My 8 week old puppy has severe separation anxiety!!! Help!!

by Maryam
(San Jose, CA, USA)

my neighbors dog had 4 male puppies and i bought one of them. i brought him home at 7 weeks and 1 week has gone by and he still hasn't adjusted correctly.

Everytime he hears a bark outside, he runs to the door and starts crying and scratching at the door for hours.

Will he ever get over his anxiety while i live next door to the mother and siblings?? And what can i do in this situation to get him to adjust?



Hi Maryam
The sort of behavior you describe is very natural as your puppy is very young and his pack instincts mean he is still strongly attached to his 'doggy' family.

This should slowly improve, as the bond between you and him grows. It may take a bit longer than in a situation where he can't hear/see his 'other' family, but he should adjust eventually.

I'd recommend reading my Bringing Home A New Puppy page as it will give you some idea of why he's acting the way he is, it's not really separation anxiety as such.

Make sure you give your pup plenty of love and attention so that the bond between you gets stronger each day. Also you could try to distract him with a favorite toy, a game, or some basic puppy training when he starts to fuss after his brothers and sisters.

Raising a puppy takes lots of time, patience and consistency, your pup should do just fine as long as you're patient and understanding with him. Best of luck!