Seperation anxiety and keeping dog at home

[Jay Cee]

So my dog literally follows us everywhere. He cannot be separated for a second. I guess it doesn't help that we also take him everywhere we go. When we cannot be around more than 3-4 hours we usually drop him off at doggie daycare which he seems to enjoy. The problem is he is 5 months and after 6 months they will not take him if he is not neutered. I have decided to wait until he is full grown before neutering. Any strategies on how to wean him into staying at home by himself a few days a month? Currently he sleeps in the crate, but does not like to be there during the day. 

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Is your vet in agreement with neutering at fully grown?  My vet would not be.

Try putting him in the bathroom or laundry room with all possible problems (towels etc) removed.  Give him a frozen kong (stuffed with lowfat cream cheese and treat surprises imbedded. Or give him his meal in a toy puzzle.  These things are only for being left alone.  You could also just put him in his crate with one of these goodies. 

He needs to learn to stay in his crate with you in the house for his own safety.  An occasion may arise where this is necessary and he should get used to it. Ignore all carrying on until he gets over it. 

My Murphy is 5 months and still complains occasionally when she is crated with a party of people in the house.  But it is quickly over now.  If she is quiet she gets let out when we are done eating or down to dog friendly people.

[Jay Cee]

So I get a different answer with everyone I ask. My vet recommended neutering at 6 months. However I have I have been looking at YouTube videos by other vets and they are recommending to delay neutering until dog is fully grown

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I thought the delaying for longer than 6-9 months was only for Giant breed dogs.  There are definitely conflicting opinions out there though.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have a Miniature Poodle puppy who will be 18-20 lbs full grown maximum, and my vet is recommending neutering at 8-10 months. He said they used to recommend it at 6 months but now believe that there are benefits in waiting until they are closer to a year, and until you are sure the growth plates have closed. 

That doesn;t happen in giant breeds until they are 18-24 months old.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

It makes sense to me.  Sex hormones are needed to convert growth plates to bone (in people anyway, I imagine it's the same in dogs) so if you sterilize too early it might cause bone problems later on in life.

I guess with females though you have to weigh that risk with the increased risk of not sterilizing before first heat cycle.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think if he has not been left alone before you'll need to ease him into it.  I would crate him during the day and leave for short periods (with a treat filled kong) so he gets used to knowing that you leave and always come back.  If you're going to be gone more than four hours you might look into a dog walker.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

As others have suggested, you need to leave him for short periods gradually increasing the time. Unless he is hard-wired to be have serious separation anxiety, you really want to work on this while he is young. I had a dog with severe separation anxiety and it is no fun to restrict yourself as much as you will have to do for the next 12 years if you can do something to cure it now. It is very fun to take your dog places, but there are some places he cannot go - to your doctor for example. He needs to be able to stay home without you.

The issue here is teaching him to stay by himself. However you want to do it - whether crating, confining in a specific area or leaving him to roam your house is purely up to you, although crating is the easiest since he already knows the crate. Giving him a special treat to occupy him when you leave is a great idea. My mom used to put a small treat in a Kong and her dogs learned that meant she was leaving and would return.

DO NOT MAKE A HUGE DEAL OF YOUR COMING AND GOING. No baby talk or excited voices. Just say good bye and leave. When returning, ignore him until he is calm.

I'd begin by having him stay in a room you vacate - either by closing the door or walking outside while leaving him inside.  Leave him for a few minutes. Pick up your purse or keys, say goodbye and walk outside your door. You will hear what he does - is he howling, barking, whining or silent? 

Some people leave the TV or music on for their dogs - try that.

[Jay Cee]

He starts whining the second I leave. He literally will not let me go 5 feet away from him at any time. He is like my second shadow. I have tried putting treats in the kong with peanut butter, but the peanut butter gets stuck on the inside and he cant get to it. 

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Try low fat cream cheese and a smaller or larger Kong, depending on why he cannot reach the peanut butter. 

I think you may have a bit of separation anxiety also.  I recognize it, because I have a pretty severe case of it too.  Murphy and Tigger are so precious to me, but I know intellectually that crating is safe and not traumatic for the dog - just enormously guilt and anxiety inducing in me.  I do stop with the guilt and anxiety when each puppy gets older, so I know I am doing the right thing with Murphy.  It is tough though.

Put him in his crate with a Kong and leave the room or home until he stops carrying on.  Then retrieve him and take away the Kong.  Increase time slowly that you return after he stops crying and making a fuss.

It is incredibly important that you control your behavior when crating him and releasing him.  You should act calm, few words, control your breathing to be slow and even.  Act as if it happens three times a day.  No big deal.  Dogs easily pick up your (my) anxiety and then are truly anxious because I am.  But this really and truly is not a big deal.  If he sleeps in his crate you already are halfway there.  Dogs do not mind being crated for reasonable lengths of time and get used to it as part of their day.  You are a good, kind, and responsible owner teaching your dog to stay quietly in his crate.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Put some peanut butter or yogurt in the kong  or hollow bone and freeze.  let it get stuck inside, that is kind of the point - it keeps him busy for a while.  You can wash it out later.

I suggest leaving the room for like 5 minutes at a time and shut the door either from where you were and left him or where you go.  Let him whine -

Again, I mention that I had a dog with severe separation anxiety.  We didn't recognize what it was, so we weren't able to take baby steps to help him see that staying by himself was an okay thing. He lived to be twelve and we really had to make life adjustments which were NOT fun.  We had another dog who this one relied on so we were able to leave him home with him - when that dog died, he was devastated.  Our other dogs weren't able to take over that caretaker position for him. We had to have babysitters.   I wish I had recognized and worked on this when he was young enough to adapt.

[Jay Cee]

Well thanks for all the responses. I will work on crate training. So back to the neutering every vet seems to have a different answer. I thought it made sense to wait until the dog is fully grown, but I guess there are certain risk of neutering late

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Good luck and keep us posted both on the anxiety and the neuter decision.