I have a very clingy 10 week old male Jack Russell.. I know pups following you around everywhere at home is normal, but my issue is his crying and howling whenever I leave the house. He does this even if my husband is home with him, he has just become really attached to me..

I have never left him for more than 30 minutes, but obviously there will be times i will have to leave for longer periods and I want to nip this in the bud now.

Things I have tried so far:

Reserving his favourite liver treat only for times when i leave the house, and not making a big deal when I'm coming/going.

Going out of the front door and staying out of sight, and only coming back in when he's quiet (for maybe 30 seconds between yelps).

Coming and going through the front door multiple times per day.

Do you guys have any more tips i can utilise? I've had dogs my whole life, but none quite this clingy and none that had even a hint of separation anxiety.

Many Thanks for any and all advice.

https://www.dogstardaily.com/training/home-alone

https://www.siriuspup.com/behavior-problems/home-alone

> Going out of the front door and staying out of sight, and only coming back in when he's quiet (for maybe 30 seconds between yelps).

You need to do this the other way round: going out and coming back in before he starts yelping.  Always come back in before he gets upset because every time he does, his anxiety is deepened.  So, do one trial to see how long it takes for him to start, have a break, and then begin again, working under that time (and do time it with a watch/stopwatch/timer on phone etc).  This may be no time at all - in that case, start just by going to the door and back, waiting at least 30 seconds (potter about during this time), then repeating, until he's not upset by that.  Then go and open and close the door, then open it a bit more, and so on, building to going through it and back, always with that wait/potter between so he can settle again.  And always with that aim of coming back in before he starts to get upset.  Timing will allow you to build the time, once you're at the point of going out and closing the door, in steady, regular increments, without accidentally jumping ahead and setting him back.

Indoors, I would also get started on Karen Overall's relaxation protocol, which will really help with the clinginess indoors and the going out as well.

https://www.boulderhumane.org/sites/default/files/ProtocolforRelaxation.pdf

Thank you so much for your help, Very much appreciated.

I'll follow your  protocol Nikita, and I'll read your links Brainless.