Since the Easter holidays when I didn't have to take my daughter to nursery our dog (Bichon Frise) has cried everytime I go out in the morning to take her to nursery.  He is only left for approx 30-40 mins a day and he is getting himself into a right state about it.  He was absolutely fine before the holidays and has been after all the other holidays too.  He is messing in the kitchen nearly everytime I come back (even though he has been in the garden before I go)  I just clean the mess up and don't say anything to him and then take him out for his walk.  He is absolutely out of breath when I return and is panting a lot.  I just can't think what to do to help him because I hate seeing him like this but I can't take him with me when I go because it is really busy in the morning because there are two schools and a nursery and lots of kids and cars dashing about.  Do you think he will eventually calm down or is there anything anybody can suggest to help him get over this.

Last night when I put him to bed in the kitchen (well this morning actually I fell asleep on the settee and it was about 5 o'clock when I went to bed) he started crying and getting upset again and I am just worried in case the crying goes into barking because my neighbours (we live in a semi-detached house) wouldn't be too pleased if he started doing this and I would like to try and stop him before it gets to this but don't know how.  I have never had this problem before with a dog so am clueless. :-(

hi Anna ,
Have you tried leaving him in the kitchen while you are in the house and keep going out to him starting with a couple of minutes and building it up give him pat and good boy and leave again so that he knows you will return and leave it longer and longer how old is he ?
can he be crated with a cover on top make it den like my girls love thier crates he doesnt have to be locked in just a nice bed where he feels safe while you are out.Also when you do return from school dont fuss him give it a few minutes walk in and out then give him a cuddle.

Roni

Hi Starryeyes,

Thanks for replying.  He is nearly 14 months old and has only started this behaviour since the easter holidays.  He also seems to have got very nervous all at once and if anybody shouts or raises their voices he shoots to the back door and won't come in again for ages.  If he knows I am going out to nursery in the morning he has started crying even before I go.  He has now started doing the same thing at night when I go to bed.  Last night he was in his bed in the kitchen and the dog gate was open so that he could be in the living room if he wanted.  He was quite settled in his bed and as soon as I started getting ready to go upstairs to bed he started wingeing.  So I told him to get into his bed and said he was a good boy and went up but I could hear him frantically scratching at the gate in the middle of the night.  He is quite worked up when I get up in the morning and is panting like mad.  He is lay down at the side of me now fast asleep he is shattered, poor thing.  I don't really want to take him to sleep upstairs because sometimes he scratches in the night and we have floorboards and he makes quite a noise when he bangs against the floorboards and I don't want him to wake the kids, also I feel that this would be like giving in to him and that wouldn't really be good would it.   I bought some tablets from pets at home yesterday called Serene-UM
which are meant to soothe and calm hyperactive or nervous/aggressive pets and recommended by Sara Whittaker (although I must say that I have never heard of her) who is a top animal behavourist.  Any sudden noise and he jumps, I just can't understand what has happened to make him change so drastically over a few weeks.

He had a crate as a puppy although I never closed the door and he could come out when he wanted and he did used to go in when he felt like it.  Do you think he is missing this?  I replaced it with a dog bed.  I have still got the crate in the shed although it is quite a large one but he seemed to like it.  Do other dogs go through this nervousness at certain ages do you think.  I know he went through a bit of a destructive stage at 10 months where he chewed most of the toys up that he had had since he was a puppy but he seems to be over this stage now.  We have had dogs before but he is the first small dog that we have ever kept on his own.  My last dog a GSD was fine on his own and never bothered when he was left.

Hi Anna
We also have a 14 month old Bichon Frise called Barney. Is the panting and breathlessness only when you come in or is it the same on walks? The reason I ask is we had Barney to the vets a couple of months ago after being breathless and collapsing on even short walks. It turned out to be a heart murmer, quite common in Bichons. We took him up to Edinburgh for treatment and he is fine now. Don't mean to scare you but ask, next time your at the vets, to check him over.

We have a baby safety gate so that he can see we have left rather than him thinking we are at the other side of the door. Also a filled Kong or Nylabone keeps his mind busy. If he is like ours, anything to do with food or treats and he's happy :-)