a comfortable environment.  One of the biggest mistakes people make, and it's so easy to do, is keeping the puppy in the most isolated place in the home.  They need to be kept in a place that is familiar to them like a bedroom, living room or place where you spend a lot of the time with the puppy when you are home.  Keeping them in a bathroom, wash room and places like that only cause more confusion for the puppy, they are suddenly separated from the environment they feel safe in.  Think of the crate, pen or wherever you keep the pup as a den, the mother dog would keep her puppy's in the den to protect them from danger and can safely leave for a while to hunt for food.  When a pup is removed from the den and placed in a unfamiliar location it would yelp for it's mom.  So to put thing into perspective you are the one caring for the puppy when you are home, I doubt the bathroom is where you spend a lot of time with the puppy, so when you leave and place the puppy in the bathroom it becomes confused and this often leads to barking.  Your goal is to make the puppy feel safe when you are gone.  Also putting a blanket or towel over the crate would help the puppy feel more enclosed as if it is in a den.  Play with the puppy in it's crate when you are home so it know the crate is a safe place.

Something else to keep in mind is puppies have tiny bladders that can't hold a whole lot so they do need to potty more then an adult, at this age every 2 hours is about how often you would want to take the puppy to the potty.  I generally go by the rule for every month the puppy is old that is how often it should be let out to go potty 2mo- every 2 hr, 3mo- every 3 hr and so on.

Now even if you could soundproof a room or the crate you are not properly treating the underling problem and this could make things worse for the puppy.  Constant barking can lead to health problems, respiratory problems, abdominal pain and so on.  Again, training a puppy is not easy and I really do wish you the best!

Xebby's given you really good advice -- much does depend on how long you leave the dog.  And if you've already taken over a week off to try to 'train' and the dog is still only 9 weeks old, gosh he was a little bugger when you got him. 

Introduction to the crate has to be done very slowly -- you start literally by not even leaving the room.  And once he gets the association that gong in the crate means Mom's gone FOREVER AN EVER (to him) it's a hard one to break.

He's awfully little -- doggie daycare may not need to be a forever solution -- but it's very hard to have such a wee tiny dog when you work all day long -- you really do need some sort of interim care, realistically.

Putting the dog in the bedroom is the FIRST step -- she's absolutely right that he will do far better in the room where YOUR "sleep smell" and his are strongly associated with what you want him to continue to do in that room.

You can get some carpeting (remnants can work well for this) and stand them around  or over the top of the crate -- but yes, you can't simply 'wall him in' with carpeting -- mostly it needs to simply be within a foot or 6" of the crate to absorb some of the sound.

You may want to see if someone in your building would agree to keep him for a while each day -- you might be able to barter services -- like helping them with housecleaning chores, car washing, etc.

Here are my tips:

*Keep your bedroom door closed (or whatever room the crate is in).

*Leave on a fan and a radio on an easy listening station for background noise for your puppy. Those things can help drown out the outside noises that may be scaring him. And also the fan and relaxing music help to calm him down so he can sleep away the time in his crate.

*Make sure that he's thoroughly exercised before putting him in his crate.

*Leave him with something to keep him occupied for awhile. I always give my dogs a Kong stuffed with peanut butter.

*Make sure that your departures and greetings are very low key and unemtional. A simple "be a good boy" or "I'll be back" with no eye contact as you're walking out is good. Then when you get home wait until he's quiet (even if it's only a few seconds) before letting him out of his crate. Don't make eye contact or talk to him for at least a minute or two. The less emotional you are about leaving and coming home the more he'll think it's not a big deal.

That is SOOOOO young. Just a little baby. Is there anyone that can stay with him? Barely old enough to leave the litter. That is scary and they want to be with someone.

How long does he have to be in there?

I forgot about something that could be really good for your puppy; it's called a snuggle buddy. It's a stuffed animal with a "heartbeat" and heat pack inside. It should help to comfort your puppy and help him to feel safer. Here's a link:

http://snugglepuppys.com/catalog.php?category=1

Also forgot to mention that when I put peanut butter in my dog's kongs I only use a very little bit- just enough to coat the inside of the opening so it gives them something to do for a few minutes and encourages them to chew on their kong.

Somehow I missed in your first post that you tried a bark collar on your 1.5 pound 9 week old puppy. That is definitely not a good thing to do!! Those types of things should never be used on such a small or young puppy. He's barking because he's alone and scared. You need to concentrate and helping him feel more safe and secure.

I like the idea from Luvntzus about the snuggle buddy. I once transported a new pup from a kennel and the pup wanted to whine and bark all night in the hotel on the trip back. The only thing that would keep her quiet was to be held which is why I liked the snuggle buddy idea.

Sunshinegirl

Find a good home for the puppy where it doesn't have to be in a "sound proof" crate. Sorry, but this is no kind of life for a puppy. They bark, it's part of it. Isolating it and covering up the crate is cruel - I wouldn't want to be left in a situation like that - would you???????? I didn't get my first puppy until I knew I could come home every day for lunch. JMO

Not everyone has the leisure of coming home every day for lunch. People who cannot come home for lunch can own dogs too. Very rude of you to imply that shes unfit to care for this dog properly just because shes asking the forum on how to stop incessant barking.

 I think for now, it would be a smart idea to hire a pet sitter or a dog walker or a neighbor to come in and play with the puppy, take him out to go potty several times a day. 9 week old puppies are just too young to be left alone for a whole workday, period. They can't hold their bladders that long and they certainly don't have the patience to be able to wait for you to come home. The dog is bored and lonely and needs to be occupied.

This is a tough situation.  Firstly, please don't use a bark collar on a pup this young or even try to "correct" her for barking at this age...she needs comforting and positive reinforcement.  If the baby is 1.5 pounds, the collar must have been bigger that the puppy. 

At this age, the puppy needs to know that she is safe and loved.  Bonding is the most important thing right now.  What kinds of things do you do when you two are together? 

I completely agree with both the snuggle buddy and having someone come to check on the pup during the day if you are unable to come home for lunch.  Also, the crate needs to be a safe haven and a comfortable place to be.  I think someone already mentioned crate training is necessary here...and that takes time and patience.

And, although I do agree that the pup needs to be exercised to tire out before going into the crate and you go to work; I would caution how much you exercise her...be careful not to overdo it. 

Good luck.