Dogs are pack animals and social beings. It’s no wonder that puppies, in particular, find it difficult to be left alone. Nevertheless, it’s very important for a puppy to learn to be alone. Practice makes perfect here too, and with a few tricks, your furry friend will quickly learn to let you go. Since the principle of “starting early” also applies to being left alone, you should start the first exercises with your puppy.
- Leaving Puppies Alone – At What Age?
- Practicing Leaving Puppies Alone: Training Plan
- Practicing Leaving Puppies Alone: Crate
- The Big Step Out the Door
- How Long Can a Puppy Be Left Alone?
- Feeling Guilty About Leaving Puppies Alone?
- 5 Tips: Making Alone Time Easier for Your Puppy
- Taboos for Leaving Puppies Alone
Leaving Puppies Alone – At What Age?
Normally, a puppy is separated from its mother and siblings at about twelve weeks old. At this moment, it loses its sibling pack and its caring dog mother. This is a major change in its life, and it needs some time to adjust to the new situation. It’s now your responsibility to take care of the little one and provide security, comfort, and affection.
Once arrived in the new home, your puppy must first survive the initial separation and at the same time get used to its new caregiver or human family. Everything is exciting – or frightening: an unfamiliar daily routine, unfamiliar sounds, voices, and smells pose real challenges for the young dog and need to be processed first.
The foundation for his relationship with you is laid in the first few days: Your puppy must now first build trust and bond with you. In the first few days, it’s not even a consideration to leave your little four-legged friend alone. First, your puppy must feel safe and secure in the new home. Therefore, give him enough time to acclimate.
Tip:
To ensure that your puppy develops into a well-socialized adult dog, it should not be separated from its dog mother too early. A too early separation, for example, at eight weeks, can cause the young dog to develop separation anxiety. It’s also important for the mental development of the puppy that it is not left alone until around its 15th week of life.
Practicing Leaving Puppies Alone: Training Plan
At around five months old, your puppy is ready to start training. Every dog behaves differently when the caregiver leaves the room or the apartment. You might be lucky and your little one curls up in his basket and sleeps. However, this is more the exception. Most puppies get nervous, start barking, or whining. Some get frustrated and start to chew on furniture to cope with stress. Therefore, you need to practice leaving the puppy alone.
The First Exercises
Even your trip to the bathroom can be excellent for the first exercise. The goal of this everyday training is to make it clear to your puppy: “I’m going into this room alone and will be back soon.”
For the puppy, this “sudden disappearance” of the caregiver must become a matter of course. Therefore, it’s very important that you don’t pay attention to the puppy beforehand. For example, let him play with his toys or chew bone and use this moment to quietly leave the room. Just as unceremoniously as you disappeared, you should also return. Do not indulge in any farewell or reunion ceremony by cuddling the puppy excessively.
Another small exercise is to change rooms without paying attention to the puppy. Initially, the little one will follow you everywhere – not just once. Keep moving from one room to another until the puppy gets tired of following you around. Eventually, he will lie down and just watch you.
The puppy should slowly learn to accept your coming and going as completely normal. Repeat these first exercises several times a day. However, only extend the duration of your absence when your puppy peacefully remains in his basket. Later, also close the door when you leave the room. Once the puppy has accepted that you’re in another room, it’s time to leave the apartment.
Practicing Leaving Puppies Alone: Crate
The dog crate has also proven effective for practicing being alone. However, your puppy should already be well accustomed to the crate before you leave him alone. The dog crate has many advantages:
- Due to its cave-like nature, it provides security and comfort for many dogs.
- Since many puppies use the crate for sleeping, they quickly settle down here.
- Once the puppy has learned to stay in a closed crate, it protects him and your belongings: your puppy can’t chew on electrical cables or table legs.
However, crate training should always come before practicing being alone: If you lock the dog in the crate and leave him alone without him being used to it, it can be traumatic for the little one.
Tips for the Initial Training:
- Always practice with your puppy when he is tired and full.
- Sweeten the time of being alone with an attractive toy or a tasty dog treat like a chew bone. If you give the puppy a Kong toy, he will also be well entertained.
- Disappear discreetly and without a big farewell. Also, when you come back, refrain from excessive greeting scenes.
- If your puppy is still on his spot when you return, briefly praise him with a few kind words and then engage in something else.
The Big Step Out the Door
Your puppy now lies relaxed in his spot when you are in another room? Then it’s time to leave him alone properly for the first time. Again, it’s important that you behave inconspicuously and casually – without a farewell gesture or words to the puppy.
Close the apartment door behind you, then pause briefly and listen to your puppy’s sounds:
- If he starts barking, howling, or scratching at the door immediately, go back in – but without acknowledging him! In this case, you need to go back to the initial exercises and train more consistently with him.
- However, if your puppy behaves calmly, you’ve done everything right! You can slowly increase the duration of your absence from time to time: initially, it’s enough to just take out the trash or check the mailbox, later you can go shopping or run other errands.
