Can anyone help me. I have a 7 month old Cocker spaniel who is extremely needy. She hasn't been the easiest dog to house train but she is clean when we are in day time with just the occasional accident at night. She is crated but hates being in there in the day often whining if we are in a different room or upstairs. The main problem is when I leave her to go out. If I leave her crated she soils or wees and if I leave the crate door open she scratches at the door or floor causing damage. Often when I come in I can hear her howling. When I let her out in the garden she immediately starts whining and scratching at the doors. She wants to be with someone all the time and it is very tiresome. I feel anxiuos when I am out and want to return to work in September part time, will she ever cope?

I had this problem with my boxer. we had two boxers and lost one so being on his own was a real shock. the way we handled it was to put him to bed and go out the house for a fews seconds then back again repeating this next time for a few mins etc.when leaving or returning you must give no eye contact or speak to the puppy,this will make seeing you too exciting and their for they stress when you leave.
Only give attention when the puppy is relaxed after a few mins of you coming back. This puts you in a more dominant roll and takes the stress from the puppy as he doesn't feel he has to be in control..
I'm sure lots of people will give advice,we all have different ways of dealing with things.
I forgot to say my boxer used to poo if we went out and that can be a stress related thing, especially if they do it very soon after you going out. this stopped as soon as the dog was happier being left.

My Cocker was exactly the same for a long time. Crying, howling, scratching, holes in the woodwork, in the walls, entire carpet ripped up etc. I tried crates, toys, kongs etc. but nothing worked.Our vet said that simply 'he could not cope without me!' How I eventually dealt with it was by ignoring him. When I came home from work I would pay him absolutely no attention - no matter how many times he jumped, bounced and did cartwheels! I also ignored him when I was leaving, no goodbyes, good boys, treats etc. He only got attention when I decided it was time.

It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do and there were times I felt heartbroken and desperate to just grab him when I came home and roll about and play, but it did pay off. After a while he didn't seem that bothered that I was leaving, the howling stopped, as did the destructive chewing. I think he got bored with me.

Good luck, I know how hard it can be. I remember coming home from work, sitting on the stairs and sobbing because he had destroyed the carpet. People told me I was mad to keep him, but I had rescued him, he was my boy and turned out to be the best, most loving dog I could have wished for.