# Attachment, Timidness, and Separation Anxiety



## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Hi everyone! Long story time!

To preface: Birdie hollers and screeches and howls in her crate whenever I'm not paying attention to her. I can be 3 feet away at my kitchen counter making myself lunch and she will bark and whine incessantly. She howls whenever I go to take a shower. If I walk away from her crate to sit on the couch, about 15 feet away but she can still see me, she howls and will not stop! I praise her whenever there is even a momentary break in the crying. I live alone, and the other day I made a grocery curbside pickup order (something that I've been doing all throughout quarantine and typically takes around 20 minutes total) but OF COURSE the first time I leave Birdie alone, it took an entire HOUR (I was furious haha). When I got home, she was STILL howling and she had pooped herself in her crate and smeared it all over the floor of the crate. The fact that she was still whining an hour later and hadn't self-soothed or even touched her kong toys that I left in there with her was cause for concern for me. 

Now, I signed Birdie up for a local "Yappy Hour", a puppy socialization group class with owners and dogs. The classes start April 26. There was a questionnaire I had to fill out when I signed her up, and one of the questions asked about how she acts around other people and dogs, and I selected "nervous", because she definitely has been extremely nervous around new people who approach her. She's met 7 people and one dog since coming home with me, and every time she tries to crawl up me when I'm holding her, and if she's on the ground she runs away screeching in panic. 

After they received my application, I received a follow-up email asking if I'd like to do a 30 minute mini training session with just the trainer, Birdie, and me to hopefully help with her nervousness. I said yes, so we went to do that last night. Before going, Birdie pooped and napped. As soon as we got there and I sat her down, she had a fit of nervous poops and displayed signs of distress. The trainer and I both sat on the floor and tossed treats onto the ground. Birdie hardly ate any of the treats, not even the high value ones. She came and sat in my lap and wouldn't get up, so the trainer told me to sit her down and get up and walk around. When I did that she sniffed around for a bit before very very timidly approaching the trainer, but would keep her eyes on me. Eventually she got warmed up a hair and explored the room a bit before coming and parking it at my feet. She would mosey over to the trainer and let her pet her for a bit and check her out. But after every short interaction she'd come right back and sit at my feet. Just fearful!

The trainer said that this was unusual behavior, for her to be so so attached after only 5 days together, especially considering her reaction to being left alone when I went on that grocery run. I cried to the trainer because I just want her to be happy and healthy and not fearful or anxious or stressed! I want her to enjoy meeting other people and dogs and have the best life! The trainer said this isn't something that is unfixable, it will just require some more strenuous training. She said that she wants us to come and try Yappy Hour and see how she does, but that we'll both just have to really monitor her body language and actions. I have a couple of friends coming over tonight to meet Birdie, and I mentioned that to the trainer and she said to tell my friends to come in and just ignore Birdie, sit on the ground with some treats for her, and allow her to approach them. So that's the plan for tonight, my fingers are crossed that that goes well! I'm very nervous and don't want to cause her any more distress or "trigger stack". We go to the vet tomorrow at 4 pm, and another friend is supposed to come meet her tomorrow around 7. 

I called my mom when we got home last night and cried to her (lol I'm 28 and still need my momma's comfort for things like this—Birdie and I might be too alike!!) and today she called her friend who is a vet, and the vet said that the trainer sounds like she's overreacting about what should just be considered typical puppy behavior. Keep in mind, this vet hasn't met Birdie, so I'm taking this with a grain of salt. I will ask the vet we're meeting tomorrow what she thinks about that and compare the three opinions. I feel like such a basketcase over this. 

What do y'all think??


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Have you talked to Birdie's breeder about this? Breeders send many puppies off to new homes and should be able to give suggestions on how they deal with similar issues in related dogs.

To be honest, this does sound extreme to me for such a young puppy. The pooping is a sign of extreme distress that I would not expect in such a young puppy.


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Raindrops said:


> Have you talked to Birdie's breeder about this? Breeders send many puppies off to new homes and should be able to give suggestions on how they deal with similar issues in related dogs.
> 
> To be honest, this does sound extreme to me for such a young puppy. The pooping is a sign of extreme distress that I would not expect in such a young puppy.


