My puppy has separation anxiety bad. What do I do??

Question

My puppy is 15 weeks old. This does not happen as much when I leave but when I come home she just freaks out. Barking, jumping, licking, and just spazzing out for about 20 minutes. Also, when I am at home with her when I take her outside to go to the bathroom I cannot even go near the door or she starts barking and going crazy. I don't have any idea what to do and I could really apprectiate any help or advice.

Answer 1

Here are ome sites that may give you some help. the first lets you knoow that you are not alone! > http://www.oes.org/page2/2889~over_excited_puppy.html
http://members.aol.com/ukaim/frame.htm?b_excitable.htm
http://www.sniksnak.com/doghealth/excite.html

My personal recommendation is to begin teaching the very basic obedience lessons.. As she becomes trained, she will be more focused, and eager to please.. Puppy classes would be a great investment for her...It will give you the tools you need to have a better relationship for all of your lives together..

Answer 2

Put the dog on the other side of a door, say the laundry room then you sit down on the floor for the next 20 mins!! Everytime the puppy just barely begins a yap or a scratching....bang on the door real loud and say stop it! After a while the dog will settle down. You may need to do this several times within a week. That should take care of that!! When you open the door to the puppy...do not reward it right away for the good behavior, be calm as if you are the mother dog! She doesnt reward the pup for this...this is what the pup is supposed to do! To be quiet. Good luck.

Answer 3

Separation Anxiety
Dogs are social animals. They prefer having the pack nearby. So, many dogs experience separation anxiety when you leave them home alone. They may whine, cry, bark, or become destructive. But you could correct this behavior by setting aside a special time to play with and exercise your dog each day. Then, don't make a big event of your departure. Just leave quietly. You can also reserve a day or two to work on the problem. Come and go frequently to show your dog that you will always return. This can reassure your pet. If problems persist, consult a professional trainer.

Answer 4

Ask your vet, the other users are right. He will probably give you better helpful hints and tips although there is no cure for doggie seperation anxiety. All animals dogs or humans are different and react differently to certain things and events. My mom and I have three dogs and my aunt breeds dogs for a living so I have a lot of experience with them. All of my dogs hate it when we leave and are absolutely excited when we come back. All three of them act differently. My personal dog jumps on me and barks and wiggles and squirms and circles around me and goes crazy! when I get home. Your puppy is pretty young and she is probably used to someone being around her constantly so taking her to a new environment and a new place is a challenge. Something my mom and I do with our dogs is talk to them and tell them that we will be back and everything will be fine. I know that sounds corny but try it and see. With my dogs it really does help them cope and understand. Also (I believe) dogs have little sense of time so no matter if you leave the house for 5 minutes or 5 hours the reaction will still be the same. I think that for long trips they know that you are gone for longer by seeing the different people taking care of them and the change of routine. Another thing to recognize is that your dog is just showing you how much they care and love you. Although it may be annoying to not be able to leave thier side. Thats why you have a dog.... a Companion.

Answer 5

There is not too much you can do about this because it is a very common puppy problem. Even though she doesn't like it when you go to the door you have to remember that you are the boss so go inside any way. Let her bark her little butt off typically they stop after a little while. If not then even few minutes go outside and scold her by popping her on the nose and tell her with a firm voice " NO BARK". If after a few weeks of repetitively work it doesn't help then you may need to talk to your local veterinarian about some doggy Valium.

Answer 6

At 15 weeks, your puppy is still just a baby and very dependent on you. What you can do when you come home, is just calmly come in and ignore her (no matter how hard that is) for a few minutes. Just go on doing what you'd normally do, then in a very calm and quiet voice, bend down and greet your puppy. If you don't make a big deal of your leaving or coming home, your puppy will become much more excepting. But at this age, you need a lot of patience - takes time to learn.

Very simple obedience (at home only at this age) would also be a good idea. Sit, stay, come and down are things she could begin learning. You need to keep your lessons very short and fun, and make sure you give her lots of praise (treats too if she'll work for treats).

When she's going crazy and barking is when you need to be the most calm because dogs pick up on our moods and if you're excited, it will make her worse.

Answer 7

It is clear that your puppy misses you. Keep in mind that she's just a baby. You know how hyper 2 year old kids are? My dog is 1 year old but she's very small and she has the same reaction when I come home from work. She jumps up and down ( looks like she's dancing), licks my face, she's doesn't bark much. Your puppy is happy to see you. This is what I do. I come home, put down my purse and keys and go see her. I hold her, talk to her, kiss her and love her and pat her for a good 5 min. Then I put her down, if she keeps spazzing out, I tell her "NO" and to "calm down". It will eventually work. When you are out with her and she barks if you go near the door. She's worried you'll leave her outside. You have to show her that you will come back. Leave her out, go inside for 2 min and come back. She is your baby, essentially. It's easy to forget how much our dogs love us and depend on us. Be patient but firm. Is your dog fixed? I've been told that calms them down. Good Luck!

