How Long Will a Puppy Cry When Left Alone?
How you react to your puppy from the first time it cries as you leave will determine how long and often it cries. A well-adjusted puppy will cry for a few minutes the first few times and gradually stop altogether.
A poorly adjusted puppy might suffer separation anxiety and cry for hours at the door or window after you leave. In extreme cases, the puppy will cry until you return, no matter how long it takes.
Is It OK For a Puppy to Cry When Left Alone?
Like human babies, puppies communicate their needs through crying. Some reasons why the puppy is crying when you leave include:
Puppies need connection and affection. When you leave, they miss your affection and are confused about whether they will get you back.
Dogs are social animals and you are a member of their pack. Puppies can be especially needy because they have just recently been separated from their parents and littermates.
In most cases, the puppy is afraid of being abandoned and wants to be part of everything you do.
Puppies are adventurous explorers and they don’t like it when you head out the door without them. They too want to go to the outside world and explore the wonders beyond your front door.
When you leave them behind, they feel you’re leaving them out of an exciting adventure. They want to come with you and chase birds, smell flowers, potty outside the home, step on soft grass, dive in water puddles, and do all the fun stuff it thinks you’ll be doing on your own.
Your puppy was just born recently and isn’t familiar with the workings of this world. Sharp noises such as door knocks, car hoots, vacuum cleaners, and blaring music scares it.
Strange voices and unfamiliar faces might be an enemy attack. The dog looks up to you to protect it from these potential enemies and intruders. The pup is also worried about who will feed it and give it water if you’re not home.
You leaving means the pup is now defenseless and an easy mark for predators. Crying is then a survival instinct to keep its protector and provider close.
To distinguish whether it’s fear, pay close attention to the pup’s body language. If the tail is down and it’s avoiding eye contact, then it’s telling you that it’s afraid. Some training could work to improve the puppy’s confidence.
Puppies can sometimes be poor eaters when you’re around yet when you try to leave, they suddenly feel hunger. When you’re around, the puppy could be in a relaxed or playful mood. It’s still young and hasn’t learned to regulate meal times. It needs to be closer to you may override their appetite. However, when you’re leaving, they now realize their provider is leaving.
To curb the crying due to hunger, train your puppy to eat on schedule. You may also fill up their bowl before you leave, but only if they are potty trained.
Puppies can be energetic and playful. Every waking moment they want to run around, chase things, play fetch, play tug of war, and sniff or taste everything.
When you leave, they are losing a playmate. They may have lots of pent-up energy which they can now only expend by crying and scratching at the door.
To reduce the chances and duration of the puppy’s crying, engage them in lots of exercise before you leave them. Take them to the dog park or for a walk around the block. They love playing tug of war, which doesn’t need to use too much energy from you. You could just sit on the couch and ‘fight over’ their favorite toy.
Frequent crying and whimpering could be a sign that your puppy is ill. Puppies have fragile immune systems and may suffer from allergies, parasites, and infections. Some symptoms to watch out for include:
What age do puppies get separation anxiety?
Puppies can develop separation anxiety at any age, it all depends when what is causing their anxiety. However, they are less likely to develop it if you begin proper separation training at an early age. The earlier, the better!