I'm going to text her today, but she's not a typical "breeder". She just wanted her dame to have puppies before they got her fixed. I'll definitely text her to ask about it!!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

The trainer's advice sounds very sensible to me. If the litter was a one-off, raised by an inexperienced breeder, the pups may not have got much experience of the world; I would follow her advice. If Birdie suddenly turns into a social butterfly overnight then hurrah; if she continues rather nervous then your trainer is proposing a sensible path to building her confidence gradually. Poppy was a rather nervous puppy - I told myself that with careful education she would be fine by the time she was two, and in fact she was more than fine well before that. Take things slowly and at Birdie's pace, encourage people to crouch down or sit on the floor and not to loom over her, and try not to leave her alone until she is a little older and capable of self soothing. I would put a crate in the car and take her with me until she has learned that you always come back. And the advice on not going to your pup while she is crying is changing too: How to Help Your Crying Puppy - Whole Dog Journal For an anxious puppy like Birdie I think responding to cries for help is particularly important.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I too think fro your description that Birdie is a extremely anxious puppy. Hopefully this is due to the in experience of her breeder. One of the reasons I no longer support anyone just wanting to breed their dog 1. In any case the trainer sounds spot on to me and I would follow her advise and take Birdie as often as you can afford to do so. I don't think your trainer is overacting as per the friends vet. Also a good checkup from your own vet is in order. When a puppy poops from stress they are really anxious. Give it some time, follow the advise of the trainer/or behaviorist and socialize as per their instructions as much as possible. She is young and with help she hopefully will become that social butterfly.


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

fjm said:


> The trainer's advice sounds very sensible to me. If the litter was a one-off, raised by an inexperienced breeder, the pups may not have got much experience of the world; I would follow her advice. If Birdie suddenly turns into a social butterfly overnight then hurrah; if she continues rather nervous then your trainer is proposing a sensible path to building her confidence gradually. Poppy was a rather nervous puppy - I told myself that with careful education she would be fine by the time she was two, and in fact she was more than fine well before that. Take things slowly and at Birdie's pace, encourage people to crouch down or sit on the floor and not to loom over her, and try not to leave her alone until she is a little older and capable of self soothing. I would put a crate in the car and take her with me until she has learned that you always come back. And the advice on not going to your pup while she is crying is changing too: How to Help Your Crying Puppy - Whole Dog Journal For an anxious puppy like Birdie I think responding to cries for help is particularly important.


Thank you so much! This is very helpful. She does really well in the car, but I don't have a crate for her, only a car seatbelt. I have one of those hammock seat covers and she seems to gravitate to the floorboard area and is comforted by the hammock around her. I guess I should probably invest in a car crate, though. Do you have any recommendations? I would hate to get a small crate that will only last a few months, what do you suggest for car rides?


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Mufar42 said:


> I too think fro your description that Birdie is a extremely anxious puppy. Hopefully this is due to the in experience of her breeder. One of the reasons I no longer support anyone just wanting to breed their dog 1. In any case the trainer sounds spot on to me and I would follow her advise and take Birdie as often as you can afford to do so. I don't think your trainer is overacting as per the friends vet. Also a good checkup from your own vet is in order. When a puppy poops from stress they are really anxious. Give it some time, follow the advise of the trainer/or behaviorist and socialize as per their instructions as much as possible. She is young and with help she hopefully will become that social butterfly.


She did everything properly, with hand-held guidance from a professional breeder. I think the issue might just be that Birdie was their family's favorite and they showered her with attention.


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## Starvt (Nov 5, 2019)

Some good points already here, but also I think you are overloading her. For a nervous puppy like her, in her first week at her new home, a vet visit plus a new person in one day is probably too much (I think a dog, 7+ people, a trainer, and a vet visit all in the first week is too much as well, but what's done is done and you can only move forward). Generally you want to limit higher stress thongs to every other day, and it's important to try keep her below her threshold, or you can run the risk of increasing sensitivity rather than socializing.
Some good resources:
Pandemic Puppy Raising Support Group on FB is great, of you look at the Guides there is a section on preventing separation anxiety. It's run by some wonderful trainers.
This free course is a good for bringing home a new puppy: With Open Arms and a Level Head: How to Bring a Puppy Into Your Life


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## Starvt (Nov 5, 2019)

Also I would approach crate conditioning as a separate (although related) issue. Do you have a pen you can use while you are working on that?


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Starvt said:


> Also I would approach crate conditioning as a separate (although related) issue. Do you have a pen you can use while you are working on that?


