Pup doesn't want to be alone-ever!

Tigger is 5 months now. He hates being left alone at all. I can just be in the other room and he will whine and whine. It doesnt even seem as if he *wants* anything specific as when I wait for a quiet moment and go back, he will just mooch around or lie down!
He is getting plenty of exercise and has the back yard to his disposal, loads of toys etc. He just seems to want someone around.
I thought as he got older this would die down but its not getting significantly better. When I take my daughter to school he sometimes whines the whole time Im gone. What on earth will he do to amuse himself when I go to Uni in a few weeks!

We have tried praising him loads on the odd occasion when he is quiet while we're gone but this doesnt seem to reinforce the behaviour. Obviously its not a good idea to return whilst he's in mid whinge but realistically I just cant be with him all day in the kitchen. I need to go to the loo, do research for Uni, housework etc.

What can I do?

Hi Tigger,

Don't take this the wrong way. as I'm trying to help, but is he confined to the kitchen and the back yard even when you are indoors ?

If so, why ?

If you're in the house, it's natural that he wants to be with you.

At the moment, as I'm typing, I've got my Labrador lying against and on top of my right foot and the Collie is lying under my computer desk over my left foot.

They like to be near me and they're 12 and 10 years old !

Have you tried the usual method of giving him a biscuit, then going out of the house for 5 minutes, then coming back and praising and giving another biscuit ?

Then gradually increase the time that you're away to say, 10 minutes, then 20 minutes and so on ?

That's what I did when my Mick was a pup and he was fine.

Kind regards

Jill

Oh I have one like this, when you hear him quieten, pop in and give him a little treat, something nice like chicken.

Have you tried giving him raw bones or a treat filled kong to keep him occupied while you are not with him? Springers are very 'mind-active', all gundogs are and you need to keep them occupied as they get bored very easily. They are bred to work with man and they enjoy the company, so much so they can be very 'clingy'.

Whatever you do you need to try and crack it while he's still a baby, because trust me, all you need is a stroppy, clingy teenager, I have one now, and I wish i'd have been firmer with her when she was younger as it's much harder now she's older.

Radar, it is best to spereate the dog from yourself when you are around the house, to help prevent Seperation anxiety when she leaves the house.

Tigger, count yourself lucky, Roxy is almost 8 months old now and she barks and howls the place down if we leave a room. However she is starting to gain her own independance now, she wont sleep in our room anymore, she chooses to sleep in the lounge, so give it time and carry on doing what you are doing, your puppy needs to learn to be calm and quiet when your not around, otherwise it will become a nightmare and you will end up with a very clingy dog.

Just takes time and patience, but the penny will drop sooon

Hi Tigger It is normal behaviour for a puppy to follow you everywhere, a puppy would naturally follow its dam around for protection.

As your puppy grows and increases in confidence he should begin to learn that when you leave you will always return and he should not mind being left alone.

You may find this helpful,
..you are going to teach Tigger..
..your going out of the room is no big deal,
..you will always return,
..when you are with him he will automatically get your attention all the time,
..he will get attention when you are ready,

Step one
First take Tigger out to relieve himself, then using the room Tigger spends the most time in and where his bed is, go out of the room ignoring him and shut the door.
..after a few moments go back in the room and do something like going in the cupboards you must still ignore Tigger, no word no eye contact,
...go in and out of the room a few times always shutting the door and ignoring Tigger when you leave and return,
...eventually go back in the room and sit with a book still ignoring Tigger,no word no eye contact he does not exist,
...when he is quiet and not bothering you speak to him and give him lots of praise,
...you need to do this exercise a few times each day,vary and gradually increase the length of time when you are out of the room.


Also leave the radio on with a voice programme like radio 4, this will mask the sound of your movements and be comforting for him.
If you have not already got a Kong it would be a good thing to get one to occupy Tigger when you leave the room for long periods.
Tigger should get better with age as his confidence improves.

Hi Jill,
No I dont mind being questioned, Im the novice here. I intend maybe letting Tigger having more freedom around the house when he is a bit older/calmer (although Im aware that Springers are a little Peter Pan-esque!) but didn't *really* want to just extend his anxiety from the kitchen to the hallway. If he whinges when I pop from the kitchen to the bathroom (downstairs in this house) then what will he do when he is left with all that room and I leave the house? I could be wrong but it doesnt feel like the answer-its almost like giving him more in response to his whining. As a mum to two teens that goes against the grain! LOL
I have tried building up the time but we are still stuck at less than 5 mins whilst im in the house , which is ridiculous.

Thanks random,
He does have a kong but it doesnt seem to keep his attention. There will still be plenty of time spent with him, he certainly wont be left all day alone. Its just that the date for Uni is looming and Im becoming more disheartened by the lack of progress.

