[JulieBee88]

Hi all looking for advice. We have a beautiful 5 month old Poochon who has transformed our lives for the better in all aspects of life. The only issue we have is that we cannot leave him alone for longer than a few minutes without terrible crying and wimpering from him. We are aware that the breed are known for being a 'velcro' dog but thought I would ask for any helpful suggestions anyone may have from their own experience. Luckily my partner is able to take him to work with him daily but we are really trying hard now to give him a little independence and the confidence to stay on his own for short periods of time however this is proving to be rather stressful for both us and most importantly our little pooch. He is so good with his toileting and will knock the bells we have on our door to let us know he wants to go out. We have started to leave him for short bursts alone in the kitchen with all his toys, a beautiful comfy basket, food, water, warmth etc but it is horrible to listen to him on the camera so we are having to go in to soothe him after about 5-10 minutes depending on how bad he is any longer and I worry he will get himself into such a terrible state. We have also tried leaving the radio on and also tried without the radio. Really stuck now and it will prove difficult when this 2nd lockdown has stopped and I return to work so we really want to get something in place sooner rather than later. He is crated at night and sleeps lovely and is calm but he clearly knows we are in the next room and he certainly doesn't behave the way he does when we leave the house! We are waiting for him to be neutered which may make a difference possibly?? Thanks in advance for any advice any of you may have to share with us.

 

[Luna the Spoo]

I'm not a professional trainer, but if he's in a safe location why do you feel you need to comfort him after 5 or 10 minutes? Have you tried putting him in his crate rather then loose? If he sleeps well in his crate at night I'd do that first, as it seems you may be teaching him that whining or throwing a fit gets him what he wants. Perhaps a professional trainer on here could weigh in with some other suggestions. Good luck!

 

[JulieBee88]

I'm not a professional trainer, but if he's in a safe location why do you feel you need to comfort him after 5 or 10 minutes? Have you tried putting him in his crate rather then loose? If he sleeps well in his crate at night I'd do that first, as it seems you may be teaching him that whining or throwing a fit gets him what he wants. Perhaps a professional trainer on here could weigh in with some other suggestions. Good luck!

Thanks for your advice I really appreciate it and tomorrow I will try him in his crate upstairs as he has 2. We were told to leave him for small periods of time then go back to him and extend the time he is left. I dont think it helps having a camera with sound as we then get to hear the barking and crying but you are right and I certainly do not want him thinking he gets his way from this behaviour. I think it will be a work in progress for a while until he is used to it. Thanks again for your advice

 

[For Want of Poodle]

The word you are looking for is seperation anxiety. There are many resources online - I recommend the inexpensive booklet by Patricia McConnell entitled 'i'll be home soon". The trick is to teach the dog that there is no need to be stressed in the first place, which involves a few weeks of management. So if he cries when you leave the room - arrange so you never quite leave the room, until he stops tensing, then move to a second past the door, etc. If he cries and barks, you have pushed too far.