We rescued a puppy at 8 weeks. He is now 13 weeks. The rescue said he was a blue heeler/lab mix. We have owned 6 rescue mixes over the past 20 years but never a heeler. This is a first for us. Milo will not let me out of his sight. If I leave a room he will move so he can see me. If I go to the bathroom, he will cry and scratch at the door until I open it. If I go upstairs he will cry at the baby gate until I come back down. Did I also mention - he HATES his crate? My husband and I are both teachers, so we have been home with him. Our concern is that come August, when we go back to school, he will not handle it well. We have two other dogs, so he won't be alone. He will also only be crated for about 4 hours - as our teenage children have flexible school schedules - one will go in late and one will get out early. We are signed up for training that starts in July. Can a 3-month-old puppy have separation anxiety? and if yes, what do we do now to help him? Thank you for the advice
My Tornado-dog (6-1/2 months) follows me everywhere. If I go upstairs, he goes upstairs. If I go in the bathroom, he goes in the bathroom. If I leave him in one room and go into another, he scratches at the door and barks. But, if I go out to run errands, he is fine. He chills with his sister. Honestly, I haven't gone to the bathroom by myself in years. I have always had a cat or dog or cats or dogs or all of them come and "help me". I just thank my lucky stars the parrot doesn't fly in and join us. I have gotten used to a world where I require animal "help" with everything I do. No matter where I go in the house, at least one of them is there with me, usually more. I was always taught that you never make a big deal out of leaving. Or coming home. It's a non-event. With Tornado-dog, he is extremely affectionate, so after I've returned home, I put away my things, put away groceries, etc. And then, when I sit down, I let him give me love. I always say the same thing "I see you Tornado-dog" and "I love you too". Waiting until after I put things away, change clothes, etc, disconnects it from the actual separation, but still acknowledges his need for that recognition and affection after being away. Start with simple stuff. Have everyone go out to get the mail except the dogs. Have everyone go outside for 3-5 minutes at a time - stagger the leavings and returnings so the puppy gets used to that variation. Then work on short outings - maybe 30-60 minutes and work up to more as he handles it well. I never use crates, so I made sure the room was puppy proof and had their toys available. If the other two dogs are also crated, you should be good. But if puppy is the only one crated, then you might find that physical separation from his buddies increases his stress - so just watch for that. With just one dog, I would give them a long lasting chew. I didn't want two dogs fighting over a treat while I was gone, so I only give quick-eating treats for multiple dogs. Exception is with Tornado-dog and Cat-dog - Cat-dog doesn't do chews and is grateful to have the break from Tornado-dog chewing on her. It's highly unlikely that he has separation anxiety at this time - he is just simply used to having you there and needs to help you. Make it as matter of fact as possible and a non-event and he should be fine.
