Hi all! My partner and I recently brought home a 5-month-old American Cocker Spaniel puppy. She is super sweet, adorable, and loving, but we noticed that she is scared of a lot of things! She will bark at objects (TV, book, remote, box), and when we have had someone over to visit, she would not stop barking at them. We tried a slow introduction to the person with her kibble (which she prefers to treats), but it wasn't very effective. She is overall a very cautious and fearful puppy.
I can tell she has separation anxiety already, as she whines when we leave her in the playpen. Just this morning I watched her jump out of her playpen when I left our place. Before, she was ok with being alone and sleeping in her playpen when we were gone, but since Saturday, when we visited my parents, she has been extra clingy. Not sure if she was just very scared and is now worried about being alone.
We were told she got socialization when she was younger, but now we aren't too sure because of her anxiety/fearfulness. We don't know how to approach her training from here besides continuing to practice short periods of alone time and slow introductions. Is this part of her fear stage? Any recommendations?
submitted by /u/Mother-Farmer-2357
[link] [comments]