Many people have a problem leaving their dogs alone at home, because the dogs suffer from separation anxiety which manifests in a variety of problem behaviours such as house-soiling, destructive chewing, digging, howling, barking or self-mutilation. If you have just gotten a new puppy, the following will help you to avoid this problem by teaching your dog to be happy for short times on its own, right from the start.
1. Finding the right place for your puppy to stay while you are out: For safety’s sake, I prefer to have the puppy stay indoors. For small puppies a large crate or puppy play-pen may be suitable, while for larger puppies a section of a room or passage that has been blocked off with a sturdy barrier may be more suitable. (For our puppy we used a 1 x 2 metre passageway and blocked the only open exit with a gate made out of sturdy wire fencing.)
2. Essentials your puppy will need in his confinement area: The area in which you leave your puppy will need to accommodate a comfortable bed or mat for your puppy to sleep on, a bowl or small bucket of water (something that cannot be easily tipped over, but which is not big enough to be a drowning hazard) and an indoor toilet. This last item can be a plastic tray filled with sand or a sod of grass. (Whatever you are training your puppy to eliminate on outside, should be used as the material in your indoor puppy loo.) Place the bed and water at one end of the area and the doggy toilet at the other end.
3. What to give your puppy so that he does not mind being alone: Your puppy should be given some really tasty and exciting chews to keep him occupied while you are out. A stuffed Kong, stuffed hooves or large smoked or dried Ostrich bones are ideal. At first it may be a good idea to leave more than one item so that your puppy is kept occupied the whole time you are out or is so exhausted from chewing that he falls asleep! When your puppy is so preoccupied with these lovely goodies, he will not have time to feel anxious that you are gone. He will also begin to associate time in the confinement area with the exciting treats he gets and will be happy to be there. When we first left Judah on his own, we gave him three Kongs and several hooves all at once. I don’t think he even knew we were gone! Over time we were able to give him less and less when we left, but he always went running into his little “den” whenever we started getting ready to go out, because he knew he was going to get something really nice.
4. “Practising” being alone: If your puppy already seems quite anxious whenever he is separated from you, it may be a good idea to put him in his confinement area for short times while you are at home. In this way you could get him used to spending time in this area and enjoying chewing things in it. If this goes well, you could then slip out of the house for a few minutes and slowly get him used to you going out.
5. How to behave when you leave: Don’t make a huge fuss when you are going out. Try to prepare the area your dog will be staying in well ahead of time or keep it permanently set up so that this does not become a cue for your dog to become anxious. Place your dog in the area and give him the chews. If you feel you need to say something, keep it to a casual “See you later” and walk away.
6. Don’t reward crying or barking: Some owners will listen outside the door and when they hear the dog cry or bark, will go back in and comfort him. This quickly teaches the puppy that making a noise is the best way to get what he wants! If you do need to go back inside for any reason or you are trying to get the dog used to very short absences, always wait until there is a moment of silence, before you go back in.
7. Allowing your dog more freedom in the house: Once your puppy is content to stay by himself, you may wish to give him more access to the rest of the house. This should only be done when the puppy is completely house-trained and chew-toy trained (i.e. the puppy chews its own toys and not your furniture). This is not likely to happen before the puppy is at least five months old. It is always a good idea to begin this process gradually, first opening only one room for the puppy to access and then another one and so on. It is wise to remove all chewable objects from the puppy’s reach and to still place the doggy toilet in an accessible place for emergencies.
8. Preparing your dog to be relaxed and sleepy when you are out: It is always an excellent idea to exercise your puppy before you go out. A walk, training or play session will tire your puppy so that he will be inclined to want to sleep in your absence. Also make sure that your puppy has had at least one meal before you leave, so that hunger does not make him restless. It is also essential to give your puppy the opportunity to go to the toilet before you confine him. (If your dog can go to the loo on command it makes this a lot easier.)
If you follow these steps, you should train your puppy to be quite content in times when you are out. However, if you are already experiencing problems in this area, it would be best to seek help from a registered behaviourist.
Notes of Caution:
1. Make sure that your puppy is safe! While one does not like to think of the worst case scenario, tragic accidents and criminal acts do happen. If there is any chance that your puppy could jump up and hook his collar on anything while you are out, take it off before you go. Never leave your puppy in a garden area where someone can access the property and steal him. Make sure that any toxic substances (including garden fertilisers, household cleaners and human medication) is locked safely away and do not leave your puppy with access to the garbage bin or any toys which he may choke on.
2. Dogs are companion animals and should not spend their lives home alone. This article is intended to help those who want to be able to leave their dogs for a few hours at a time. While some people do have to work long hours away from home, expecting a companion dog to constantly spend all day by himself is unfair. While some dogs may seem to resign themselves to such a life, many will become destructive simply due to extreme boredom and frustration.