Hi all. I’ve posted before about puppy not liking being left alone. At that point we still couldn’t get out to walk and I hoped it would get better once we could but alas no. Am really really struggling with it now as 3 weeks on and tbh very little improvement. So looking for more advice on if I’m doing the right/wrong thing and if there is anything else I could try to hopefully speed up the process a little.
To be clear puppy is now 14 weeks and has his with bed and open crate in my office which has a stair gate. This was suggested in previous post. Pup will happily sleep all night (10:30 to 6:30) downstairs, alone, in his bed in the room. No crying/barking/anxiety from this at all except to go pee if he needs and he has done this since 10 weeks. I have been able to get him used to me going for a shower in the evenings and he stays quiet while I do this but as soon as I leave the bathroom I have to pass ‘his room’ and he is straight up and whining/barking to get out. He is quiet on and off during the day if I get up to make a cuppa or go to the loo, as in sometimes he cries/whines, sometimes he doesn’t, but he always wakes up… every single time. He sleeps while I am at my desk working at home but if anything is happening in the house e.g. at weekends he just will not give in and can sometimes have as little as 12-14 hours sleep a day when you work it all out. I assumed (maybe naively) that he would crash from being tired and not wake from noise but nope. For example tonight I walked him about 5 and he dozed in his bed after for about 20-30 mins then he was awake again and played with his toys for about half an hour. I took him out to the loo, played fetch with him and fed him. Back out to the loo and put him into his room for quiet time while I was in the shower. As soon as I came out the shower I was flitting between the kitchen and the hallway tidying up, and the living room where I was going in and closing the door for a couple of mins then back out again. He cried the whole time from the end of my shower until approx 5 mins ago. So about an hour. Despite being able to see me the whole time except when I went to the living room. I’ve been hiding in the loo now for about 20 mins as he is quiet when I’m in there. But has just started whining again.
I walk him twice a day for about 15 mins each, I play with him and give him attention/training for about 5-10 mins when he is awake (fetch/feeding games etc) but not every time. He will settle happily if he is with me or someone else but just not on his own at all except at bedtime. I just don’t know what to do. He isn’t crate trained, does anyone think that might improve it if I tried? Although I don’t know how to fit that into daily life as it’s so time consuming and I’m already run ragged trying to do everything else he needs and we need as a family, as well as work. I’m supposed to be at my sisters during the summer and am so down with it all that I’m currently thinking I won’t be able to go because he won’t stay on his own in a room at all and they don’t allow dogs in their living room. I know that summer is about 5 months away but I can’t help feeling I need to sort it all now before he gets too old. Or am I expecting too much of him at 14 weeks? Is this normal? Everyone else I know, their pup seemed to just accept being on their own. I don’t like leaving him to cry for too long because I’ve read it causes anxiety and the last thing I need is an anxious adult dog who can’t be left alone.
Sorry it’s so long, but any further advice anyone can give would be hugely appreciated.