Dog experts here, I need some help.

[Archae]

I don't have a dog, but my neighbor in the next apartment does.
I love the dog, he's just a silly puppy that loves to play and get affection.

But when my neighbor leaves, the dog cries. And cries loud.
Any suggestions as what Bill can do?

[flvegan]

1. Sounds like separation anxiety

based on the events you've described. There are a number of ways he can correct this issue. How old is the dog, when did he get him and where did he come from?

[Archae]

3. He got the dog from the shelter about a month ago.

When his old dog died.

The dog is 2 years old, and was left at the shelter by a family who got the dog as a cute puppy but dogs don't stay puppies.

[flvegan]

5. Oh, okay.

Mostly likely, the separation anxiety will ease with time. After getting dumped at a shelter, this is sometimes a common problem once an animal is adopted. Sometimes it just goes away as the dog realizes in due time that "oh, my person DOES keep coming back, great!" and it becomes a routine.

Do you know if the dog is destructive while his person is gone?

[Archae]

7. Not that I know of.

He just is big crybaby.
Some sort of hunting hound, friendly and playful.

My other neighbor has a German Shepherd/Lab mix, looks like a black German Shepherd.
It'll schlurp you to death. :-)

[flvegan]

9. If he's not destructive

the crying will pass in time, I think. He just needs to see a routine that even though "daddy" leaves, he always comes back.

[Arugula Latte]

11. Maybe the two dog-owning neighbors can arrange standing "play dates" with both dogs.

Maybe the puppy can hang with the Shepherd part of the day?

Dogs are pack animals and enjoy company.

But what do I know, I'm a cat person. :)

[coconuted]

2. I've always had dogs

that we get from the shelter. Never puppies. The puppy will probably grow out of it. In the mean time he needs to try to wear the puppy out so he will be to tired to whine when he's gone. I'm not sure this will work but worth a try.

[surrealAmerican]

10. I agree about the exercise ...

... and that's true for adult dogs too. If the dog is tired out when his or her owner leaves, there should be less crying.

Some dogs, however, don't get over separation anxiety. If the situation doesn't improve the owner may need to look into some sort of "doggie day care" set up.

[Shell Beau]

4. This helped mine a little. I made sure there were plenty of toys

to occupy him, and I left a towel with my scent near his bed.

[mzteris]

6. our vet prescribed

anti-anxiety meds until our new dog (adult) could get used to us. We used it for longer separations (weekend, etc), too for nearly a year. It really helped.

The poor dog doesn't know what's going on. He was a puppy, happy and loved. Went to a new home - happy and loved and played with and cooed over, and then ignored and yelled at and rejected. Left at a shelter with a lot of other crying dogs. Now he's suddenly somewhere ELSE? How does he know this guy isn't going to leave him or hate him or take him back to the shelter?

There are other things the guy can do, too, to help the dog, but don't overlook the meds. It really helped to calm Kimba down long enough to realize he was really HOME.

[femmocrat]

8. Kongs and toys with food compartments.

Stuff a Kong (or similar) toy with some treats and a little peanut butter so the dog will have something to entertain him while the owner is gone. The owner should try going away for a little while, then increasing the time gradually.

Leaving a new dog alone for hours can cause separation anxiety, whining, barking, and sometimes destructive behavior.

[MichiganVote]

12. Leave the tv or radio on.