Answer 8

She is afraid you will leave again when you go near a door. She is showing you how happy she is to see you when you come home. Tell her No in a stern voice and ignore her if she barks or jumps -other than saying NO. When she behaves then pet her. Do not reward the bad behavior or she will never learn.IF you can just stop as soon as you get in the door and speak to her and pet her. Then go ahead ans do what you need to. That way she will be loved on because she has been so lonely while you were away. She will also not need to spaz out for so long because she will be getting what she needs quickly. IF she tries to continue after loving her, tell her NO in your firm I mean business voice! She will get it quick IF you stick to it. Best wishes!

Answer 9

you could try something called a DAP Diffuser. These are plug in devices, the size of a plug in air freshener, containing DAP, or 'Dog Apeasing Pheremone', a chemical that is sent out into the room and helps to relax dogs. Not all dogs are sensitive to it, but to many it soothes them and helps them settle, it is very similar to the scent they get when they are suckling from their mothers as young pups. It is best plugged into the room where the dog spends most of it's time.

It would also be good not to over excite the dog when you return home if he is acting like this. Although it is hard to ignore them, when he jumps up you and tries to bark at you, stand completely still, don't make any eye contact and don't touch him. When he eventually stops and sits down, then go down to his level and fuss hin and tell him he's a good dog. This may take time, but eventually he'll realise that he gets more attention from you from sitting quietly when you return home, than he does when he jumps about going mad. Tell your visitors to do this too. Don't shout at him or try to push him away because he'll just think it's a game and do it more. It can take a lot of time to get a puppy to understand this, but it's vital to do it now while he's young or he'll have problems for ever. It may be worth ringing a vet and seeing if they can put you in touch with a local behaviourist.

Answer 10

Okay. #1 he sounds REALLY insecure. The wanting attention from you 24/7 and issues with walking on leash and being frightened of things indicates insecurity. Keep up with your training, consistency is THE MOST important thing to keep in mind with training. It'll help him get used to his new place if you stay on exactly the same schedule. #2. Puppies shouldn't really be left alone during the day anyway, but since you already have him, where did he come from? Shelter, private rescue, breeder? How he spent the first few months of his life will indicate why he has these behavioral issues. WORST case scenario you could return him to the breeder or rescue that he came from and you could try getting an older, already socialized and crate trained dog since you work during the day. If you're very invested in making it work it'll definitely take time. What kind of obedience training have you done? I like to use, and always recommend, the "Nothing comes for free" method. When you use this method you don't give the dog anything without him working for it first. This means no meals, treats, toys, walks, and big for you Attention AT ALL unless he works for it first. If he comes to you crying to be held you have to ask him to sit, lay down or do whatever other commands he knows before you give him attention. If you do this it'll hopefully reduce the amount he is dependent on you so the stress he feels when you leave will be lessened. It sounds kind of harsh, especially for a lap dog but it's actually very beneficial for his mind. Since you're the parent, you're allowed to ask for affection from him whenever you want, but as the submissive dog, he only gets attention when you say it's ok. That's how dogs give each other affection so it makes sense to their brains. When you say you walk A LOT, what is "a lot"? Even though he's a little dog, a 45-60 minute walk in the morning should be enough to get rid of excess energy and he'll be able to manage one that long. Are you relaxed when you go on walks? If you're paying attention to him and making sure everything is okay, he'll be insecure too. You have to be very positive and confident and don't pay him any mind while he's on the leash. Except for praising when he behaves well of course. Also, did you happen to do a lot of breed research before you chose him? Both Poms and Chihuahuas are generally high strung, high energy and super addicted to human attention, that's what they were bred for, to be lap dogs. You could invest in doggy daycare, most daycares have "small dog rooms" so he'll be with other toy breeds and won't be harassed by big dogs. You could drop him off before work and pick him up afterwards!

Answer 11

I think she is just too happy when you get home. Same for mine, he jumps & runs every time I came home and he would like me to carry him for a short while, eventhough he is about 4 years old now. Tell her when you are going out and you will be back, after some time, she will understand. Just a bit difficult at the start, but after some time it gets easier when she has learned some words. May be she was being separated with her mum once, so the insecurity feeling is there. Give her a bed and towel, a place solely belong to her. My dog can differentiate when I'm going for work, so when I'm in the office attire, he would just sit quietly seeing me leaving the house. Other times, he would want to follow. After some time, your dog will understand, not to worry. Just show her more affection such as stroking or carrying her and even talk to her, she will understand.