The pen is arriving today, thank goodness. She absolutely will not play in her crate unless I'm sitting right next to her. I can't even stand in the kitchen, in her line of sight, while she's in her crate without her focusing all of her attention on me and barking for me to come back to beside her. That said, this morning I gave her her breakfast in her crate and closed it and started taking my sheets and blankets and pillows back to my bedroom and she hardly noticed, but did start barking when she noticed i was moving the air mattress. She'll be perfectly fine enjoying a frozen kong or a teething toy if I'm sitting beside her shut crate, but as soon as I stand up, she ignores her kong and all of her attention is on me. I have to prepare and eat lunch, I have to have time to shower, I have to do some housekeeping! I feel like I shouldn't just let her out of the crate and have her run of the apartment while I'm doing these things, she has a tendency to chew on the couch and the coffee table if I'm not monitoring her and using positive reinforcement to take her attention off the things should SHOULDN'T be chewing.


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Also, the 7 people I mentioned–
3 of those were the breeder family
+ 2= my mom and me
+2= my cousins, the first people she met after we'd brought her home.

I thought I was doing the right thing by trying to socialize her slowly and get her comfortable with other people.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I generally agree with your trainer and think this is fixable with the techniques suggested by the trainer. Be very patient and don't overwhelm your pup. Remember her whole world got upended less than a week ago. It is stressful for all puppies and they will show that stress in different ways and to different degrees.

One thing I urge you to do is to do some deep breathing of other calming exercises for yourself. The calmer you truly are the better the image of yourself that you project will be. You will be surprised by how much that helps. It was a total game changer for me and Lily when she was a puppy. I was nervous, so she was nervous and all sorts of crazy stuff happened when she was young. The most disappointing thing was she waagged her tail for BF all the time, but never for me...until I took a short walk and sid some deep breathing when I pulled in the driveway. After a couple of minutes of caalming myself I went in the house and a happy pup wagged her tail for me while I petted her calmly. It was instant and nearly a miracle, a pleasant change from being barked at, jumped on and nipped at or having clothes being damaged. We never went back to hysterics.


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## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

I would take a refrigerator magnet and stroke Birdie from forehead to tip of tail. 3x


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## Starvt (Nov 5, 2019)

birdiepoodle said:


> Also, the 7 people I mentioned–
> 3 of those were the breeder family
> + 2= my mom and me
> +2= my cousins, the first people she met after we'd brought her home.
> ...


Oh I see! So really she only met two new/extra people. That's a lot more reasonable lol.
Just keep in mind her overall novel experiences. She stayed at your mom's place and then yours, right? Those are pretty big changes and usually require a couple days decompression after.
Going to a training facility or the vet clinic are big ticket items and more than enough for the day (don't forget she'll likely meet a couple people at the vet office).
A very wise trainer said: fewer positive experiences are much more beneficial than many uncontrolled ones (uncontrolled here meaning, not carefully calculated to stay under fear threshold).
Do your best to stop while she is still comfortable 🙂.


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Starvt said:


> Oh I see! So really she only met two new/extra people. That's a lot more reasonable lol.
> Just keep in mind her overall novel experiences. She stayed at your mom's place and then yours, right? Those are pretty big changes and usually require a couple days decompression after.
> Going to a training facility or the vet clinic are big ticket items and more than enough for the day (don't forget she'll likely meet a couple people at the vet office).
> A very wise trainer said: fewer positive experiences are much more beneficial than many uncontrolled ones (uncontrolled here meaning, not carefully calculated to stay under fear threshold).
> Do your best to stop while she is still comfortable 🙂.


Okay, phew! Haha. Yeah, I was taking into account every person she'd met (that I know of, I'm sure the breeder's other children came home and met her, too). 

I had two friends leave just now who were here for around 40 minutes and she did great. She exhibited signs of mild distress when they first arrived, yelping and wouldn't leave my lap, so I carried her about 10 feet away and let her look at them from a distance for a bit. I left treats and toys on the table for them to give her and had them start putting the treats out, then gradually i stood up and started to walk over to them. She followed me and sat beside me right in front of them, keeping her eyes on them, then after just a couple minutes she moved toward them and started eating treats, lightly (very very delicately) playing with toys with them, and taking food out of their hands. After about 20 minutes of that, she moved back over beside me, then started to move behind me, hiding from them, which is about the time we decided they should leave. So I think that's a very positive step and I feel really good about that! She's napping again right now, I'm so proud of her! I really hope it was a good experience for her. I think the fact that she ate treats and kibble out of their hands is a really good sign.