Hi Dobiegirl,
What was that stuff called again, oh yeah, patience, thats it!
I suppose I should be thankful that Tigger is an angel at night. He settles down around 9pm on the kitchen floor, then at around 10pm takes himself off into his crate (also in the kitchen)and thats it til 7am. (apart from midnight wee!)
So he's not uncharacteristically (sp!) old to be still behaving like this? Ive tried getting other household members to be with him as I read about dogs becoming hper attached to just one person and that sounded like a nightmare. So my husband takes him for long walks and my teens are cajoled into sitting with him/playing with him.

Its funny really as I just dont know how he will react. This particular morning he was tired so laid in his crate and stayed quiet while I drove youngest to school. (20 mins top) Some days he will bark and howl like a banshee and wake up my husband (works nights)

Thanks everyone for your help so far. Sorry this is turning into a rather lengthy post. Thought id try this posh multi-quote thingy.

Hi Minihaha,

Thank you so much. I love having a little plan to follow. At present we have a safety gate on the kitchen doorway which leads to the hallway. Should I still shut the door or would the plan be effective just leaving Tigs in the kitchen, but with the ability to look down the hallway? The problem with losing the safety gate is that our stairs are directly opposite the kitchen and I dont really want Tigger up there. (He has been up there when he made a dart for the stairs one day and he piddled in the middle of my bed!)
He does seem to amuse himself whilst im in the room. I can be replying on Dogsey :smt002 or whatever and he will be fine, not demanding attn its just when I dare to leave the room! In fact, as soon as he sees you are coming through the stairgate all noise stops. (nine times out of ten I get back in during a silent bit-if there are any)
I am certainly going to try the in and out trick, that should confuse him a little. I tend to climb over our stairgate as its akward to open so I will have super muscles too....or a wonky back.

Hi

I don't think Radar meant that it is a good idea to let your dog/s follow you everywhere around the house all of the time

So long as you are spending plenty of quality time with your dog and it is getting lots of play and enough exercise and things to do then it is a good idea to sometimes have the dog get used to a little time apart around the house which in turn makes it easier when they need to be left home alone.

It does get better as the dog matures trust me. I know a bit about this...Having a breed that is very pack orientated and social and also the fact that I have the 'original separation anxiety princess' at my house!...I couldn't even leave a room when she was a pup without her howling, digging to get out and peeing herself and getting really worked up...

now she is two and she is happily laying in another room no doubt in a bit she will wander back in here to be with me

So long as you arn't expecting the dog to spend long spells apart from you at home carry on ignoring any whining and continue to praise when they are just going about their business and not worrying. I do that by going to the dog from time to time and making a fuss of it while it is calm and happy.

Now my dogs are quite happy if they have free run of the house and back garden but still dislike being shut off on their own so for whatever reason, if the weather is a bit cold or it is muddy outside and I don't want to leave the back door open and I have them outside for a little while I try to never let them back in when they are worrying at the door to get back in and try to time it so I can let them back in when they are happy to be out there, this has really helped.

They have tended to follow me around all over the house so I will discourage that, all it takes is for me to stop in my tracks turn around and put my hand out in a stop sign way and give them a look and they just know! and most the time they about turn and if they don't I will take them someplace else and give them something else to do or have them lay down etc.

In return of all this we have lots of time together...I call them to me and we have lots of cuddles and interaction.

So now they kinda know there is a time and a place and they can rely on me to allocate those times. Just do make sure you give your dog alot of good time together and they will learn to tolerate the time apart and trust that soon enough you will be back together again for a game

Lastly not a recommendation or anything but one major thing that helped my girl was a second dog. Having the two of them is great so they can spend time together and not always rely on me for company. Although this by no means should this be a quick fix route and should be carefully thought out.

Even then with having two dogs you then have to make sure they don't become over dependent on one another so even now I make sure the two of them still get time completly alone at times, like right now while the one is in the other room the other is out in the back garden with the door shut and both are happy...Before either starts to bother I will have us all get together again

The only thing we haven't mastered is one dog being left home alone on it's own while the rest of us leave, they still hate that, they are ok together home alone but can't stand it if the other dog goes out with us and we leave them behind. (I'm sure mostly it's because they think they will miss something great!)

Anyway! slowly but surely you will get there...Just never forget lots of love and attention in between times of separation.

My dogs are actually alot worse if parts of the house are sectioned off and worse still shut in any particular room. They are alot more calm when left alone if the house is just left as it would be when I am home...I.E: nothing changes...Although I understand this isn't something everyone can do.

I agree with this- if I shut my Jack Russell in a room when she was a pup she would howl to get out- if i left her to wander she was ok- she used to follow me around everywhere up til she was maybe a year old, and gradually since then shes become more confident/independent that as long as she can hear me in the house- even upstairs- shes happy to rest/snooze in her bed/settee downstairs. She will come looking for me after about a half hour tho I think a lot of it is age- also u need to ignore the dog when u are doing something . I always tell my dog- "washing ", cooking tea, washing clothes, tidying" she now knows that if i say one of those things that she has to wait til i finish before we play:smt002