Leaving for work(doesnt stop barking till i get home)

Question
I recently bought a 9 week old male jr. i have a feeling he is having separation anxiety but now i am starting to think that he isnt.  i have a 16 month old female jr and i never went through what i am going through with tony. he sleeps good at night but whenever he whines to go outside to do his business i put him back in the kennel and he will not go back to sleep.  it is completely nonstop barking and barking and barking for up to an hour.  then he will cry himself to sleep. by then he needs to go back out again.  that isnt my main concern. my main concern is when i go to work.  the minute i leave the house to go to work he starts barking and will not stop till i get home. i have tried the no bark collar and his high pitch bark is not activating the microphone.  i come home at lunch to take him back out so it is a four hour period that he is in the kennel at each time.  My apartment manager called me the other day and said that if i cant get him to stop barking i either need to get rid of him or i need to leave the complex.  i need a fast fix.  I dont want him to get the idea that everytime he barks he gets my attention because we all know where that leads to. anything you can suggest would be great.  i am very happy with the advice that you have given others and it has helped me already by reading other articles.

thanks in advance
curtis

Answer
Hi Curtis,
Sorry about the barking - he's still young and definitely going through separation anxiety.
You need to condition him to get used to being alone. It may seem silly but practice leaving and coming back in the door, making each time you are out of sight a little longer. What you are trying to do is teach him that you WILL be back. Go out, wait a  half a minute and go in. Go out, wait a minute and go in, Go out and wait 2 minutes and go in......and on and on, until you get up to a good half hour. Its boring, but it works! You want to try to desensitize him to the stessors of you leaving. You can also try to lessen the anxiety by jiggling your keys or practice your leaving ritual at a time when you aren't really going anywhere.
You can try leaving the television or radio on for him too - sometimes that keeps them wondering if you are still there, and gives them something to look at or listen to.
Buy a KONG and stuff it with peanut butter and dog treats - give it to him right before you leave so it keeps him good and busy for a couple of hours, and hopefully he'll fall asleep after that.
Tell your landlord that you are in the process of teaching the puppy and that you would appreciate a little patience!! People who don't know puppies have such high expectations like they're supposed to be completely trained in a week!! It takes TIME and consistency!!!
Very best of luck Curtis!!!