Morning howling and our constant shadow.

We have had our 2 year old Portie for 5 days now. Today is the first day of leaving him until lunch time, my OH will be heading back then to see him for a while. We have left him a few times, including for a good while on Saturday while we went to wedding from about 6pm-10pm. We came back to the house being intact. Overnight he is left downstairs with the run of it. I think he tends to sleep on the sofa so far.

However, that next morning (Sunday) he woke us up at 5am howling, from the stair gate at the bottom of the stairs. We tried to ride it out, for maybe 10 minutes, but got worries about the neighbours as much as anything. After a while I went downstairs, trying to make sure I'd left it a minute or so beyond the howling stopping so that he doesn't think that it gets a reaction. Is that long enough? We were worried that it was him signalling that he needed to go out to toilet. It isn't non-stop, there can sometimes be a couple of minutes between, in which time we usually hear him pacing around, panting and pawing at the stairgate. So let him out, and he came back 30 seconds later after having a very short wee. So we let him in, and he kept quiet for about 1 hour, well I say quiet, I don't think he was totally resting, more like up and down, walking around etc.

Well... keeping our fingers crossed that it was a one off didn't work, he did the same this morning. This time at about 6am, we gave it about 20 minutes and I went downstairs, trying again to make sure it wasn't in direct response to his howling. As usual when i got to the bottom of the stairs, his tail was wagging and he was very excited to see me. Going on what I've read, I tried to ignore him for a bit until he'd calmed down. The howling stopped and he was pestering me for attention, tail wagging like crazy.

It doesn't help that he behaviour since we've had him already seems to indicate that he can't be apart from us. But we kept hoping that it was just him settling in and getting used to a new home, but although he is settling moreso now, he's still clinging to us. I'm worried that he either had, or now has Separation Anxiety bought on by the change in home and circumstances. This morning I was in the kitchen, and he was eating his breakfast, he heard me pass by to go in to the dining room and immediately left his food and followed me to see what I as up to. It's the same even if we are all sat relaxed in the lounge, the slightest movement and he's up an looking, is that usual? He never seems to actually relax, and just be calm. Unless he's at the foot of the sofa which we're on, then he'll curl up a bit on the floor. We try taking him back to where we have a bed for him in the dining room, but he doesn't settle, as soon as I move more than a metre away, he gets up and follows.

I'm after advice on how we address him howling in the morning, ideally stopping it happening. Should we let him sleep in the bedroom? Or will that make things worse?

Is he howling out for his old dog friends that he lived with at the breeders?

Would a crate help in some way?

As you can imagine, with this behaviour so far, I am very anxious about leaving him today for the first time. But also for the future in general health and reducing the clingyness.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm worried and wanted to give as much helpful info as I could. We are trying our best as first time owners not to get too much wrong from the outset so that we don't have to try to alter it later.

Edit: Over the weekend we tried shutting the door between the dining room and loung, leaving him in the dining room. After only a minute or 2 he was banging ont he door and rattles it. So we tried shorter times. When I reopen the door, he was just stood the other side, never settled.


Yours in hope, David

I think he is mostly just settling in...

He is looking to his new family (i.e. all the humans) for cues on what to do/how to behave.

Maybe he thinks you should all be up and about at 5am, or, as you've identified, he needs the toilet.
There could be a noise outside that has woken him up/disturbed him - car doors, loud vehicles etc. and he is barking to bring it to your attention.

Early mornings, I would let him out to the loo, bring him back in, settle him back on his bed and give him a biscuit.
You might, therefore, need to teach him the command "go to bed/on your bed".

In terms of wanting to be near you, my boys are 4 and 5 and we've had them from puppies and they would STILL like to follow me EVERYWHERE if I let them (they both believe I need assistance in the bathroom... ).

When you're all relaxing and a movement makes him look round, he is just looking for visual clues - are you standing up because you're going out? Is there going to be food? Are you playing? What's going on? It's just his way of checking that he is doing the right thing.

Max will often get up from a comfy bed, and follow me into the kitchen whilst I make a cup of tea. He will just stand and watch. Then he'll come back with me and settle back wherever he was originally.

I use a dog flap and the simple expedient of leaving the bedroom door open. If any dog wants to toilet they toddle off and do it.
I can`t help feeling that shutting the dog in, up or out is causing more problems than it solves, sometimes.

I hope that's all it is, but I fear differently, maybe I'm paranoid!

My OH has just been to see him, he was crazy excited to see her! The house was all intact though. lol Even after about 15 minutes, she went upstairs for a while, and he was banging against the stair gate.

We've been trying to get him a couple of basic training steps done, we can't even seem to get 'Sit' nailed yet. Saying that, he doesn't seem to have too much hunger for treats to be working well enough. But I can't use play as a reward either, as he isn't very playful yet. The clicker training, getting him used to that and giving him a treat, he can't even get that, let alone associating it with more of an action. lol I'm worried I'll end up giving him too many treats! But the point was that I wanted to get some of these done so that we could work on getting him to 'stay'. Anyway, I digress.

He was still very excitable when my OH left him to go back to work. Not ideal, but we haven't seen him other way really!

He's probably used to more company with the other dogs he lived with. It is a big change, I just thought he might settle quicker. And I'm trying to help make sure he get into hard to reverse habits.

