My puppy whines when I leave. Is it separation anxiety? What to do?

It's possible Rango has some separation anxiety if he is bonded with you. There are a few things you can try. One is to have your family spend some time with him while you are gone, playing with toys, going on a walk, feeding him, etc. This can help him to bond with your family and feel more comfortable, as well as get out any anxious energy. You can also play a soothing radio station, leave him with an article of clothing that smells like you, or provide a toy filled with treats that he has to work on to get out while you are away to help distract him. Making sure not to make a big deal of coming and going can also help him get used to the fact that you both leave, and always return home.

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.

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.

Hopefully he will be less insecure as he grows up. I would not feed him breakfast on the days you go to work, and make sure he has gone outside to the bathroom and had some exercise before you leave. Have him stay in another area of the house away from the door, and have other family members try to give him his food or treats after you've gone. If he has a special treat or toy only let him have it when you are at work and leave his crate open so he can rest in a familiar place when he's anxious. If he will walk with a family member have them take him out during the day. When you come home ignore him for five minutes or so even if he's going crazy, then calmly take him out without petting him or talking to him. If you make too much of leaving and returning you are reinforcing this behavior. Continue with the trainer in another month or two as he may learn better when he is more mature. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Papi.

Congratulations on your puppy Coco. It sounds like she may be dealing with stress and maybe even separation anxiety following the departure of her siblings. This should calm down over time, over the next month I would expect her to feel more and more settled. I will suggest a few ways to help her cope below. I am very sorry that you are experiencing these issues with Coco. I will suggest a few tactics to help you both have some peace. The key is to helping Coco feel safe and secure at home, increasing exercise to help with anxiety and also increasing mental stimulation. Allowing her to stay with her mother as much as you can while she adjusts Increased exercise (think fetch indoors) Chew toys Puzzle toys Interactive games like fetch and hide and go seek Leaving the TV, a fan or a White House generating machine on DAP- dog appeasing pheromone releasing diffusers Thunder coats Here are some further resources to help you, but also feel free to ask me any for their questions here on the forum. https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-ways-to-stimulate-your-dog-s-brain/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-ways-to-make-sure-your-dog-feels-safe-in-your-home/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/10-signs-your-dog-is-stressed/

Yes. It can be traumatic for young puppies to leave their mom, litter mates, and previous home that they knew. He needs to develop a new bond with you and learn a new home/environment/routine to gain confidence. Keep working with him and with time and becoming older he will learn. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!