Leaving the dog alone at home can be very stressful for the dog. Some dogs naturally want company. The most important step in teaching your dog to stay home alone is by taking this one step and a time and not starting too soon. 

Letting your dog get used to his surroundings

The first step is therefore, as soon as you dog arrives in your home, to not leave him alone in the house. Also make sure that you have enough days off to let the dog get used to his new environment (new house, family, park) together with you. No dog is the same as the other. An independent dog will often be able to be left alone sooner than an insecure dog. As soon as the dog has been able to settle for 3 weeks and you see that he is starting to feel more at ease, you can start taking small steps towards being alone.

Teaching your dog independence

You start by investing in independence. You want to prevent your dog from following you everywhere. There are different ways to motivate independence in your dog. For example, you purchase a puppy pen. This space is especially for your dog and he will not be disturbed in it. You provide a safe haven that you create in a quiet place in the house. Think of a bench with a blanket over it or a basket in which your dog can retreat. As soon as the dog independently goes tot his space, you are not allowed to disturb him. These kinds of places can be made extra fun by giving the dog a stuffed kong or a bone. You can also give a toy in which you put kibble and which then slides nicely across the floor. These toys also provide distance between you and your dog. And then the last tip, try to prevent your dog from following you everywhere in the house by closing the door (for example when you go to the kitchen or the toilet). If all this goes well, you can start with the next step.

Now we have created some independence and taught the dog that he does not have to follow you everywhere. We also want to go out sometimes. The most important rule to remember: do not go too fast. A strong base of 1 minute is much more valuable and a better start than a dog that is immediately left alone for 10 minutes and cries the entire time. We teach being home alone in the following small steps. You walk to the front door, open it and close it again. You repeat this several days in a row and several times a day. If this goes well, you step outside and open the door again within 5 seconds. With every good step forward, you add some time in minutes to your absence. And you slowly build up the time. If it does not go well, you go back to your time when it went well. Then there are a number of tips that can positively influence this process.

The first steps in leaving your dog home alone

Always make sure that you walk the dog properly before you leave, after all, a dog that needs to do its business will also howl loudly. Also give the dog something to do, for example a Kong with some peanut butter or canned food. That way he will also be occupied for a while. Make the environment as quiet as possible for the dog. For example, a guard dog that is left alone in front of the window can start barking and then it can be for a completely different reason than that you are away. After all, guard dogs will also guard the house. You could close the curtains and make sure that his spot is in a quiet location in the house. Also make sure that you always know what your dog is doing when he is alone. You can purchase a handy webcam with a detector for this. This gives you a real-time view of what the dog is doing and sometimes a loving word into the camera is good enough to calm him down again. We can recommend the Imou Rex 3D webcam

If all this doesn’t work and you have built it up very gradually, please get help. Separation anxiety can arise despite all of this and then you just need more help. In that case you can contact us and we are happy to help you further. For more information check Behavioral Support