So I have a 5 month old Labrador male puppy, cute as can be, very well behaved for the most part (for his age).
Since he was a little puppy I have accompanied him outside to the yard for bathroom breaks and play time, but I’d eventually like to be able to just let him out in the morning so he can do his business while I get ready for work. I started letting him out and closing the door on occasion recently, but he just sits by the door (it’s a sliding glass door) and waits for me to come back. Is he still too young to be alone? Is he just spoiled and I need to continue to give him some independence until he figures out he doesn’t need me to watch?
I have even been leaving the door open when it’s warm enough so he can come and go if he needs to while I’m around, but he won’t even venture out the door without me standing there.
Any advice from the puppy Dopers? Kitten Dopers feel free to post pictures.
Are his bathroom breaks and play time clearly demarcated into distinct trips outside? If not, he’s likely waiting for you to come and play. Either way, though, it sounds like he’s not really getting that this early morning solo trip outside is for pottying, not for hovering around waiting on you. If he doesn’t already have some phrase that’s associated with potty-time from when he was house-training, teach him one. (Some people go so far as to teach their dogs to eliminate on command, which is convenient when doing walkies in nasty weather, but not especially necessary.) Take him outside and then stand next to the door and give him his command, then praise him extravagantly when he does it and let him right in. When he gets that down, start standing in the doorway and giving him his command, then standing inside the door, etc.
It’s been many years since I’ve had a puppy (our dogs are almost exclusively adult strays that just sort of show up), but that degree of clinginess doesn’t seem quite typical for a pup that age. I know he won’t go outside without you, but when you’re both inside, will he roam about the house on his own? Or does he have to be right there in the same room with you all the time? We’ve got a Boston about that age that was signed over to the clinic, and when we let her out to play, she wants to run off and explore everything in the building. Talk to your vet and/or trainer about ways to deal with this, and if it keeps up, you might consider consulting a behaviorist.