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## Starvt (Nov 5, 2019)

birdiepoodle said:


> Okay, phew! Haha. Yeah, I was taking into account every person she'd met (that I know of, I'm sure the breeder's other children came home and met her, too).
> 
> I had two friends leave just now who were here for around 40 minutes and she did great. She exhibited signs of mild distress when they first arrived, yelping and wouldn't leave my lap, so I carried her about 10 feet away and let her look at them from a distance for a bit. I left treats and toys on the table for them to give her and had them start putting the treats out, then gradually i stood up and started to walk over to them. She followed me and sat beside me right in front of them, keeping her eyes on them, then after just a couple minutes she moved toward them and started eating treats, lightly (very very delicately) playing with toys with them, and taking food out of their hands. After about 20 minutes of that, she moved back over beside me, then started to move behind me, hiding from them, which is about the time we decided they should leave. So I think that's a very positive step and I feel really good about that! She's napping again right now, I'm so proud of her! I really hope it was a good experience for her. I think the fact that she ate treats and kibble out of their hands is a really good sign.


That does sound pretty good! Fingers crossed she just needed some time to settle in (or is coming out of a fear period).
One suggestion, as an 'intermediate' step, is to have people gently toss a treat on the ground. It's a little easier and less intimidating for her, she still gets the positive association of the treat but doesn't have to push herself quite as hard to take it.
It's great that you are watching her response and allowing her to take things at her own pace!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Eating or leaving yummy treats is a really good way to measure stress. Puppies and dogs who are so stressed out that they won't eat a treat need to be taken down to where they can chill. Either give distance or remove from the number of people present and try the treat again. The do will tell you they have relaxed by the willingness to eat the treat.

It sounds like your visit went well. Keep up the good work and everyone will calm down.


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Starvt said:


> That does sound pretty good! Fingers crossed she just needed some time to settle in (or is coming out of a fear period).
> One suggestion, as an 'intermediate' step, is to have people gently toss a treat on the ground. It's a little easier and less intimidating for her, she still gets the positive association of the treat but doesn't have to push herself quite as hard to take it.
> It's great that you are watching her response and allowing her to take things at her own pace!


Yes! This was the perfect step for her. They did toss the treats on the ground and she nibbled at those before eventually taking them directly from their hands.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

You’ve had good advice. I just wanted to suggest to make a video of her in class if you want to show your vet.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Based on my experiences with Normie, I think the trainer you've found has a good grasp of the situation. It does take time and exposure for shy dogs to relax. His issues weren't as extreme as Birdie's, but we've had to work hard to get him to relax in social situations.

Just attending puppy classes without expectations worked for him. Eventually, he relaxed and began interacting on his own. But that took several 'observer' sessions before he relaxed.

He's now attending an Intermediate I class with 3 really large dogs. The first day his heart was beating hard. Now, he's chill. He had to learn for himself that they were more interested in one-upping each other than in him.

Giving her exposure to other dogs and situations, but allowing her to go at her own pace will make a big difference. Hopefully, that will make her more confident overall.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Lab: Oh my god, the world is ending, thank goodness you brought snacks
Poodle: Oh my god, the world is ending, how could you think of food at a time like this


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Based on my experience with Peggy, I think that first week should be all about decompressing and letting your puppy explore their immediate new surroundings. I think we underestimate the impact of our own excited energy on sensitive puppies who’ve just been taken away from everything familiar. Excitement to us is a good thing! For little Birdie, it can be very stressful.

One thing to read about is “trigger stacking,” and be mindful of how long it takes cortisol levels to return to normal after a stressful event—even one that may seem very small and insignificant to us.

On the topic of crate training, not sure how you introduced Birdie to it, but Peggy was in her crate for literally _seconds_ at first. KikoPup gives some great detailed advice on this process:


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I


fjm said:


> And the advice on not going to your pup while she is crying is changing too: How to Help Your Crying Puppy - Whole Dog Journal For an anxious puppy like Birdie I think responding to cries for help is particularly important.


The article in fjm's link is pretty similar to how I've always treated puppies. A young puppy knows he won't survive long without a protector. Therefore, he reacts to your every absence like it's an existential threat - because, from his view, it is.

