Hi everyone . I'm a new member of the forum and have joined to get advice on a problem I have with my whippet puppy .
He is a perfect pup in almost every way , comes back when called , very affectionate , loves children and adults alike but I would say he has become almost too attached to me . he spends almost all his time with me and I'm lucky enough to be able to take him with me to work which is in a book and antique shop. The problem starts when I have a customer and I leave him at the other end of the shop on his lead . If he can see me he just whines away and creates a real fuss until I return .
Does anyone know how to stop this problem as it is really getting quite distressing . My pup is aroun 5 months old . He gets plenty of attention (maybe too much )as people who come into the shop always fuss him .

I'd be grateful for a solution to this problem

Jane

Hi Jane, welcome to the forum. As tempting as it is to smother your new little baby with attention, I think its really vital to get them used to being away from you. You never know whats round the corner which may involve you leaving him on his own for a few hours and this will be quite distressing for him if he has never had to occupy/settle himself before. I would say to begin with when you're at home start off slowly - go out of the room for a few minutes (as long as theres nothing really dangerous lying around) and soon return so he knows when he is away from you, theres no need to worry as you will soon be back. when you come back in the room dont make a big fuss of him as you will be affirming the idea that he had to worry while he was alone. Give him a gentle pat and carry on as usual so he knows its no big deal. Gradually increase time you are away from him. Give him things to do while you are out of the room... fill kongs with tasty treats, leave him with a favourite safe toy that he can play with and explore on his own. This should encourage him to learn to accept his own company. When he is beginning to tire, say after a long walk, try and leave the room for a little longer. Is he crate trained? He will soon settle down on his own.

One important thing about this training is to NEVER walk back into the room when he is whining. This is reinforcing his whining - he will learn that if he cries you come back. Thats what I think is happening in the shop, he whines and whines and in the end you go and comfort him. Dont respond to him - when he has been quiet for a few moments then go over and praise him calmly.

Hope this helps, sorry to have gone on and on!!!

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We are just getting through this with our little pup.

I have found it really hard but lots of people that I trust (a very good dog trainer, the vet and other friends) advised us to ignore her crying and NOT to give her any attention when she is crying.

She was crying when we went to bed at night and i am surprised how quickly it worked. First night was an hour and 3/4 and it has got less and less every night. Until no crying at all for the last few nights.

Must say that she seems much happier now. She is not so clingy or desperate for our attention. She is still totally loving but happy in herself too.

We used stuffed kongs.

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xx Liz xx

Our new little puppy is a beautiful cross between a Springer and a Cocker, who was born on 18th June 2008. She is a bundle of joy and we want to give her a happy life. Any advice always appreciated :0)

have to agree that returning to the room is a mistake.Its a bit like leaving your children at the school gate they soon get over it.
good luck

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U have to let him cry and dont give him attention when he is whining.
I went through that, it was heartbreaking as it sounded like something bad is happening to my pups but to ignore is the best i could have done. Now i can leave them at night alone in the pen, leave the room, leave the house ... without them complaining as they understood that the whining will get them nowhere

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No need to worry, sounds like your pup has seperation anxiety, which is one of the biggest problems that a lot of dogs suffer from today. Unfortunately, it's also one of the hardest habits to break, because the idea for your dog to overcome this, is that he needs to learn that time away from mummy and/or daddy is okay. The reason why this is hard, is because the dogs that suffer from this are owned by the most caring and doting people in the world who always want to be with their dog!

So, it's something that won't be easy for the both of you.

It happens because dogs don't have the ability to tell the time (although their biological clocks know exactly when they should be having a walk or when they should be fed!), so when you leave, the dog gets anxious because he/she doesn't think you are coming back. If you come home every night at 6pm, the dog won't think "hmm, ok, it's 4:30pm now, they should be back in an hour and a half", so the idea is to basically teach the dog that being away from you isn't a bad thing.

Louise's method above works pretty well I find, get settled down (on the sofa with your dog next to you or however you guys relax), then just stand up and walk out the door closing it behind you. Go upstairs or outside for 15 minutes or so, wait until the pup stops barking, walk into the room and just sit back down on your sofa like nothing happened. Don't make any eye contact with the pup or any sort of noise.

Do this a few times, trying to increase the time spent away from your pup, only returning when your pup stops whinging. Try not to sit outside the door either because he can smell you and he can hear you

The biggest task here is feeling guilty as you leave, which results in owners picking the puppy up or just saying goodbye generally fussing over him as you leave, this only further increases the seperation anxiety upon the dog.

The thought behind it is that you come and go when you please, you are not forever attached to the dog and the dog has to understand that you as his leader, are granted the right to come and go and he just has to deal with it, which he eventually will.

On a side note, I recommend ALL owners to do this, a do with seperation anxiety can lead to a lot of problems. It can lead to soiling your house, destroying your house and it causes a lot of stress on your dog when you do leave which can lead to so many different problems down the line that you can find in dogs that lack self-confidence. Its definitely something that will make you and the dog happier.

Thankyou ALL for your helpful suggestions . I sort of knew I that it was probably my fault by returning to him when he cries . I find it difficult to ignore .
The strange thing is that he is fine if I'm actually out of sight it is when he can see me at the other end of the shop that is the problem . I can leave him in the car without any anxiety or fuss and he's also happy if I leave him with my partner . It seems to be only when he can see me and I'm giving him no attention as I'm busy with a customer .

Do I still just ignore him or would he be better left in a training crate at this point .

Thanyou again
Jane

Probably both