My husband and I have a new puppy(Dachshund) that is 8wks old and he is beginning to whine and cry when we place him in his "pen" or in his "kennel" when we are at home. We play with him as much as possible, but when making dinner and doing other housework it isn't possible to watch him at the same time. During the day while we are at work, he will have accidents in the crate and only occasionally when we are home. At night he almost never has accidents. He goes to the bathroom outside consistently and holds his bladder quite long over night, sometimes all night long. I feel this is a mild case of separation anxiety, for a lack of better words. Anyone have any advise for chilling him out a bit and helping him to learn that we will come back at the end of the workday?:confused:

I too have to leave my doxie at home when my husband and I go to work. He is a 12 week old puppy and my vet told me that he cannot stay in his pen longer then 3 hours. A good rule of thumb is 1 hour for every month they are old, up to 8 months old (8 hours). I have to run home and let my puppy out every couple of hours in order for him to be happy. He has never had an accident in his crate when we are away.

However he still has a little bit of anxeity with being in the den when we are home. We have found that placing a treat in the den with him rewards him for being in there, also our puppy loves it when we cover his den with a towel. He rarely barks or whines when the den is covered. But again we only leave him in there for short times when we are home.

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Originally Posted by GTM

My husband and I have a new puppy(Dachshund) that is 8wks old and he is beginning to whine and cry when we place him in his "pen" or in his "kennel" when we are at home. We play with him as much as possible, but when making dinner and doing other housework it isn't possible to watch him at the same time. During the day while we are at work, he will have accidents in the crate and only occasionally when we are home. At night he almost never has accidents. He goes to the bathroom outside consistently and holds his bladder quite long over night, sometimes all night long. I feel this is a mild case of seperation anxiety, for a lack of better words. Anyone have any advise for chilling him out a bit and helping him to learn that we will come back at the end of the workday?:confused:

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I don't mean to make you feel guilty,but dogs really don't like being on their own especially a pup.A vet once told me that dogs should,nt be on their own for more than 5 hours.

First the rule is one plus the number of months old the puppy is. I have no idea how most people could ever live with that rule. Second, I have had very little trouble starting with leaving a 7 week old for 4-5 hours. At the worst, they only have a few accidents at first. Many puppies ago, I saw there grids available to hold puppies up out of accidents. They are expensive and hard to find. I made do with a piece of closely spaced wire closet shelf until it finally fell part. Before I got Holly in September, I picked up a plastic vegetable bin and drilled holes in the bottom. It worked fine on the one or 2 puddles she had. It also helped reduce the size of the crate. You don't want it much bigger than enough room for the puppy to stretch out.

And yes, leave it a toy. If you are really having trouble, a Kong filled with peanut butter is a good idea. Just make sure it is a small one. Too many puppies come from the breeder too fat. Too much peanut butter will interfere with reaching ideal body condition, see http://www.puppychow.com/products/po...condition.aspx

It is also important the puppy sees you as top dog. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. Start obedience training including proper walking on lead right away. When I pick up a 7 week old puppy, learning heel starts in the lobby of the kennel. Before we get home, the puppy has had a number of important lessons including that puppies rid on the floor, and the top dogs on the seat. At that age, limit commands to only a couple of repetitions in a session.

Here are some other gentle ways to teach the puppy you are a loving top dog:

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

Getting back to the crate problem. With strong, guilt free leadership, the puppy is more likely to accept being confined to the crate. Follow the pattern, a period of active play, outside to eliminate, and then into the crate.