Puppy cries when mom leaves or left alone. Is it separation anxiety?

Sounds like some separation anxiety is starting. You should try and keep her distracted while your mother prepares to leave. Dogs will pick up cues like putting on shoes or picking up keys and start to feel anxious. Sometimes just doing these things and then not leaving will help, as the dog will start to disassociate that with her absence. Also practice getting your mom to leave for very short periods of time and keeping the dog busy in the house with a food dispensing toy, play time etc. Or just chilling quietly and rewarding her like crazy when she isn't looking to the door, acting anxious, whining etc. Have your mom come back. Any time she leaves or returns she needs to not make a big deal about it for the dog. That means no more "Ohh Fluffy, I'm so sorry I''m leaving" or "Hiiiiii Fluffy, I'm home, oh, aren't you just the best dog ever?!". It needs to be really neutral so they dogs behavior isn't being reinforced. Any attention (good or bad) is attention to the dog and you can actually be rewarding them for doing things you don't want reinforced by accident. Keep working on building up the length of time that she is gone and the dog is comfortable. You are absolutely correct that the sooner you get started on this the better off you will be! I also recommend upping your dogs exercise. A tired dog, is a good dog. Dogs with extra pent up energy are more likely to find ways to keep themselves busy and this usually means by doing something we won't approve of. Most "bad behavior" is stemmed from pent up energy and frustrations, and is just a way of expelling that. Make sure walks are just not a leisurely stroll. They need to include running, jumping, sniffing around, try some commands-anything to get their mind and body working together, and tired. If you aren't able to work through this yourself you will need professional help and guidance to work through this issue and give you the tools to be effective in helping her through this. This is imperative that be it addressed now. Over time, the behavior re-enforces itself and it gets worse and harder to treat.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Nova! It sounds like Nova has severe separation anxiety. Since she is only 4 months old I highly recommend aggressive remedies as this behavior doesn't usually start this young. I would hire a private trainer or a Veterinary Behaviorist and discuss starting anti-anxiety medications now. You will have to work with her a lot one on one. This will not be easy and you will have to put in the effort or she will not get better. Be sure when you have time to provide plenty of exercise and once she is spayed and fully vaccinated I would enroll her in doggie daycare 2-3 times per week. Below are links to articles to read. I hope this helps and I wish you and Nova the very best! https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3144 https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1502 https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1379 https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1129

From your description, if Miel is showing this crying behavior when you aren't around, it can be sign of separation anxiety. She is anxious when you leave and is afraid you may not be coming back. This can be a common problem in dogs. I recommend crating her when you are gone. The crate will provide her a small space where she can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train her to get used to a crate. Start putting her in it when you are home and sitting nearby so she doesn't think you are abandoning her, and slowly increase the time she is in it. She can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that she has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to her in the crate. That will keep her occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety and pair that will a DAP pheromone collar that releases pheromones when in contact with his skin. If these methods do not help her, then I recommend having her seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Poor Diesel! This sounds like fairly severe separation anxiety, especially if he's too distressed to eat food or treats while you're gone. I would strongly recommend talking with your veterinarian about the problem, as most dogs with this degree of anxiety will need prescription medication (at least for a while) in order to make any headway. If your veterinarian isn't comfortable dealing with behavior cases, you can ask for referral to a veterinary behaviorist who can discuss a training plan to work on this issue as well as medication options to help your puppy. In the meantime, you can try a DAP pheromone diffuser as well as a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to help a bit with his anxiety. It's not likely that these measures will be enough to resolve the problem on their own, but they may help to make him a little more comfortable until you are able to see your vet for a more comprehensive plan.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! It does sound like separation anxiety. It can happen in any breed. But some are more prone: German Shepherds, Australian Shepherds, Huskies, Labs, Border Collies, Pointers, etc. https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-common-signs-of-separation-anxiety-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-ways-to-reduce-separation-anxiety-in-dogs/

Congrats on your new puppies! First thing you need to do is stop taking them to the dog park. They will not be fully vaccinated at six weeks of age, and it is not safe at all to take Oscar and Harper places where many dogs can frequently. They can contract parvo or distemper, both of which are horrible and fatal diseases. They should not be taken outside your backyard until they are fully vaccinated. They need their first round of shots now, and then will need two additional series of vaccines four weeks apart. Ten days after they receive their final round of vaccines, then it will be safe for them to go to the dog park. As for their behavior when you leave, it sounds like they may be suffering from separation anxiety. I would recommend crating them in separate crates when you are gone. The crate will provide them a small space where they can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train them to get used to a crate. Start putting them in it when you are home and sitting nearby so they doesn't think you are abandoning them, and slowly increase the time they are in it. They can have toys in their crates, and puzzle toys with treats in it that they have to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to them in their crates. That will keep them occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety.

It is possible Trish could be feeling a bit anxious, or just wants to be with her new people after all this change! If she is OK to be allowed out in the house when you are home, I would just leave the crate open for her to enter and leave at her leisure and not leave her crated unless you cannot attend to her. If she's still working on housetraining, gating off the house so that she has access only to easy to clean areas such as the kitchen, or keeping her tethered to you with a leash can help prevent accidents while she learns. Here are a few articles on separation anxiety that may also be helpful for you! https://www.petcoach.co/article/separation-anxiety/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-ways-to-reduce-separation-anxiety-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-common-signs-of-separation-anxiety-in-dogs/