Four-legged pets become strongly attached to their owners and have a hard time being separated. Despite this, even freelancers have to leave home from time to time. Due to the onset of loneliness, the animal can damage furniture or tire neighbors with loud barking.
It is quite possible to prevent unpleasant consequences if you learn in advance how to leave a puppy or adult dog alone at home. Thanks to the recommendations below, you can not only instill good manners in your pet, but also eliminate disturbing factors that provoke inappropriate behavior.
Signs of anxiety
The owner may suspect something is wrong after certain actions of the dog. Most often, a pet, while staying at home, tries in any way to harm the things around it and gets rowdy. He can chew on the shoes of household members, tear up the sofa, tear up the carpet, and scatter things. At first glance, this seems like a fairly harmless dirty trick, but such behavior often indicates that the dog is uncomfortable being alone.
A dog alone at home can behave calmly while waiting for its owner
In addition, neighbors may notice signs of your pet’s not entirely normal behavior. For example, the owner leaves for work, returning, and hears from a neighbor in the entrance that she is tired of the howling of the dog. You should be concerned if the dog howls, whines, or barks for a long time after the owner leaves, and not just for a couple of minutes. You can also notice this if you leave a surveillance camera and a bug at home.
Note! Such a purchase will not be superfluous if you often have to leave the dog at home, but want to know if everything is okay with it. Such devices are convenient because you can monitor how your dog is doing remotely from a smartphone.
A long sleep after the owner returns home also indicates something is wrong, if nothing like this happened before. Dogs often try to compensate for their stress by taking a long rest. If the dog is completely healthy and was active before he was left alone, then you should worry about his condition.
Eating problems also arise from stress. When a dog could eat a whole bowl, and sometimes asked for more, and then refuses to eat, it may be showing its protest and reluctance to be alone.
What surprise might the owner discover when returning home?
Causes of excitement
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It is impossible to explain exactly why a dog is afraid or worried about being left at home without its owners. But there are some factors that may influence his condition.
- Food and water. Owners can sometimes sin in life by not having time to pour the food into the bowl in a hurry. Then the dog (especially if it is large) simply physically cannot stand being left without food during a normal 8-hour work day. This is a completely normal phenomenon, so you should always check before leaving whether there is enough food and water for the time that the owner will be absent.
- The dog is afraid that the owner will never return. This is a great fear of any pet, especially if it is strongly attached to its owner. The dog may have this feeling if it has never been left at home before. Therefore, it is important to gradually accustom the dog to such a situation and show that in any case the owner will return.
- The dog doesn't know what to do with himself. The younger the dog, the more playful they are, especially during their adolescence (7-8 months). And in order to have somewhere to spend his energy, the dog tries to have fun with his own methods: tearing up the sofa, shoes, making a mess in the room.
- Psychological reasons. This does not apply to all dogs, but to those adopted from a shelter. Taking an animal from there is a good thing, but you can never know exactly what happened to it before that. For example, an animal ended up in a shelter after someone found it locked in a garage or thrown out in a box on the street. In such cases, it is better not to leave the dog alone for the first months after being adopted from the shelter. You need to try with all your might to show that the new owner is happy with the dog and will never leave him in trouble. Then you will be able to make amends for negative experiences from the past.
Active walks
Don’t be lazy, take active walks and communicate with your puppy on walks - this is a good plus for the dog’s overall development, socialization and intelligence; the puppy should also be taught to play with you. Don’t get into the habit of standing in a group with other owners in one place, walk, walk with your pets, keep them busy with something, don’t leave them to their own devices, show people, animals, cars, so that the dog calmly perceives the world around him. Try to accustom and train the dog to see and understand your facial expressions, gestures, intonations, and words. Not right away, but dogs learn all this calmly and even with great joy. The more you show and explain to the puppy how to behave in a given situation, the more obedient and intelligent your pet will grow up. Dogs that receive sufficient physical and emotional stress during active walks move a lot, play together with the owner, usually sleep a lot at home and the time of loneliness passes unnoticed.
Behavior Analysis
Any caring owner will worry when the dog is alone at home.
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You need to learn to distinguish ordinary dirty tricks from serious reasons, otherwise the dog will begin to manipulate the person. To begin with, it is worth excluding all physical factors; if the dog is comfortable in the house, there is food and water, then other reasons for its unpleasant behavior are not so terrible. All negative factors should be excluded, otherwise it will not be possible to tame the dog.
Note! There are some factors that can affect a dog's behavior. For example, a dog may be afraid of sharp sounds; this often happens during renovations at a neighbor’s house. Then this is not just her game, but a really real fear.
Unusual behavior may appear if the dog is not alone in the apartment. For example, if there is another animal at home - a cat or another dog. If they did not get along before, then perhaps in the absence of the owner one animal may mock the other. In such cases, it is better to install a camera to notice such incidents and take action. For example, one of the smaller animals may remain in a cage or enclosure.
Unfortunately, not all pets get along well
Where to leave the animal
If you lock a dog in a street kennel for 4-5 hours, it will have a bad effect on its psyche and health. When it's cold, your dog may freeze and get sick, and her hair will begin to fall out. In the summer heat, the animal will be hot in its house, where sometimes it is impossible to hide from the scorching rays.
In the garden or in the local area, the pet will not be bored even for eight to nine hours. Of course, you will need to remove sharp tools, garden chemicals, or move flower pots to a safe place in advance. A dog can stay in the garden in the cold for no more than two hours.
