How to teach a dog to stay at home alone. All about favorite dogs. Dependency of the owner on the dog

Instruction

You should not expect from a puppy that he will calmly put up with the departure of the owner. Dogs are inherently pack animals, they certainly need to take part in all the events that take place in the family. This is especially true for puppies, which in the first months of life need constant attention. Therefore, be prepared that the reaction of the dog to loneliness will be negative. Before leaving, try to remove, close and hide everything that the dog can spoil, gnaw, tear.

In order for a puppy to learn to tolerate loneliness normally, it must be taught to it gradually. First, let him get used to being alone in the room. Try to leave the puppy during periods when he is full, walked and ready to take a nap. Wait for your pet to calm down on his bed, leave the room and close the door. Even if the baby, discovering that he was left alone, starts howling and scratching at the door, do not rush back right away. Let the puppy be alone for at least a few minutes. After that, you can enter, caress your four-legged friend, treat him with delicious treats, and praise him. Repeat these workout routines, gradually stretching the time. The puppy will thus understand that you will definitely return, you just have to wait.

You can do the opposite: restrict the dog from entering a specific room, for example, the kitchen. When you go there, do not let the puppy follow you. Stay there for a while, and then return to your pet, greeting him affectionately.

Leaving the apartment, try not to draw attention to your leaving. You don't need to specifically say goodbye to the dog - this will only alarm him. On the contrary, distract her, for example, with a toy or a treat. When leaving, always leave a few toys for your puppy to keep him occupied. At first, turning on the TV or radio will also help your pet not feel too lonely. You can also leave him some previously owned, but already unnecessary thing. The puppy will be calmer if he takes her to his bed, smelling the owner.

One of the moments when the owner of the puppy is fully aware of the rhetorical phrase: “You are responsible for the one you tamed” is when returning from work or from the store. The “heavy” looks of the neighbors tell you that the baby again pleased the house with “songs” and barking, having crossed the threshold, your leg is in a puddle, and with peripheral vision, you notice a puppy that will jump on your head if you don’t have time to dodge. How to teach a dog to stay alone at home without harming the psyche of the pet and the owners, is it possible?

Looking ahead - everything is possible, even to fly into space, training a puppy is not a one-day thing. A little about the "essence" of the ward - puppies of wild dogs live in a hole for up to 8-12 months, the mother feeds the babies and go hunting. Taking the baby into the house, you pull him out of the "dog" picture of the world and become the only big and warm creature that can protect him, warm him, feed him. And then, you, the "center of the universe", got dressed and went to work - naturally, the baby will be scared.

Next, look at your puppy, you see this lump - about defenseless, but already knows how to manipulate you. If he understands that barking or howling serves as a “call” signal - do not be offended, the baby will use this. Has your butuz already grown up to 4-5 months and gnaws everything that gets on the tooth? And you, returning home, examine the damaged slippers with remorse and justify the "bandit" by the fact that he was bored. Know that you are being manipulated, at the time of the change of teeth, the pet does not get bored, when you leave for work, he rejoices - you can gnaw everything! Bones, toys, restriction of movement, education - solve the problem, but only partially. Be prepared, some pets up to 2 years of age "sin" by destroying the owner's things.

How to start teaching a puppy to stay at home alone

The dog does not want to be left alone at home and this is logical, being in the wild, a month-old puppy abandoned for 8 hours will die. On the first night, the baby will whine - accept it. Follow the advice of the "luminaries" and "break" the needs of the baby by closing it separately or laying it next to the bed in the bedroom and not provoking a "tantrum" - your personal choice. What really should not be done is to run to the baby at the first peep!

Important! We heard that the puppy whined - do not run to him! They waited for silence and approached. We encourage silence, not squeak and howl.

On the second day, the puppy needs to be introduced to his place - a box or a fenced off part of the room. Until fully accustomed to a new personal space, you or family members should always be with the puppy if possible. Do you still have to go and leave the dog alone? - We add 1 to the dog's age in months. For example, a puppy is 2 months old, we add 1, we get 3 hours - this is the maximum time for which you can close the pet alone. The maximum time for which it is permissible to isolate a pet is 8 hours for an adult, well-mannered dog.

Be sure to leave your baby his toys, the more the better. The kid will be able to have fun and will not feel deprived. A dog that moves freely around the apartment should bump into its toys in every room, this will reduce the desire to chew on the owner's slippers or “turn” the wardrobe.

Note! Not all toys sold in pet stores are safe for pets.

