Training a puppy to be alone

tk123

Hi guys. Has anyone any advice on how to train a puppy to be on his own? I know he's only a baby and I've no plans to leave him for hours on end - if I leave him in his crate so I can run up to the loo he screams/yelps the place down. I've read that I shouldn't go back to him if he's making a fuss but I don't want the neighbors complaining and I don't want him to be stressed out!:pac:

faceman

tk123 wrote: »

Hi guys. Has anyone any advice on how to train a puppy to be on his own? I know he's only a baby and I've no plans to leave him for hours on end - if I leave him in his crate so I can run up to the loo he screams/yelps the place down. I've read that I shouldn't go back to him if he's making a fuss but I don't want the neighbors complaining and I don't want him to be stressed out!:pac:

How old is your puppy and what breed? How long are you planning on leaving him alone?

WRT to the crate training you give him, did you break him in gently to avoid him associating the crate as a place of comfort as opposed to a place of punishment/restriction?

Most dogs at any age will whimper if left along like that anyway. its the length of time he/she whimpers that will let you know if there really is an issue.

tk123

He's 10 weeks - we've had him 2 weeks and he loves the crate, brings his toys into it and goes asleep in it. It's just once he's left on his own he gets upset. I just want to leave him for 15 mins so I can have a shower in the morning lol

wexford202

Hi OP.

It probably depends on the breed. I have a staffie and when he was a pup he really hated being on his own.

I was fortunate being sel employed that I could have him at my feet under the desk in my office.

Some animals are just people lovers and just want to be with you 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

They can alomst be like babies. As soon as you put them in your bed you will find it impossible to get them back out of it.

00112984

Start with leaving him for 5 minutes at a time and slowly working your way up to where he can be left for longer.

He seems to like his crate so leave him in there with his toys and something comfy to relax with. Try and use something that will keep him occupied so he doesn't notice you're gone as much. Little treats hidden in toys are good or a Kong filled with peanut butter or stuffed with a cheese slice (my own pup's personal favourite) should keep him entertained.

Easier said than done but try to get into the habit of not making a big fuss of him when you leave or enter a room- just go, close the door behind you and don't respond to his whimpers/barking. After a while, he'll get to understand that barking doesn't get attention and he'll stop. If barking is a problem with him and you're worried about the neighbours, there are loads of different techniques to stop this but the best is to just totally ignore him from a young age and he'll get the idea.

By the way, you really should post pics. Really.

tk123

Thanks guys he's a retriever btw. I'll try some cheese in his kong (we've tried apple and carrot so far) to distract him and see how he gets on building it up a few mins at a time.

mymo

I started leaving the dog in the crate with a stuffed kong while I did housework, then gradually going out of the room but within earshot, and increase time slowly. I never leave them in crates while out, just confine them to kitchen(remove anything chewable) with kongs and toys.
I have the ball you put their food in, they both love these, and kongs.
I have found stuffing with sardines or oily fish and dry food, then freezing, is great long lasting, also bit of mashed carrots or other veg and potato mashed, again mixed with dry food. My 2 hate peanut butter but love the veg and fish.
Don't use the fish too often though, And don't freeze it at first until he gets the Idea.
Also I invested in a baby gate for the kitchen door;), so I could go to the loo or have a shower and know they're safe.

tk123

Yeah a baby/puppy get is next on the list! He climbed most of the way up the stairs the other day then looked down, realised he was stuck and stared to cry!

leopardus

When I first got my puppy I would leave lots of stuffable toys full of treats and his breakfast (he didn't eat anything from a bowl until he was about eight months old) when I left the room. On the first couple of days I built up the length of time I was absent; from literally seconds to half an hour. I made sure the dog was already tired out from playing and had eliminated outside before hand. I would never open the door unless he had been quite, no whinning, for at least thirty seconds.
When he was comfortable with this I then did this in other rooms in the house and the back garden. He never gets aggitated or stressed at my leaving and sometimes I almost get the impression on weekends that he's wishing I would Pi$$ off so he could enjoy his treats.

