Separation Anxiety in Puppy - help!

[The Governor]

Hi Everyone!

My wonderful 4.5 month old puppy, The Governor, is the happiest puppy you will meet. Everyone that encounters him on walks can't help but smile when they walk past him and he LOVES playing with any dog he encounters or any human for that matter! We have taken him to puppy kindergarten and he has done very well and I have taken him to dog parks and other social spaces that have lots of dogs that he plays with. The issue came yesterday when we decided to trial him at a doggy daycare and within 20 minutes of dropping him off I received a call from the dog handlers saying he had been whining excessively, panting and not approaching any of the other dogs from the moment I left. I have noticed that when I am in the house with him and leave a room that he is in he will whine until I return so I know I have been unknowingly feeding this anxiety - something I am trying to work on now. My boyfriend and I work from home so he is never left alone unless he is sleeping and I am now worried that perhaps he is too used to having us always at his side?!

I have been practicing leaving him tethered on his leash to a door in a room that I am in and feeding him his dinner there and leaving the room for brief periods of time but after he finishes the meal he just gets stressed again or doesn't even finish the whole meal but I am going to keep persevering with this.

Has anyone experienced this with their puppies or dogs? If you have any advice I would be super appreciative as it breaks my heart to see him under such stress.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Maybe instead of doggie daycare, you could hire a dog walker to come take him out for a bit without both of you. If all he has ever known is being with you, being without you may indeed be stressful to him. I do think we all need to find time to do things without our dogs, so I would start by leaving for short periods of time each day. Do you have a crate? Also, don't make a big fuss when you leave or come back. I always turned on the TV, sometimes the noisemaker we have to mute noises, and gave them a tasty treat as I put my dogs in their crate and walked out the door.  I don't crate them any longer, but I still leave a TV on and a treat of peanut butter down for them as I leave. Also, try crating him in another room when you are home with a chew toy (something safe) and see how he does. I would just take baby steps and try small periods of separation each day and gradually work up to bigger ones. Another thing that helped my dogs was the Snuggle Puppy. It is a stuffed dog that comes with a heartbeat that makes your puppy feel like he is not alone. Just be sure your dog is not a big chewer and won't destroy it when left alone. They also say to mix up your routine when you leave, so the anxiety doesn't build as your pup realizes you are about to leave. Good luck and I hope you get more suggestions.

I just thought of something else...LOL...being dropped off in a sea of dogs may be too overwhelming all at once for your little guy. Maybe try and arrange a play date with just a few dogs. Also, I always exercise my dogs before I leave to go anywhere, so they are good and tired and more apt to rest when I leave the house.

[The Governor]

Thanks so much for your advice! Yes, we have a crate and he's always been very good in that and has slept through the night no problem since we brought him home. The problem is when he sees us walking about the house, he needs to be involved in everything and that's when the whining starts! 

And, I agree with you on it being overwhelming, I think it may have been a bit much for him at his age. And, although he's used to being around lots of other dogs at one time they've normally been other puppies or small dogs and not different ages and sizes so this may have scared him a bit. Perhaps he just needs to wait another month or so for daycare. 

I will try looking into the Snuggle Puppy - that sounds good and may help with the anxiety at home!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am the worst dog trainer in the whole world, but maybe you could start working on the command "place" and have him go to his place and settle when you are working. 

[The Governor]

Yes, I'm desperate to get him to learn this one! I'm teaching him stay at the moment which he hasn't taken on as well as all of the other commands as he just wants to play all the time! Baby steps though - it's getting better each time!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would add that tethering a dog to an inanimate object like a door is not a good idea, even if you are in the same room, and can create other problems down the road. Gates or crates are a much better way to keep him in one area, limit access to others, and prevent him from following you. 

[The Governor]

Hi Karen,

Really? I've only been doing it as the dog trainer we used recommended it but, I have to admit, I haven't seen much improvement. What kind of issues can it create later down the road? 

Really appreciate your input! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It can trigger the "fight or flight" response in a dog. I am very surprised that any trainer would advise tethering a dog to anything other than yourself. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's some info: http://www.animalbehaviorist.us/dogs/know_when_to_tether_your_puppy...

From the article:
A puppy kindergarten class in Brooklyn is telling puppy owners to tie up their puppies in their homes.  According to a puppy owner taking the class, the purpose is to teach the juvenile dog control while tethered. Serious welfare and behavior consequences will occur if owners follow this advice. Tethering a dog deprives your pet of choice and control and creates intense agitation, anxiety and frustration. Exactly the kinds of situation new puppy owners are trying to avoid. Studies have shown higher incidences of stress related behaviors with tethered dogs including increased barking and aggression. Tethered dogs have also been found 3 times more likely to bite than dogs that were not tethered.

[The Governor]

Thanks for this - very interesting as I live in Brooklyn so I wonder if the dog class they are referring to is the one I went to! Thanks Karen.

[BG and Gavin]

Since you are both home together, I think it is important to set up a strict daily routine with the puppy at specific times, so that he begins to know just what to expect every day. Example: 7:30 up and out to potty. 8:00 morning walk. 8:30 breakfast. 8:45 out to potty. 9:00 crate time for two hours 11am potty, then play time then crate time etc... I will also suggest to you doing some umbilical work. This may seem counterintuitive because the dog is already attached, but it builds confidence and tires the dog out due to the mental work involved. I will link you to a video I just posted on how to do this. As Laurie suggested, no fanfare whatsoever when leaving or coming home. In fact try to actively ignore him for the first five minutes when you return. Put your purse away, unload the groceries and make yourself busy for a bit before going to the crate to let him out. Also as others stated, practice for short periods leaving the house and coming back, then extend. Good luck and please keep us updated as you go.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/trainingmindsets/forum/topics/umb...

[The Governor]

Thanks so much for sending the link to your video - it's great! I'll start trying this and see how it works and let you know how I get on!

We have a pretty strict and consistent schedule which has been great for his potty training but not so much for the anxiety as of yet - I will try leaving him for more periods of time though and giving him less attention.

Thanks again!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Our Murphy was about Governor's age when he first demonstrated separation anxiety issues. We too had been with him 24/7 and when we needed to leave him it was just horrible. We started doing short separations at a time, and did tether him to us, we didn't cage him as we never had, and I can't say that anything actually worked, but it could have easily been for lack of consistency.  We were traveling across country in an RV with him, so there were some days we just were driving all day and there were little opportunities to leave him alone.

When we finally settled down, he was about 15 months old and by then very anxious when we left him. We decided we wanted another doodle anyway, so thought it would help, and it did.  So he's never been alone since he was about 18 months old.  That may not be a solution for you, but it worked out well for us.