Hi!! I’m so happy I found this forum!! I have the sweetest 11 week old yellow pup who is having separation issues...I’m talking I can’t be in the other room, take a shower, take care of chores, etc, without her going nuts. I’ve read tons of articles about crating/leaving pup home alone, but I can’t seem to find anything about training her to let me leave the room!! Still working on crate training and moving very slow on that. I’ve had her 1.5 weeks and have only left my house twice (for an hour each time). I’m trying to move slow but I’m starting to lose patience!! Im losing patience and feel like I’m being held hostage by my girl. Lol! Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
I would say this is very normal. Less than 2 weeks ago she was constantly surrounded by her siblings... now she only has you! If I leave Maslow, 12 weeks (never left him alone in the house but the room etc) I always leave him with something to do - usually a stuffed kong.. this way he associates me leaving with something positive. The most I have ever managed is 15 minutes for a shower - and I Came back to a shredded tissue box and a chewed laptop wire (thankfully not plugged in) now I leave him in his crate with said kong and he’s happy enough for short (like 15 minutes tops) periods. The rest of the time I usually time it around his naps so that I know I have 45 minutes for dinner etc. I make sure he’s had some training before hand so he’s nice and tired.
Yes, this is very normal. I usually take the pup everywhere with me at first, loo shower etc etc. I leave him/her alone when s/he is tired and ready for a snooze. They soon become less clingy. And welcome to you from Mags, Tatze and Keir from Manchester UK Tatze is my pet dog, a black Lab and she's five years old. Tatze means 'paw' in German. Keir is my sixth Guide Dog puppy, a yellow Golden Retriever/Flatcoat cross and he's twelve months old.
Hi and welcome from me and Pepper who is four months old. All I would say is they do grow out of it and it’s quite normal at that age. You’ve got some great advice from @Leanne82 and @Boogie above too. Pepper at four months has given up following us most of the time and takes himself off to wherever he wants to be, unless it’s time for food in which case he’s around our ankles just to remind us that we should be preparing his meal.
I feel the same about the forum - so good to chat to people with knowledge!! I've been captured too!! Max is now 3½ months old, my first puppy ever! Ten days ago he fell down metal stairs - because he was in a hurry to get to me - and got a small fracture in his hip bone. The vet says the injury will heal by itself, so for now we are taking it easy. Before the accident he was happy to hang out with the cat and walk in the garden by himself but now he just hangs out with me and follows me everywhere. Interestingly he can more or less choose where to sleep at night and he decided he wants to sleep close to the cat in another room!! I try and make the most of him being around all the time by throwing in a bit of training and since this morning he no longer chases the broom!! I really thought we would never get there. He has also stopped biting my feet and hands and no longer runs off with my shoes! I don't think I would like to leave him alone yet and if no one is here to babsysit him or if he cannot go with me in the car - which he also does perfectly well now - we just stay put. Leash walking remains a challenge but with his injury I am waiting for a while. Perhaps your puppy will calm down sooner than you think. Good luck!
It’s amazing how much they change and so quickly. We were at the MILs today, she has a 6 month old Maltese.. last time we went (2 weeks ago) Maslow spent the whole time chasing him. Today he mostly ignored him, choosing to play with us in the garden! He also recalled from a free range chicken who had escaped its pen! Now that was astonishing lol
Yep, been there! The initial few weeks were pretty hard for me as my pup just refused to be left alone for even a second. He's 4 and a half months now and perfectly happy to be left alone as long as all his needs are met. I used click for quiet to get him comfortable with the idea of being alone and it worked pretty well. https://www.thelabradorsite.com/click-for-quiet/
Whew! All this makes me feel so much better! I’m glad to hear she’ll grow out of it. Was just worried I was doing something wrong. Scout (my pup) and I thank you all for your help. We are so glad to have found you .
Hello, YES! Totally normal but hard work. You will eventually get your life back,... and with it the most loyal and loving companion you could wish for. There will be difficult times, but stick with this forum and those of us who've been there before, not to mention those who are going through the same as you are now, and you'll come out of the darkness and into the light, sanity intact. Well..... sanity as intact as any other Labrador owner.... it's all relative, after all!