Chiaki

to be honest im not a lover of crate training. my dogs had a room instead of a crate, same principle though. when you have a puppy its easy for them to walk all over you! you have to put the foot down otherwise you end up being one of those people who cook chicken fillets for your dog at 7am. ive met at least 7....
its a good idea to put him in the crate and gradually increase your time away. puppies whine and cry even when they arent stressed. your their favourite toy and they want you all the time. the important thing is to now build a routine. if puppy is going to be in the crate at night its important you dont go down to him during the night at all. eventually he will realise that at night you dont come.
when he is in the crate for a few mins and your in the next room, if you cant hear him cry come back in and give him loads of attention and a treat.
toys are for distraction, treats are for good behaviour!
retrievers are very clever and they can pick up things extremely fast but they will also have you wrapped around their little puppy paw if you let them!

andreac

Chiaki wrote: »

to be honest im not a lover of crate training. my dogs had a room instead of a crate, same principle though. when you have a puppy its easy for them to walk all over you! you have to put the foot down otherwise you end up being one of those people who cook chicken fillets for your dog at 7am. ive met at least 7....
its a good idea to put him in the crate and gradually increase your time away. puppies whine and cry even when they arent stressed. your their favourite toy and they want you all the time. the important thing is to now build a routine. if puppy is going to be in the crate at night its important you dont go down to him during the night at all. eventually he will realise that at night you dont come.
when he is in the crate for a few mins and your in the next room, if you cant hear him cry come back in and give him loads of attention and a treat.
toys are for distraction, treats are for good behaviour!
retrievers are very clever and they can pick up things extremely fast but they will also have you wrapped around their little puppy paw if you let them!

Sorry but if a puppy is in a crate for the night they will need to be let out to the toilet during the night as they wont be able to hold themselves the whole night.

tk123

andreac wrote: »

Sorry but if a puppy is in a crate for the night they will need to be let out to the toilet during the night as they wont be able to hold themselves the whole night.

Our guy is lasting the whole night now - happy days!:D At first he was waking up between 4:00-5:00am after being brought out to the loo at around 12:00am but then all of sudden one saturday monring he was asleep until 7:30am - I was glad of the lie in

tk123

Just to update he seems to be getting more independant the last few days of his own accord - he even left us today to go into the kitchen to sleep in his crate!

faceman

Thats great news!

Sigma Force

OP sounds pretty normal so far we got our little guy when he was 12 weeks and hated leaving him for a second and didn't have the heart to he was still very babyish then began to think he'd never cope on his own so had to bite the bullet and leave him on his own while.
At first I'd pop him in his pen so I could wash the floors and let them dry (otherwise he'd skid everywhere) and he'd howl the place down, even with showers we'd take it in turns to mind him.
The first two times I left him alone (badly needed to do a grocery shoppin) he pooped and peed in the pen and was all upset and had to sit with him until he settled down and he then slept like a log was so traumatic for him lol.

But I have also noticed now he's older although he doesn't like being left alone (no dog does even adults) there's no problem leaving him now. Esp. if I pick the time right. In the morning after he's ran around for an hour and had his brekkie he wants a nap he'll put himself to bed or start walking around the kitchen whinging until you pick him up he gets over tired it's so cute.
That's the perfect time to go off shopping or whatever he's asleep and usually only wakes when I come back. Although he's only left like that about once or twice a week.

He's just over the 4 months now and the longest I have left him is 3 hours with no probs although that's only happened once or twice normally it's an hour and a half but so glad he can cope with being left that long now.

I know he wouldn't mind at all if I left him on the couch he knows now if I have to do a school run etc. he gets up on the couch himself but he still can't be trusted around stuff so he still has to be put in the play pen when I'm out he still is at the stage where he picks up everthing and tries to eat it.

It does get easier as they get older but it reminded me of why we aren't havin any more kids imagine going through that for a couple of years instead of a couple of months lol. Don't know how parents have kid after kid, would do my head in. Puppies are so much easier they grow up much quicker and you don't get arressted if you have to leave them alone.

They can make you feel guilty though the howls of our lad you'd swear he was being tortured the way he carried on, he still is a bit of a drama king.