# seperation anxiety?



## newV (Apr 8, 2014)

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum so please be gentle 

my boy is 5 months now (we have had him since 8 weeks) we got him used to being left alone from the start as we have to leave him 3 days a week while we work.

up until last week he was crated whilst on his own but we decided to give him a bit more space so moved him into the spare room, he has his crate, toys, chews and a peanut butter filled Kong. 

He was fine for the first week and then I got home yesterday to find he had dug up a bit of the carpet in the corner of the room and ripped it.

is this separation anxiety or just puppy behaviour?

His schedule is 20 min walk in the morning, I go home at lunch for 40 minutes to him and then he is alone again until I get home and then he has a 40 minute off lead run.


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

I would say its likely just puppy behavior, but would ask why the rush to let him out of the crate while you are gone? After all there is a saying "They chew till they are two". 

The way I would interpret the behavior would be the pup is telling me he/she isn't ready to be left out of the crate. Also keep in mind, the dogs find comfort in crate, its their safe space, a space they own and can manage. Some dogs will fall apart if given too much freedom in a house too quickly.

For what it is worth, my dog is 2.5 yrs old, I am 95% sure she won't get into trouble if i let her out while i am gone, but i still crate her for that last 5% chance she gets a hair up her butt and decides an electrical cord is chew toy, or eats a small cat toy that I didn't know was out... 

During the days when I am home and do things outside, she is often let unattended inside - she just chills on the couch...

With respect to exercise - there isn't a set amount of time that's required, although I would say that exercise amount seems light...but the only real way to answer that is watching the dogs behavior to tell you its enough. Remember - a tired dog is a good dog.

Nate


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## newV (Apr 8, 2014)

Thanks for the reply. I guess I just thought he might be happier having a bit of space to play rather than cooped up in the crate. He still had the crate in the room to sleep in when he wanted.

with regards to his exercise, I was told by the breeder not to over exercise to prevent future joint problems, I was advised 2 x 20 minute walks a day at 5 months although some evenings he will get more than 40 minutes. He seems quite happy with this as he will get home and have a play for 20 minutes and then settle down with a chew.


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

NewV - just keep in mind that we humans live in crates too and we often find great comfort in relaxing in our crate. We just call our crate a house.

With respect to exercise ...its important to discern the difference in off leash and on leash behavior. On-leash walking/running imparts a consistent and repetitive impact on the joints in the same motion over and over and over. On hard surfaces like pavement, this is argued to be of concern for joint health if not done in moderation.

Off-leash allows the pup to do whatever it wants - run, walk, turn, sit, run, trot, etc....Most will say you can let your pup run around however it wants off leash, with the only caveat being if it is trying to keep up to another older dog, it may push itself too far... Otherwise if the pup is tired it will likely just plop down in the grass and lay there...

It sounds like your routine is working for you and your pup - so I wouldn't change it if you and the pup are happy... 

Keep up the good work...if you have any questions - please post up!!!!

Nate


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## newV (Apr 8, 2014)

Thanks!

that has made me feel a bit better about him being in the crate.

I will start and gradually increase his exercise as his energy peaks which i'm sure will be pretty imminent.

Thanks again.


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