Separation Anxiety? Or something else?
I have a 15 week old puppy (mini wirehaird dachshund) and would like to start working on him being alone at home for short periods of time. He currently whines if I leave the room he's in. He can't do the stairs (daschund) so I use stair gates and he can't come to find me, which I think stresses him out. He sleeps/naps in his crate fine.
I have tried crating him and leaving him home alone twice. Once for about 20 minutes where I tried the school run without him, and once for 1hr for a GP appointment which was delayed so was away longer than planned. On both occasions he whined / barked for the entire time.
I have been reading Be Right Back but I am uncertain as to whether he has separation anxiety in the traditional sense as I've not really left him alone much. How can he be anxious or have a panic disorder over something he hasn't yet properly experienced?
Whether or not he has it now, is the best approach the same? Do the training with gradual exposure to my absence? I was going to try leaving him in a safe room, as in not crafted to see if that made a difference.
But I have a friend who says this is 100% behavioural and not separation anxiety and I just need to teach him to stop whining but shouting NO when he does it if I'm home. And just leaving him more often until he learns.
Any advice greatly appreciated including other books / resources I could read.