Help! My dog barks when I leave
 

I have an 8 week old who barks whenever I put him in the carrier (which is at night and when I leave the house) or whenever I leave the room. How do I stop this?!

Try leaving his favorite toy with him, a radio or tv on, or maybe a piece of clothing that you have worn,,.maybe and old bathrobe?

I know it's not good to use negative training.. but the only thing that worked for my dog was taking a empty 1 liter coca cola bottle (take a little air out of it and close it then), when the dog barks, I right away hit the bottle on a table, wall, or my foot, anything to make a sound.
He hates that sound, it worked !! He does not bark now when I go outside.

He's so young he will bark himself to sleep not too long after you leave if you will do as BLowry suggested and leave those things with him and be sure to leave with no fuss or long goodbyes or anything. Our leaving is part of every dog's life and they learn to accept it, the younger the better.

Eight weeks is awfully young for a Yorkie to be all alone for very long for fear of hypoglycemia and such. Small breeds and small-breed puppies can run out of blood glucose very quickly and die before you know there is a problem if you are gone very long. Is someone coming into the house and checking on the puppy after 2 or 3 hours after you leave - or do you set the clock and get up to check on the dog during the night. It really would be better if you could return the puppy to the mom for another 6-8 weeks ideally but failing that, have some Nutrical handy and read up on hypoglycemia in small puppies, how to recognize it and what to do until you get to the vet should a severe episode occur.

At night, you might try covering the the cage or crate each time the puppy barks and after 15 minutes of quiet, removing it. With time and patience the puppy will learn if it wants to be able to see its surroundings and you, he will catch himself when he starts to bark, knowing the shawl is fixing to come down.

I just put mine in an airline carrier and put it in the bed with me the first few nights or pulled a chair up to the bed and stuck my fingers through the door when I have had a young puppy to care for. That young, they are going to cry and bark some just like any baby so get used to it as it won't last forever - they do grow out of it as they adjust to no longer being in the only home they've ever known with momma dog and any siblings and the breeder. Puppies miss that when you first get them so they need some time to get over their grief at the loss of those familiar loves and get to know/love you. Good luck!

I come home during my lunch break to let him out. So he is home alone for no more than 4 hours. Is that ok speaking about the hypoglycemia? Also, I don't need to be worried about that at night do I?

Yes, but probably not as much if you feed or give Nutrical before bedtime. During sleep the puppy is likely not expending as much energy and glucose levels may not drop too low but I would ask the vet to be sure. If I had a Yorkie puppy that young, I would set the clock for every 3 hours or so and check on the dog and give Nutrical as a precaution if the vet says it's okay. If you have ever seen a dog go down with hypoglycemia, apparently it is as frightening as it gets. Happened to my sister's tiny tiny poodle and she said just wobbled, then sank down in a heap, was totally unresponsive. This is one reason a reputable breeder will not usually release a puppy to a new home for fear her puppy she's raised from birth could die from low blood sugar. Didn't the breeder or pet shop warn you of this at all - or the vet when you took the puppy in for a wellness exam/labs, etc.? If not, they should be ashamed as it is a not all that rare in small breed young puppies. My sister's poodle was about 6 mos. old when it happened to him, though. But he was a super tiny dog at that age, probably weighing at less than 3 lbs. at that point and I understand weight is a factor in the dog's ability to properly regulate its blood glucose. I'm far from any expert on the subject and my words should not be taken as a diagnosis or anything but merely a warning to learn more about the condition yourself from experts via consulting with your own vet and reading articles or books written by vets, etc., so you'll be prepared in case it happens to your little one.

I usually feed him at 6am when we get up, then again at 11:30, then when I get home from work at 4 and then I feed him a half hour before bed which is about 8:30. I had read that since he's under 12 weeks he needs 4 meals a day around those times. However, I will consult the vet. Thank you.

He's probably covered but ask the vet just to be sure! :)

Maybe this video will help you? I have found this woman's advice to be very helpful.


Also consider how your crate training is going. Do you mostly confine your puppy to its crate when you are about to leave? If so, the puppy will associate the crate with your absence.

Practice using the crate with you in the room often when you are home. Feed in the crate, put toys in the crate, praise and pet the puppy in the crate. Leave the crate open when you are not confining so the puppy can go in and out as it wishes. Also consider training your puppy to go in its crate on command with a word like "crate" or "kennel." This reinforces that there are times when you want them in their crate and they must obey, just like every other command. It also teaches that they get praise and a treat when they follow through on the "crate" command.

I have Mishka's crate open within a larger playpen in the main room during the day. I give Mishka her meals in their after she goes in when I say "crate." She has a second bed outside her crate that she lays on also. She often goes back and forth between the two. At night, I move the crate into the bedroom. I say "crate," she goes in, and I close her in there with her soft toys to sleep with and a generous treat, bone, etc. She only cries when she needs to go to the bathroom or if she's thirsty (although I try to predict her needs and take her out of the crate to attend to them before she cries). Before she falls asleep she always rolls around with her soft toys, talking to them. She loves it in there! :)

EDIT: I don't recommend trying your puppy on anti-anxiety medications at this young age. Separation anxiety is normal for young puppies and should be dealt with without medication (although I'm sure there are exceptions).

