Whining When Alone

Kelsag.....
I doubt that it's going to stop in just 1-2 weeks.
Come on........you just brought a 8 WEEK old puppy home.
Even babies cry, why won't a small puppy who's getting use to a new surrounding.
Give her time to adjust.
It will take time, it took me months and I had to deal with seperation anxiety after that.  So there is no quick fix....... [&:]
Though your puppy is young, if you could have someone just dropping by your place, to play with the puppy, and etc it may help.  I know when I had to leave, I had someone dropping in to check how she's doing.  Or take your puppy to a doggie daycare / have a pet sitter to watch your dog.  Even better if you got a reliable family member/ friend to drop by. 
[]

In the wild, when a pup is left alone, it is generally to die.  This baby is terrified and leaving her outside is NOT helping.  I wouldn't leave a pup this young outside.....far too dangerous....even when I'm home.  When I'm gone?  No way in heck.

I agree with Glenda on this one.  The pup should not be left alone outside.  First it is too young.  Secondly the pup is too young to be left there by itself.  Why not crate the pup inside the house and have a neighbor/relative/dog walker come by in the middle of the day to let the pup out? 
 
What would you do if one of your neighbors decided to feed your brand new pup a poison treat?  What if a few crows decided your pup would be a great play toy?  Or a hawk?  ANYTHING can happen when your pup doesn't have protection from the elements of nature.

Can you get a baby gate and block off an area like the kitchen or bathroom?  Why are you leaving her outside?
 
 

Thank you all for your thoughful responses! Being a pet newbee myself I didn't realize all implications of leaving her outside. I thought since she is crated at night it was better to keep her outside in the day with all necessary provisions. I certainly wouldn't want her to be in any danger.
 
I could crate her during the day and come home at lunch. I may even have a teen on my street interested in visiting her at other times in the day. Do you feel this would be a good solution? Is this too much crate time?
 
Thanks again, your advise is very helpful to me!

To me that sounds like a better solution if you can get someone to come during the day (not just at lunch).  If you can't, can you completely puppyproof one room, like the kitchen, and secure it with baby gates?  This will give your puppy room to play, go potty, and sleep without being crated all day.
 
On an additional note, I don't know what breed your dog is but you say you run with her up and down your street every day.  I would be wary of too much flat out running for a puppy that age (mine is the same age) as her bones and joints are still developing and too much stress on them could set her up for problems in later life.  Also, it may be different in the US (I am in the UK) but here an 8 week old puppy would not have had all its shots, so be careful not to walk her in any place that another dog may have soiled.
 
Other than that, good luck with your new furbaby!
 
Kate

Hi Kate!
She's a mini aussie shephard. Ya, I have a Great Room that could be gated. I'll also check with the teen across the street and see if she can help out. When I said run up and down the street...I meant two houses down and only three times total now. I'll be sure to take it easy on her, thanks! I just read to make sure the puppy is well exercised before leaving for the day. She's had a few shots and we go back to the Vet on Sat, I'll check with her on the exercise.
Kel

I think asking the neighborhood teen to help is a great idea, provided you know this person and he/she is responsible, kind, etc.  Crating or dog proofing a room in the house to confine your young pup during the day, inside, is a great idea... 
 
As far as the exercise, I haven't had a puppy in a long time, but if memory serves, you want the puppy to run around and play, but at his or her own pace (like in an enclosed area outdoors) so that he or she will stop when tired and not do damage to themselves.  I think the danger is primarily for running distances with having a young puppy jog with you or something like that, especially on concrete surfaces until fully developed (hopefully someone can correct me if I am wrong)...  You are totally right to want your pup to run around before you leave for the day, so if you don't have a fenced in area, I would think it would be fine to run around a bit on your block, but just try to let the pup set the pace and stop and start as he or she gets tired and then gets more energy again.  Congrats on your new pup!!!

