Guilt trip when leaving him... - Chihuahua Forum : Chihuahua Breed Dog Forums

klein · #1 12-26-2011, 03:18 PM

...even just to shower I worry about leaving Klein "alone".
he has this great playpen with his bed, pottypads, lots of toys, food, water etc...that is where he sleeps in and even during the day when home the door to the playpen is open and he comes and goes as he wishes.
however, if i leave him in there and go to a different room or shower he cries and makes these howling sounds.. REALLY LOUD.
i would like to add that my puppy is very sociable and looooves being around people, he gets tons of love and attention so i am thinking he is getting spoilt?

is it OK for me to leave him alone in his playpen? it would never be more than 2-3 hours if that (difficult to consider right now as he cries whe i just take a shower) but what are your suggestions?
oh, usually i am not alone either but my partner has gone home for christmas so i am alone with Klein.

thanks for your help

Kaila · #2 12-26-2011, 03:50 PM

Absolutely. Also, when he does howl, as difficult as it is, don't go check on him. Any attention you give him (even walking into the room) will reinforce the howling behavior. As you keep ignoring it, it will get worse at first. He'll try to howl louder and longer to get your attention because it has worked for him in the past. Be persistent and eventually it will stop.

Do training sessions where you leave him in the playpen, leave the room, and wait. When there is a break in the howling ( silence for 3 seconds) rush into the room and give him lots of praise and treats. Then leave again. Keep repeating and eventually he will figure out that his silence is what is getting him attention. Give him more praise for longer stretches of silence.

Make sure you notice when he's in the playpen and being quiet. Don't just ignore a dog that is behaving well (it's easy to do). Instead, ignore the bad behavior (even negative attention is attention!) and praise the heck out of the good behavior (ie. being quiet).

klein · #3 12-26-2011, 08:37 PM

thank you so much for your reassurance Kaila!
i went out for dinner tonight and left him for about 2 hours, thought to myself whats the worst that can happen (apart from the fact that the most difficult part for me was to actually leave the house while he was giving me the sad look)? Klein eating his own poop----at the worst.
tv and lights were on, he obviously knew i was gone but was even more excited when i was back

Dmitry · #4 12-27-2011, 12:14 AM

I myself struggled through same issue recently. Just got 8 month pup. He was definitely like to be around people and when left alone a session of barking, whining starts. I took me a week of slowly adjusting him to the fact that I have to leave him alone sometimes. I actually started with car, where I would leave him while I were shopping and then start leaving him at the house. Still straggling sometimes , but he is much used to the fact that he have to stay alone sometimes. I would hear a bark/or two and then he will just go to sleep.

Be persistent and it will all work out.

nytetears · #5 12-27-2011, 06:50 PM

Seperation anxiety is not uncommon in dogs. I find it happens in a lot of cases when the human is not the 'leader' of the pack. (no this does not mean doing alpha rolls and growling) What this means is that you are the leader you may come and leave as you so wish. the dog has to learn to accept this. I actually have a tips page up to give you some pointers on becoming leader of your pack. it works very well. How to be a leader

Squirrelflight · #6 12-27-2011, 11:56 PM

Chis are a very sensitive breed. They are also highly bred as companions so to be alone for some chis is simply not much of an option. My boy is a highly sensitive very needy little guy. He struggled if left alone for more than couple of hours.

When we both needed to start working outside of the home we got a second chihuahua and that made a world of difference for him when we are away. She's a very calm stable girl and she helps him feel secure when we are gone.

I would definitely leave him while you are out and when you need to at home. And yes the crying and howling will stop when he sees that it doesnt work. Also try to stay calm bc if you are anxious he will be more anxious. So just know that he is fine and move on. Mild separation anxiety is normal and they grow out of it with practice. If your dogs SA is more severe or if you find you need to be gone a lot you may want to look at other options.. like a second dog.

We knew we needed to do more because if left for more than about 3 hours we had clingy anxiety problems with him for days later. That led up to believe it was just too hard for him being completely alone and we were certainly open to having another chihuahua and for us it has been a great thing.

KittynKahlua · #7 12-28-2011, 03:16 AM

My latest rescue has terrible separation anxiety. Other than what others have said about not 'giving in' and rewarding the behavior by letting him out or giving him attention; there are some things you can do to help make it more comfortable for him.

I would start having a special treat that you give him only when he's in his pen. BUT- not just for when you leave. Frequent repetitions where you remain home but still place him there to enjoy his treat will help him associate being in the pen as a positive place. I know for our little guy, simply leaving the television on helps him to remain calm and relaxed. Other folks leave radios on for their dogs. A microwavable snuggle pad (can't think of the brand now!) will be warm for him to curl up against. Basically you want to make the pen as inviting as you can for him; so that he enjoys his experience there.

And I definitely agree with the link posted by nytetears. We admittedly do not do some of them (ours are always on the beds, couches, etc.), but our pack is very happy and balanced even without us there. And really it's all quite simple stuff; basically just teaches the dog calmly (first point on there, couldn't agree more!) and reassures it that you have everything in control. Little changes to your lifestyle just in how you feed the dog, how you give them attention, etc. will have a huge impact on his "self esteem" so to speak LOL. We taught our dogs the "Settle" command; that if they ever get too riled up about something, or whiney/beggy; we simply say 'settle,' and they will go lay down somewhere.

Theres lots of info out there on separation anxiety. One thing some people try is a DAP diffuser (phermones that encourage the dog to be calm) but I would try seeing if his behavior changes first just by changing the few little things mentioned. Good luck!