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Separation Anxiety

maddijryan

By maddijryan,
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maddijryan

maddijryan

Posted
Posted

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I did extensive searches but came up with nothing.

My 9 week old German Shepherd puppy has separation anxiety. Or perhaps lonliness anxiety. When ever me or my partner leave the room she howls and carries on. It's not such a huge issue when we go to work since we have another dog and he seems to keep her company.

The problem is that when we take her for walks, it's mostly to also do errands, except she won't stay outside of the supermarket (or any store to be exact) without someone there with her. Even just being tied up and walking away from her makes her howl and try to escape her harness.

I know she's only 9 weeks and we've only had her for 3 of them, but this really needs to get under control ASAP.

Any suggestions?

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lappiemum

lappiemum

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Posted (edited)

Welcome to the forum Maddijryan-

how old was she when you got her - 6 weeks?

if so, thats really very, very early to be away from her mum and the other litter mates - and that can lead to seperation anxiety.

Edited by lappiemum
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lappiemum

lappiemum

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Posted

I should add, its not a good idea to leave a puppy by themselves outside a store etc - anything could happen when you are inside, another dog could have a go at them, someone may even come along a take your puppy. Would advise that you have someone with your baby, and have then encouraging positive social interaction with what is going around your puppy.

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maddijryan

maddijryan

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Yeah I know, we weren't aware of how young she was.

We live in a very small town so she's not really at risk of being taken or anything. I'm talking about the local supermarket here so she's very safe. It's very important for our routine that she is able to be outside on her own without causing a fuss.

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wuffles

wuffles

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There is no way I'd be leaving a 9 week old puppy tied up outside a shop by itself, no matter where it was.

At 9 weeks old she is still a baby and not used to being by herself. She probably thinks she is being abandoned. Start training in your home or backyard. Put her on leash and tether her to a fence or other structure. At first, just stand with her and reward her for being calm. The next session, take one step away from her and again, reward her when she is calm. Build this up until she is calm with you out of sight, but do NOT move too quickly... I would expect this would take weeks or even months, not days.

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aussielover

aussielover

Posted
Posted (edited)

I would say it is a mild form of separation anxiety at the moment, but obviously you need to get it under control in case it escalates. When you say carries on- what exactly do you mean? does she have an accident, or start destroying furniture etc. These are typical hallmarks of separation anxiety.

In my opinion it sounds a bit more like a "puppy tantrum", (my puppy used to do this as well) she doesn't like being left alone and is trying to get you to come back to her. Do you go back to her when she howls and cries? If you do, you are reinforcing her behaviour.

My advice would be to leave the room for very short periods, starting from a even a few seconds. If she starts barking, Only re enter the room when she is quiet for at least 5 seconds.

Are you crate training? this can be a great help as it minimizes the damage that can be done to your house! It is also great for teaching them they can't be with you every second of the day.

If you search crate training, there is plenty of great advice.

Are you doing puppy school- an good puppy school teacher might be able to give you some extra tips and better assess if it really is separation anxiety.

If you are really cponcerned you may want to speak with a vet behaviourist or dog behaviourist/trainer.

Also, I wouldn't leave her tied up outside a shop- risk of strange dogs attacking her, ggetting her sick etc. She is also clearly not ready for this, as you can't even leave her by herself in your own home let alone a new, potentially scary situation.

She will not be fully vaccinated yet so it may not be a good idea to take her on walks just yet.

Edited by aussielover
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persephone

persephone

Posted
Posted

Welcome.

The problem is that when we take her for walks, it's mostly to also do errands, except she won't stay outside of the supermarket (or any store to be exact) without someone there with her. Even just being tied up and walking away from her makes her howl and try to escape her harness.

She is 9 weeks old.

She should not have left her mother until at LEAST 8 weeks old, so as to gain confidence and socialisation.

I would not say she has seperation anxiety- she is merely a BABY , scared and not knowing what the hell is happening to her. :laugh:

Unfortunately, by walking your baby puppy like this, you are exposing her to all sorts of possible dangers. :laugh:

She is not fully vaccinated, therefore could easily catch a killer disease such as PARVO .

She is only a puppy and may not respond to an aggressive dog with the correct doggy manners.... this could prove deadly :laugh:

At this age- frights she gets and things she experiences may well affect how she sees the world .....

Here are some links which may give you some info as to why she is behaving teh way she is...

LINK

LINK

LINK

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koalathebear

koalathebear

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maddijryan: I hope you come back to the forum. I know it was a little daunting for your first visit but as a puppy owner with lots of concerns and questions this place is a really great place where you can learn a lot. Especially if you live in a place without a lot of don't have a lot of puppy support (puppy classes, obedience classes blah blah) where you are, this place can really be helpful. Hope everything is going well with you and the wee one.

Edited by koalathebear
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  • 2 weeks later...
maddijryan

maddijryan

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Thanks, Koala! We're taking Saskia to puppy school and she's really aceing it, I suppose that's what you get for her being a German Shepherd!

She's getting really good with her anxiety which is just great. She's still a little whingey, but nothing to make herself sick over.

It was a little bit daunting to come here and basically be yelled at for the way I'm training my dog! I know she's young but it's what worked for us and her mother at the time and I don't feel like it was a mistake at all. I hope that people can respect the decisions that I have and will make about my puppy and then we can all be friends :rofl:

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Haydz

Haydz

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they are just pushing the importance of dog safety at such a young age, Especially since you can ruin a dog in its puppy days.

hypothetical situation: 9week old LARGE breed dog is taunted by kids on skateboards...

you as the owner never find out until around 15mths you are walking your dog, kid on a skateboard flies past and your dog bites to the bone.. Dead dog and kid in hospital are the result. i just feel its too risky to let such a young dog on its on in public, you never know what could happen.

Aceing puppy school is more a gauge of you as a trainer to understand what your dog needs to respond to training. So perks to yourself as well as your dog.

edit: for grammer

Edited by Haydz
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