How to teach your dog to stay alone

Due to Covid we’re staying more at home, and our dogs love it! Your dog might have gotten used to you staying home all the time. So, when you’re shopping for groceries or when the lockdown will be over and you have to go to the office again, your dog starts barking all over the neighborhood or destroys things in the house. We’re here to give you some tips on how you can solve this.

Keep the routine

This is of course harder when you’ve had a new dog or a puppy during the lockdown. But try to maintain the same routine as you did before. Give him his food at the same time, take him for the same walk you used to instead of more and longer walks. If you have the possibility to work in a separate room, it might be easier for you both. As the dog gets used to being alone in the room again and you have no distraction while working.

Change the routine

This might sound weird to you as we just talked about having a routine. But now it’s more about the routine when you leave the house. If you always have the same routine such as putting your shoes on, taking your coat and keys, your dog will know you’re leaving. If the dog is not trained enough to stay at home these signals will cause a lot of stress for the dog. To teach the dog this routine is normal and shouldn’t cause any stress, you can act like your leaving but instead of walking out of the door you just sit on the couch for some time and then just put your shoes and coat back in their place. By doing this you take out the immediate stress your dog is having when you’re trying to leave.

Create a safe spot

It’s very important that your dog has a safe spot where he isn’t bothered. This could be a crate or a dog bed. The dog bed igloo creates a hideaway for your dog, so it feels extra safe. Having a safe spot for your dog will make it easier to leave him alone, because he can stay in a safe spot and feel calm.

Don’t overstimulate

While being at home more, you give your dog more attention. This is normal and fun, but don’t exaggerate. Depending on the breed of your dog it needs more or less attention. If you give too much attention, your dog will easily get used to it. When you’ll be back at work again, your dog might get bored because it’s not getting enough attention and start eating furniture. Therefore it is important your dog knows how to entertain itself. A squeaky toy like the Dog Bone is a great toy to play with your dog, but also to entertain the dog alone. This will show him that being alone can be fun too.

Baby steps

Teaching your dog to stay alone takes time. Start by interacting less and for a short time with your dog. If there’s a lot of separation anxiety, start by just leaving the room for a minute. Don’t do anything special while you’re leaving. When you enter the room again, you can give your dog a treat but don’t make a big deal about it. If this goes well, you can stay out of the room for a longer period and even start by leaving the house. If you notice you were leaving your dog alone for too long, take a step back. Also, never get angry with your dog when he destroys something or barks. Your dog is having a hard time and you need to be their support. If these tips aren’t working, consult a professional dog trainer to help you solve this issue.