Hey there. I have just recently picked up our wee lab puppy, Charli. She has been with us for 2 weeks and we absolutely love her to pieces. The only thing we are having a bit of trouble with is that she cries every time one of us leaves the room. We try to ignore her as much as possible and reward her when she stops or doesn't cry but this doesnt seem to be working. I dont like her getting upset for no reason, shes such a beautiful wee thing. Do you have any advice or anything I could try to help prevent this behaviour? Any advice is appreciated
Hey - Is that Charli in your pic? She looks beautiful. Our pup is now 16 weeks. I would recommend buying the happy puppy handbook.I cant add any more advice to the things you are already doing, the treat for a few seconds silence is exactly what you should be doing. When you are leaving in her in a room is she crated etc? How old is Charli x
Yes thats my girl Shes just going on 10weeks old, Shes such a funny puppy - bit of a bully at times. Usually she is in a room with toys, bed water etc. We have a standard baby gate on the door as we don't have enough room for a crate at the moment (need to clear out a few things) Great to know that we are doing everything you would do. Will definitely look into that book Your pup in the pic is gorgeous too! Thanks heaps!
Well your a better person than me I didnt make it to 10 weeks without asking a million questions on this forum so you are doing something right Theyre so funny arent they?! Has she had lots of socialization with people, places (carrying her) sights and sounds. Thank you! He doesnt have that puppy face anymore! Enjoy her whilst she is still so tiny
Ohhh my puppy was a devil for that. As soon as he was left alone he would howl and howl. We did click for quiet and now he very rarely makes a peep. http://www.thelabradorsite.com/click-for-quiet/ You've just got to build them up slowly. Don't go faster than she can cope with and you should notice a difference pretty quickly. She's so gorgeous
I was told not to leave our pup alone until he was 6 months old. There was always someone with him - me, my husband, my mum (he'd go to her flat twice a week as a puppy while I was at work), our house cleaner, doggy day care. He used to howl when I'd take a shower even though he could see me through the glass door. At six months I trained him to stay happily alone by taking it slowly with just a minute or two out of sight, never more than he could cope with. He has never had separation anxiety (bar one time when he had just started epilepsy meds and I think they made him anxious; resolved now) and simply goes to his bed when he knows we're going out. I never thought we'd be able to leave him alone given those puppy howls, but it was actually very easy in the end.
Im glad to read this - When im in the house Rolo follows us round constantly I didnt want to pressure him into being alone when he knows we are in the house as I didnt think it was fair. He sometimes is alone for 3 hours with a nice kong but Im in the middle of sorting day care so he isnt alone anymore at all. I will start at 6 months for him being quiet when Im in the house as like you say I cant even have a bath or shower or even a pee without him being next to me ha ha!!
We teach ours to be alone by leaving them for a minute or two, then more and more up to two hours at 12 months. This starts on day 1. Mollie is fine already and can be left overnight and during the day for 10 minutes. Slow and steady wins the puppy ...
Snowie must be near one of us if we're home. Sometimes I creep around, like if I just want to pop upstairs for something, otherwise he'll wake up and follow me only to have to come downstairs again. As for the loo, well, I never have pee alone again! At first I felt it was evident of anxiety that he had to follow me everywhere. But then the breeder said all her boys stick with her, very attached. Her girls were more likely to be independent and go lie outside. Anyway, it's useful that he is so attached - we were away at a beach holiday house and he had to have me in his sights all the time. Which made keeping an eye on him in a strange place with no fence very easy. I have noticed that the older he gets, the more attached he is to me. As a puppy he was more likely to forget he had a person and would race off to inspect new things without giving me a second thought (it seemed). Although he no longer stays in the bathroom when I'm showering - too hot for him! But you can bet he's lying on the dirty laundry on the landing!
I started leaving Harley for a min or two from the day we got her. I felt it important for her to be left for short periods and slowly build up over the weeks/months. It's the same as some people say 'don't let them off the lead until they are 6months old'......by then they haven't experienced 'off lead' and their recall is very poor as not been done previously. I would start on these kind of things from day 1, as well as loose lead walking (after a week or two).
Hi and welcome to the forum. Your pup is just downright gorgeous! You are doing the same as we did, just build very slowly. My boy seemed to want to follow us around when he was tiny, but now at 9 months old (well 9 months as of tomorrow) he is fine being left now for a couple of hours. He just lays on our bed and sleeps - any treats or biscuits we leave him with are only eaten when we get back (he just does not like Kongs at all no matter how much I try), we just make sure he has access to food and water should he want them. Started with just a minute or two and built it up gradually until he was fine. Mind you he still comes to the bathroom with me and he is an absolute menace when I am showering - he will try to get in with me as he loves showers - I have to make sure the door is firmly closed and locked now! Mind you he is laying outside the door to shoot in as soon as I come out - stands there looking into the bath whining! Enjoy your pup, they don't stay little for long
Aww thanks everyone. I feel so much better reading these. She is such a lovely puppy and i hate to see her getting upset even I am gone for just a couple of minutes. Maybe its just a phase they go through? We haven't left her alone for extended periods of time yet (I feel bad leaving the room for a couple of mins to go toilet or get a drink) My partner and I both work from home as well so there is always someone near her all the time. Its our first puppy together (I've had labs and a few other types of dogs before) so we want her to hang around with us all the time like our cat does but I don't want her to freak out if we were to go out Will definitely give everything a try and start her training off in little bits so when the time comes for her to be alone she doesn't cry the place down
