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Sorry in advanced for this lengthy post... But here it goes! I’m hoping to find some help! My baby boy is now 17 weeks old and I have had him since he was 12 weeks old.
The major issue I’m having is his seeming inability to be alone...
If I am not within his visual rage, the whining is almost instant and he tries to find any way he can to find me and get to me.. It is a mix of whining, barking, crying and jumping on the gate or pawing at his crate. If he is with me, he is virtually silent and barks at nothing (not even the doorbell). If he is blocked from getting to me by a baby gate, he will jump on it and bark and cry to try and get to me.
I am having the same problem with his crate... He knows what “go home for a cookie” means, and he will happily trot off ahead of me and go into his crate for the night. I give him his cookies once he is laying down... But he will not settle down whatsoever unless I am within his sight. Sometimes he will wake up and just peek to see if I’m still there. This will become a problem because if I need to leave the house and have no one to watch him, I absolutely need him to be 100% crate trained day or night - not only for my sake, but for his comfort and security too.. If I even leave him in his crate to go brush my teeth at night, he will wake up and the crying begins.
I really do not want him to be an anxious dog, and I’m fearful that this is the path we are on. I have tried to leave him for short bursts and just go to the next room and when he becomes persistently noisy I’ll calmly tell him “it’s okay”, without him being able to see me... But he does not seem to calm down at all.
I don’t know how long is too long to leave him barking and crying (in his crate, and also in other safe areas of the house), before I should intervene. He’s only 17 weeks old so I’m not sure..
I’m hoping someone here has/has had the same issue and can help me!! Thanks.


The major issue I’m having is his seeming inability to be alone...
If I am not within his visual rage, the whining is almost instant and he tries to find any way he can to find me and get to me.. It is a mix of whining, barking, crying and jumping on the gate or pawing at his crate. If he is with me, he is virtually silent and barks at nothing (not even the doorbell). If he is blocked from getting to me by a baby gate, he will jump on it and bark and cry to try and get to me.
I am having the same problem with his crate... He knows what “go home for a cookie” means, and he will happily trot off ahead of me and go into his crate for the night. I give him his cookies once he is laying down... But he will not settle down whatsoever unless I am within his sight. Sometimes he will wake up and just peek to see if I’m still there. This will become a problem because if I need to leave the house and have no one to watch him, I absolutely need him to be 100% crate trained day or night - not only for my sake, but for his comfort and security too.. If I even leave him in his crate to go brush my teeth at night, he will wake up and the crying begins.
I really do not want him to be an anxious dog, and I’m fearful that this is the path we are on. I have tried to leave him for short bursts and just go to the next room and when he becomes persistently noisy I’ll calmly tell him “it’s okay”, without him being able to see me... But he does not seem to calm down at all.
I don’t know how long is too long to leave him barking and crying (in his crate, and also in other safe areas of the house), before I should intervene. He’s only 17 weeks old so I’m not sure..
I’m hoping someone here has/has had the same issue and can help me!! Thanks.

