Severe separation anxiety, 9 weeks old, normal?

My 9 week old Great Pyrenees/mix puppy cries and howls his head off if I’m not sitting in the play pen with him while he’s awake. This happens even after light exercise or training. Is this normal?

I feel so silly for typing this. I need advice desperately. I’ve been reading everything I can on Reddit and dog training blogs and I need someone (a real person) to tell me if I’m crazy. Thank you in advance from a tired person.

I have a play pen next to my living room sofa and even if I’m sitting outside of the pen only 1 foot away AND totally in sight he’s (crying/howling) …it’s exhausting. I’ve been trying to train confidence with treats but sometimes I fold and I sit in there with him but I feel like that’s not sustainable. Me and my husband both work full time.

Things we are doing: We have puppy on a routine: after every long sleep or nap,potty, short play/training, play pen for wind down nap (rinse and repeat). We give him our worn sweatshirts, warm towels, one with a small ticking clock inside. There are chew toys and puppy sized ropes.

I have two older border collies so I have experience with raising and training dogs. But I feel like their presence overstimulates him.

Thank you for reading my novel.