If at this point you can already anticipate that your four-legged friend will need to be left alone for longer only at certain times of the day, practice leaving him alone with your puppy always at those times. This way, he can adjust his internal clock accordingly – and will be able to wait much more calmly for your return.
Crucial at this stage is not to make a big fuss about leaving, as your puppy should learn that your departure and return are normal occurrences. Dramatic farewell and reunion scenes only confuse dogs!
By the way, some puppies find it easier to learn to be alone when they initially have to wait only in the car; this is a confined space from which they can observe their surroundings particularly well.
How Long Can a Puppy Be Left Alone?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to how long a puppy can be left alone. Each dog is different in this regard. However, especially in the puppy stage, the rule is clear: as short as possible!
Veterinarians and dog trainers recommend not leaving puppies alone for longer than two hours at a time. Young dogs generally have short sleep and wake cycles and need to relieve themselves quickly. If the puppy wakes up and needs to relieve itself frequently in your absence, this can lead to a permanent lack of house training. It may also develop habits of chewing on sofas and table legs out of frustration or fear. Undesirable behavior patterns or anxiety disorders can be a consequence of too much time alone during the puppy stage.
Keep in mind that even adult dogs should not be left alone at home for long periods daily. Up to five hours per day is considered an absolute maximum.
Practicing Being Alone with Adult Dogs
If you’ve adopted an adult dog from a shelter or another family and notice that it hasn’t learned to be alone, you can teach it with patience and persistence – in small steps and over time. Animals from shelters often have traumatic experiences and suffer particularly from separation anxiety because they have been abandoned at least once. With such animals, you need a large amount of empathy and patience! In our guide “Leaving Dogs Alone – Overcoming Separation Anxiety and Loss of Control,” you’ll find many tips for training with adult dogs.
Feeling Guilty About Leaving Puppies Alone?
Many dog owners feel guilty when leaving their puppies alone. However, if you’ve provided the right conditions and taken precautions, there’s no need for guilt. Your dog can’t accompany you everywhere, even though it would like to. With good training, your puppy will learn to be alone in its familiar environment.
However, if you’re working and leaving the house for more than five hours every day, you should carefully consider whether a dog as a pet is the right choice for you. During the pandemic, many people adopted puppies. After returning to their workplaces, numerous pets ended up in shelters.
However, being employed doesn’t necessarily mean having to give up on having a dog.
There are ways to balance having a pet and a job:
- Many employers now allow well-behaved puppies and dogs to be brought to the office. Just ask.
- In every major city, there are professional dog sitters or dog walkers who can look after your puppy for hours and take it for a walk.
- Dog daycare centers, also known as doggy daycares, are also popping up everywhere. Here, your puppy meets other dogs and spends a varied day while you’re at work.
If you’re working or away from home for several hours every day for other reasons, you should definitely think about how to organize dog care during your absence well in advance.
5 Tips: Making Alone Time Easier for Your Puppy
Of course, training your puppy to be alone doesn’t always go completely smoothly. Some puppies seem to never learn and immediately start with a heart-wrenching howl concert after their people leave the house. Others engage in silent interior design work in the absence of their owners, displaying astonishing destructiveness. With the following tips, you can make alone time as pleasant as possible for your puppy:
- Dog toys can keep your little one entertained and provide enjoyable diversion. To prevent canine frustration from being taken out on furniture, curtains, or other furnishings, provide your puppy with ropes, chew toys, or plush balls to tug and chew on to their heart’s content. But be cautious: Never leave them alone with a toy they could injure themselves with or swallow.
- An anxious puppy feels less abandoned when the radio or television is on during your absence. If you’re going out in the evening, leave the lights on, as darkness can be scary for many puppies.
- Take your puppy for a long walk or play with them in the dog park before you leave. This tires them out, and they’ll immediately curl up for a nap after you’re gone.
- Limit the space where your puppy stays during your absence. In a large apartment or house, puppies can quickly feel lost. A spacious living room or kitchen is usually sufficient for the dog.
- Many puppies find comfort in a piece of clothing that smells like their owner during their absence. An old sock or sweater can be suitable for their bed.
Some dog breeds have a particularly hard time with being alone: for example, the Beagle, Maltese, Husky, or Golden Retriever. Therefore, maintain calm and patience when training these dogs and do not overburden your puppy.
Taboos for Leaving Puppies Alone
- Do not confine your puppy in a frightening, dark room like a basement or bathroom; instead, let them stay in their familiar, well-lit environment.
- Do not punish your puppy if they misbehave in your absence. They will not associate the punishment with their mischief but with your return, causing them to become even more afraid of being left alone.
- Never leave your puppy alone for more than two hours, and an adult dog for no longer than four to five hours.
If you start training your dog to be alone for short periods from puppyhood, it will significantly simplify your life together.
