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When you first get a puppy, there is so much to do to introduce them to their new home. From potty training to puppy-proofing, you might feel like your hands are always full. But there is one critical step you don鈥檛 want to forget 鈥� teaching your pup how to enjoy being alone. Although it鈥檚 tempting to spend every waking minute with your new puppy, you aren鈥檛 doing them any favors. Eventually, you鈥檒l have to leave your puppy on their own. And because dogs are incredibly social creatures, leaving a puppy alone can be stressful. However, with a little time and effort, you can ensure they鈥檙e calm and confident whenever they are by themselves.
Using a Safe Puppy Confinement Area
It鈥檚 likely your new puppy has never been alone before. It鈥檚 unfair to expect them to go from constant companionship to immediately spending an entire eight-hour workday on their own. Start by teaching your puppy to be alone while you are in the house. A safe confinement area, like an or , is perfect for this purpose. If you use a crate or exercise pen appropriately, your puppy will see their confinement area as a place to relax rather than as punishment. Alternatively, you can limit your puppy to a small and safe area with .
To help your puppy associate this space with good things, feed them their meals inside it. If the area is large enough, you can also spend some time playing in there together. To entice your puppy, set aside special toys they only get inside their crate or pen. When they鈥檙e happy to enter the confinement area on their own, you鈥檙e ready to start alone-time training.
Teaching a Puppy Alone Time
Begin by closing your puppy in the confinement area with a or other constructive activity, then quietly walk out of the room. Return immediately and reward them with praise and a treat. Repeat the process, slowly increasing how long you鈥檙e away each time. In the beginning, even one or two minutes might feel too long for your puppy, but over three or four days, you should be able to build up to fairly long periods.
As the time span increases, return to check on your puppy periodically. If they are quiet and calm, reward them with low-key praise and a treat before leaving to continue the countdown. Don鈥檛 make too much fuss when you check on them. You don鈥檛 want your puppy to miss you when you leave the room.
If your puppy is crying in their confinement area, you鈥檝e likely started the training before they鈥檝e learned to associate the area with good things, or you鈥檝e left them alone for too long. Don鈥檛 make a habit of letting them out when they fuss. Otherwise, you will teach them that whining opens the door and earns attention. Instead, shorten their time in the confinement area to what they can handle, and build the time more slowly.
Remember that confinement in the exercise pen or crate is only temporary while you work on your puppy鈥檚 alone time training. Once your puppy is confident on their own, and they understand聽potty training and the rules of good behavior, you can start giving them access to your home while you are away, one room at a time. The goal is an adult dog that is relaxed, self-assured, and can be trusted with more freedom.
Creating Happy Associations for Your Puppy
Leaving a puppy alone with nothing to do in their safe area can be a recipe for trouble. Instead, give them something constructive to do whenever they鈥檙e in confinement. This will teach them to be happy on their own. A perfect activity is chewing on a . Toys such as Kongs are excellent for this purpose because the food that your puppy works toward getting out of the toy will reinforce the chewing behavior. In time, you will end up with a chew toy addict who would rather chomp on their toys than the baseboards.
Other ways to keep your puppy busy when they are alone include providing , hiding kibble or around the confinement area, or providing . However, only leave your puppy unattended with puppy-specific toys chews that you know are safe. For example, smaller objects that your puppy can fit completely inside their mouth are a choking hazard. Or objects that can splinter or be broken into small pieces can cause intestinal damage or obstruction if swallowed. Speak to your veterinarian about safe options, and always watch your puppy with any new toy until you are sure they can play with it safely.
When leaving a puppy alone, you can also use a or to provide comfort. White noise or music can mask other sounds that might be distressing for a puppy, like honking cars or the garbage truck. In fact, a from Colorado State University found that music influenced the behavior of dogs in a shelter. However, the effect was dependent on the type of music. Heavy metal music seemed to increase the dogs鈥� anxiety, whereas soothing classical music increased the amount of time the dogs spent sleeping. So, select your background noise with care, and watch your puppy to see how they react to your choice.
Looking for Help Along the Way
If you鈥檙e unable to spend time at home with your puppy, consider finding a puppy sitter to help you work on their alone-time training. You can hire a professional pet sitter to watch your dog. Or perhaps look for a neighbor or friend who might be happy to relax in your house while your puppy rests in their confinement area. Even better, your puppy sitter can help with your puppy鈥檚 potty training and give them lots of attention in between confinement sessions.
When your puppy鈥檚 alone time training has progressed enough that you can leave them alone for part of the day, but eight hours is still too much, a dog walker can be a perfect solution. Schedule the walk in the middle of the day, when your puppy is ready for company and the time is ripe for a potty break. Even adult dogs can benefit greatly from the exercise and company a dog walker provides during a workday.
Finally, consider providing your puppy with a physical or mental workout before you leave them alone. A walk, energetic playtime, or even a training session can all leave your puppy tired. They will likely fall asleep as soon as you鈥檙e gone. Just be sure that you do the same activities at other times too. If your dog only gets that sort of attention right before you leave them alone, they鈥檒l realize it means you鈥檙e about to go. So, rather than lying down for a nap, they might worry about your absence.
Enjoying the Benefits of a Confident Puppy
A dog that hasn鈥檛 learned to enjoy time alone can exhibit problem behaviors when left alone. At best, an untrained solitary puppy will make their own fun, and usually in ways that aren鈥檛 fun for you. At worst, they can develop separation anxiety. This is a serious condition where a dog becomes severely stressed from the moment you leave until you finally return.
On the other hand, teaching your puppy that enjoyable things happen when they are alone will help them handle not being the center of attention, even when you are at home. In fact, they should look forward to being on their own because they associate it with chew toys and treats. But most importantly, because you鈥檝e taught them to be alone even when you鈥檙e simply in another room, they won鈥檛 connect you聽leaving the house with being alone. You should be able to head to work or the grocery store without worry.
Teaching your puppy to enjoy alone time will also contribute to important training milestones like passing the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test. The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program is designed to get puppies and their owners off to a good start, and the test includes an isolation exercise. Puppies must stay on a leash with another person while their owner walks 10 steps away before returning. That鈥檚 great preparation for the AKC鈥檚 Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, the gold standard of behavior for dogs in the community. The supervised separation part of the CGC test requires an owner to leave their dog with a trusted person for three minutes while they are out of sight. This will be a piece of cake for the dog that has been trained to enjoy being alone.