OverviewSince canines are highly social creatures, being alone can be quite stressful for them. Fortunately, you can teach your pup to enjoy his alone time, or at least tolerate it. If he never grasps how to do this, you may wind up with a dog who acts out through excessive barking, digging, and chewing - or develops a very serious case of separation anxiety. Steps to teaching your pup to be alone1. Leave your puppy alone in his crate or puppy playroom for at least 30 minutes to an hour each day at first. Gradually increase that length of time to up to two hours for a pup three months and younger, or up to four hours for a pup from three to six months old. Your pup will begin to adjust to being alone, as well as learn a valuable lesson: you always come back. We recommend you leave your dog in a safe place, either a roomy crate or puppy playroom, whenever you leave the house until they're about a year old, though some dogs may need a few extra months of training. 2. Make your pup's alone time the main time he eats, and he'll learn to enjoy these stretches more. Using kibble he'd normally get at meals, stuff a couple of Kongs, and give them to your pup whenever you leave him alone. 3. Teach your dog that "quiet time" is a good thing by showing him how to settle down. Every so often, interrupt his playtime with short, quiet breaks. Tell your dog, "settle down," and ask him to lie still for a second or two. Then reward him and resume playing. At first, these intervals should be very short - just a few seconds in length. When he's able to settle successfully for these brief periods, slowly build up to longer segments - 10 to 20 seconds of settling. Your dog soon learns that quiet time is followed by playtime, and the wait is never more than he can handle. DogTime tip: In the [Continued] Go back to Dog Training Center  
|
  What to expectA little whining or crying is normal at first. But as your pup gets used to being alone, and learns to expect a stuffed Kong, or other chewy challenge when he's on his own, he should eventually become more confident and comfortable apart from you. |
67 topics, 268 posts
topics
|
replies | views | last post |
|
my dog sucks...
my dog has been neutered and is nearly 2 years old but everytime like someone he doesn't know pays him alot of attention or even me somet... (continued) |
2 | 52 |
19 hours ago by corkscrewdil... view |
|
training
My new adopted 1yr old german shepard, I do'nt keep him outside 24/7 but on some day when I'm working outside, how can I program him to go in the dog house out of the way c/o safty reasons. |
3 | 104 |
20 hours ago by NIKOLE view |
|
retractable leash
Is a retractable leash a bad idea? I've been walking my puppy on it (he's 4 and 1/2 months), and the only thing I'm concerned about is th... (continued) |
4 | 89 |
1 day ago by shankni view |
|
Potty and crate training
Hello from Strasbourg, France! My wife and I just got a great 9-week-old Papillon puppy. We are crate-training him. After 2 days, he ... (continued) |
8 | 356 |
Sep 2, 2008 5:25am by NIKOLE view |
 |
|
|
|
Teaching your dog to be alone: 0-6 months
