Hi Sneakers, Hello Becca! You two have been hiding, we haven't seen ears not tail of either of you in ages!

Do you have a small dog breed play group near you? Check on Meetup.com I have been attending one for 2 years now. I prefer this to the dog park, as the dogs are all smaller breeds. So it is a safe environment for them to interact. The one I attend is held at a doggie daycare, which is even better, lol!

Sneakers sure has taken her on as his baby, hasn't he? I love seeing the various personalities interact. But, you can also see some obsessive behavior, and that seems to be what you are describing. He acts more like her MOMMA than her buddy!

The abandonment is "separation anxiety." There are practice steps you can take to work on desensitizing him to this. Was his this way before her arrival? This you should work on, as he will be healthier and happier for it. There may be some threads on here about it, or you can google it for more info. Basically, you start by leaving him in one room while you go in another room, just for 30 seconds. You progress to a few minutes. Then you go outside and at that point, you may have to back up to 30 seconds again. Then you work that time up, and get in the car. Maybe drive around the block. It is all done in little steps, and you don't add on until he is comfortable at one level. It may take 3 months to fully work out (sometimes longer) but I encourage you to work on that.

As for him protecting her, I'm not sure what to suggest. I am sure others will jump in.