Why does my puppy do this?

[missyB1]

OK so this is driving me crazy! I have a 5 month old Schnauzer pup, whenever I go upstairs or even just in another room downstairs she wants to follow me. She's not allowed upstairs and so I shut the door and she howls, barks and scrapes madly at it! I can't even pop up to put laundry away without her making a scene.
If I go out of the house she is shut in her playpen and is fine, I can leave her for up to two hours (I wouldn't be comfortable with any longer than that). But when I'm at home she's following me constantly, even when I'm cooking she follows me round the kitchen Aaaarrrgh!
Oh she gets two good walks a day plus we play with her in the garden and in the house.

Is it separation anxiety?

[Wonderflonium]

It's just a survival instinct.

You can take advantage of this developmental stage and reinforce recall, so say "come on!" while she's following you around.

You could also practice sit-stay and give her a whole bunch of treats and fuss for picking one spot in the kitchen and staying there while you cook. You just need to keep rewarding her.

When she's fussing at the door, make sure she's quiet and still before you open it again because she'll associate howling with getting you back. This is easier said than done and I have been trapped behind many a door while trying to do some laundry!

[missyB1]

OK yes I could I use it as a training opportunity I suppose. It's just that everything now takes at least twice as long with her under my feet all the time! I hope she will get a bit more independent as she gets older.

[TrionicLettuce]

Have you done any training to get her used to being on her own whilst you're still in the house? It's not always something that comes naturally to dogs, you need to teach them that there's nothing to be worried about/they're not missing anything if they're not with you 100% of the time when you're both in the house.

This is really great guide on the subject.

[weegiemum]

My 5 month old labradoodle is the same - I've found that leaving the back door open when I'm cooking helps - he will potter around the garden on his own for a bit, and unless its a howling gale I usually have the back door open when I'm cooking as the kitchen is tiny!

I tend to leave laundry until said laundry owners come home and get it sorted that way.

If I've got something cooking that can be left for a few mins we run through his repertoire of tricks - his current favourite is "lie down"! We've been doing "stay" when i need to leave the room and I'd say he's got it about 30% of the time now - he's definitely improving week on week.

[Floralnomad]

My dog is 6 , he still follows me about most of the day , occasionally he will get side tracked and sit on a bed and watch cats out of the window but otherwise he's right there be it in the kitchen ,the bathroom or when I'm on the loo . He's very good when left home alone so it's definitely not a separation thing I just think he thinks he might miss out on something if he lets me wander off.

[OrlandaFuriosa]

Bump, we have a jrt that gets over excited when we return.

[missyB1]

I'm glad it's not just me! Yes I think I need to do something to make her more comfortable with her own company. Thanks for the link trionic I will have a good look at that.

[applesareredandgreen]

I always say my dog has FOMO - he's fine left alone when I'm at work (I work PT) or shopping etc but if we are in the house he absolutely hates that there is something going on that he's not involved in. I normally let him follow me round with the idea he will see how boring most things I do are. I think he's getting the hint as he sometimes chooses to stay in his bed now!

[DanielCraigsUnderpants]

My dogs are 11 and 7, they follow me round the house, I'm always falling over them. I just shut the door behind me, then get greeted like I've been away for a month when I open the door,

[Sugarpiehoneyeye]

It's what dogs like to do, even the well trained ones enjoy following you about, given the choice.
You just have to incorporate it, into your training, in short bursts, keep it light and fun. Very small treats only, or use part of their meal.
You could also distract pup, with a Kong, either pour in gravy mix, and freeze, best given outside, or put a little paste inside. This will give you some time to crack on. Only use the Kong, for this reason, as a treat, not a toy.