Hello,

Thanks in advance for any help.  I've got a 10 week old Springer Spaniel bitch who I've had for just under a week now.  She sleeps fine at night.  During the day she's a little shadow and likes to follow me around and sits/sleep at my feet.  She's confined to kitchen/dining room (no door between two rooms) and has a crate set up there.  I've been feeding her in the crate and she does go in/out of it fine but would always prefer to sleep outside of it.  Before I leave the room I put her in the crate (after taking her out to the toilet) and give her a small bit of cheese/beef (reserve these treats for the crate only) which she really loves.  However once these are gobbled up she starts barking.  This could be if I go upstairs to the toilet/take the washing upstairs etc etc.  Usually she will settle in 5-10 minutes and I don't reappear until she is quiet.  When I do come back into the room I ignore her completely (no eye contact/talking) for 5 minutes and then let her out.  If I crate her when I'm in the kitchen/dining room she's usually ok although does follow me around with her eyes.

I realise she's still very much a baby and I am perhaps asking too much of her but I also don't want any bad behaviours to start.  I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance/advice that I'm doing the correct thing, as I would hate for her to end up with separation anxiety/other behavioural issues, and that perhaps all that is needed is time.  I've got Pippa Mattinson's book "The Happy Puppy" and there is a section in there about "click for quiet" where you crate them, leave the room for a couple of seconds, click when they're quiet and come back and make a fuss/feed a treat.  I haven't started this yet as I thought, everything's new and scary she's going to be upset when I leave her so perhaps this will go with time.  What do people think about me starting this training?

On another note, she is absolutely awful in the car.  Barks none stop but in a different way to when she's left in her crate - seems much more panickey, usually poos and is a very distressed (and smelly!) puppy when I take her out.  Any suggestions here?

Thanks in advance for your help.  I should say that she is my first puppy.  Cheers :)

I think you are expecting a little too much at the moment. She has only just left her mother and siblings and needs you to be there for her until she can cope being on her own. Don’t worry that she wants to be with you all the time, she hasn’t yet really worked out that you will come back. Is there any chance she could come with you when you are in other rooms? My dog is 8 years old and she still accompanies me to the loo although she’s content to lie outside until I come out.
If you have to leave her in the crate or safe room then trying stuffing a Kong with something tasty smeared in it like dog safe peanut butter or stuff some of kibble allowance mixed with yoghurt in the Kong. There are recipes online of good ideas for Kong stuffing. She may then spend so much time with the Kong that she won’t notice you aren’t there.

with the car
try feeding her meals in there  I know you are feeding in her crate but perhaps do both.

Covering her crate is often helpful

Also consider that she may feel sick in the car , usually they grow out of it but in the meanwhile you can use a car sickness tablet. Check which one with your vet

Just sit with her in the car going no where and play with her . Just a few mins at a time so she gets used to at least being in it without getting stressed.

I keep mine in one room , the kitchen which is big and they also have a crate. I found mine were better if the crate door was open if I couldn't remain with them all the time .As you have I try to move out the room just for a few mins at a time or  I found keeping in one room helps with house training   but take I  them out if they can be carefully supervised

Something to chew on ( not rawhide chew things )  if you are going somewhere else in the house for a few mins is useful but as you say she is very young and once she works out you return I am sure it will improve its really early days . I have velcro breed and she was similar and even now I cant go anywhere in the house without her either following or sitting where she can keep one eye on me and she is 10.

Fortunately she doesn't suffer with separation anxiety .I think you are doing really well and I am sure it will all work out .

As with everything in life you'll get lots of different answers, lots of different paths to the same destination. I do leave puppies alone, right from the very first day but I don't use cages. So I just walk out the room, or go upstairs, no treats given, no fuss made, it's perfectly normal, I'll be back in a minute. No fuss made when I get back, but no need to avoid eye contact either. My dogs are super chilled about being left anywhere, they don't even lift their heads to see where I'm going.

For the car I agree that just sitting in it, playing with her, feeding her, just sitting reading a book on the back seat with her sitting beside you eating a kong, whatever, just be relaxed and happy in the car, when she's super calm and happy to be put in the car then move to switching the engine on, reward calm behaviour, ignore (preferably) or distract anything else. The 1st car journeys are stressful for pups, leaving their dam and littermates, going to the vet etc so you need to make new happy associations with the car. I then progress to driving to my nearest park (literally 200 yards away) letting pup out to play for a few mins and driving home.

Sounds like you're doing a great job with your first puppy, I wish all new owners were as thoughtful as you.

I do as chaumsong does, though I do have a people orientated but fairly self reliant breed, and I actively encourage the latter.

As you realise over dependence on the owner, though ego boosting, can be distressing for the dog, and can cause problems for you, when inevitably the dog needs to be left.

As for crates, I very rarely shut them in one, prefering to encourage it's use by feeding them in it (with multiple dogs, I do shut it briefly), put chew toys in it etc, so it's a nice place to be.

Have never found a problem shutting the door when away from home at shows in a car crate etc.

As well as chew toys, has your pup got any soft toys in her crate? When my cocker was a young puppy, I got him several large (“sibling size”) soft toys to snuggle with, play wrestle with etc. (this was a favourite https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pet-Love-Fruit-Softee-Benny-Banana/dp/B001QSBSQ0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HWUR0B9LD3TZ&dchild=1&keywords=benny+banana&qid=1622873706&rdc=1&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=Benn%2Caps%2C154&sr=1-1 ) he had four different ones from this range, to allow for washing, I also got some similar sized soft dog toys from pet shops.

Hello,

Thanks all for the advice and tips :)  She had to have a longer car journey yesterday and whilst not great, was better than previously so perhaps it is just time and regular car play time.  I'll see how we get on over the next week or so re the barking when I go - hopefully it's just more time that's needed to help her settle in.

Thanks again for all your help.

> I realise she's still very much a baby and I am perhaps asking too much of her

Too right you are.  You say that you have had her UNDER a week!!!!