# Can't leave room without puppy whining/barking



## TijgerStrepen (Mar 1, 2009)

My puppy Eeva (who just turned 3 months today) has a problem with me leaving the room she's in. It makes me having to go to the bathroom create stress for the both of us. I try tossing her toys around and get her playing with them before tryin to sneak back but that doesn't work. I also try to leave the area while feeding her as I don't want her to _need_ me there to eat. She has figured out how to climb/jump over the gates. I put her right back in when she does that. I am worried that she may develop separation anxiety (her mom is that way). Even when she can see me, in the living room from the kitchen, she will bark and bark and bark. 

I've been trying to ignore it, waiting til she quiets down. When she does (which is quite awhile) I praise her and the reward is me stepping back into the room and giving her attention for a few minutes. Then I head back to the other room to start it over again. Is that a good/right way to solve this problem? If not, I'm open for suggestions!


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## Trixie (Feb 27, 2008)

First of all, this behavior is pretty normal. Our dog went nuts every time I left the room when she was a puppy. It was miserable. I thought it was separation anxiety, until I learned more about SA. 1) It isn't "created". You won't give her separation anxiety. 2) It's a condition where the dog has a chemical imbalance. They don't just bark and cry, they destroy things, eliminate all over the place, break the bars on their crate... It's way more serious than some barking.

So, the good news is, your puppy probably does not have SA.

The hard part now is learning to deal with her neediness. Get a kong and stuff it with treats -- we like to stuff the kong with treats and then peanut butter or pumpkin and then freeze it -- and give it to her before you leave the room. Don't make a big deal about leaving. If she is occupied with the kong, just walk away. Practice leaving by putting on your coat, getting your keys, and walking out the door. Let her get used to your coming and going.

Finally, make sure she gets enough exercise. A tired puppy is a happy puppy. We would walk her before leaving in the morning, and eventually she got where she would get her morning walk, some food, then she'd fall right asleep, allowing us to leave in peace.


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## traininglabs (Feb 21, 2009)

I think Trixie got it exactly right. Make sure your puppy is tired and entertained with some sort of distraction (toy and treats or peanut butter-- I give my dogs the empty peanut butter jars so they can lick out the remnants), but other than that, ignoring your puppy completely when she's whining is really the best method to remedy the situation.


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