Ubu is such a social little guy. He likes playing with the other dogs.
But he particularly likes to be close to people. This is, of course, what we want but we also want him to be comfortable being by himself. It's a problem for Service Dogs because they are so use to being with their people that, on the occasional time when they need to be left behind, they have a hard time handling it.
Ubu does pretty well when I leave him in a crate. He's happy to get some treats to much on or a chew toy to work on. But, if I go to an area where he can't get to me, he is less than happy.
Even when he has friends to entertain him.
That's definitely something we need to work on. We would much rather have him be confident and comfortable when he is alone.
One thing I can do is make my comings and goings pretty boring. I'm not going to smother him with love and attention the second I see him. I am pretty boring and don't pay him much attention when I first get back.
I'm also not going to pay any attention to him if he is carrying on. He needs to be nice and calm to get my attention.
I can also do exercises where I walk away from him and return, making the distance a little longer each time. I want him to realize that it's no big deal if I go away because I will come back.
Short intervals of being out of his sight will help him to start to relax when his people are away. You can even give him a stuffed Kong when you are out of sight and then remove it when you return. Ideally you are returning when he is still into his Kong so you leave him wanting more.
He'll get it figured out. This is pretty normal behavior for a young puppy but, you just want to make sure it doesn't end up being a big issue later on.
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