Puppy loses it when left alone in crate during the day

[JamieScrimger]

Hello, 

 

I kennel my Springer spaniel at night, she is doing  well as I have it in my bedroom. 

 

 

The issue is when I leave the house and kennel her she loses it. Panicking, barking, whining, and scratching. She plays and eats in the kennel so seems to have a okay relationship with the kennel. I'm nervous to leave her in it well panicking as I don't want to make her fear it. 

 

We have only had her for 1 week and she is 15 weeks old. I also have been working from home so I worry this maybe separation anxiety. 

 

thank you for your advice. 

 

J 

 

[JMFS]

Welcome, Jamie.  Boy are you in the right place!  We've all been there.  :)  Good news is at only 15 weeks you've got loads of time to work with her on this as she's young enough to be taught how to be alone in the kennel.  I'm not sure if it will matter, but it may be asked so I'll get you started - has she been spayed?

When you leave the house has she been given something to keep her busy?  A Kong with treats, a favorite chew toy, or three . . ..  I'm going to give you enough credit to assume she's been fed, had water, and gone potty.  Has she been exercised and / or walked before you leave?

Has she caused injury to herself and do you know if she calms down after a time or if she keeps it up the entirety of your absence?  Dogs are really good at worrying us with their initial behavior when we leave, but then 5 - 10 minutes later they chill out until we come home and then they ramp it up again so we think they've been carrying on the whole time.

We have three dogs with varying degrees of separation / isolation issues.  Abbi, the old gal, barks and howls and injures herself when we're gone so my daughter dog sits for us now so we can get a weekly date night.  Gertrude acts a fool when we get home, wiggle butted, jumping, barking, etc . . . but while we've been gone she's been sleeping after finishing her treats.  Esther is kind of between the two.  She's jail broken a couple times and chewed the handle off the top of the kennel gate to where we're going to have to get a bungee cord to tie it shut.  If she has treat toys and a Nylabone she's okay the majority of the time.  As soon as the garage door opens all three of them start a symphony of barking, whining, and howling so we think they've been losing their minds the entire time.  We bought a Furbo a few years back and it showed us the truth.  Any baby monitor camera will work - you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars.  The only one who pitches a fit while we're gone is the old lady, Abbi.  She gets the other two going, though, so separating her from them has settled things down.

All of that is to say there's a lot going on that we don't see when we're gone.  It will take some trial and error, but this is definitely the place to get you situated.  :)

Edited November 16, 2021 by JMFS

[Adrienne Farricelli]

I second what Jennifer says that is, to record her behavior in your absence. It's important to see how she does once you are gone for some time. A dog with separation anxiety will typically not settle. You will see panting, whining, pacing, having accidents (not due to lack of bladder control but due to being anxious) and drooling.  

Since you have had her for only week, you are likely seeing some anxiety due to being in a new place, enclosed in a confined area, alone. These dogs need lots of baby steps and positive associations to learn to settle on their own. If she has finished all her shots and you vet gave you the green light, a walk prior to leaving home followed by some brain games may help wear her out enough to make her tired and in need for a nap.

These exercises below can be a good start point to create positive associations with you leaving:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-prevent-separation-anxiety-in-puppies/

If your recording shows that she is acting anxious for a long time and never seems to settle, you may need to invest some time in teaching her how to cope being alone starting with brief absences. You will find some more comprehensive protocols here: