Separation anxiety in puppy?

[snuggly mama]

Our puppy is 6 months old, and we just love him to pieces. :

For the most part, he's doing great with all kinds of training, and we have very few issues at all. The only thing I'm sort of concerned about is his behavior when any of us leave the house. For example, when the kids were leaving for school in the mornings, he'd cry and run between the two doors, whimpering for a few minutes, then settle down. When I leave for work, he tries to follow me out to the car (if dh is home and lets him look out the window/door), or cries a lot when I put him in the crate. I've waited outside for a bit to see what happens, and he cries for about 5 minutes (give or take), and then settles. He's usually napping when I get home and seems happy to see me but not overly anxious or anything.

He also doesn't like to be left in the yard alone, or even out of sight of us. He LOVES people -- all people! -- and just seems like he wants to be with us all the time.

Is this separation anxiety? Do I need to worry about it?

[Sailor]

I wouldn't worry about it. Dogs don't have a very good concept of time. So, when you disappear, he has no clue whether or not you'll be back. On the other hand, when you come back in 10 minutes or 2 hours, he's just as excited to see you, and he/she forgets about the time spent alone.

This is common in puppies, and he'll probably grow out of it eventually. My dog cried when I left him in the crate when he was a puppy as well. Eventually, though, he went in there with no issues, and then after some more time passed, I just left him alone without crating him.

One thing you can do is give him something extra special in that crate each time you leave. Like a treat filled kong. Freezing it will make it last longer. This way he has a positive association with being left in the crate.

[SophieAnn]

Originally Posted by Sailor

I wouldn't worry about it. Dogs don't have a very good concept of time. So, when you disappear, he has no clue whether or not you'll be back. On the other hand, when you come back in 10 minutes or 2 hours, he's just as excited to see you, and he/she forgets about the time spent alone.

This is common in puppies, and he'll probably grow out of it eventually. My dog cried when I left him in the crate when he was a puppy as well. Eventually, though, he went in there with no issues, and then after some more time passed, I just left him alone without crating him.

One thing you can do is give him something extra special in that crate each time you leave. Like a treat filled kong. Freezing it will make it last longer. This way he has a positive association with being left in the crate.

I completely agree. This does sound quite normal for a dog who is very people-oriented. Our two are also very people-oriented, and will get upset when just about anyone leaves (including the door-to-door salesman).

I think the reason I wouldn't worry about it is that it is short-lived. He's upset, but settles quickly when the kids leave for school. He whines when left alone in the crate, but settles within a few minutes. If it were separation anxiety, he wouldn't recover so quickly.

A stuffed Kong is a great idea. It's a good distraction (so he might not even notice you leaving), and good positive-association for him.

It's nice having such a friendly, people-oriented dog. Keep up with obiedience training to help him build confidence, and you will find that as he grows older, he might not mind a little quiet time to himself in the yard. He sounds like a real sweetie.