When we leave our dog alone in the house, usually we feel guilty, especially when the dog is still a puppy. For this reason we greet our friend with a long farewell speech, which the dog surely doesn’t understand a word of! Unfortunately, some dogs just can’t adjust to being left home alone during the day. We’ll give you some tips on how to handle keeping your puppy home alone all day it if that’s the case!
What to do if your dog cries when he is home alone
Many of our four-legged friends have become accustomed to the classic phrase “I’m going, I’ll be back “, especially if you say that to them every time you leave the house. Whether your dog is used to it or not, many dogs will simply wait for you at home, totally relaxed (and they may even take advantage of your absence to take a snooze on the bed!) For others it is a real tragedy, especially for those with a bad back-story. If your dog was adopted from the pound or were separated too early from their mothers, both of those things could influence how well the dog takes to being left home alone all day.
There are different forms of separation anxiety in dogs, in the most severe forms, especially if it is an adult dog, the only solution is to contact a good veterinary behaviorist. Remember that if you have a dog crying as soon as you leave the house, it won’t take long for your neighbors to complain, so this is an issue you’ll want to solve quickly! However, let’s give some advice for minor cases, trying to help our dog stay home alone to peacefully overcome his day!
How to accustom a puppy home alone
To train a dog who cries when left home alone, try to follow these few tips. The first is to not to be gone too long when we go out the first few times, so your puppy will gradually get used to it. Another very important thing is not to start a lecture of one hour when you are about to go out, if you spend a long time saying goodbye to your dog and petting them, you’ll only make them more anxious. Limit yourself to simply saying ” I’ll be back, be good “, in the same way when you have to tell your partner out for a quick errand, we are sure that no embrace for at least half an hour before you go!
Now for the hard part! Upon your return home, if you see your dog gets excited when you walk in the door, try to ignore it, and only give him cuddles and attention once he calms down. Finally, if your dog is destructive and destroys things when you’re out of the house, simply clean it up and don’t scold the dog. This is because your dog does not make the connection between his pranks and your scolding, far from it! He will simply associate your return home with an unpleasant “talking to.”
If despite all these tips your dog continues to cry when left home alone, destroy your home or bark constantly, all you can do is contact a good behaviorist in order to correct the problem!
