Advice please!!
 

Hey its me again needing yet more advice haha. I know I probably sound like a bad mother when I say this but my baby Oliver hates to be away from me so at night I sleep literally right next to the cage so he won't cry. Well I think I've turned my little one into a monster because any time I'm away from him (even like 5 feet away) he will bark non-stop until I come over to him! Luckily I live in a one bedroom apartment that I have completely puppy-proofed so I let him roam around me in the living room and dining area....however when I shower in the morning I put him in his cage. My dilemma is, he barks NON-STOP once he's in the cage until I go get him. Even if I were to let him roam and keep the bathroom door open, he will still cry and bark, scratching at the shower curtain, etc. Recently one of my neighbors (who complains about everything mind you) complained to management about my dog barking at 7:00 am :( I really don't know how to fix this problem because I clearly can't bring Oliver into the shower with me! I know he needs to learn to be away from me but how should I keep him occupied in the morning while I shower? I keep the TV on and have all his toys out for him in his ex-pen but he will still bark....please help!! :eek::eek::eek:

Just throw a blanket over his crate and leave him alone. He may wimper for a few seconds, but then should lay down and stop. The blanket has always worked for me.

I really have no advice for you because I have one just like that. She has gotten better over the months, but she is very...um..."talkative." It is really kind of funny because when my hubby picked her out, she was the noisy one even then. She kept whining everytime we put her down even though she had her littermates right there. My hubby took that as her picking us....yeah right. She has never been a quiet one. She is now 9 months and will just talk up a conversation with you, answer questions, bark if you are not looking at her, bark if you ARE looking at her, bark at Moka, you name it. The only thing she doesn't bark at....is strangers :eek:. Really though, I love her personality and don't really mind the noise. DH works strange shifts, so it really feels like I have someone to talk to that talks back. I can understand your frustration though if you have close neighbors. Good luck.

I think you've taught him that if he barks, you come back. But lucky you these dogs are super smart, he can learn to be by himself.

Ooo the blanket is a great idea, I'm going to try that in the morning! And yeah I'm worried I have taught him that barking means I will just come and get him but I'm worried if I just allow him to bark (which I have) it will bother everyone in the complex! Haha the walls are super thin and I've had him in his ex-pen and ran out to the car for a second and could hear him in the parking lot he was so loud! It's so embarrassing but I love him to death so people will just have to put up with him :p He's only 12 weeks so I'm sure he'll learn! Its funny because he NEVER barks at all other than when I leave him...lol although I'm sure that'll change too!

They are smart little buggers. Rhett would bark so pathetically when I would put him in his crate that I was afraid to leave him to go to the grocery store. I ended up setting up a web cam and came to realize that he was playing me! He would bark while I was leaving, but as soon as I closed the garage door he would settle in and go to sleep :cool:

What a smartie! I bet it even worked for a while and he made you come back.

Yeah you are so right! When I leave him with my dad when I go to work my dad always says as soon as I leave he's quiet as a mouse and doesn't make a sound while playing in his pen until I come back on my lunch break. Those little smarties!

My little yorkie, she barks when she can't see me and wants to be with me when my husband is home from work. During the day she is so good! But as soon as my husband is home and especially when we are sitting down to eat dinner, she will bark. As soon as we pick her up to lay next to me on the couch when watching TV, she is quiet again.

Princess will also bark when I take my other puppy outside and I have just brought her in from going outside.

I am praying she will outgrow this behavior.

I just ignore her when she barks and wants out of the ex pen, when I am busy doing other things around the house. I recognize, when I am busy doing housework, it is safer for Princess to be in the ex pen.

Just wanted to say THANK YOU SOO MUCH for this advice! I put a blanket over his cage this morning while I went in the shower and it made such a significant difference! He barked for maybe 2 minutes and then stopped as opposed to barking for 30 minutes or so really loudly. Great advice!! :D

You are welcome. It comes form 30 years of experience. You learn as you go. I am so glad that I could help. He should get better everyday. Yorkies are very smart!