Normal or separation anxiety?
Hi everyone! I’ve had my baby girl Addie (now 18 weeks) since 8 weeks. She’s my first puppy and is wonderful overall. She is getting better with biting every day with consistent redirection etc.
The main concern I have is her anxiety if I’m out of sight. I take care of her most of the time with my partner helping out when he’s in town. He’s in and out every other week for a week with work travel. Addie is very bonded to me at this point as I’m the provider for most things and am always around since im always home.
Trying to work on the place command with her to settle independently of me being in the room, and it is progressing. Was able to be out of sight for 1 minute (started at 5 second increments) today during our training session.
She is tough though because if I’m in sight but inaccessible she still goes bananas unless she is the one that decided to explore independently. I was in the bathroom with the door completely open but she for some reason hates bathrooms and refuses to come in after me, instead she just whines and barks and paces in the room right outside the bathroom. Even if I call out to her she does not relax and continues barking. She calmed down by the end of my shower around 10-15 minutes later. Is that coincidental timing where she self soothed or did she just hear my shower turn off and knew I was coming back soon?
She tolerates her pen or crate but definitely doesn’t love it. I almost feel like she has severe FOMO if there’s a potential for me to go do something that she might be into.
She won’t take treats or play with toys most of the time if I step away. At night if I need her to sleep in her pen, a lot of the time she won’t take her high value treat until she’s left out where she walks out and sits near me, then goes back to her pen, checks to see if I might lock her back in the pen, if I am still seated she quickly retrieves the treat and brings it to eat near me.
For the record I don’t let her out when she’s whining, crying or barking. We always wait until she’s settled at least for 30 seconds. I also don’t want to exacerbate any separation or confinement anxiety so am not a fan of making her cry it out.
She is also amazing at self settling outside her pen or crate on her own (living room or bedroom) but only if someone else is in the room.
The only time she is completely comfortable in the crate is when we are in public and her crate is the safest feeling space compared to elsewhere.
Is all of this normal puppy behavior, since she’s still so young or is this separation anxiety?
Eventually I want to be able to leave her for a few hours periodically but that obviously isn’t an option.
Open to any ideas or suggestions TIA.
TLDR; 18 week puppy is having a hard time with separation from me. Is that normal at her age or do I need to treat it like separation anxiety?