Abby; a bit lonely?

[Krystle]

Hi everyone,
I have a miniature labradoodle named Abby. She's 6 and a half months old and we've had her since December.
She has always been easy to train and eager to please.
HOWEVER, she is very timid and attached. When we first chose her, we chose her because all the other dogs were picking on her and she was the most gentle of the litter. Even now, when we socialise her (which we have done since she was quite young) she tends to play with the little dogs and if any of them get a little bit too rough for her (which most other dogs can handle), she runs away and yelps or cowers at our feet. We always make an effort to make her feel comfortable and if she is too anxious or worried, we simply lead her away and play with her on our own.
My partner and I both work full-time and when I leave for work, I put Abby in the laundry (also where she sleeps at night) with access to the yard through a doggy door. Every morning, without fail, she cries and barks when I leave. My neighbours have told me that she stops after about 10 minutes and they dont hear her again for the rest of the day unless the neighbour's dog starts barking. In which case, she usually responds to it and has a little conversation. I never make a fuss when I leave. I simply pick her up, put her in the laundry and tell her she's a good girl before I shut the door. She has plenty of chew toys and balls but it doesn't interest her because she knows I'm leaving.
I recently read on a different forum, that when choosing the ideal puppy, he/she shouldn't be overly submissive as they can be the ones who give you the most trouble later. Has anyone else heard this or agree with it?
Would getting her a companion help her or is there any exercises we can run through with her to ease her anxiety a little?
My partner wants a male puppy in time to come, is now an ideal time for Abby to be introduced to another dog (of similar or smaller size) or should we just stick with our dear Abby?
Thanks in advance, and apologies for such a long winded enquiry!

[Krystle]

Thanks very much for the advice.
I have never thought the trainers here are doing anything 'harsh' as such. The dogs respond very well to the training and are all happy, loving dogs. Every dog is different though, and perhaps the way we've been taught to do things just doesn't work for us.
A goldendoodle in my puppy class has been taught everything the same as Abby has, also sleeps in the laundry, is left alone during the day, and has responded VERY well to the training. He is a happy and well trained dog. However, Abby isn't happy with the same training. Every dog is different, and I think I have to learn from Abby just as much as she has to learn from me. I'm just grateful that I've found sites such as this, with a good support network and helpful tips.
At least now we have some ideas of how we can try to deal with these issues. First thing on our list is letting her stay inside and going from there.
I will definitely pick up a copy of that book and I'm sure it will also be very helpful.

[Adina P]

It doesn't sound like the obedience training is a problem...you said it's going well so far.
I think it's just the sleeping arrangement that may not work. You could ride it out, but it may not improve. If the only thing you change is sleeping arrangement...it should not affect the rest of training and you can proceed with that just as you were before.

[Clare]

I have a 6 month old puppy and she is fairly timid. When i go out i leave her inside with the radio on in her crate which is large comfy and has lots of toys. I would love to leave her in the house but do not trust her yet. She has been sleeping in her crate which is in the kitchen since we got her. She likes it as far as I can see and goes in there to sleep at night voluntarily. I think she feels safe in there. My partner thinks I baby pebbles but she loves to be with people and I wouldn't take any notice of the "hard school" of dog training.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Many years ago we had one dog. Now she wasn't a little dog - 50 pound English Springer Spaniel, but she was an "only" dog. She was inside when we were home and outside - like your laundry room set-up, when we were gone. As teachers, she was with us 24-7 in the summer and missed us when we went back to work in the fall. She would dig for those first few days each year. The only furniture she was allowed on was the bed because she slept with us. When she was tiny, she was lonely and cried at night and we thought she had to go potty. We finally realized that she was lonely and so we put her on the bed and she immediately began sleeping through the night. We never worried about dominance or spoiling etc. - maybe we were naive, but we just did what felt right and she was the best dog. If your pup is timid, I would try to socialize her more - that wasn't an issue for us as we took our Springer with us whenever possible and so she just naturally met lots of people and dogs.