Read also: How and what to feed a husky puppy: menu by age

Rules of conduct for hosts

Yes, yes - you have to educate yourself. If the dog does not stay alone at home, monitor your behavior, perhaps you yourself provoke the pet to "exploits". Leaving and returning home should be calm, without impulses, in order to stroke in the end, without sobs: “How are you doing without me, my little one,” and so on.

Gathered, stroked the pet and went to the exit. Do not scold the baby in advance and do not give instructions: “Don’t gnaw it, don’t go there, don’t do it there ...”. Your pet will not understand the "tirade", but will tense up, understanding from the tone of voice that the owner is already upset.

More difficult, to suppress mutual emotions, the situation is the return home. Some owners rejoice when the puppy jumps, squeals, climbs into his arms. Fast forward a second to the future, imagine a stronger dog that rips off the paneling from the door, hearing the jingle of keys, and then jumps into your arms, sweeping away everything in its path. The dog loves you - this is undeniable, but such a strong emotion can be destructive. Teach your dog endurance, your arrival is a common thing, and slippers or a leash brought to the threshold are a true manifestation of love and respect.

Important! A common mistake is “debriefing” upon arrival home. Oh, you are a bad dog, why did you break your slippers, who tore off the wallpaper, who touched the trash can, oh, you are shameless ... and so on all points of “destruction”. Remember, you are an adult, a dog is a child - if you didn’t hide your slippers, then it’s on your conscience! Such behavior "hints" to the dog that the arrival of the owner is a catastrophe, and not a joyful event.

Fear of loneliness, or, in other words, fear of parting, is the fear or unwillingness of a dog to be alone, which is the cause of unacceptable behavior from a human point of view. Fear of being alone is the most common behavioral disorder in dogs.

As with most social animals, that is, animals that prefer to live and interact in a group, it is perfectly normal for a puppy to develop attachment to its mother and littermates. From the moment a puppy is taken from the litter, it gradually becomes attached to its owner. Attachment is built on trust in the owner and becomes a solid foundation for a normal, healthy relationship between a person and a dog. However, if an animal becomes overly dependent on humans, various behavioral disorders can result, including a fear of being alone.

What causes fear?

Fear of being alone is more likely to occur in dogs with a certain predisposition to addiction. But traumatic experiences in a dog's early childhood and adolescence can greatly increase the likelihood of developing a very strong attachment to a person. Among such experiences are the separation of the puppy from the female too early, and the deprivation of the opportunity to develop a normal attachment to the mother (if the puppy lived in a shelter or pet store in early childhood), and a sudden change in the environment (a new home), and a change in the lifestyle of the owner (to change of job), which led to the sudden loss of constant contact between the owner and the puppy. No less traumatic experiences are the long absence of one of the owners, for example, as a result of a divorce, the departure of children or the death of one of the relatives, and the appearance of a new family member, for example, a child, or a new animal.

Options for deviant behavior

Each dog suffering from the fear of being alone reacts differently to it. Some may have only one variant of unacceptable behavior, while the other may have several at once. Many dogs sense when their owner has to leave the house and become anxious long before the owner leaves. The dog may follow the owner, whine, tremble, or even show aggression when the owner tries to leave the house. But the peak of the fear of loneliness falls on the first 30 minutes after the owner left: at this moment the dog produces the maximum amount of "destruction". Quite often, the dog scratches and tries to open the door or window in the hope of getting out and following the owner. Realizing the futility of their efforts, the dog may switch to chewing on various objects, such as slippers or a roll of toilet paper.

Some dogs in this situation pee and poop in the wrong places, for example, in front of the door or on the bed. Others may howl and whine for quite some time, or become depressed and refuse food and water until the owner returns. This is especially unpleasant if the owner leaves for a long time. In rare cases, the dog develops diarrhea, vomiting, or the desire for self-mutilation, expressed in biting the limbs or licking certain parts of the body. Very emotional dogs can get very excited when the owner returns, and such a greeting ritual can last a very long time.

Therapy

Most of the treatments recommended by dog ​​handlers for behavioral disorders in dogs come down to punishment and the development of general obedience. These methods target a specific problem and leave aside the cause of the behavior. Ultimately, since the animal is looking for an outlet for its fear, it can easily replace one version of deviant behavior with another, and the problem will reappear after a while. On top of that, punishment can be counterproductive and will only increase the dog's fear of each separation, and therefore it cannot be recommended as an acceptable way to deal with the fear of being alone.

