Everytime i leave my 6month old dog in house on his own he yelps & cries, this is annoying us & neighbours?

Question

Whenever we leave our dog alone, never for more than 2/3 hours, he crys and yelps. Sometimes from the minute i leave until i return. Its really annoying but we dont want it to start to cause problems with our neighbours .. Ive been told its separation anxiety disorder but dont know how to correct it, hes due to be castrated within a month, vet has said it may calm him down but its more of a behaviour problem HELP!

Answer 1

give him a nice chewy bone as you leave

Answer 2

The first thing you need to be aware of is that the pup can't have any reinforcement when he's crying in his crate. All noise must be ignored - that means, no "Stop!", no yelling on your part, no water sprays, nothing. Your whole family must agree to this - the pup would rather have negative attention than none at all. Cover the crate with a sheet if he continues to make noise. Also, make sure that your coming and going is not dramatic - ignore the pup for the 20 minutes before you leave, and do the same when you come back.
Practice leaving and coming many, many times each day - pick up your keys, put on your coat, go out the door - and then come back in again! Repeat, repeat, until your pup is used to this and stops fussing.
There's a lot of info about separation anxiety on the web - and it's a solvable problem. An E-collar is an extremely harsh punisher - please don't use these inhumane devices. Good luck!

Answer 3

If he's alone how do you know he's whining?

Is he crate trained? Having him crate trained is a usefull skill for a dog. Being in a crate is NOT the same as a cage. If he's not crate trained try this. When you leave you should put him in the crate for down time. First take him outside and let him potty.
Put him in the kennel matter of factly, without making a big deal of it and walk away. Let him whine... do not give him attention. do not look, do not speak. Pay attention though and listen close he will eventually stop. when he stops take a tasty treat let him out, and give lots of praise. Once you do this he will figure out that the sooner he's quiet the sooner he will get out. It may take a long time for him to be quiet the first time you try this, but after the first time he will get the message and will be quiet faster. (remember, dogs are smart and tend to catch on quickly) Do this during the day when you are home and have some free time. Put him in and after he's quiet let him out, give him a 10 or 15 min break and try it again, it will get easier. This is how we kennel train all of our dogs and puppies and it works wonders. All it takes is a little patience and some time encouragement. I know it's hard to sit and listen to your doggie sit and cry, but it's a defense mechanism. Dogs know that if they sound pitiful or hurt, the human will come and get them. Don't fall for it!
This is not an instant fix however, once done it's permanent. Alot of other people would say to spray the dog with a squirt of water or talk to him. Spraying water does nothing, all it is is cruel, would you spray your baby to get it to sleep through the night? i dont think so! Talking only reinforces the behavior the dog has.
Once trained he should be quiet in the crate whether you are there or not.
I hope you take my advice, this method has worked wonders for my dogs and hundreds of others, just remember patience! this is not an instant fix! but it is well worth the wait.

EDIT: If it really is separation anxiety, never make a big deal out of leaving. Wait until the dog is calm and relaxed, and just leave. Don't try and comfort him, dogs do not have the same emotions as us. If you give him attention for "looking sad" when you leave, you will be reinforcing this behavior.

Answer 4

I have had the same problem for 5 yrs my dog cries if I leave him on his own. I look after my daughters dog during the day while shes at work and if I leave the 2 of them together my dog seems to be able to handle it more . Maybe you should think of getting another dog to keep it company if you cant do this Crate train him ,I wish I had ! My husband brought the crate home and I took it back to the pet shop because I thought it was cruel,its not cruel at all when you see the benefits I have seen other dogs that are trained this way and they are so well behaved . Good Luck .

G

Answer 5

Dogs need a job! He needs to have something to do to occupy his time while you are away. Here are a few things that may help. Fill a Kong with good stuff to eat; peanut butter (natural is best found at an upscale food market or health food store) and add dog cookies, etc. to the inside. You can also take one of the large hollow bones (found at a pet store) and do the same. For my dogs I alternate between cheese whiz and peanut butter with different kinds of "dog" treats filling the inside. You also need to not make a big deal out of going or coming home. Dogs have no real time conception so 1 minute is the same as an hour to them. Crating can also help with separation anxiety. Dogs are natural "den" animals and a crate with a few choice toys (and a food treat) would probably be a good idea. If you have not crated him before it is a wonderful thing. There are many good sites on the Internet on crate training ( it would take me pgs to explain) checking that out would benefit you a well. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

You're right it is a behaviour problem - but if you take the trouble, you can help him. What you need to do is leave him for only a couple of minutes at first, making the times progressively longer. You need to be very careful to never make a big deal of leaving - don't say goodbye, don't talk to him at all, don't even make eye contact - just go. When you come in, you need to ignore him for just a couple of minutes (hang up your coat, take off shoes, etc.), then greet him very quietly and calmly. This is something you're going to have to work on for a while (depending on how your dog responds).

When you take him in to get neutered you might want to talk to your vet about it again. There is a medication your vet can prescribe for separation anxiety which is meant to be used in conjunction with the behaviour modification training. It has some side affects, however, and not all dogs need it, some respond well to training. You'll find out when you try if he needs it or not.

Answer 7

there was a dog program on tv with a dog doing same thing ,the owners where told to make sure the dog had a bed and to leave the house for 10 minutes and not make a fuss of the dog when they got back they gave it a treat all during the day the owners just had to leave a few minutes at a time and the dog soon realised the owners weren't going to be away to long ,a radio on can help and maybe if you can get some one to call in on puppy that can help.

Answer 8

Is he crate trained? Sometimes doing this can allow them to feel OK with you leaving if it is done right. You have to make the crate feel like it is a safe haven. Also they have to not connect it with abandonment. If your puppy is not crate trained I would suggest doing this. He is def connecting you walking out the door with you abandoning him. Try walking out the door but not leaving. Walking around and maybe letting him see you in windows so he does not think you are leaving him alone. Also leaving for about 15 min every couple hours then moving it up can help.

Answer 9

If he is not already in a crate i would say use one, most dogs find comfort in a crate, its a natural instinct to want to 'den' and they feel safe and secure in one once they are used to them.
My puppy was exactly the same we could hardly leave the room, but he is so relaxed in his crate now when we go out.
Also disagree with the e collar there are much more effective ways to train that arent so cruel

Answer 10

Seperation anxiety disorder, yes he does not like being left alone. have you tried leaving the radio or tv on for a bit of company?. Practice leaving him for short periods of time, dont go anywhere just out of sight gradually increase it, he should get used to not seeing you.

Answer 11

It is seperation anxiety. He's still really young, and probably not use to being left alone, he just misses you. Try getting more toys,{stuffed toys and chew toys}. What might really help, is if you have a piece of clothing that has your scent on it, you can give it to him when your gone, and it may make him feel more secure. Another thing you can do, is leave the tv on, and it makes them think, that someone is home.