Avoid Puppy Anxiety When Left Alone

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

Thanks for watching! 🐶 Does your puppy have anxiety when you leave?

[@annar8232]

HELP We have a beagle puppy 14 weeks. We’ve had him since 12. We’ve slowly been working on crate training during the day. It’s in the living room, we do our evening routine and then I sit by the crate for 5-10 minutes until he falls asleep. He will usually sleep until he needs to go per. 3-4 hours. That works for now, the problem is he is still struggling to settle himself, and we are at the point where I do have to leave him home alone 30 min to up to 3 hours some days. I either get him to sleep before we leave and sneak out or give him a stuffed kong. I check the ring camera and listen periodically while we are gone. Sometimes he’s crying, barking. Sometimes it sounds hysterical. Sometimes he’s quiet. Is this going to set him back even though we work on crate training everyday? I still haven’t got him comfortable enough to just be in his crate awake while we are going about our business in the house either. I don’t want to slow down the process but I also can’t take him everywhere we go. Our last dog crate training went much smoother, I think this one has a touch of separation anxiety.

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

While teaching our puppies to be comfortable being alone, we also have to make sure they are not experiencing so much anxiety that they are in panic mode. If they panic to the point of digging, drooling, screaming, soiling or almost hurting themselves, we are creating a negative experience with the crate. At that point, there is no learning going on. We suggest taking the crate training more slowly to avoid any negative experiences in or around the crate. For now, hire a pet sitter if you have to be gone. This gets better with training!

[@melissajenkins9960]

How do I handle this if it’s a senior dog? We adopted an 8 year old dog that has separation anxiety in the crate. I don’t know the history about how her past owners used her crate, I wish she could sleep with us but our bedroom is small and our bed is small and we have cats. Doing an enforced nap time for a senior dog seems weird…? Most videos are for training puppies so I feel kind of lost. I’ve thought of using a kong with peanut butter and rescue remedy drops for bedtime or if we have to leave the house. She won’t eat in her crate, I tried when we first adopted her. You close the door and she cries and won’t eat.

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

You can use the same techniques of working on crate training slowly, helping her love it, and avoiding any negative experiences. It sounds like she's not ready for the door to be closed until you work on her confidence more. If you haven't checked it out yet, find a book by Julie Naismith called "Be Right Back". The protocol is the same for any age of dog. With older dogs who have had a long history of anxiety you will have to take the training very slowly.

[@rachelcrossen8136]

I agree there are less resources for adult shelter dogs

[@lisaburke7421]

We got Bailey at 4 months, now she is 6 1/2 months. I put her in crate for nap and bedtime. But, she wakes if I move or leave room just during naps. I have not left house during day, husband at work, since we got her. Please advise! Thank you!!

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

It's definitely time to start building her independence before she develops a stronger dependence on her humans. As the video suggests, start by using the crate games to help teach her to be calm while you walk away. Eventually with training you'll be able to leave during naps. With more time and training you'll be able to leave even when she's awake in the crate. The crate games are in our online course: www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/puppy-perfection-course-learn-more/

[@zevegoddessofchaos]

My puppy is 10 weeks going on 11 weeks and is fine napping in her crate or simply being in there to rest during enforced nap time [crate covered] but she does whine whenever we leave her in the playpen area. She whines anywhere between 2 to 5 minutes (occassionally will singular bark). How do we get her to being more comfortable being awake and out of the crate in the playpen with us out of view? We can leave her with toys treatball etc and when we come back, she is normally sitting and staring at the door or laying down staring at the door quietly even if she's quiet. If someone is in the room, she is fine and will play or rest no problem. Or is this just normal puppy behavior, and she will adjust as she gets older?

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

It sounds like your puppy is doing amazing so far for her age! Keep up the amazing work! It sounds like you just need to keep building up her confidence in the playpen. We actually have a video all about crying in the crate - give it a watch! It should be very helpful. You got this! ❤️ Here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4iXfoKlobZ1j8Usi=1--CaO-Qwv4JkXJy

[@zevegoddessofchaos]

@@HowToTrainADreamDog thank you! I will definitely take a look as she seems to have regressed just a bit

[@angelaharris1112]

Thank you. But my dog goes nuts in his crate. I've tried everything. And his seperation anxiety is so bad that he always destroys stuff. Including the floor in front of the door

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

You may need to consult a professional who works specifically with separation anxiety. Check out the book "Be Right Back" by Julie Naismith to guide you through the standard protocol for this behavior.

[@angelaharris1112]

@@HowToTrainADreamDog thanks!!

[@ambibambi6479]

How do I adapt it if my dog is just happier outside a crate? Have them locked in their room instead?

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

We don't recommend a larger space if you're away from home. This could prevent your dog from settling and he/she could pace with anxiety, working up to a panic. Instead you can work on the crate games to help your dog love their crate. They are in our online course if you haven't already enrolled! www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/puppy-perfection-course-learn-more/

[@floridamezzo8734]

course

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

Here’s our amazing training course, which will guide you through puppy training with fun, easy games! There’s no expiration date, so you can take it at a comfortable pace for you and your puppy! www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/puppy-perfection-course-learn-more/

[@angcar3600]

What if I need to work full-time and dont have someone to come in and check on him, or take him out to pee

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

Then maybe it would be better to get an adult dog who can hold it the entire time you're at work. Puppies are social creatures so in addition to potty breaks they need companionship, enrichment, training, etc. It's a lot of work. Sometimes adopting an older dog can be a better fit because they aren't so needy and are more comfortable being alone.

[@Cmm474]

I don’t think I’d get a puppy if I couldn’t be there 😢

[@zevawenis]

Not trying to sound rude, but do you have advice for people who have jobs and all their close relatives and friends also have jobs too so we cant align 24/7 puppy watch and playtime? It seems like only people who don’t have jobs can have dogs but then if you don’t have a job you can’t afford a dog so like you’re SOL.

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

The early puppy phase is very labor intensive so you will need to line up extra help. It's temporary, however, until the puppy is ready to be left alone (socially as well as potty/meal breaks, etc). If you don't have the availability or help that a puppy will need, then an adult dog who has already gone through those early developmental phases would be a great plan!

[@lisaburke7421]

Course

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

Here’s our amazing training course, which will guide you through puppy training with fun, easy games! There’s no expiration date, so you can take it at a comfortable pace for you and your puppy! www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/puppy-perfection-course-learn-more/

[@dybdal509]

Please be careful with the ai thumbnails. It might hurt the channel and turn people away from your great content! 😊

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

100% human created!

[@milivaro]

I think they mean not using real dog/people pictures. This might just be me but I did scroll past it the first time because the AI look didn’t catch my attention. Luckily I did a double take and realized it was this channel. 😊

[@sweetsglitch]

@@HowToTrainADreamDog There's no way that the "art" in the thumbnail isn't AI generated. The person in the background is walking through a giant window, not a door. And there's glass missing in the window pane where the AI puppy is looking through. Remember, AI generated images function off of stolen work that's used without permission. Not to mention it's uses a LOT of energy to create. I would highly consider replacing that thumbnail.

[@brookefitz3377]

Course

[@HowToTrainADreamDog]

Here’s our amazing training course, which will guide you through puppy training with fun, easy games! There’s no expiration date, so you can take it at a comfortable pace for you and your puppy! www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/30-days-to-puppy-perfection