Hi
Having recently dealt with separation anxiety (and thankfully, fingers crossed, it's sorted now) hopefully I can help in some way. Firstly a lot of it will be about settling in, especially as he was used to being with other dogs, so he's never had to learn to be alone really.
My dog was howling in the mornings and it developed to howling in the day too...so after trying everything else, we let him sleep upstairs. There's a dog gate on our room, but he has the other bedroom and the difference was instant! If it were me, I'd let him up there at night, I found it's a nice way to feel together and he'll probably feel more settled in general with that bonding.
You mention you're partner goes out the door and waits a few minutes which is when the distress starts? I'd recommend them going out and shutting the door and going immediately back in again. Both ways without acknowledging him so he can remain settled. By doing lots of practicing and building it up slowly, it'll help. So go upstairs and close the dog gate, and before he has a chance to react, come back down. Repeat as often as you can.
Those are some of the things that helped my dog. Also, kongs. I find if I put meat in the top then he won't even look up when I leave now! He's gone from separation anxiety to total calm with just those changes. Hope that helps

OK, firstly:

Take a nice big breath - and RELAX


I really feel you are tense and it is rather affecting your dog - and it's natural that you ARE a bit tense

It is such early days, honestly. Your boy sounds like a pretty normal, very friendly, rather unsure fellow. He's been taken to a totally new environment which probably has a different 'feel', a new routine, and all new people, albeit people who are lovely

My Lab is 2, and he's now been with us since he was one. Believe me when I say he follows me EVERYWHERE - even if he's asleep, if I get up and leave the room, within seconds he's following me.

But he does not have separation anxiety and if we go to the park etc, and he's off leash, he's off romping with his canine buddies!

You have a young dog who is unsure and wants to be with you - he's looking to you and your OH for clues.

The more anxious you get, the more anxious he will get!


In the morning when your dog howls, let him out into the garden. When he comes back in, make a fuss of him, play a game with him, he just wants your attention and affection.


And it's normal for dogs to be somewhat excitable when their owners return - you should see my dog!

Try and ENJOY him a bit more


One thing which helped me: I always make sure that last thing at night, Dexter goes outside to relieve himself!

Try that with your boy and then see if he still wakes you up at 5a.m.

I also think that he must feel a bit lonely if he's downstairs and you both are upstairs? Again: he's in a brand new home with brand new people and a brand new routine.


Let us know how you get on!

Just to pick up on this that you said:


Going on what I've read, I tried to ignore him for a bit until he'd calmed down. The howling stopped and he was pestering me for attention, tail wagging like crazy.


I don't necessarily agree with ignoring a dog that is pleased to see you. I do not ignore my dog when I return to the house or first thing in the morning! In fact first thing in the morning is when we have great fun playing games and enjoying lovely cuddles

Also don't feel that your dog is 'pestering' you - he's just being a dog

Hi just a quick question, can your dog be on "its own" when you are in the same room?

Or does he have to sit ON your feet, you etc?

If not, then it is not fair to shut him up in a room.

One of the many reasons I like crates is that I can enforce "aloneness" but whilst I am still there.

ONce the dog can cope with this, then it should be able to cope in the same way when you LEAVE the room.

If you do not have a cage it would be better to have a gate where the dog can still be separated from you but see you for reassurance.

I personally do not permit my dogs to follow me about the house as I believe it encourages dependency, but each to his own.

It works for me, none of my dogs has ever had an issue being left.

If your dog howls in the morning I would set my alarm BEFORE it started, let the dog out, saying nothing, no body contact etc get them to empty themselves (within a couple of minutes) come back in and leave so that the dog gets to understand that your appearance does not mean he will get company and attention that he is seeking (he does get it at other times).

Have you also ensured that the dog is given something that he really wants in your absence that he NEVER gets at any other time?

I think so many people have said to us from the beginning, try to keep him downstairs, else you'll never get him out of your bedroom, you need to keep some areas for yourselves.. We have a kong, though haven't tried anything other than dried food in it at the moment, which he just rolls it to get at. We have mostly carpets, so the idea of peanut butter all over them is a little daunting, but hopefully he'll lick it out before that happens I guess? Same for natural yoghurt (frozen).


I may have written it wrong. But we have tried just closing and opening the door. He never just 'settles' the other side of it thoguh, he's there stood up, tail wagging as son as I open it. lol

I'm not sure how to explain this, we quite like that he loves spending most of his time with us, we are more worried that it'll cause himself problems when we go to work etc.




Maybe I'm underestimating how long it would take him to adapt to our routines. I do make sure he's been out before we all go to sleep, so that he's already been. I think I want to see him actually relax, it seems like he still has hardly relaxed since he arrived. Even when he's sat on the lounge floor with us. You can sense he's fidgitting, just waiting for the next movement to follow. lol


LOL - I knew using the word pestering would come back to haunt me.

I think I must written it wrong, because as you've already picked up on, I was kind of blurting it all out. We are enjoying him, we love having him. We just don't want to set the wrong precedents from the beginning. And we want him to enjoy some freedom and not just feel he has to be with us. Like you've said, he'll be sleeping, and if I get up, he'll be right behind me. lol We already love him to bits, how can you not when that face looks at you. Especially when he tilts it to one side. hehe

As I've said above, I love that he greets us with such enthausiasm. Maybe I've just read too much about SA and think his clingyness is that, too much internet reading!

I'm only going on what worked for me. If you want him downstairs again at some point, you can work up to it using a crate I'd imagine. It's totally your choice, I'm not trying to convince you into doing it, if you don't want him upstairs, persevere downstairs. All I know is from the moment we let him upstairs, we didn't regret it. He sleeps like a dream now and sometimes we're even downstairs in the morning and he's still snoozing!
SB's suggestion of a crate is a good one, give him some practice at being away while in the same room. I put sandwhich meat in the kong after the kibble, works fine for me and no mess on my carpets
I really hope he can start to settle soon