Support thread for puppies who don't like to be left!

[cheeseisthebest]

5.5 month old does not like to be left! Just barks continuously!
Thought might be good to have a separate thread specifically for this issue!

There's some great advice on FB Dog Training Advice and Support group on this separation anxiety. Basically start up slow. We'd stand outside in the road for 5 minutes - neighbours must have thought we were mad. She's 2 and can be left fine now.

Definitely worth joining that FB group. Also more advice here:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/training/help-your-dog-enjoy-time-alone
Time to go back to square one!

Oh, I will follow this one - 7 month old mostly poodle cross, and he is not keen on being by himself. Slowly getting better and we are trying to ensure he has some time home alone each day which is harder than i think it should be. (My dd works from home and she doesn’t always want to have to go out to leave him, but equally she doesn’t want him being a pain while she’s working, and I haven’t quite got through to her yet that the two are connected 🙄)

5 month old cockerpoo here hates being left. Hates me not being in the room even popping to toilet. I have been crate training and can leave her in crate for an hour and go out, if she needs a sleep, but I am not sure this is teaching her to be home alone as how does she really know if she’s in a crate with a cover on?!

I have found my people!
4.5 month old cocker spaniel....I'm ok flitting room to room now, will stay on his bed if he's tired. Sometimes follows me like a shadow.

However will not sleep away from me. Sleeps in a crate in our room but we want him downstairs!

Sometimes fine with me showering etc, sometimes howls and whines at the stairgate.

Don't want to distress him but oh my word I am fed up now and just want to put him to bed at 11 and not be up to him whining for no apparent reason or to eat a meal on peace whilst he reliably settles in his crate. Sometimes he's angelic, sometimes howls and whines.

Hi GuyFawkes! I thought it would be good to have a separate thread!
Mine cries and barks at bottom of stairs or through the door. Sleeping in our room and think always will now or possibly moving to son's room this week.

Yes DS is keen on having a furry hot water bottle. I would LOVE him to sleep on the bed but DH is having none of it

#3AndADog Have I misunderstood? Is this a thing in that one completely covers a crate with a dog inside it, a bit like a parrot cage at night? I sincerely hope I have misunderstood!

Absolutely it's a thing. Makes them feel safe

I only ever partially cover a crate - one side is open so the dog can actually see out and have circulating air. I am not a lover of crates and only use them really for puppy safety reasons. I have never used them for an adult dog other than after surgery. To me, completely covering a crate sounds, tbh, unkind to say the least. I don't know when this started being a thing, but it's not a 'thing' I would ever want to adopt. How on earth do you teach a dog to be a calm and sensible member of the family if, every time you go out, you essentially shut it in a box? Because that is what you are doing. No wonder some of these poor creatures cry when they are left alone, with no stimulation or comfort, in the dark. And no, I don't buy that it makes them feel safe at all. Would it make you feel safe?
I would be interested to know how many people on here try and train their dogs to be happy with their own company by leaving them alone in the dark in a tiny space in a totally covered crate?

My dog was crate trained & the crate was under the stairs, blanket on top.
He's fine with being left, stays in the living room & kitchen now.
His crate is in the back of the van - covered on three sides.

Oh I see, you said completely cover. I thought you meant cover at all.
When I've tried to leave my puppy he's not been in his crate. He doesn't really go in there at all and sleeps on a rug in my bedroom.

It’s definitely a thing, everyone I meet raves about it and all the puppy books I read before getting her advocated it. I must admit I felt weird about it too but she seems to like it and doesn’t complain. She definitely knows how to complain when she isn’t happy or wants some attention! But i still think it’s not going to teach her how to be alone in the house. It’s covered on 3 sides but the open side is the wall side so it’s for air but not to see out. I was told the idea is a large open space is intimidating for them and too distracting to rest. The most she’s ever been in there during the day is 1.5 hours. Only ever once a day between 30-90 mins. So I can get house stuff done/nip to the shop! She has a chew and sleeps. I’m also being told by everyone everywhere is that puppies need hours and hours of sleep a day and if she gets it in there is it such a bad thing?
I don’t know. I don’t know what is best. What I do know is that if I leave the house with her in the kitchen/lounge she barks and paws at the gate to get out. In the crate she has a treat and goes to sleep.

I would love to be able to leave her out in the room to roam tbh. But it’s impossible and I just can’t make it 100% puppy proofed

We planned to crate in the day when leaving him but can't imagine confining him tbh. He sleeps in it at night without issue but iuts not suitable for a dog who is awake. I don't have a puppy proof area

Sorry for hijacking the thread last night! Just feeling a bit hopeless with it all. She seems to hate me going when out of the crate but not when I put her in it. Going to think about starting leaving her alone from scratch, without the crate.

Crates seem to work really well for some dogs. Ours loved hers at night and would take herself off there till she was about 6 months old and then wouldn't anymore. She never liked it in the day. But she was a real velcro dog, still is really.

But as I said up thread we built it up slowly and now we can leave her. the in laws dog sit a lot and have never really left her on her own so she isn't used to it in their house and barks. We have suggested they try leaving her...but they are reluctant to in case she gets upset.

3AndADog do not doubt yourself. You are with your dog nearly 24/7 and you can see how your dog is behaving - no one on this forum can give you better advice as they are not seeing the situation.

If your dog is happy being left in a crate then that is the best thing for your dog. Many dogs are happier left in their crate. It is teaching them independence in a way they are happy with.

Some dogs love the crate and yours is one of them.

Your dog is learning to be alone in the crate and that is fantastic.

I am finding it difficult to leave my 9 month old cockapoo. I built it up slowly and he was fine until he was about 7 months when suddenly he howls on and off. I only leave him for an hour now and sometimes he howls on and off the whole time and sometimes only a couple of little howls. I watch him on petcam and he doesn’t look distressed so I am not sure if it is separation anxiety or just complaining at being left. It is so difficult to know what to do for the best as if I go right back to the beginning he could regress again in a few months. Also, it would be hard to know what to start from as he varies so much from one day to another

I rarely leave my Maltipoo at home alone for that reason. Try the crate again and see what happens.

For BiteyDog I had to watch him on camera to understand what he was upset about.

Lots of suggestions online said leave a radio on with people talking but actually that made him cry as there were humans about. When I put it on a music channel he was fine. And we needed the radio on as he would otherwise get upset if anyone parked near the house so the radio helped drown that noise out.

Seeing things out in the garden or shadows when it was dark freaked him out so blinds had to be drawn.

We used to leave him in one room behind the baby gate. Some people leave there with kongs etc but we tried that until he rolled it under the sofa and cried as he couldn't get it. He now just gets a couple of biscuits to eat.

I guess what I am saying is that all dogs are different and finding what settles yours is a bit of trial and error.

Have you managed to make any progress OP? I can’t make out what is happening with mine. Last week he seemed to be getting a bit better and only did a few small howls. However, today when I left him for only 30 minutes he howled most of the time. It is getting me down at the moment as I feel like I can’t leave him

My people! Thanks for the separate thread @cheeseisthebest.

Mine is OK if she has been completely over-exercised during the day. Then she will snooze the hours away. If not... barking. Lots of it.

The two-way audio webcams from amazon seem to really help. She looks proper puzzled and then gives up. Some dogs are just much, much harder to leave because of their breed, I think, and also how strongly bonded they are to their human(s). Mine is a million times better if she has been to dog daycare and away from me for a bit. Hence she is going twice this week. Expensive but worth it if it helps.