[poodleskirt]

Hi everyone
Our puppy, Luke, is very attached to my little brother. Whenever he leaves the house, Luke gets very upset. He'll just stand in the window, staring out. For hours! Eventually, he'll lay down, but he wont leave his "post". I've tried distracting him with food, play, anything. But he wont move. He's like a different dog. Instead of being his usual happy go lucky self, he turns into this stoic, statue dog. And the intensity with which he stares outside, it's almost like he's trying to "will" Johny back home. If I take him into another part of the house, or out to the back yard, he starts shaking and drooling, and wont stop til I let him go back to the window. As soon as Johny comes back home, he's back to normal. Is this something he'll grow out of? I'm at a complete loss. Has this type of thing happened to anyone here? Does anyone have any advice?
Annie

 

[wishpoo]

Your puppy probably has a separation anxiety : (.

I never had a dog with that issue so I am so sorry that I do not have valid advice but am sure that many members will chirp in very soon.

In the meantime, you might want to find and read a lot of articles and books about that issue and with proper approach and training it can be successfully modified.

The sooner you start, the better results you will have

Wishing you the best of luck and hoping that soon your puppy will be able to enjoy every second of his day

 

[LEUllman]

Considering Luke's history of mistreatment and abandonment before he so dramatically entered your lives, it's probably not surprising if he gets anxious when the human he's now attached to goes out the door. Beau recognizes the signs that I am getting ready to go out, and gets pretty agitated. The moment I turn the key in the lock, he starts crying most piteously. He does this even if other family members are home. He will relax and settle down after a few minutes, but I'm told he's not too thrilled about life until I walk back in the door. Then he is one happy camper! I figure this is one downside to having a smart dog who thinks he is a human, and needs to be in your presence every waking (and sleeping) moment. Hopefully Luke will relax as he learns that your brother is going to come back.

 

[fjm]

It does sound as if Luke has become very attached to Johny - which is lovely in some ways, but difficult in others. Do you share in feeding him, grooming him, playing games when you are all home, walking him, etc? The sooner he can learn that most people in the world are "safe", and the source of good stuff for dogs, the happier he is likely to be as an adult.

 

[Marian]

Considering Luke's history of mistreatment and abandonment before he so dramatically entered your lives, it's probably not surprising if he gets anxious when the human he's now attached to goes out the door. Beau recognizes the signs that I am getting ready to go out, and gets pretty agitated. The moment I turn the key in the lock, he starts crying most piteously. He does this even if other family members are home. He will relax and settle down after a few minutes, but I'm told he's not too thrilled about life until I walk back in the door. Then he is one happy camper! I figure this is one downside to having a smart dog who thinks he is a human, and needs to be in your presence every waking (and sleeping) moment. Hopefully Luke will relax as he learns that your brother is going to come back.

Substitute "Teddy" for "Beau" and that's my story too. What I've been trying to do is to make short trips outside, after making him sit and wait and reassuring him that I will be right back. I usually stay outside for less than five minutes and then come back in. He used to whine when he saw me, like he hadn't seen me in YEARS, but over time, that has lessened. Yesterday when I did it, he didn't make a sound or even act like I had been gone when I came back inside. That felt really good, but it has taken a while to get to that point.

When I left him with my co-workers the other day to go to an eye doctor appointment, they said he whimpered a little, looked around for me, then walked around looking depressed. They were able to get him to eat treats and play with the ball some, but after a couple of minutes, he was back to whimpering and looking around.

That was an improvement over when I left him with my nephew and Dad a few weeks ago to go to the grocery store. He cried and whined loudly most of the time I was gone and when I came back, he was all whimpery and wanted me to hold him. So the day I went to the eye doctor was an improvement over the grocery store visit.

It's getting better - just be patient with him.

I hate it when my puppy is sad.

 

[Birdie]

He drools and shakes if he can't be by the window?? That sounds like really bad separation anxiety!! ): Poor baby. There is TONS of info on the net about how to work with dogs with SA. I would begin doing some research into it and seeing what you can do for your boy.

I like what fjm said- is Johny the primary caretaker? Do you or other members of the house also feed/walk/play/otherwise care for him? Try and work on getting him to bond with others as well, so that even when Johny leaves, he will still feel secure with you guys.
I also think Marian did exactly what you should do too. Work in baby steps to get Luke used to Johny being away from the house. You can find more in-depth info on this stuff again by searching the net. I could try and give you advice, but I've never actually done it or had that problem, so I don't want to assume anything.
Desmond is real good when I leave, evidently sometimes he'll walk around and mope a bit though. He just gets this sorry look on his face and will let out these big siiiighs every now and again. xD It's real cute, nothing serious. Mostly he just chills with whoever is home, or naps in his crate if he's alone.

 

[fjm]

You may find googling Separation Anxiety a bit like googling medical symptoms - results can be scary! Don't get too worried - many, many dogs in Luke's situation are anxious and fearful when the person they trust most is not there - most learn to cope, with gentle, understanding help. Chew toys are a great distraction - especially for puppies. The pressure against the roof of the mouth releases endorphins, they taste nice, and while pup is chewing his Kong, he is not chewing your shoes! A DAP (dog appeasement pheremone) diffuser may also help. As well as the internet, you may find Patricia McConnell's "I'll be home soon" helpful.

 

[poodleskirt]

It does sound as if Luke has become very attached to Johny - which is lovely in some ways, but difficult in others. Do you share in feeding him, grooming him, playing games when you are all home, walking him, etc? The sooner he can learn that most people in the world are "safe", and the source of good stuff for dogs, the happier he is likely to be as an adult.

I do the feeding and the training, Johny does the brushing and most of the playing, and in the evenings, we both walk him. Oh, and I poop scoop, unless Johny gets in trouble, then I make him do itresent:
Oh, and he sleeps with John, if that makes a difference.

 

[fjm]

Now why doesn't it surprise me that you are the one pooper-scooping ... ! Amazing how squeamish all males seem to be about that little chore.

 

[poodleskirt]

lol

 

[LEUllman]

+1 for Patricia McConnell's "I'll be home soon." It's a small booklet, available on Amazon, and I found it quite helpful.

 

[CelticKitti]

I second Patricia McConnell's book!

 

[neVar]

sounds like seperation anxiety-

there's a great booklet called 'i'll be home soon' which you can get on amazon that s fabulous

 

[poodleskirt]

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I'll check out those two books asap! It might take awhile, but he's a good boy, and we've got time. Having him leave for short periods of time to build his confidence is a great idea. I shutter to think how he'll react when school starts back up in the fall!