Separation Anxiety

When you love a puppy, all you want to do is be near him and hold him and snuggle him. Soon that's all he wants too. What could be wrong with that? He could develop the dreaded separation anxiety.  Separation anxiety is when a dog gets very stressed whenever he isn't with his people. It can lead to all sorts of problems. If not nipped in the bud, it can be very difficult to overcome. The dog goes from whining and barking to destructive behavior. If he is confined to a crate, he could even start chewing on himself. 

I realized that Bailey was showing early signs of separation anxiety a couple days ago. Whenever he was crated and I was out of the room he began to bark and whine. When I reentered the room, even if I didn't let him out of the crate he quieted down. In the evening we have a routine. After dinner and potty break and play time, I put Bailey in his crate in my bedroom. I like to sit in bed and read, or do computer work or watch TV. I put Bailey in his crate near my bed. He can look out and see me there.He keeps an eye on me. But he doesn't fuss.  Several times in the evening, I leave the room for a while. When I do, Bailey starts to bark and whine. When I return he quiets and doesn't even seem to want to get out of the crate.  So, what Im doing is waiting outside the room until he quiets. Then go back in without acknowledging him. He peers out of the crate with his big black eyes and watches my every move. 
I put a crate in the kitchen, so that I could confine him while I worked in the kitchen. Whenever I left the kitchen he kicked up a terrible fuss. He kept it up for 45 minutes.  Since Frank wasn't home to be bothered, I let him fuss. Finally he quieted enough so that I could let him out.
I called my good friend Cris. She has a wonderful dog training business called Better Dog Training. She is one of the best dog trainers I know. She told me I need to leave him in the crate and let him bark it out. Not easy for a new 'mom'.She also told me to get rid of the crate in the kitchen and just use the one in the bedroom. He needs to get used to not being by me every minute.
I do leave him every morning to do my exercise and errands leaving Bailey in his crate. Some times Frank is home. And sometimes he is alone. Frank says he is usually quiet when Im gone.
Right now he is in his crate in the bedroom. He was quiet for about 20 minutes. But he has started barking and crying. I absolutely must deal with this now. And to do it, I have to go against my strong strong nurturing instincts. It will be rough. But it must be done.