Dog Always Crying When I Leave

Question
QUESTION: Hi Kristen
I have a Toy Poodle/Pomeranian dog and  when i leave the house it never stops crying. she goes on for at least an half an hour or up to an hour. i've tried leaving the back door open for her to play in the backyard, leaving family members home, etc. and nothing seems to work,
I Would Really Appreciate it if you could help me out on this problem.

Maria



ANSWER: How old is the dog, Maria? Is the crying a problem because you have neighbors, or just because you don't like that your dog is doing it?

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QUESTION: Shes 8 months, and its a problem for neightbors and it gets really annoying when leaving the house and hearing her cry.

Answer
When you say you leave her home with family members, are those family members interacting with her, or just there? Does she interact with anyone other than you when you are at home? Her behavior sounds very much like the beginnings of separation anxiety.

One thing you can try is to desensitize her to you leaving. Ignore her as you get ready to leave, and don't say anything to her as you leave - just go. See if that works. If it doesn't, then try another technique along with it.

Get ready just as you would if you were going to leave an dgo somewhere. However, you aren't actually going to go anywhere. As soon as you go out the door and close it behind you, wait a split second and go back in, put your things away just as you would if you had returned from a trip somewhere, and go about your business. Ignore the dog until she has settled down. Gradually increase the amount of time you're outside the door before going back in. If she starts crying and barking, you've waited too long; next time, don't stay out there as long. The key is to go back inside before she starts barking, so that she doesn't think that her barking is what brings you back, or that you aren't coming back for a long time.

Have you tried putting her in a crate with a Kong or nylabone or something to keep her occupied, when you leave?