4 month old puppy howls and barks when I go out

[Cherryblossom200]

Hey,

I have a 4 month old puppy, a Cavapoo which tbh has been an awesome little dog. We go her at 8 weeks and from an early stage I put her in her crate which was in a pen at the time and made sure I left her for short periods of time, just to go upstairs to shower and gradually to the local shops for 20 minutes. A month or so later I started working (I work part time) I put a camera on and left her for a couple of hours, popped home for an hour and went back for another couple of hours until I can home. She barked a little bit settled an spent most of her time sleeping.

I’m now wfh, so I’m with her more. When I go to collect my daughter from school, or just pop to the supermarket (these are short trips) she howling and barking and unable to settle.

She’s used to me popping out to take the rubbish out or go to the garage etc. But she struggling with me going in the car and away from home.

I can’t leave her barking for the duration I’m out 😬 I’m very chilled, I never make a fuss when I leave or return. I’m not sure how to get over her anxiety of me leaving?

These dogs are notorious for separation anxiety. I’d seek a professionals help - sorry! Make sure it’s a balanced trainer.

I'm not going to mention the leaving a 4 month old puppy for 'a couple of hours'....

Other than to say, that is why you are having problems now. You moved far too quickly with a dog far too young, and then changed her routine so you were around more. I assume you're a first time dog owner, and you just missed all the signs your poor girl was displaying about how unhappy she was.

Chances are, your girl was not 'settled' when you were out for multiple hours. Puppies that young sleep a lot more than puppies the age yours is now, and have a lot less energy. People always say 'my puppy is fine being left alone for a bit' and what has actually happened is their puppy is just so young it's exhausted itself into a point where it physically cannot bark anymore - but owners think their puppy just 'barked a bit and was fine'. So what you were seeing what a very young puppy displaying her unhappiness and then not being able to display it anymore as she was too young to vocalise it properly and instead she just fell asleep. She's older now and the behaviour is escalating.

Unfortunately, you've done everything you shouldn't have and in the process managed to install separation anxiety in your puppy. Even worse you've also got a breed notoriously bad for extreme separation anxiety (often as a result of poor breeding and being the mix of two particular breeds) that requires careful management of it.

You also need to find an experienced trainer and/or behaviourist to help you, as you sound very inexperienced and this is an issue that could easily escalate into other unpleasant and undesirable behaviours (I've often found SA to be a gateway behaviour).

Some idiot will come along and just say 'tough' your dog has to get used to it, but she's 4 months old. She's a baby and she's of a breed where 'getting used to it' is not an option.

Normal