Congratulations on your new family member! A new puppy!!! We all want the best for our puppies and we must start off right to ensure that our puppies are confident and comfortable when we are not with them. Puppies whose owners are gone all day will often get used to the routine of being alone during the day and accept that without any problem. Many times the owner will feel so guilty about leaving the puppy “locked up” all day that they will keep the puppy with them all the time whenever they are home. The puppy accepts this routine without any problem. But, when the owner does need to go out and the routine is broken it can stress the puppy and cause anxiety.
Another scenario many puppies encounter is when someone is home with them most of the day, they get so accustomed to that constant contact that any absence from home from the owner can also cause that dog to become anxious!
So how do we ensure that our puppies develop into confident dogs? By not creating the idea in our puppies’ minds that they need to be with us at all times when we are at home. He or she can learn that that being away from you can be quite comfortable and his world is not turned upside down by your absence. How? By what I call the “Puppy Nap” Simply when you are at home purposely put your puppy in his or her crate in a room by himself. Be sure to make going into the room exciting, you can give it a name such as “it time for our nappy” or whatever you choose and be sure to give him a treat when he goes in. Then shut the door and go into a different area of the house. If and when he start whining, barking or scratching at the door, go to the room, give the command NO! or QUIET! And tap firmly on the door. Then leave again. After he has been quiet for just a moment or two, go back to the room and calmly let him out. Be sure that going into the room is exciting and coming out of the room is very calm and no big deal. Gradually increase the length of time the puppy is by himself from a few minute to several hours. His confidence will go up each time he is away from you and he realizes that everything is all right and that you really do return!
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