Babysitting the puppy across the street. Need advice on the best way to help her with separation anxiety, etc. (labrador, puppies)
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My neighbor has a 1 year old labrador mix. Like all puppies that age, she's full of energy.
BACKGROUND:
When my neighbor went out for the night, we would babysit her at my house. She would stays super excited for a long time before she calmed down at my house. Just total puppy crazies. She pees when she's excited. She pees for feeling submissive. The girl is a high strung pee'er. And that's why her owner would drop her off here. She is very needy and pees in his house when he leaves her alone. She doesn't pee in the house when he's home with her.
QUESTION:
Since my old labrador isn't feeling well, I'm no longer watching the puppy in my house. When my neighbor goes out at night, about once a week, I will go over to his house every hour, hour and a half or two hours and let her out.
Of course, she's super excited to see me. When I open the front door, I run all the way through the house to the back door to let her out. If I greet her for any length of time in the front hallway, she'll definitely pee on the floor. She always pees when she says hello to me---no matter where she is at: his house, my house, out in the street, wherever.
We get into the back yard and she pees while she cries and cries with excitement. I reward and praise her for peeing outside. Then I sit outside with her for about 10 minutes while she jumps all over me. When she calms down a tiny bit, we got back inside. I sit on the sofa and she throws herself on me, belly up, crying and crying. I pet her and tell her "it's okay" "it's okay." Once she lays down by herself and stops crying, I get up and walk around to make sure she has calmed down. Then I say goodbye and leave the house.
Tonight she followed me to the door and then watched me from the window as I went down the street. She didn't cry or bark.
I think I'm doing the right things to help her deal with separation anxiety. I think there is improvement. There are less and less peeing accidents in the house while he's away. She's not taking as long to calm down when I stop by.
But I'm wondering if anyone has advice from a babysitting perspective about dogs with separation anxiety and submissive peeing issues.
Is there anything I can be doing better to help her?
(btw, I say babysitting but I'm not paid---just doing this as a neighbor. It's no hassle for me to do it.)