hello and help

[louisew]

Hi I am new to having a puppy but read a lot of tips on this site before we collected our orange roan on Saturday she is really lovely except for she seems to be suffering from separation anxiety I have tried everything but she cries and messes herself when she is left the most I have left her was an hour today.I leave her in a play pen with toys the radio on a DAP I have asked around and someone suggested a second puppy as she is probally lonely does anyone have any tips or thoughts on this if so PLEASE help as i go back to work in 2 weeks and I am getting really worried that I wont be able to leave her.Thanks Louise and Amber

[Jackie57]

Had the same problem with Zack can I ask the DAP you are using is it the plug in as I found that the spray seemed to work better.

[Jackie57]

Sorry I meant to say welcome to COL and I also found it very helpful.

[Jeeves]

Welcome Louise!!

I've not had a puppy myself, but I would have thought that it's early days yet if you only got her on Saturday.  She's bound to be upset and a bit disoriented for a few days yet, so perhaps it's an idea to just persevere for a bit and see how she gets on.  I'm sure that she'll settle soon

We'll need to see photos you know!!

[Astridx]

Hello Louise and Amber

I am new to the site as well.  I just wanted to let you know of a book I found very helpful with my Lottie.  It's called the Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey (available off Amazon) - though Lottie is far from perfect!

Hopefully it is just early days but I left Lottie in her pen for small amounts of time at first gradually increasing the time.  I would potter about and only return to her when she stopped crying - very difficult tho!  Depending on how old she is you might also consider a Snugglepuppy which mimics her litter mates and mum.

I hope things improve for you soon!

[cdpops]

Hi I can't offer any advice, but wanted to say Hi and welcome to the forum. Looking forward to lots of Amber pics.

[louisew]

Thanks for the replies I am using the plug in dap but will try the spray as well also this will sound really silly but I don't know how to put the pictures on can anyone advise me on how to do this as I am rubbish with computers thanks Louise and Amber

[cazza]

Hi I am new to having a puppy but read a lot of tips on this site before we collected our orange roan on Saturday she is really lovely except for she seems to be suffering from separation anxiety I have tried everything but she cries and messes herself when she is left the most I have left her was an hour today.I leave her in a play pen with toys the radio on a DAP I have asked around and someone suggested a second puppy as she is probally lonely does anyone have any tips or thoughts on this if so PLEASE help as i go back to work in 2 weeks and I am getting really worried that I wont be able to leave her.Thanks Louise and Amber

Firstly - please don't get a second puppy. How old is this pup (I am assuming 8/9 weeks)
I would doubt it is seperation anxiety at this stage. If she has only arrived on Saturday  (just a week) then everything is still new to her and you need to settle her in. As for messing herself when she's left then of course she will at this age.  (Some pups take longer to toilet train than others just like children they all do things at different ages / stages etc) I have Braan who is 14 /15 wks and he still has the odd accident - it's to be expected if you are not there to watch them (OK even when you are there  )

You have to take a pup out after a sleep, after play, before a meal after a meal etc. I start with taking them out every 30 mins in the first week and gradually increase the time and then you still get little accidents.

How long are you going to be leaving Amber when you go back to work?? Or is she going to a dog walker??  Are you using a crate??
Where abouts do you live as other people on here maybe able to suggest a good dog walker for you etc.
Sorry loads of questions but we need more info on the questions I've asked before we can give you any proper advice  (and others may think of other questions too)


ooops - Welcome to COL by the way

[Tracy S]

Hi and welcome to COL I agree with Cazza, it's very early days yet, toilet training can take some time .

Can I ask what a DAP is please?

I can't stress how brilliant we found a crate, a real godsend.

[cazza]

DAP infuser - I'm not up on them as have never used them but a lot of people on her reccommend them - hopefully someone will explain for you as I can't but hope that helps till someone with knowledge pops along 

[Astridx]

It mimics a pheromone given off by new mums said to comfort puppies and dogs in stressful situations.

[cazza]

It mimics a pheromone given off by new mums said to comfort puppies and dogs in stressful situations.

Thanks knew it was something like that but as I said I'm not up on them as I've never used one 

[leisl]

Pls don't go down the root of a 2nd pup!  I am sure she is just settling in to her new surroundings and someone will be along soon with some helpful advice. As for messing herself.  I would just start with very short bursts, maybe only a couple of mins apart and plently of praise when you go back in.  She is still only a littlely so accidents can and will happen.  But persevere, it will be worth it in a few weeks.

Finally, photos are a must.....especially ORANGE PHOTOS!  Come on, get clicking! 

[Nicola]

Hi and welcome to COL 

If you only got your pup on Saturday and she's only 8 weeks old then in all honesty you're expecting a bit too much of her at this stage. She is still a tiny baby and will take a while to adjust to her new home and situation. When you leave the house dogs don't think 'oh well that's the owner off out, time for a sleep before they get back'. They live in the here and now and all they know is that you're gone - they don't know if you're coming back and they have to be taught that it's ok to be left and that you will return. To such a small puppy an hour is a very long time.

You teach them this by building up the time you leave them very gradually. Literally starting with leaving them in a room or their crate and shutting the door for 30 seconds and building it up from there. The key is to go back to them before they react and begin to get distressed but if this isn't possible then wait at the door and only go back to them when they are quiet, even if it means flinging the door open in the second it takes them to draw breath. At 8 weeks she also won't be able to hold her bladder and/or bowels for long yet, at that age they need to go out roughly every 20-30 minutes or so.

Another puppy will NOT help, in fact you would 99% for certain end up with not one but two very distressed, crying and messing puppies who are feeding off each other's anxiety. She wants human company and reassurance, not another dog. Certainly for older dogs having a companion is great but it is still not a substitute for proper human interaction and isn't an excuse to go out and leave them alone all day (not saying that you're doing that, it's just a general point).

It's really great that you've taken time off work to settle your pup in, that's a really good idea and you should definitely have this sorted out by the time you go back although bear in mind that even then the absolute maximum that any dog should be left is 4 hours and for a small puppy it's really less than that so if you're out at work do you have someone to come and sit with her or is she going to daycare?

Hang in there, with patience and a good routine in place she will be fine. What is her name? 

[suzysu]

Hi and welcome  Ooooh an orange how lovely  pics sooooon please