Cockapoo Separation Anxiety

Question
I recently got a 5 year old Cockapoo from an animal rescue house and he is having problems being left alone. We live in a two story house, but do not allow him upstairs. If he is left downstairs by himself for a couple seconds he will begin to whine and scratch at the door. When we leave the house we are forced to kennel him. However, when we get home we find that he does not eat, drink or play with his food and his face is wet with drool. What can we do to make him more comfortable with being alone?

Answer
Hello Kriby,
You are going to have to reteach your dog to accept you being gone (or upstairs) and have him see that even if you leave him alone, you will return.  

First and foremost, if he is crying or whining, DO NOT go to him unless he is quiet.  Going to him when he is making noise only lets him know that to get you to come to him he just has to make noise.  Wait until he is quiet, then go to him.  

Some things that you can do to help him when he is in the crate is to provide him something that he really likes.  A favorite toy, a yummy thing to chew on, or leave the radio or tv on to provide a noise for him.  You can also sleep in an old Tee-Shirt for a few days to get your smell on it, then give it to him.  That way, he will have something of yours with your scent on it.  It will comfort him and make him feel less alone.  

To help him to realize that even if you leave, you will be back, start by leaving him in the crate for a very short period of time.  Put him in his crate, act like you are getting ready to leave, and go out the door.  
Wait about 2 minutes then go back in (if your dog is quiet).  Open the crate door and ignore your dog.  Don't look at him or acknowledge him for a few minutes, even if he comes up to you.  
The reason for this is that you don't want your arrival home to be a big deal, because this is what your dog is looking for.  Instead mingle around for a bit, then casually go over and pet your dog.  Build up the time that you leave him in the crate.  Observe (if you can) what he does in the crate when you step outside.  This will give you an idea of what he does (does he whine the whole time, bark, sit and drool, or eventually calm down) while you are gone.

You can also try to put him in the crate for short periods of time while you are in the house so he learns to get comfortable in the crate.  
If its a wire crate, you might try to cover it with a blanket to make it more "den" like.  Dogs like a den because it makes them feel secure.  

If he is still having issues, you might try leaving him in a small laundry room/bathroom rather than his crate.  Again, try leaving a radio on or something that can make some noise, which might help him with his anxiety.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions or if this doesn't seem to work for you, please feel free to contact me again.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim