Hi, I have a lovely 12 week old lab called Harvey. On the whole for a 12 week old he is very well behaved, doesnt mind his crate and happily takes himself in there for a nap if he super tired in the evening. We have meals, fave toys etc in there. However, Harvey hates being left alone. Whilst he appears to have accepted between 11pm- about 6.30am he goes in there he is not so accepting of any day crate time. I work from home and I am aware that it probably isnt great to always have him with me 24/7 so have been trying short stints in the crate during the day. Ultimately I need to shower and go to the shops so we cant always be together! Does anyone have some tips to settle their pups during the day? He looses interest in kongs (which usually he loves) etc. as soon as he realises I am leaving the room and will then howl, bark and throw himself at the crate until he is let out. Obviously I do not open the crate door or enter the room whilst he is howling however he appears to have learnt to howl and then be quiet when he hears I am coming! We practice stay and he will happily stay, let me leave a room, shut the door briefly and come back. I appreciate he is still a baby but I dont want this to become a full blown separation anxiety situation for him, me and my neighbours! I am getting stressed that I am doing everything I can think of and read but not making any progress and I have never had this with a pup before. Any help would be very very welcome. Jordan & Harvey x
Puppies that young are hard-wired to be afraid of being alone... their instincts wisely tell them they're in danger away from their mom or people. So a lot of what you're seeing is just age. I'm a big fan of going incredibly slowly to build their confidence and trying to never put them in a position to be really afraid. If your puppy isn't happy in their crate for a few minutes with the door open and you in the room then compounding that by closing them in and abandoning them (in their mind) is simply terrifying. Work on getting them comfortable & happy in the crate with the door open, then with the door closed (for SECONDS at a time at first), and then with you walking out of sight for a second. If they show signs of panic then you've pushed too far too fast. Remember that working on confident independence is about way more than being left alone in a crate. Independent play time where they can still see and/or hear you is vital - tethered with a leash, in a pen, a puppy-proof room behind a baby gate, or on their mat/bed (place training). Then work up to being able to leave the room for short periods wile they go about their activities (seconds at first like you're doing with the stays, and then eventually longer). Also encourage some independent exploration around the yard and rooms (obviously remove dangers and watch from a distance) and on a long lead at a park once vaccinated. Giving them something to do like a treat/toy treasure hunt will help keep them out of trouble and content. You can do this at the same time as you work on crate conditioning.
Thank you AusNat, that is really helpful. I think working on independent play is particularly a good idea. I think I have expected a bit too much of him too soon and need to go right back to basics as you say with crate door open etc. I think I have got so caught up in wanting to perfect everything I have forgotten he is just a baby after all. So tricky when your solo puppy parenting! Thanks again, really appreciate your help
JLW, this is a very helpful post! We have an 8 week black Labrador and she has been with us for 5 days. I’ve been worrying about how I will be able to get my work done from home three days a week (I go to a workplace 2 days a week, of which I have currently taken four weeks leave from to settle puppy before I go back to work and arrange a dogsitter/daycare for the two days each week) I wanted to know when I might expect her to play independently in her pen or crate while I’m in the kitchen, or at the table working (open plan kitchen, lounge and dining, but due to the layout her pen isn’t in full view of the kitchen but she can see me if I sit at one end of our dining table.) She loves to sleep her very small crate that we are currently using at night, and will sleep in it during the day when I guide her sleepily in. She has at times walked straight in and laid down too. She whimpers in her pen if I leave it to go to the bathroom, or kitchen to make meals, or even if I’m in the lounge in full view or even standing on the other side of the gates! BUT she is only 8 weeks old, I can’t expect her to be confident on her own just yet. She seems to be a little more independent every day, which is a good sign. I just want to know when I’ll have a little more freedom to move around my house without her becoming upset!
Hi Gertigoo- it sounds like she is already doing great for an 8 week old! I am certainly no expert and I am sure AusNat can provide more help but here are some things that I have found really helpful with instigating independent play: Buster Cube- having weaned Harvey off soaked kibble I now feed him his meals in one of these cubes. It keeps him busy for a while, tires him out mentally and encourages him to work for his food rather than just being fed from a bowl. I also scatter kibble in the garden for him to find as this is great to get him sniffing around, again good stimulation. Praise your pup when she picks up toys, I have found this really helps with negative behaviour for attention too. Harvey steals less things I dont want him to have (tea towels, shoes etc.) and instead picks up a toy to show me because he knows this will get him praise. I have a lickimatt which I smear wet food onto which also keeps him entertained for a while. The best advance I have received (from a dog behaviourist) is to keep him more entertained when out of his crate, put him down for more regular naps (even knowing he needed 18-20 hours sleep a day I wasnt enforcing enough sleep and he was getting overtired and bitey) and when I put him down to disconnect before leaving the room. So I potter, will sit and read, put on the radio. Like a wind down routine where you are present but you do no engage - no talking to them or eye contact. These things have made a real difference for me. I think 8 weeks is very young to be spend much time alone personally. Harvey is 14 weeks old now and every few hours I put him in a crate in a different room to nap for about 1.5 hours. He could go longer but I prefer to build this up slowly, instil confidence in him and return before he cries and is desperate to get out. Its very early days and things to get much much easier if you are consistent in what you do. Good luck!!
Thanks JLW! Such great tips and advice! We are not leaving puppy alone at all, and will arrange for day care etc when I do eventually return to work 2 days a week. But when we are in the kitchen or lounge which is essentially the same room as puppy and her pen, we were hoping she’d be happy for short bursts without us sitting with her. We will only work on this slowly of course. We stay in her pen “busying” ourselves when she needs to calm and rest. We also sit with her and Pat her to assist her in winding down. we plan to buy some more puzzle toys and slow feeders to help keep her busy too. She has a Kong and various other types of toys that she enjoys to play with. we notice if she is overtired that she becomes bitey and as we are learning the signs it seems to be improving. we praise her when she chews and plays with her toys (instead of nipping at us or our clothes or any other inappropriate objects) we can already see a difference and she is 9 weeks in a couple of days! we also treat her with kibble when she sits, lays calmly on her bed or anywhere really. Just placing kibble between her paws and praising her. we love her so much! But I am a little worried about how large she will eventually grow and whether we have enough room in our house! I want to build a custom crate (something beautiful as a piece of furniture) but unsure if she will need the x large or large size? Hmmm, so many questions! But enjoying every step of the puppy life so far!