Kel,
 
schleide put the exercise issue better than I did - I didn't mean to imply NOT to do it, just to be careful, especially on sidewalks and things.  []
 
Glad you have a room that can be gated - mine is the kitchen, though I have not yet left Ben alone.  That's scheduled for this week, will just run to the shop to get milk or something, lol.
 
Speak to the teen, otherwise definitely keep her inside in your great room.  I know I'd kick myself if I left Ben outside and something happened, I'm sure you feel the same.
 
Again, welcome!  And we love to see pictures!
 
Kate

You've gotten good advice about not running them on lead at this age.  And shleide explains it best.
 
She shouldn't have had ANY shots yet.  Pups, according to Dr Jean Dodds, should be vaccinated at 9, 12 and between 15-20 weeks for parvo/distemper ONLY.  Let me give you my laymens understanding of how this works.
 
Pups loose mommas immunities somewhere between 8 and 15 weeks.  Any shots BEFORE that happens are wasted (and stress the immune system) and any shot AFTER the one that does the trick are wasted (and stress the immune system).  Shots aren't given in a series because they NEED to be....as in one shot is good, two ups the immunity more, the third REALLY ups the immunity.  ONE SHOT does the trick to protect pups against these diseases. All the rest are wasted, and do stress the immune system.   But, since there is no reliable way to know if the pup has it's own immunities or still mommas, the best way to protect ALL of them is to give the vaccines in a series.  But NOT before 9 weeks.
 
Those big combo shots are bad news for the immune system, many are totally unneeded and if there is a reaction to vaccines, you don't know what one caused the problem.  Typically it's gonna be the lepto, but you can't know for sure.  Corona virus.....(I *think* and I could be mistaken) can ONLY live in parvo....so if the pup is protected against parvo, why on earth does it need to be protected against something she can't possibly get without getting parvo first??
 
And do NOT let the vet administer a bunch of puppy shots AND rabies on the same day.  Rabies should ALWAYS be given separately.  Always.  That is a major stressor on the immune system and it sure as heck shouldn't be given when they are spayed.  Big no no and yet all the vets seem to want to do it.
 
I never let foster pups go to new homes before the age of 10 weeks.  First, they learn a lot from momma and the littermates, and second, a fear stage starts at about 9 weeks.  If your pup suddenly seems fearful of just about everything, that's normal and you don't want to coddle her.  Be very matter of fact in showing her that the scarey object is no big deal, but do NOT pick her up and soothe and comfort her.  That reinforces that the trash can, or whatever really IS something to be afraid of.  You can read more about fear stages if you search the archives for "fear stages".....if that fails, let me know and I'll find you a link.

You could robably look into what is called Mother's Heartbeat for puppies. To help while you are going. It will take her a while to get use to her new surroundings. Speak with your vet about the vaccinations. Puppies have some antibody protection which come from the dams blood (placenta) and the dams milk (colostrum). Puppies do not continue to receive the antibodies through the dams milk. Some think that puppies only receive the antibodies around two days of age. Puppies will only receive antibodies against diseases which the dam is immune to or have been exposed to. The age at which the puppies can effectively start their immunization is proportional to the level of antibody protection the puppies received from the dam. If puppies get a high level of maternal antibodies and they get their first set of vaccination the maternal antibodies will block the effectiveness of the vaccination. Only until the level of maternal antibodies drop will the vaccination work. Some people will have antibody titer levels done before vaccinations.

Hello all,
Just to give you an update...we've gated off a tiled hall and bath. In the bath I've placed puppy pads (lil' grass on top so she knows to go there and still associates with outside). In the hall she has her open crate with access to food, water, puppy pad. Furry bed in crate, toys aplety, music playing...she seems very content, and so am I! Doesn't fuss when we leave becasue she loves her crate (and treats ).
 
She runs around like a maniac (on her own...no lead) from 5 AM till 7:30, again at noon, and yet again from 4 PM till bedtime. She has a LOT of energy! And she is a lot of fun!
 
Thank you so much from Ginger and I for your support!! [see pic]
Kel