I have been trying to prepare our new puppy (9 week old weimaraner) for being left alone when we both go to work and she doesn't like it one bit! She doesn't want to be alone - she wants to be wherever we are!
Over the past week we've been introducing her to the laundry where she'll spend the day by feeding her there, playing games and her favourite - cuddles. It's all set up with her bed and toys and the smelly shirts (the ones we left with the breeder and has the scent of her mum and littermates on it) and today I moved her crate in there so that she could go in there if she wanted to. The first days were reasonalbly successful because she was tired when I put her there and after a bit of whinging, fell asleep. I opened the door whilst she was asleep and let her come out when she was ready.
Then we made it a bit longer and that's the hard part. She cries and howls and scratches and yells!! Eventually she falls asleep but when she wakes up it all starts up again! We try to wait until she's settled a bit before letting her out, and when we do we ignore her for a bit as though nothing has happened so she doesn't get too excited.
Am I going about this the right way? I feel so cruel letting her cry like that. I hate that I need to leave her and that she's in there unhappy and I'm out here sad because of it.
The other thing is there is normally only one day per week that we're both at work, but I'm worried that if we only put her in the laundry once a week it will become quite an ordeal and will become anxious on that day. Should we put her in there on other days as well so that she gets used to it?
Thanks in advance.