With Pogo, and now Ritter, I found it helps to try to get the pup onto a play and nap schedule. Avoid the drama instead of fighting it. Put the pup into the crate or exercise pen when they are tired and sleepy after a good romp. Talk to them soothingly if they whimper, and just wait for them to fall asleep. Once they are sacked out you can go fold laundry or whatever.


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## Poodle2021 (Mar 14, 2021)

It sounds to me like you have chosen a trainer who has given you very reasonable guidance. That's often the first step, and an important one, and not always easy - so great job! 

One of my favorite professional dog trainers / behaviorists is Patricia McConnell. Her focus is often on understanding and addressing underlying behavior in addition to training, especially helping people understand their dog's behavior. Once you can understand your dog's behavior, and how you can (and maybe cannot) influence it, you have built a baseline of communication that helps both of you. She has worked with a lot of fearful and anxious dogs. Her website is www.patriciamcconnell.com, which includes a blog section and several books that you might find interesting to read for background knowledge as you continue working with your puppy -- some are only $5.00 and are short, focused on single issues including separation anxiety and fearful dogs. 

I'm sure that you and your puppy will be just fine -- she is lucky to have you as her owner!


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## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

birdiepoodle said:


> Hi everyone! Long story time!
> 
> To preface: Birdie hollers and screeches and howls in her crate whenever I'm not paying attention to her. I can be 3 feet away at my kitchen counter making myself lunch and she will bark and whine incessantly. She howls whenever I go to take a shower. If I walk away from her crate to sit on the couch, about 15 feet away but she can still see me, she howls and will not stop! I praise her whenever there is even a momentary break in the crying. I live alone, and the other day I made a grocery curbside pickup order (something that I've been doing all throughout quarantine and typically takes around 20 minutes total) but OF COURSE the first time I leave Birdie alone, it took an entire HOUR (I was furious haha). When I got home, she was STILL howling and she had pooped herself in her crate and smeared it all over the floor of the crate. The fact that she was still whining an hour later and hadn't self-soothed or even touched her kong toys that I left in there with her was cause for concern for me.
> 
> ...


I think things are going way to fast and that the first couple of weeks in a new home are an acclimation period and that nothing unusual out scary should happen so that your puppy comes to understand that her home is safe. I feel for you on the separation anxiety and for some perspective, my 7 month old has never been left home alone. He comes everywhere with us in a crate because being alone too long puts him over threshold and we don’t want to build up a resilient trait of freaking out when we’re gone. It is only this month where he will happily take a nap alone and self soothe in a room by himself, and this is after 3 months of relaxation protocol. His breeder did her very best, he’s just a sensitive velcro boy. His sister is very independent and doesn’t mind being alone at all, and seeks out places to be alone lol. All that is to say is take it slooooow and go at your puppies pace or you may end up over-facing them and making a problem where there actually wasn’t one. You probably won’t know your puppies true personality until a couple of weeks of acclimation and showing them that you and the world are safe.

Another note, on the car crate- it’s an awesome way to accidentally crate train. There will probably be lots of crying at first but just like a baby puppies are soothed to sleep by the ride and come to love their crates.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Thanks for all the great advice! I'm absorbing all of this too. I will be here soon!


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Phaz23 said:


> I think things are going way to fast and that the first couple of weeks in a new home are an acclimation period and that nothing unusual out scary should happen so that your puppy comes to understand that her home is safe. I feel for you on the separation anxiety and for some perspective, my 7 month old has never been left home alone. He comes everywhere with us in a crate because being alone too long puts him over threshold and we don’t want to build up a resilient trait of freaking out when we’re gone. It is only this month where he will happily take a nap alone and self soothe in a room by himself, and this is after 3 months of relaxation protocol. His breeder did her very best, he’s just a sensitive velcro boy. His sister is very independent and doesn’t mind being alone at all, and seeks out places to be alone lol. All that is to say is take it slooooow and go at your puppies pace or you may end up over-facing them and making a problem where there actually wasn’t one. You probably won’t know your puppies true personality until a couple of weeks of acclimation and showing them that you and the world are safe.
> 
> Another note, on the car crate- it’s an awesome way to accidentally crate train. There will probably be lots of crying at first but just like a baby puppies are soothed to sleep by the ride and come to love their crates.


Do you have a car crate recommendation?

