How to peel your "velcro dog" away a little bit...

elliemonster2012

Little Dexter has def turned into our little velcro dog...which I LOVE don't get me wrong.  Even if he is just chewing on a toy, he is on top of us.  He looks for us when we leave the room, he'd rather just be near us and again...I love it...most of the time.

When I don't love it is when I just want to go pee and he is in the kitchen (4 feet away) and is scratching up the cabinet trying to get to me. 

We both work FT and he has been great staying home for the 8 hours (we've periodically done "tests" where one of us stays home and stays upstairs all day to see if he cries/freaks in his crate alone after we leave and he whimpers for a few and then passes out usually.

I guess I just worry that he will start developing separation anxiety when we start giving him more freedom in the future when we aren't home and he is alone! 

Am I just overreacting?  Is it just a normal puppy thing?  I've just never had a dog so...attached lol.  It is adorable, I just worry!  Maybe because every other pup I've had was with my family and this is just me and FI?

Any advice?

KatelynS07

Some dogs are just velcro dogs. That being said, I've noticed some positive changes in our velcro dogs when we really implemented NILIF. Confidence building has been one of the best ways for our dogs to become more sure of themselves and to not be as anxious.

schneider

Agree with NILIF, it's been great for my doberslut.

To  help you could teach your dog a target area (rug or bed) to go to on command.  When he goes there he gets yummy kong or bully stick that is only allowed on the bed/rug. 

NotJennay

Ditto PPs about some dogs being velcro dogs.  I don't know that serious separation anxiety is necessary a result of being a velcro dog.  I think the best thing you can do for it is what you're alreadying doing by crating him until he earns his freedom. 

I'm not sure what the answer is to the scratching on the cabinet.  Ignore it and see if he stops?  Maybe try going in for very short periods of time and when he doesn't stratch, come out and praise him, slowly increasing the time?  Gloria doesn't scatch she either opens the door or lays down waiting outside of it. 

elliemonster2012

Thank you for the suggestions. We have slowly been teaching him to go to one place...started off on a rug and now that he is becoming less of a destructo dog, we are gonna get him a bed.

The cabinet scratching seems to be like he is trying to escape from the kitchen since it is the one that stands between the two of us. 

Sigh.  Wish us luck!  Maybe I'll just get us some matching sweaters and think of my shadow as normal? HA!

sakelp

one of our dogs is very velcro-y as well, but he hasn't ever been destructive because of it. I just think that he misses us a lot while we are gone, and he wants to be VEEEEERRYYYYY close to us when we are home. We have taught him a "go" command for when he bursts into our bathroom with a toy while we are in there using the restroom and not wanting to play with him. lol.

if he comes in to our bathroom we point out the door and say GO very seriously. He will then go and lay outside the bathroom door threshold. Which is good enough for us.

But we're clingy people, so we don't mind a clingy dog. lol. 

eshee8198

I have a velcro dog - I haven't gone to the bathroom by myself (at home) for the last two years. I've just gotten used to having a footwarmer while I pee. I do correct her when she attempts to supervise guests (she takes good care of her flock) and she knows my h's "office" is off limits. As for me, I've just accepted that if I die like Elvis, at least I won't be alone.