Is he too spoiled????

[kara]

Do any of your yorkies act like little "BEASTS" (as I sometimes kindly refer to Matise).hehe Like I have said before I always had cockers (and poodles and a schnuazer when I was a kid). So the personalities are COMPLETELY different.
So when I try to leave my house without Matise, for work or for any reason he basically goes into panic mode. He frantically bites my feet, starts barking, actually he starts barking the minute I put on my pants after I get out of the shower, runs around like a crazy dog and I think if he was a human he would hyperventilate. Sometimes he gets so frantic I have to pick him up and hold him close for a second or two to try and comfort him. When I leave the house and my husband stays home he does all of those things plus barks at the door and scratches the door. We crate Matise when we are both gone because of his size(he weighs 3 lbs) not because we are worried about the house. I ALWAYS leave the tv on and he can see it and hear it from his crate, He has a comfy bed, a blanky and toys. We always tell him when we leave that we will be right back and that we love him. The crate is about 2 ft by 3 ft and is 2 ft high so I know the crate is plenty big enough. My cocker, Alex had separation anxiety but not ever like this, she would do other things but never really be this frantic, when I went away to college the first year I lived in a dorm so Alex had to stay at home with my parents, when I would come home (1 time per month) when I was packing my car to go back to college she would run out and jump into the passenger seat as if to say your not leaving without me. But she was never crazy. When we leave and Matise does these things we have guilt, sometimes a lot. Right now it is too hot(we live in south florida) to take him as much as we did this past winter, So did we spoil him? Please, I know I spoil this dog, most of the time I feel some guilt for spoiling him as much as I have--I know better-- He never gets in trouble.. ..How do I reprimand a 3 lb dog?. .. I feel bad to scruff a dog this small, avoidance training is just confusing to both him and me and he doesn't understand screaming no dog does. So I give him time outs.. .. Am I spoiling him too much? I don’t know? I mean he is really smart and he knows how to sit, come, down, stay, fetch and walk on a leash so he does not behave badly, except when we try to leave the house.
Do any of you go thru this? Any suggestions? I think that I do everything I can to reassure him but if any of you go through this then maybe you could give me a suggestion. Thanks for any suggestions.

[jennifermcb]

Wow - he really has a bad case of separation anxiety.

When I'm problem solving with my pup, I try to think like Cesar Millan. "Exercise, discipline, affection." I make sure my pup has more than adequate exercise, I use training her (i.e.sit, stay...) as her discipline, and then affection. Ok, sometimes I go overboard on the affection, but that is OK as long as the other 2 needs are met.

Is your pup getting enough exercise?

[kara]

Originally Posted by jennifermcb

.....Is your pup getting enough exercise?

He gets a long walk-for those little legs everyday, and he gets at least 3 hours of playtime a day, running, fetch, tricks and whatever else he wants to play. We play with him until he doesn't want to play anymore. So, yes I think he gets plenty of the things you recommended. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Dudley's Mom]

Boy, you could be describing my Dudley!! He does the same thing. When My husband leaves I pick Dudley up and hold him tight to keep him from going into the frenzy stage. I keep telling him no and no bark the whole time . This helps when He is leaving, but when Husband tries it for me to leave it is a big failure. I think that he doesn't hold him tight enough because he is afraid he will hurt him. Either way it is just a temporary fix, because the first time I don't have him in my arms, he goes ballistic again. Sorry I can't give you any answers but I feel better just knowing that someone else has one just like him.

[shecass]

Mollie is not quite that bad but, since she had her puppies I've gone to putting her back in her crate if I'm going to be gone for a long period of time. She has been going in the kitchen and peeing & pooping. That's not going to work so, it's back in the crate.

Sorry didn't mean to get off topic. She will immediately when she see me get my purse, keys & shoes or if she even thinks I'm going out the door will be there waiting on me tail wagging & smiling. If I tell her to stay sometimes she will bark I guess it just depends on how badly she wants to go.

It's easy to spoil them. I wouldn't have it any other way.

[DMorgan]

Simon most definitely sasses about being left at home. It helps him a lot to have an older sister to keep him company, but he almost always shoots off defiant little yips once the door closes.

I think they just have that "I expect to be where you are" way about them. I feel guilty sometimes because he'll see me leaving, and looks at me with an expression like I just stomped on his soul. Lol.... little brats!

Jeni

[AIM]

Yes! We go through the same thing with Lucky, although I never thought of the barking and biting at our feet as a part of her separation anxiety. It makes sense though because she typically does it when we are getting dressed, going down the stairs, or walking towards the door. It drives me nuts because it is dangerous for her and us when she is biting at our feet. I feel guilty when we leave her too.

[chachi]

Chachi doesnt act like this when we are leaving. He does it when we get back. He totally goes nuts.

[Kelz]

Bentley's not quite that bad. He's learned that he doent get to go everywhere with us and i think he's okay with that now! When we leave we put him in his crate and he goes to sleep!