Worried about leaving Martha

[bibaloo]

Hello all!

Just wondering if you have any advice about leaving a pup. Martha is 9 and a half weeks now and up until now she hasn't had to be left for long as hubby as been off work. He's back now and on Wednesday I start a run of days shifts. I can pop back to see her quite regularly so she won't be home alone all day but I'm concerned.
Just went to do a supermarket shop and so I popped her in her crate with her kong. Left her happily licking away but got back to her howling the house down. It was heart wrenching!

Going to leave her again this afternoon and again tomorrow to get her more used to it but I was just wondering if anyone had some advice?

Thanks!

[little_jack]

Its awful to listen to isnt it. We gradually built up the time leaving Jack to get him used to it. It started with just 5 mins while I popped upstairs then we took it from there. We always waited for a break in any crying before we went in. Then we just kept extending the length of time (and actually leaving the house) until now when he can happily be left for 2-3 hours. Im not sure why but Jack is better if we leave some noise on (radio or tv) so that may help your little one.

[louis mum]

I am in a similar situation right now. Lenny squeels if we leave a room and wets or poos, although he wont be left yet for a while (we have got a couple of months off between us) I am aware we need to get cracking getting him used to it. I am going to sort the garage out today, so plan to keep popping him in the pen intermittently as if I were going out, with the radio on and a kong. Try sort sessions as suggested, good luck.

[bibaloo]

Thanks for the advice. We probably should have started leaving her earlier than we did....
I'll leave her this afternoon and then tomorrow i'll do it at least three times.
I think I'm too soft for all the tough love required! 

[cerinrich]

Hattie used to scream if we went out of her sight and I couldn't believe people who told me that it'd just get better but it does! Today, (she's 8 months now) for the first time ever, she's taken herself off for a nap to her crate where she sleeps at night which is in a different room to me and her 'day' bed! Good luck and try not to listen/worry...

[bibaloo]

ooo am liking these positive tales.... I must try not to think about her crying. Bless. It's so hard!

She's sleeping now but next time she's due a nap i'll scoot off for an hour or so I think.

Will update later!

Oh ps.... she keeps biting her own legs and tail too ..... is this normal?
x

[louis mum]

Well I have just left Lenny  I had the front door open, him in his pen and by golly the street could hear him  He did 2 wees a poo then ran in it  So now his bed as is he, are full of poo  Dont listen to my advice  I need some 

[bibaloo]

hehe!! oh dear  Martha had the runs in her crate the other day - poo everywhere!!! All her toys and bedding had to be washed... and she did!

Might be getting somewhere! Just left her for an hour an a half and came back to her being as quiet as a mouse in her bed Am trying to make her think the crate is a nice place with chicken and her kong and she seems a lot happier jumping in and out now.

A few more goes and fingers crossed it might work! x

[louis mum]

Your making better progress than me    I wanted to jet wash my block paving today too, so decided to try again. He wasnt as bad this time, he probably fel asleep for half an hour then wee'd and whinged 

Good girl Martha 

[Nicola]

How long are you going to be leaving her at a time? You may find that you come back to a mess because puppies physically can't hold themselves for very long regardless of whether or not they're ok with being left. The advice on slowly building up the time is the best way to go, it's good that she seems to be getting the idea of it already

[bibaloo]

Yeah she seems to be getting the hang of it I think!

I shouldn't have to leave her for more than a few hours at a time. I'm a police officer and luckily I work the area I live in so I should be able to call in every few hours. If not, my parents have said they will call in morning and afternoon to let her out. I only work 5 days in every 5 weeks on a day shift when hubby isn't there so it's not that often she will be home alone for more than a couple of hours.

We waited for years for our little one until I settled in on shifts. She's worth the wait but we are shattered! Gone are the days of a lazy lie in after a late shift!
 

[Cob-Web]

The day after we brought Molo home, I began to leave him on his own in his crate, cos I knew I only had a few weeks to get him used to it!

The first day, I tired him out by playing with him, made sure he was toileted and then lured him into his crate with a treat (later a stuffed kong), shut the door and left the room.  I immediately came back into the room (before he had a chance to whine, bark, scratch or get upset) and let him out of the crate again.

I did this over and over again; many times an hour, very slowly increasing the time from a second, to 10 seconds, to 30 seconds, to a minute......sometimes going back in and not opening the crate, sometimes leaving again, sometimes letting him out after making a cup of tea...just getting him used to be alone and reassuring him that I always come back 

After a couple of weeks, he was happy to be left while I popped to the shops; he got used to the signals that we were going to leave him, and was happy to be left because he knew what to expect


When Bonnee arrived at 15 months old, she suffered from mild SA due to the change of home, and she cried every time I left the room  I used exactly the same method and after a couple of weeks, she was fine being left, too 

[Han]

The day after we brought Molo home, I began to leave him on his own in his crate, cos I knew I only had a few weeks to get him used to it!

The first day, I tired him out by playing with him, made sure he was toileted and then lured him into his crate with a treat (later a stuffed kong), shut the door and left the room.  I immediately came back into the room (before he had a chance to whine, bark, scratch or get upset) and let him out of the crate again.

I did this over and over again; many times an hour, very slowly increasing the time from a second, to 10 seconds, to 30 seconds, to a minute......sometimes going back in and not opening the crate, sometimes leaving again, sometimes letting him out after making a cup of tea...just getting him used to be alone and reassuring him that I always come back 

After a couple of weeks, he was happy to be left while I popped to the shops; he got used to the signals that we were going to leave him, and was happy to be left because he knew what to expect


When Bonnee arrived at 15 months old, she suffered from mild SA due to the change of home, and she cried every time I left the room  I used exactly the same method and after a couple of weeks, she was fine being left, too 

This is what we did with Darcey too and it worked a treat.

Except she has always had a puppy pen as well as her crate when we're out - so paper in the pen as when they are tiny they just can't hold it and toys as well as kong treats. She still uses her pen  when I'm out and she seems to love it - she begs to go in there as soon as I prepare her kongs! I think she knows that when she's in her pen, we're out - but she also knows we always come back