Giving your puppy a used shirt of yours to sleep with is a great idea. It will also help the puppy to bond to you. I did that when Mishka was 7-9 weeks. Definitely give your puppy soft toys to sleep with. Your puppy is probably used to sleeping with its Mom and siblings and misses that. My 12 week old still drags all of her toys (especially soft ones) into a pile and sleeps on them as if they were her siblings.

Let your puppy sleep near you at night. I put Mishka's crate on the floor by my pillow for the first 2 weeks, then gradually moved it farther away until it was where I permanently wanted it at night in our bedroom. I talked to her when she cried and stuck my fingers in the crate; I'd also move so that she could see my face. You want to teach the puppy that crying does get their needs attended to so they do have some control over their environment. But, that crying won't get them out of the crate just because.

Set your alarm for every 2 hours. The general rule is a puppy can hold their bladder for one hour for every month of age until about age 6 months (then I'd have to look up what the rule is). Puppies can hold their bladder a little longer at night but not by much. Get up every two hours and take her to the bathroom and check on her. Give the puppy at least 10-15 minutes to try and go potty if they are not awake yet. The puppy will probably really need to go though and not take long. Offer the puppy water and a few bites of kibble or just a treat when you put it back in its crate. This will help prevent hypoglycemia in the night. Then you just put the puppy back in its crate, say "night night" or whatever phrase you choose, and crawl back in bed.

Is it normal for a yorkie to be super focused on a person? I have no real issues with putting Darwin in his crate or playpen at night, but if I do so in the daytime and he can't see me, he loses it--even if my husband is in the room with him. It's not such a big problem most of the time, but it's really intolerable when I have to use the bathroom. Even if he was happily sitting next to my husband, if I go in the bathroom and close the door, Darwin starts to cry loudly. I have tried to let him come in the bathroom with me when I take a shower, but even closing the shower door (it's clear and he can still see me) makes him really upset. It makes me take really fast showers so that I can stop the noise. I've told him "no", but it hasn't worked. I'm really stumped with this one. Any body have any ideas?

Since, he is young and he feels like your dog is like a baby whenever you leave him, just put a toy or something on his carrier so that the attention of the dog will leave to the toy. When it comes to hypoglycemia, consult your vet first if it is advisable to use because there are some dogs who has an allergy with this.

Most of the time he no longer barks when I leave him. However, there are times when he will bark like a mad man but those are becoming less and less. I leave the same bear and blanket in there with him every time and when I put him in I give him nutrical because I'm usually leaving for work so he thinks he is being rewarded.

Hi:

I have a 2.5 year old yorkie that I got about a month ago. I was his 3rd home in about a month. His last owners only had him for a month and before that he was stable for over 2 years.
He is a sweet boy and doesn't seem to have a mean bone in his body. I live alone and work shift work.
At first I stressed about my schedule but he and I have figured that part out. He gets fed, we walk, we play, we watch tv.
The problem is his severe separation anxiety.
After a few trial and errors he now is in a bedroom with the door shut with a pee pad, water, bone/kong, his crate with the door open and the lights off.
He barks. The entire time I'm gone. I've noticed that he is either chewing or scratching to get out so badly there is dried blood on the floor on the floor by the door when I get home. My heart breaks when I leave and then drops when I see the blood when I get home. He seems to be eating and walking fine so I' not sure what he is doing to cause the blood but my guess is his paws. :(
I don't know what to do. I have to go to work. I don't feel right crating him when I leave (9 or 10 hours) (I do crate when we go to bed and he barely bats an eye about that. I crated him at home when I first got him and he broke out. ) I leave the tv on but as soon as he heard the door open for me to leave he goes at it.
He doesn't seem to eat or drink when I'm gone.
I have altered my schedule when I leave so it's not always the same but there is only so much change I can do. Especially on the weeks I get up at 5am. I'm not messing around too much before walking out the door.
I don't make a big deal about leaving tho' he knows when it's happening and when I come home I calmly say "I'm back" and then don't pet or play with him until he has calmed down (jumping and flying in and out of the room)
The pee pad is always used but there is also pee on the floor-I'm letting that slide for now. The sheer panic he has when I go is awful.
When I am home he barely barks unless he sees a squirrel or dog out the window.
He does follow me everywhere(unless he's pooped on the couch), which I know isn't a great sign but when he disappears he's generally up to no good.
HE rarely messes anywhere in the house but does occasionally and seems to mark on plastic bags if they are on the ground (like if I have a black garbage bag on the go)

HELP!
I so enjoy his company but I'm wondering if I'm in over my head. I've never been a dog person but had set my mind on wanting a yorkie. I now have one and am glad I do but I feel like I'm not a good mom to him. This can't be a good life for him. HE's all I think about at work and stress about needing to get home and feel guilty if I try and have a life leaving the house other than for work. :(

Any insight is appreciated.
Thanks!
Lizzie