We have a baby gate for my puppy, but he cries every time we use it. Is there a way to prevent that?
Well, for starters, spend quality time with your puppy when you are home, and also teach him to tolerate some time alone. If you are going to be in the family room and normally leave your puppy in the kitchen behind the gate to prevent accidents, you might want to consider a different approach. Right after your puppy has gone to the bathroom outside, bring him in on a leash and keep him near you. Bring a throw rug with you, and lay it at your feet for your dog to lie on, just in case he feels like resting. Provide a natural or nylon bone for the dog to chew on to help keep him content while restrained. This allows you to spend time together without having to worry what sort of trouble the puppy otherwise might get into while your attention isn't focused directly upon him.
Actually, your dog is less likely to eliminate when close to you and restricted than when alone in another room and frustrated. Getting worked up emotionally quickly can make dogs physically active. Jumping around, whining, vocalizing and eliminating all are natural canine reactions to frustration and restraint. Puppies need to learn to accept restraint and to feel comfortable when left alone for periods of time. Continually indulging your pet's social needs can backfire and result in a major problem known as separation anxiety.
But in order to teach acceptance of separation, owners must be sure it is appropriate to be leaving the dog, and that all of its needs have been met. A puppy that has just been walked, played with, cuddled, groomed or trained actually might look forward to a little "private time," whereas a dog that hasn't had any of its social and emotional energy strategically exhausted may redirect that energy into stress-outletting behaviors such as barking, destructiveness and elimination. When owners make the mistake of approaching and scolding a puppy that is "acting up," they inadvertently may teach their pet to seek negative attention. It is, after all, attention, and some dogs would rather endure scolding than be alone. A scolding owner isn't really helping the dog learn to tolerate moments alone; he or she constantly engages with the seemingly "misbehaving" dog in an attempt to teach it not to "defy" authority. Concerned, sympathetic owners also may return again and again trying to reassure their distressed pet. Both reactions teach a similar conclusion: Not only do these behaviors work well to express frustration-they bring owners running! What owners may not understand is, along with the supposed discipline or reassurance they deliver, each time they personally tend to their dog, they actually are bringing exactly what the dog is wanting: company!
Leaving a puppy alone for short, planned periods of time with the specific intention of decreasing separation anxiety should be done many times daily. The owners shouldn't in any way forewarn the puppy that they are leaving; there should be no "exit routines" or fond farewells. Upon returning a few moments later, the owner again should remain very unemotional, returning to the puppy's area of confinement and going about his or her business in the room without comment or attention to the dog other than an unemotional, brief greeting. The planned absences should be kept very short, and the duration should be increased gradually only when no separation anxiety behaviors are noted during the shorter periods of absence.
It is very difficult, but very important, not to react to a puppy's separation stress symptoms (barking, whining, jumping, etc.) in an emotional way. Reactions only will cause problems to get worse. Prevention (in the form of tiring a puppy before leaving it and providing it with interesting chewing materials for when it is alone) and desensitization through repeated short absences that end before the puppy has had time to become anxious help a dog become nonchalant about owners' comings and goings.
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