At the moment, one of the most effective ways to overcome this fear is to gradually accustom dogs to the absence of the owner. This method involves the repeated departure of the owner from the house for a very short time. Since fear is most pronounced in the first moments of the owner's absence, the dog must first be left alone for literally a few minutes, if not seconds, so that the owner can return before the symptoms of fear appear. Before moving on to the next step and increasing the duration of the absence, the owner must be completely sure that the dog is no longer stressed. He should carefully monitor the condition of the dog and not express great joy towards the dog after coming home.

After the owner has been able to increase the time of his absence up to 30 minutes in small steps, then he can move more confidently and significantly increase this interval. In principle, if a dog can calmly sit alone for 1.5 hours, then it will be able to remain alone for the whole day.

In no case should you strongly focus the dog's attention on the departure and arrival of the owner, that is, do not show any anxiety, on the joy of meeting. This can lead to unnecessary excitation of the animal and greatly complicate the solution of the problem. Everything should be as normal as possible. Do not pay special attention to the dog either when leaving or when meeting. Increased attention to the dog at such moments can lead to an increase in fear, and not to calm it, as many owners mistakenly believe.

When absent for short periods of time, a person can train the dog to certain signals that will tell her that the owner will return soon. It could be a TV or radio on, or a tasty chewy bone left behind. It is important that these signals are not yet associated with fear in the dog, that is, if the owner has already left the background music at the moment when the dog was under severe stress, then turning on the music center can, on the contrary, increase the anxiety of the animal.

Anti-stress drugs sometimes help to cope with fear. They can be used in cases of severe conduct disorder or when the owner needs to leave the dog alone for a long time at the time of behavioral therapy. Sedatives help a dog to endure a long separation from the owner without much fear, but they do not completely solve the problem and should only be used in conjunction with behavioral therapy. For questions about the appointment and use of sedatives, you should always consult with your veterinarian.

In some cases, the owner needs to take certain steps to loosen the dog's excessive attachment to his person. This can be achieved by ignoring the dog for extended periods of time, sometimes up to 3 weeks. This will not weaken the bond between the owner and the dog, but it will help to reduce the level of extreme dependence of the animal on the person and allow the dog to be more comfortable with the absence of the owner. For most people, this is quite a difficult task, but one must always remember that the result of such actions will be a normal, healthy dog ​​without behavioral problems.

Problem Prevention

When a puppy or older dog enters the home, steps must be taken to prevent the development of excessive affection. The dog must gradually learn to stay at home alone, and just in the case of a small puppy, punishment can help. The absence of a constant following of the owner and a calm behavior at the moment when the owner leaves the house for a short time are the first steps on a long journey of raising a healthy, normally developed dog.

Summary

If you realize that your dog is exhibiting any of the symptoms of fear of being alone, you must immediately take action to alleviate the suffering of the animal. Unfortunately, this is not a problem that can eventually resolve itself. It is important to clearly understand that the dog is not doing this to spite you and not because he is so bad, no matter how much you would like to think so. Your dog is suffering from a disorder that needs to be treated. If you are willing to invest considerable time and effort into solving this problem and actually love your dog, then the prognosis may be the most optimistic. The sooner you get down to business, the easier it will be to overcome this situation.

Translation © 2008-2010 KSS. Source www.usask.ca.

After all, when everyone is at home, she is just a good boy! She gets dirty in the apartment and spoils the doors. Is this her revenge for being left alone at home, or is she missing something? How to teach her to stay at home alone? The behavior of dogs in the absence of owners in the apartment is often destructive - howling, barking, damaged furniture and walls - all this upsets us, no matter how much we love our pet.

Do you remember the moment when an affectionate baby just appeared in your house? You took a week off from work to fully devote yourself to a new family member, from the first minutes of his appearance, the puppy was treated kindly and kissed, followed you around the apartment (however, as now), and he sleeps next to the bed or on it. Then you made a big mistake.

The basic habits of puppies are formed at the age of one to 3 months.

You didn't teach your puppy to be alone and now that he has grown up, every time you leave is a huge stress for him. No, your dog is not taking revenge on you, he is simply desperate for his loneliness. For an animal, chewing is a kind of sedative, like chewing gum or cigarettes for people. And any punishment for damaged things in this case is ineffective. Dogs have a short memory, and when you punish your dog for eating a shoe a few hours ago, he will not understand this. For him, the punishment will be associated only with your return. And next time, the stress will be even more - not only is she left alone, she will also be punished upon the return of the owner.

The tips below will help teach your dog to stay at home alone.

Take your dog for a good walk before leaving home. Get active with her. A tired dog has less energy for destructive activities. The session should last at least 20-30 minutes.

When you leave, do not make violent farewell scenes, and when you come home, do not communicate with the dog until he has calmed down.

