# Separation Anxiety or Protector? (14 week old puppy)



## AHWooWoo (Jan 15, 2013)

My almost 14 wk male follows me EVERYWHERE. He literally get up from a nice nap to follow me to another part of the kitchen if I'm out of his view. We've had him 2 weeks and this behavior has been consistent from the start. The second I leave him in the kitchen, he begins to cry loudly. He's okay staying with my husband, but gets upset if he sees me walk out of the room to leave him with my husband. I have to sneak out and then it's like out of sight, out of mind. 

So, is my puppy having separation anxiety or is it possible he believes he's on the job protecting me? Also, if it's separation anxiety, is there anything I can do to ease his discomfort?


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## Karma6577 (Jan 22, 2013)

*Separation Anxiety or Protector?*

We have had Nero for a week now and he does the same thing. I'm not sure if it will lead to SA or not but hoping someone will chime in.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

It's not either.

Instead it's the normal 'pack' behavior our pups have to keep them safe with the leader.

It's why NOW is the time to do alot of 'off' leash stuff like hiking because young pups feel the need to be with us.

At around 6 months their feeling of security and independence starts kicking in along with the 'see ya in a while' that may crop up with no leashes.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Its not SA yet...but could lead to it. He for sure doesn't think his job is to guard you, but he is very bonded to you for one reason or another. He might think that you are there to protect him from things since he is so small and you are so big. Puppies tend to follow us around, think of it this way, 2 weeks ago you took him away from the only family he knew, so now he's acclimating to his new surroundings. Everything is new to him and he needs protection from it. So he will want to be as close to you as possible.

He'll probably out grow it...are you crate training? How does he act in a crate? If he settles in the crate nicely when you leave, its a good sign that the dog won't develop SA, but if he cries and cries and tries to get out of the crate, this is something you'll have to work on.


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## AHWooWoo (Jan 15, 2013)

I truly appreciate this information. He sleeps in a crate next to our bed at night. As long as we're in the room, he goes to sleep fine in the crate. We have a second crate downstairs in the kitchen. In the 2 weeks we've had him, I've only left him in that crate two times. Once for 2 hours and the second time for 3 hours. Both of these outings were appointments that I could not take him in with me. Both times, he cried loudly as I left and then was destructive (the blanket in the crate was torn - guessing chewed, the tray bottom of the crate was half pulled out, and the crate moved a foot or two from its original position). 

Maybe short crate stays each day will get him adjusted a bit better. I just didn't want to leave him frequently or too long because I perceived his behavior as already having separation anxiety and I thought leaving him would only exacerbate the situation.


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## WorkingK9 (Oct 1, 2012)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> It's not either.
> 
> Instead it's the normal 'pack' behavior our pups have to keep them safe with the leader.
> 
> ...


Yup, exactly right. Use this time to establish a good bond, lots of off-leash walks and praise him when he keeps along with you.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

You should just put him in the crate for a few hours every day. That way he learns its not a bad thing and you'll be back. They do freak out in the beginning...he's young and worried, but it should get better. Nothing you're saying sounds too out of the ordinary but I would really concentrate on putting him in his crate for a while every day in order to not make it a surprise for him.

It's always good to have a dog that can sit in his crate without issue. We haven't put ours in a crate in over a year when we've left the house, but once in a while due to living in an apartment, the maintenance guy has to make a visit. We can easily lock him in the crate for the day and he has no issues with it.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

My pup did the same, it was worrying and frustrating.

I think this is normal behaviour for a GSD pup. They just lost their mom and littermates and want to be with their pack. My puppy slowly but surely loosened her grip on me. 

At first I couldn't even take a shower without her sitting on the other side of the shower door, crying. 

Work crate training slowly. It does get better, hang in there!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I was so lucky that Karlo's breeder started individually crating the pups for short periods before he came home. It really helped in the transition to his new home. He was good to be out, uncrated at 7 months.
My dogs want to be with people all the time, but have each other when we are gone(none are crated).
If I only had one dog, I have wondered if there would be more destructive boredom type behavior that I read about. My dogs are fine alone unsupervised in the home, have been for almost 4 yrs.


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## lone Ranger (Nov 29, 2012)

My new puppy had SA terribly the first ten days, had to have me in sight or he would scream his head off... 

Now after two weeks, and two days, I am slowly weaning him... I did it with short trips out of sight, and now am able to leave him in a 4 foot crate or tied up, with chicken or beef on the bone to keep him occupied. His response is now only say 1 in 5 times does he whine and howl and bark, when I leave him to do something.

Try and wean him a little, and give him toys, treats, meat on the bone to keep him busy, and you can extend his separation weaning process. He is with me 24/7, even at work. But I am extending the separation period all the time, to make our relationship workable with "non puppy" activities like horses, cattle, and shopping...

My guess is he will be over it by 13 weeks..

Hope this is a help to you.. Kind regards from Australia.


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## droopy (Dec 30, 2012)

my pup is like velcro to either my wife or i, unless one of the cats walks near then he's off like a bullet to try and catch them but stay out of claw reach lol. he's 8 weeks today and we've had him for four days. he hates the crate but is getting better at settling down in it at night but has yet to voluntarily go in it himself


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

AHWooWoo said:


> Maybe short crate stays each day will get him adjusted a bit better. I just didn't want to leave him frequently or too long because *I perceived his behavior as already having separation anxiety and I thought leaving him would only exacerbate the situation.*


I'm with everyone else, I don't think this is SA, it sounds like normal puppy behavior. Are you home with him all day? If so, getting him used to alone time in his crate is a good idea, especially while he's still young. I think that will actually make things better, not worse. You'll leave, you'll come back, he lived through the experience and everything is fine.  

If he never gets used to spending time alone it's going to be a much bigger deal when you HAVE to be gone, or you need to leave him at the vet's for the day, or you board him to go on vacation. Anything you want him to willingly accept later (baths? nail trims? gentle restraint such as during a vet exam?), it will be much easier if you start getting him used to it now. 

Keefer is extremely bonded to me. He's 7 years old, and he's my shadow. He's always in the same room with me, sometimes close enough to touch, but always within sight. If I leave a room, he gets up and follows. Always. If I hold out my arms, he comes over for some love, no matter how tired he is, always. But he has absolutely no problem with me going to work every day, or with me taking Halo out for a hike, or to flyball practice, and leaving him at home. He's never shown the slightest inclination towards SA, he's with me when I'm here, and when I'm gone he waits patiently for me come back. :wub:


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