Separation anxiety - young cavapoo

[HelenaWaiting]

I have a one year old cavapoo. It's a bit of a departure for me; I've always had spaniels in the past, but I was asked to take Maisie when she was 16 weeks old - the young couple who had bought her weren't coping.

Anyway, she's extremely dependent. If I leave her, even for a short time, she howls, cries and scrabbles at the door until I return. I should say she is never left alone - we're a large family, there is always someone around. This happens even if I just put the bins out. I'm gone two minutes, she gets upset and then greets me like I've returned from the dead. I'd just like her to be comfortable with other people. Any tips?

I think there are three issues here;

1. 16 weeks is very young still - it’s when puppies are beginning to get to know the world. Being ‘abandoned’ by her first owners was probably very distressing, even if she didn’t show it. Remember that in the course of two months she’d have lost her pack and then her humans. Even older dogs who lose a ‘pack mate’ then their humans struggle to cope.

2. She’s a combination of two highly needy breeds (you know spaniels to know they’re Velcro like, poodles as well). And that obviously plays a part - Cavapoos and cockerpoos are well known to suffer from SA.

3. Actually having someone around all day every day will have done her more harm than good as she’s now never been taught that being alone is okay but instead that people leave her and don’t come back (family No.1).

I think that you may need to involve a proper behaviourist (do your research - I wouldn’t trust some of the alleged dog behaviourists on mumsnet with a daffodil, let alone a dog). But ultimately, if she’s that distressed when you leave this is going to be a very long process.

I’d also recommend you allow other members of your family to interact with her more (i.e feed her) if it’s just you she clings to (as opposed to other people) I had to do that with one of mine in the past as he became too dependent on me (I did everything for him). Eventually he realised that other members of the family weren’t awful…but obviously I was still best.

I don’t tend to like mixed breeds/mongrels…but she is lovely 😊

You need a trainer who specialises in separation anxiety. Many work online. In the meantime try to readjust your expectations, a couple of minutes is a short time for you but it's a long time for an anxious dog.

There's a free online 5 day course here that would be a great start https://julienaismith.com/challenge/#:~:text=Door%20is%20a%20Bore%E2%84%A2%EF%B8%8F%20is%20the%20proprietary%20training%20method,It's%20absolutely%20free!

Some more information https://www.bark-ology.co.uk/blog/2021/3/19/hi-ho-hi-ho-its-off-to-work-we-go

Sub threshold training is the gold standard. Both Julie Naismith and the Dog training advice and support group use those methods and I know many people who have ‘cured’ their dog using it. Exposure at a rate they can cope with is the only way long term.

A year is still young and at adolescence everything becomes shaky! There are lots of confidence building games you can play to help build up alone time in the house before you move to leaving it.

Thank you all, I think sound advice about the professional. I do get that two minutes is longer for a dog than it is for me, I included it to illustrate that I don't need to be gone for hours for her to get upset. My Cavaliers were limpet-like, but this is extra.

Just a couple of points - nothing I can do or could have done about someone always being around. It's just how it is. It wasn't set up specially for Maisie. We have another dog, Dora the Supermodel, and they get on really well but she is also a bit needy - she's a rescue. They do get fed by other family members - whoever is in the kitchen at dinner time.

Maisie does interact with other family members, but only if I'm there. If I leave the room she runs after me. I'll post a pic of the Supermodel for context.

It’s a big misconception that puppies need to be left in order to prevent it - they don’t. Many trainer friends I know don’t leave theirs until they are mature and then have little problem building up the time. Dogs are individuals. Some cope with time alone as puppies and some don’t.