The next very important point in accustoming to loneliness is to confuse the pet and not let him know that you are leaving. Dogs are very smart and observant, and our sharpeis are especially, and you probably noticed that they get nervous as soon as you start to pack up. Your task is to confuse the dog and change your behavior in such a way that it would be almost impossible to understand that you are leaving the house. For example, a dog reacts to your dressing up. Change your clothes several times during the day, but stay at home. Does the dog get excited when you take the keys? Take them during the day several times and sit down to watch TV. And so on. Analyze your behavior and make your departure unpredictable.

By the way, if the dog has become nervous and shows signs of anxiety, in no case should you try to calm him down. All your dog will understand is your restless tone and this will only reinforce his confidence that everything will be bad soon. You should speak in a calm, cheerful tone, without excessive emotionality. A pet can be gently patted or stroked on the chest. It is on the chest, and not on the tummy, tail and other erogenous zones of the dog, stimulating which you only increase the tension, while your task is to relax the dog.

Use the soothing "I'll be right back" line only when you're sure you'll be back in exactly the amount of time your dog can tolerate. To do this, leave the house more often and return after a short period of time. You will accustom the animal to the fact that you can return at any time, and the severity of the experience will subside.

If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, ask one of them to visit your bored friend regularly.

Sometimes, namely in cases where the dog is not obsessed with the owner, but is simply afraid to be alone, the appearance of a second animal in the house helps a lot. The neighbor's Doberman, whose owner likes to "walk" at night, did not let the entire entrance to sleep with his howl. The problem of howling was solved instantly, as soon as a cat was brought into his comrades. However, if you decide to get a second pet, it's ideal to "borrow" it from a friend for a few days to see if it helps your dog.

The next tip for calming an anxious dog is to use fumigators that release pheromones for dogs. In large pet stores (in Moscow, for example, in the Beethoven network), D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone Pheromone for dogs (diffuser + bottle). This fumigator releases pheromones that mimic the mammary pheromone of lactating bitches. These pheromones have a calming effect on animals, making them feel safe.

If, despite your efforts, it is not possible to solve the problem with natural methods, you can resort to the help of medicines. They will be discussed in the next article.

A few recipes for the Kong toy:

1. Ingredients: 1 egg, some vegetables, any low-fat cheese.
Whisk the egg. Put the vegetables in the kong, pour over the egg and add the cheese pieces. 20 sec. In the microwave and you're done. Refrigerate before use.

2. Ingredients: Low-fat fish fillet, a couple of tablespoons of regular yogurt without additives, a little grated carrot. Stuff this Kong and freeze. And tasty and healthy.

3. The easiest option: mix the food that you usually feed your dog with processed cheese, the cheese will stick the pieces of food together like cement.

When you get an animal, you must understand that it depends on you one hundred percent. Dogs are incredibly attached to their owners and do not like to be left alone at home, even for a short time. But sooner or later, every owner has an acute question: how to teach a dog to stay alone at home.

Features of raising a pet with a full-time owner

To accustom a dog to loneliness should be gradual. It is best to adopt a pet while on vacation. So he will have time to get used to a new home and a new friend, he will not miss his former owners and feel abandoned and useless. The dog needs to know that you walk with it at certain hours and feed it also on schedule. So she will wait for a certain time for her basic needs, and in this matter you will be completely calm.

The first couple of times the dog should be left at home alone for a short period of time, for example going to the store without him. The more such trips there are, the easier the pet will get used to the fact that he can stay at home alone, and you will return to him after a certain time. Once your dog gets used to being home alone for up to an hour, you should start going out for longer periods of time. But you should make sure that the pet has something to play with while you are away. It can be various toys, balls and so on. You should leave your item of clothing in a conspicuous place.

Rules for the safety of the animal and personal belongings

Your pet's safety should be your number one priority. In no case do not leave knives and fragile utensils within the reach of the dog. She can simply drop the mug and thereby cause great harm to her delicate paws, cutting herself on sharp fragments. You should also remove household and other chemicals. Dogs have a need to sharpen their teeth, and plastic containers of various chemicals can be ideal, according to the pet, option. Care should be taken that the animal can use something as a toilet. An excellent option for small puppies is a regular cat litter box. Care should be taken in advance that the dog understands for what purpose it is worth and how to use it. Access to it must be absolutely free.

It is also better to take care of the safety of your own things in advance. Make sure all your clothes are in the closets so that the animal cannot open them. It is better to remove fragile equipment higher so that the pet does not break it by accident. When you first try to leave the dog alone at home, you should have the perfect order and maximum security of things and utensils in the cabinets in order to avoid injury to the animal and damage to things that are dear to you.