Cockapoo

Question
Hello we have a four year old cockapoo who I have had since he was a puppy. Within the last year and a half, I got married and my husband and I along with our dog moved into a new house. This is not the first house that I lived in. In college my dog stayed in my apartment with 2 other girls and he did great.
Since we moved into the house, we had let him roam free in the house, just like I had always done. Within a few times of leaving him alone he would tear up things. For example berber carpet. So then we started leaving him in the laundry room. After a few days we noticed he was tearing up the door and trim from scratching on the doors. He would not eat or drink while we were gone. He would not even chew on a favorite toy or eat a treat. Then we decided to pull his crate out of storage and start using that again. He does fine with the crate, but cries constantly. Now he seems to always jump on me and he makes such a big deal out of us leaving and paces constantly. I know from reading other responses that we need to stop making such a big deal about or entrance back into the house. My big question is should I get another dog to keep him company and for him to have as a friend? We have been thinking very strongly about a second dog for a while and I really want to make the best decision for us and for him. Any advice? Thank you so much!

Answer
Hello Sarah,
This is due to separation anxiety and sometimes boredom that they will dig up the carpet and destroy things like this.  I have a Miniature Poodle that did the same thing when I would leave her alone in the house.  She would chew the cords on my blinds and also scratched the carpet in places.  I started putting her in a large dog crate (because she wouldn't potty in the crate) and would leave her there when I was out of the house.  Once I could trust her around my large Poodles, I put them together and now there is no problems.  

Getting him a dog would work if you planned on getting another dog anyway, but make sure that they get along before bringing it home.  You can do this by taking him to meet the new dog before buying/adopting the dog and bringing it home.  

When he is in the crate, be sure that you don't pay him any attention while he is there.  When he goes into his crate, its like he is invisible and you can't see or hear him.  You want him to realize that nothing but you wanting to get him out of his crate will get him out of the crate.  Not him whining, crying or making any noise is going to get your attention.  Don't look at him, talk to him or acknowledge him in any way (unless he is hurt), even if its to tell him "NO!".  If you do, he will continue to cry and whine.  Eventually he will learn to be quiet until you let him out of his crate.  When he jumps on you and acts crazy when you get home, ignore him until he will calm down around you.  When he comes up to you, make him sit before he gets any attention.  Praise and pet him once he is quiet.  Do the same thing when leaveing.  Go through the same routine.  Get your keys, coat, have him sit and give him a treat, then leave.  If you are putting him in a crate when you leave, get your keys, coat, put him in his crate and give him a treat, then leave.  Don't talk to him once he is in the crate.  

Try it and if you have other questions about this or other Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim