If you are not home and you left your puppy all alone, it is always a good idea to leave with him his chew toys so he has something to do, keeping the radio or the television on is also a good thing so he would not concentrate on the fact the he is alone, and keeping a shirt or a blanket with your scent will help keep him comfortable.
If he also has his sleeping needs, food, and water while you are gone, there is no reason for him not to be fine without your presence. If your puppy is still having trouble when being left alone, it is advisable that your train him by leaving him a few minutes at a time to guide and help him adjust to your short absences.
If those things still didn’t work, there are a few options that you may want to try while also keeping you fur baby’s safety, which is your number one priority. Here are a few ideas that might help you:
1. Give your puppy his own area
While your dog is still small, you can always confine him in a smaller area. Do not give him full access to your house just yet. If he keeps on slamming against your door and knocking out furniture, you might want to set up a play pen or install a baby gate so you can keep him in a specific area only.
You can also keep his area much safer by installing cushions. His own space will prevent him from breaking things in your house and it will keep him safe as well. Whatever the size of your puppy may be, it is always better to keep the enclosure sturdy.
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2. Come back for your puppy at the right time
Once you leave your fur baby and he starts howling and whimpering, make sure that you do not come back for him while he is still doing those things. Wait a while and when he stops even for just a split second to catch his breath, make your return.
It is important that you do this appropriately because if you come back every time he is howling or whimpering, you will risk the further buildup of that behavior.
3. Make him associate your absence with positivity
Avoid leaving food out for your puppy to eat whenever he wants. Learn to feed him at specific times of the day. Whenever it is time for him to eat, give him the food then leave and go to another room so he won’t see you for a short period of time.
You can also provide him with treats that are stuffed inside a Kong then leave the room again as he works out on getting the treats out for him to consume. Once he is done, you can come back again. When you practice this, you can give him the idea that even without your presence, good things can still happen.
4. Desensitize him of you leaving
Open the door and act as if you are leaving and toss him a treat then shut the door while you are still inside. Repeat this several times. As your fur baby gets the hang of this, you can start moving out the door as you toss him his treat. Toss him another set of treats that he can consume for some time and leave for a few seconds and then return once he is done.
You can gradually add some time and make your absences quite longer, but add brief intervals of your absences so he wouldn’t be stressed knowing that you are leaving for a longer and a longer period of time. Practicing these you will be able to desensitize him to the noise when you open the door.
You can also desensitize him to any of your pre-departure cues. These cues are the things that you do when you are about to leave. For example, getting your keys, putting your shoes on, and turning off the television.
You can do this by putting your shoes on then just sit on the couch to watch TV, you can also just grab your keys then just head upstairs, or turn of your TV set and read a book.
5. Drain some of your puppy’s energy
Puppies hate being left alone, but being left with nothing to do and being left with extreme boredom is much worse. Their boredom can also be related to their built up anxieties and this is much worse for pups that have loads of energy in their body.
Try draining some of their energy by playing some games like fetch or bring them outside to have a good walk before you leave him for the day. This will help them since they will be tired and would just lay around possibly the whole day.
6. Do not let your puppy follow you around
While your dog is still small start teaching him to stay away from you for some time. Teach him to go to his mat or his own space while enjoying his chew toy or a treat that he can consume for a long time.
Do not tolerate him when he follows you around all the time. You will train him to be dependent of your presence and this can upset him big-time if he doesn’t have you around or you are nowhere out of his sight.
Consider recording your puppy’s actions and behavior when you are out. The howling and whimpering often starts a few minutes after you leave him and that is often the most tragic part, then after some time might take a nap because of exhaustion or he may grab his toys and play.
When you are able to record your fur baby’s behavior while you are out, you can track his progress together with the progress of your plan. If you are still having problems, consider getting help from a trainer so you can address this problem right away before it gets out of control.
I hope these tips will be a great help to you and your puppy!
Is your dog out of control and unable to calm down? CLICK HERE to watch this FREE Step-by-Step Video from Doggy Dan’s Program!
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