Training Your Dog to Stay Home Alone

Dogs are man's best friends. But, as much as you love your dog and want to include it in your family's activities, you may be forced to stay away from it for long hours. This may be due to your job or your other domestic responsibilities. So, what's the solution?

How to get your dog used to being left alone in the house? This is because dogs often suffer from separation anxiety if they are left alone for a long time. Here in this blog we will discuss training your dog to stay home alone. 

Start With Routine Methods

When you adopt a dog, you have to slowly introduce them to the experience of spending time on their own. It’s important to help your dog become accustomed to spending time alone in their home. To do so, begin by leaving them in their house for 5 minutes. After that you can go out for about 10 minutes and wait for a minute or two before coming back home. Once you've gotten home, praise them for being alone for the first time.

The next morning, let your dog alone in the room for just 15 minutes while you relax elsewhere. When you come back, give him attention and tell him what a clever boy he’s been. He'll probably sulk and protest at first, but he'll soon get used to resting in his dog bed alone for short periods of time. Start leaving him for longer periods once every few days and gradually increase the length of time until it becomes challenging again.

If your pup starts to whine and cry when left in a room on his own, bring a treat with you so you can reward him after the event has concluded. This will reinforce that a period of rest is beneficial, rather than something bad.

Crate Train Your Dog

As a new pet owner, you'll be learning about all sorts of things, not just about the unique needs of your specific breed. In fact, one aspect as a pet parent has to learn how to crate train. Since it's important for our furry friends to feel safe and secure whilst we're not around keeping an eye on them.

The best option for both dog owners and their pets is practicing some crate training. It makes dogs feel secure in their space which many of those who are properly trained during this process end up feeling more comfortable in their crates while they're left alone at home. A crate train dog will feel like home in his crate if he is trained.

Provide Positive Associations

You don't want to make your dog crave you. In fact, you want them to enjoy being by themselves rather than always feeling that they need to have you around. To accomplish this, it's important that you teach your dog as early as possible that good things happen when they are alone; and vice versa. If you want your dog to enjoy being home alone, you can make a positive association by feeding treats or toys only at certain times. The things by which you can occupy your dog attention are

Food Puzzle

Leaving your dog a food puzzle to keep him occupied while you’re gone is great, but you have to make sure you do it in the right way for it not to backfire. Some dogs are can be smarter than we think and some of them know how to get the snacks out of the toy really quickly.

Chew Toys

When you first start leaving your puppy at home, make sure you have a few toys around to keep him preoccupied and happy. Puppies like to chew on certain things, so it's good that he has a new toy or two around to occupy his time while you're away. By having him chew on something safe and fun like say a bone, it'll keep your pup happy and help prevent separation anxiety when you leave the house.

Comfortable Bed

Make sure your dog has a comfy bed to lie in with plenty of soft blankets so he doesn’t feel cold on the ground. You could even consider moving his cot around the house to different locations and possibly creating curtains around him so he feels more secure in his own area.

Keep Your In And Out Low Key

Dogs are very smart, so don’t make a big deal about leaving them at home without you for short periods of time. When you return from an outing or a run to the store, greet your pup as normal! By keeping their environment consistent and not acting overly excited/overwhelmed when coming in or going out of your house, dogs can learn that what's happening on either side of the door isn't a huge deal.

Provide Ample Exercise

Ensuring your dog has enough exercise is important because it contributes to well-being. Both physical and mental enrichment are important in ensuring healthy body and mind, and both contribute to a total wellness of the animal. When they receive enough exercise both physically and mentally, they are more likely to be calm when left home alone.

Separate At Night

If you sleep in the same bed together at night, it will be a pain for him to leave you in the morning and this behavior might create feelings of fear of abandonment within your man. That's why he needs his own space just like you do. This means you should let him sleep in separate room.  It won't be easy but it will reduce the level of anxiety and make things easier for everyone involved.

Don’t Punish Your Pup

If you come back home to find Fido has done his business or rip the couch try not to punish him. If you scold him he will get more confused.

Conclusion

Training your dog to stay home alone can be a tricky thing to do, but it doesn't have to be. It's important to remember that dogs are intelligent creatures, and they can learn just about anything. However, in order to train your dog to stay home alone, you have to set him up for success. If your dog isn't able to do it the first time, don't give up. All it takes is a little bit of training, and your dog will be able to stay home alone like a pro!