Leaving dog

I know someone with two cockapoos, litter mates who suffer from separation anxiety and he can't leave them at all. I would have thought that, having each other they wouldn't have this problem; they're not young dogs and the problem isn't going away I'm afraid.Although they do say that, if you have more than one dog it's probably best not to have litter mates. I have switched my whippet from a crate to a basket, only because when she had an operation on her neck I was concerned that she'd knock it on the door of the crate, and she's so comfortable in the basket that I've kept it. However, on the rare occasion that she goes into kennels we always take the crate, as it's her home from home; her den; her safety blanket. If I have another puppy one day it will be crate trained right from the start.

You're right harrigran, dogs who develop separation anxiety won't grow out of it. Dog owners need to train/look after/excercise/give their dogs plenty of mental stimulation and of course, not leave them all day, every day while the human goes off to work.

Anya - no thanks, i don't want one of the doodles taking off my hands, not even the spare one (allegedly lives with one of my adult children….) I agree about the joy of an older dog, I miss my lovely old x breed rescue who died a couple of years ago. Young dogs are a lot of work but so rewarding as with children, you learn together

I don't like crates. Too many dogs are given a five minute walk then shut up all day while their owners are at work. If you want a pet in a cage get a hamster.
My dogs have a safe den, it's a dog basket, but they prefer to sleep on my bed. I do see the sense in shutting a destructive puppy somewhere safe while you're out but there should be someone at home with a puppy most of the time.

I don't think the door of the crate is meant to be closed except in certain circumstances; if people do use them as cages that's wrong and gives people the wrong idea about them .

Managed to walk as far as the front gate this morning... And that's a first! I'm really happy for him to be with us most of the time, would just like to be able to pop out for a bottle of milk when needed

hello there lonniefrances - I hope some of the comments on here have been helpful.

Apricot - nobody on here is suggesting shutting up dogs in a crate all day after a 5 minute walk. I never used mine to shut up destructive puppies either and you're absolutely right, puppies shouldn't be left at home alone for anything other than very very brief periods of time, and not as a regular thing.

I have a lab, they love us, love to be with us, and left to their own devices would never leave our side. The only advice I can give is to take him with you, till he is a bit older. He is still a teeny baby, I did not leave my lab until she was 18 months old and then I left her for increasing amounts of time. She has always loved the car, and now she knows exactly where she is when she is in the Sainsbury's car park (obviously not in hot weather.)

I had the same problem with my last dog, I used the services of a dog psychologist and he suggested a kong as someone else has said and that I leave when going out. I had to just go out for a few minutes at a time and extend it gradually, eventually she settled and I had her for 15 years with no probs.

My whippet got her teeth stuck in a Kong so I've always been scared to use one again.

Dogs are pack animals - another dog will sort it - but not if this one teaches the next to bark! A friend used a CCTV camera with speakers while she was at the office and spoke to the dog - he seemed to love it and did not seem fazed by the lack of sight of his owner, just her voice!! The Kong is a really good idea.

PS my dogs love crates. A safe haven from pesky toddlers and scary vacuum cleaners. Get them used to it from 10 weeks and it will be a godsend. Also much safer in a car than being loose in the back.

Oh dear,everyones dog seems to love their crate, except mine! Tried flowers and explanation with the neighbours, they wouldn't speak to me and the flowers were dumped back on my doorstep. Anyway, we are just trying to progress a little at a time and they will just have to live with a little noise, he doesn't bark at other times. In case you think we have been neighbours from hell over the years,we haven't! This hostility stems from when my stepson lived with us 20 years ago and unknown to us was playing his music rather loudly while we were out at work. We stopped it as soon as we realised!

Wow, they hold a grudge a long time!

As you are actively trying to stop the dog barking when you leave and Presumably it doesn't bark when you are home doubt if environmental health would think there is a problem. You just have nasty neighbours. I disagree about bark collars being cruel. They shouldn't be too tight, they are adjustable and all they so is let out a squirt of lemon spray if the dog barks. Mind you I haven't found them that successful with any of my six rescues but the house smells nice. Good luck.

I don't want to be horrid but I have to say that if a neighbours dog barked constantly when it's owner was out it would drive me bonkers [which isn't to say that I don't sympathise with the OP; I had a yappy spaniel, which is unusual for the breed, and was totally embarrassed by it]. But it is unfair that they don't work with lonnie, given that she's doing all she can to stop it. I think professional help is needed.

A very firm dog trainer we met did say that the best way to get a dog to stop barking was to train it to bark on command.

That being said a dog that is truly terrified will do allsorts to cope.
Originally our dog was happy to be left to sleep in the scullery but she had an accident whilst out and sustained a nasty cut which we had treated. Unfortunately on being left alone the next night she managed to re-open the wound, and cut herself elsewhere with the sharp edge of the vetinary collar that she somehow managed to damage in the night needless to say she was very traumatised by it all. The result was, she barked at night before going quiet and (we thought going to sleep). However, we were worried that her bed looked very messy the next morning and DH set up his spare wildlife camera to film her in the night. What we saw was extremely upsetting. She barked a bit and then sat in her bed and cried quietly. Then she got out and started pacing about and more or less paced about all night sometimes jumping up at coats and anything else hanging up.
We had to have a complete re-think and resettle her at night in a part of the house that did not hold the memories of all the trauma.
She now has a bed in our bedroom!!!!!!!