Help with seperation anxiety?? For a puppy?

This was just asked- lots of suggestions here.

I just also need to say remember to make sure the puppy is good and exercised first and I think your going to have to gradually deal with the anxiety like 5 minutes first then 10 then 20 and work your way up that way the puppy think you’ve left but you can assess what the puppy is doing and make sure when you leave the puppy is in a designated spot and calm and reward the good calm behaviour that you want with affection.
It kinda like leaving your baby in their crib for the first time.

I will repeat my answer from the other thread:

Your dog has developed separation anxiety. You will have to be patient to cure it, but it can be done.

First, you need to buy a crate. Make sure and get the right size. Then leave the crate door open when you are home. Feed the dog in the crate, Put a blanket down on the bottom of the crate. Giver her treats in the crate.

Then you begin the separation anxiety program.

First, you work regularly with your dog on commands such as sit, stay, come. Second, you make sure you dog is well-exercised. Consider taking her to an off-leash dog park. Run her in the backyard with a ball. Take her on a longish leash walk. Wear her out.

Then you begin to accustom her to being alone in the house. Leave her in a sit stay or down stay while you go in another room. At first, just a few seconds, gradually lengthening the time.

Then you stop her triggering behaviors. Whatever your getting ready to leave the house clues are. Does the dog react when you put on your coat? When you take out your keys and jingle them? Start putting on your coat and sitting down or going about your normal chores in the house. Walk around the house with your keys jingling. Do this until your dog does not react any longer to these cues.

Then put the dog outside and leave her and go in the house. Just for a few seconds at first. Gradually lengthening it until you can leave her outside without her reacting.

Then put the dog in the crate with a treat, and leave the house. Just stay outside the door for a few seconds, and then come back in. Keep practicing until you can leave her for a few minutes, then longer and longer.

When you come back from going out do not act excited to greet your dog. Wait until she stops jumping up on you or barking to pet her.

This requires a lot of patience, but it can be done. You may want the help of a professional trainer to keep you on track.

Here’s a link to Cesar Millan’s website.
I was going to give you this link to a separation anxiety article but it’s not very in-depth and may be a bit too broad/universal…

He’s the Dog Whisperer, has a TV show on NatGeo. If you haven’t heard of him, I’d suggest checking him out. There are many of his shows where he addresses separation anxiety, and in different ways specific to the dogs. It may give you some (more) ideas.

Thanks everyone. She does crate train him. Just keep on trying. She has checked Dog Whisperer.

I just thought of something else, maybe you could make sure everyone has the same routine with the dog so the dog doesn’t feel like you and your DIL are just so special.

I think the problem is that we loooooved him up so much, and she works at home. Maybe she should take him for a walk before she goes out. It is just so cold here, he was 2½ mos at our thanksgiving mid Oct and it was below freezing out.

@faye Ugh, yes the weather can be a burden. I take my dogs on shorter walk in the snowy cold weather, since they are on a daily schedule of walking they don’t seem to care. In fact I can tell when they think it’s too cold because they tend to walk alot faster than me. But keeping them on a strict schedule they don’t cause any problems when I leave. They do everything around the same times of day. When we are doing nothing they rest peacefully. I also treat them the same and have others do that as well when they don’t my dogs react very different.