Help with my clingy puppy?

Lennette Asked: Help with my clingy puppy?

I'm a house wife and we have a boxer puppy about 5 months old, we've had her since she was 7wks old. Anyways, she's a smart dog and is already house broken and knows a few tricks; but she is getting very clingy to me. Like when we both leave the house for a while, she's fine. But at night if she doesn't see me she starts crying. So my husband and I started leaving her in the living room for the night to try to break her of her clingyness to me. And its not working so well. She'll be fine by herself for a few hours then she'll start crying and won't shut up. My huband goes and puts her outside for awhile (she sits by the door and cries) then brings her in ands she still cries until she see's me then she'll lay down and go back to sleep. I try to ignore her hoping she'll be quite and go to sleep but she'll cry for hours. I know all dogs are protective of their owners, and I know that that's what she's doing but we want to get another puppy so she has a play mate, but I don't want to get one with her acting this way because she might attack it if it gets to close to me.
Any advise? Please no rude or curt comments.