She currently has a big 42" wire crate with a divider that she's sleeping and eating in, and she occasionally goes in it by herself just to play (for very very short periods of time). Her ex pen arrived yesterday and she did not enjoy it at all and it felt pretty precarious because I wasn't really able to focus on setting it up and being sure it was properly set up because she was whining and freaking out that I wasn't paying attention to her lol. So I took it down. haha.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Basil was pretty clingy. 

Are you within a 5-15 minute walking distance to a pet store?

Mom leaving can be a good thing if she comes back with a new treat.


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

I sure don't, unfortunately. But I could always put a treat in the car! 

Birdie had her first vet appointment today and did SOOOOO good. I'm feeling so proud and a lot more confident about the future. She seems to be feeling more confident, as well!


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

How's her weight doing? The transitioning to a new environment can be stressful, so Birdie could be a little skinny. The vet would be able to pinpoint where she's at

Plus, you're still calibrating your feeding routines (and bonding to your lovebug). They go through wonky fat-then-lanky growth cycles. So a little puppy belly is a good thing. 

How did it go?


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## birdiepoodle (Feb 19, 2021)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> How's her weight doing? The transitioning to a new environment can be stressful, so Birdie could be a little skinny. The vet would be able to pinpoint where she's at
> 
> Plus, you're still calibrating your feeding routines (and bonding to your lovebug). They go through wonky fat-then-lanky growth cycles. So a little puppy belly is a good thing.
> 
> How did it go?


She's 10.56 pounds and has been eating much better the past couple days. 

It went so well! They said everything looked good, and her rectal exam came back negative. So she's a happy and healthy girl!


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## Beesknees (Apr 4, 2021)

birdiepoodle said:


> Hi everyone! Long story time!
> 
> To preface: Birdie hollers and screeches and howls in her crate whenever I'm not paying attention to her. I can be 3 feet away at my kitchen counter making myself lunch and she will bark and whine incessantly. She howls whenever I go to take a shower. If I walk away from her crate to sit on the couch, about 15 feet away but she can still see me, she howls and will not stop! I praise her whenever there is even a momentary break in the crying. I live alone, and the other day I made a grocery curbside pickup order (something that I've been doing all throughout quarantine and typically takes around 20 minutes total) but OF COURSE the first time I leave Birdie alone, it took an entire HOUR (I was furious haha). When I got home, she was STILL howling and she had pooped herself in her crate and smeared it all over the floor of the crate. The fact that she was still whining an hour later and hadn't self-soothed or even touched her kong toys that I left in there with her was cause for concern for me.
> 
> ...


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## Beesknees (Apr 4, 2021)

birdiepoodle said:


> Hi everyone! Long story time!
> 
> To preface: Birdie hollers and screeches and howls in her crate whenever I'm not paying attention to her. I can be 3 feet away at my kitchen counter making myself lunch and she will bark and whine incessantly. She howls whenever I go to take a shower. If I walk away from her crate to sit on the couch, about 15 feet away but she can still see me, she howls and will not stop! I praise her whenever there is even a momentary break in the crying. I live alone, and the other day I made a grocery curbside pickup order (something that I've been doing all throughout quarantine and typically takes around 20 minutes total) but OF COURSE the first time I leave Birdie alone, it took an entire HOUR (I was furious haha). When I got home, she was STILL howling and she had pooped herself in her crate and smeared it all over the floor of the crate. The fact that she was still whining an hour later and hadn't self-soothed or even touched her kong toys that I left in there with her was cause for concern for me.
> 
> ...


Have you tried adding melatonin into her routine?


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Beesknees said:


> Have you tried adding melatonin into her routine?


Not sure that supplements are warranted for a healthy, normal puppy. Melatonin should kick in naturally with a quiet, consistent bedtime routine. Keep the lights low and the energy mellow, just like you would with a baby.


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## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

birdiepoodle said:


> Do you have a car crate recommendation?
> 
> She currently has a big 42" wire crate with a divider that she's sleeping and eating in, and she occasionally goes in it by herself just to play (for very very short periods of time). Her ex pen arrived yesterday and she did not enjoy it at all and it felt pretty precarious because I wasn't really able to focus on setting it up and being sure it was properly set up because she was whining and freaking out that I wasn't paying attention to her lol. So I took it down. haha.


oh I just use a regular hard shell crate in the car, with just enough room to stand up and turn around in to mostly encourage sleeping.


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