My shadow

Uh oh!
T-Bone is my shadow and follows me around everywhere in the house. She never had a problem when I had to close a door to a room. But lately...when my husband and I need a little *cough* get away time *cough* and I really do not want her on the bed or in the bedroom...she lays in front of the bedroom door and cries. I can hear her go from "Mooommmmy...please...." to "MOM! LET ME IN!" Not only does she make noises, she also bangs against the door...at times it sounds like she runs into it to rescue us from a fire or so. *sigh* And it's kinda hard to concentrate if you know what I mean :lol-sign:

She doesn't bark when we leave or cry...so I never thought about her having separation anxiety problems...is this a start? I thought ignoring her until she stops would work, so she doesn't feel rewarded for whimpering around. The only thing is: she doesn't stop. She cries until the door opens. And I don't want to give her bones or lasting treats every time.

She is usually never crated. We did crate training with her, but I started letting her out while I was gone and she is really great in the house. She doesn't shred things up she is not supposed to, she's an angel. Her crate is open and she does sleep in it at times or just hangs out in it. I never used it as a punishment, so she likes it. Should I start to crate her for shorter periods again so being with us 24/7 is a privilege and not a right to her? But that sounds so wrong to me.

What do you guys think?

This is really more information than we need to help you with your dog's demanding behavior. Basically, don't give any attention for attention seeking behavior if you don't want that. Don't speak, look at, touch, pay any attention to the dog. Don't give in ever. She will finally go chew her Kong toy which you've stuffed with peanut butter (a little bit) or yogart which you put in and froze in the Kong over night. She will learn that there is no payoff to be had by crying and whining and will find something else to do. If you opened the door while she was crying, she learned that crying makes the door open. So, don't open it until there is a lull in the crying. You could get her use to the crate a little here and there. Maybe she'll be fine. You could also make sure she has a good hard run/exercise before you want her to settle down. Then she might take a nap.

I think she''s extra anxious during this time because she can sense something''s up, sense the excitement, and ok sorry I have to go there...here''s different sounds from the two of you that you dont normally make in your day-to-day activities. I would crate her or somehow block her off in a room that she is comfortable in with a stuffed kong. I understand sometimes when it happens isnt exactly planned so extra excercise wouldnt be an option every time. And waiting out your dog while it is frantic at the door kind of ruins the mood, not to mention that she could just be settling down because what you were engaging in has ceased and when she does stop its kind of hard to get back in the mood. Hence put some nummies in a kong and let her have some crate time It wont hurt her any