If you live in an apartment and you do not have the opportunity to leave your pet outside, then you can use it for the animal. The responsibilities of such a dog sitter include walking, feeding and games that will prevent the dog from missing its owner.
What does loneliness mean for a dog?
Despite the fact that the dog appears as if something terrible will happen to it, this is not so. If the owner properly provides for all the needs of the pet during his absence, then the dog will not be in any danger of loneliness. As long as she has water, food, enough space and toys, everything should be fine.
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Problems can arise if the owner forgets about the dog's needs for a long time, leaving it alone. For example, the owner leaves the dog at home all day for 7-8 months and does not devote time to walks. Every pet needs mobility and fresh air. This is especially true for puppies and young dogs, as they have more than enough energy.
Important! If you have to do this, then you need to walk the dog in the morning or do it in the evening.
Psychological problems in dogs appear when the owner, after his arrival, does not show the dog his interest and love for it. If you have to leave her alone for a long time, 7-8 hours, then after arriving you need to play with the pet, make it happy, then the risk of stress in the dog is significantly reduced.
If you have to leave your dog alone, you need to show it your love when you return.
Hire a dogsitter
Taking a walk during the day is more than just exercise for your pup. A good walk helps socialize him with other animals and people and speeds up the house training process. Plus, it will tire your puppy out, making him less likely to chew or engage in other destructive behaviors while he waits for you to come home. If you have kids at home during the summer break, this is a great way to strengthen their bond with your puppy, as well as get them out of the house for a while and engaged in physical activity.
Where to start training your puppy to stay home alone
If this is a one-time need (run to the store for groceries), then preparation is not so important. But if the owner has to leave for a long time every day, and before that he was used to spending most of the day with the dog, then preparation is really necessary. It's better to start it about a week in advance. Owners of very young puppies don't have to worry too much about training their puppies to stay home alone, as in most cases they will sleep most of the day in the first 3-5 months.
To do this, once or twice a day you need to go outside or somewhere else for literally 5-10 minutes. But getting ready should look like the dog will have to be alone for a long time: picking up his keys, a bag with things for work, etc. And then returning after a couple of minutes. If you do this 2 times a day for 5-7 days, the dog will get used to such “irritants”. She will develop a reflex and will have a clear understanding that even if she has to be alone, they will still return to her.
Note! After a week of such training, she will not even react to getting ready for the hallway or the noise of the keys, since she will be calm that she will not be left alone completely, and this is only a temporary need.
Puppies sleep longer than adult dogs
Providing leisure time for your pet
The choice of toy depends on the animal’s personal preferences; the owner himself knows them best. For puppies, dental toys are more suitable to help relieve the pain of teething. Models have appeared on the market not just with benefits for teeth, but filled with goodies, so you can get double the benefits. But you should choose carefully, buying such material that, if eaten, nothing will happen to the dog. After all, each dog has its own strength: one puppy can chew through a toy, and the second can tear it into pieces and eat it. When the owner is not at home, it is much more difficult to control the actions of his pet. So it is better to choose something that cannot harm the animal in any way.
Note! Some toys squeak, which will also appeal to certain dogs.
Puzzle toys can keep your dog occupied for several hours. To do this, she needs to perform certain actions in order to get treats from her by any means. Conveniently, the owner himself changes the contents of such a toy depending on what his pet likes. When a dog does not sit still and has fun, he may forget that he is left alone.
Many dogs also like plush toys. But their filling is not always useful, so before purchasing, you should make sure that the dog will not be allergic or poisoned to the filler.
For your information! For small dogs, you can purchase a mini-house if you have the space for it. These toys are quite expensive, but the dog can climb there all day long, playing with dental toys or plush toys.
Training an adult dog to stay at home
First, you need to provide her with everything she needs - before leaving, fill a bowl with food and water, and place the necessary toys in her favorite corner.
If before this you managed to gradually accustom the dog to being away, then everything should go well. For additional security and your own peace of mind, you can install a surveillance camera that can be used remotely from your phone.
Before leaving for work, it is better to wake up early and walk the dog or do this in the evening after returning.
In some sources you can find information that you need to behave more harshly with a dog or pour cold water from a glass on it when barking. Such methods are strictly contraindicated; any cruelty to a pet will be etched in her memory for the rest of her life. After this, she is unlikely to be able to trust the owner and be on good terms with him.
Note! Cruel methods and any use of force, even screaming, are not suitable for either large or small (Spitz, terrier) breeds of dogs. If the owner behaves this way, then after returning he may find scattered things and torn furniture at home. An angry animal shits because of its owner's behavior.
But excessive kindness is also not the best approach, because otherwise the dog learns to manipulate the owner. It is better to accustom her to discipline using calm methods.
Proper farewell and meeting
Remember - partings and meetings should not be excessively long. The owner - he is always the alpha in a healthy relationship with the dog - must remain firm, confident, and calm. Say goodbye to your pet briefly and firmly, tell him to behave well, promise to return quickly. The meeting should also not be too emotional. You can pet the dog, hug it, even give it some small treat, but nothing more. Yes, the puppy gets bored being alone. And he can only outgrow this with your help.
Mistakes when breaking up
Saying goodbye too long is a major mistake. But the owners can understand in this situation, how can they restrain themselves and not pet the dog for half an hour before leaving, when it whines a lot? Dogs are also actors and can easily detain any owners by playing on pity. But if he has been provided with everything he needs, it is better not to react to this. Indeed, in this case, the dog will understand that such tricks do not work and he needs to be more disciplined.
In general, training is not a difficult process, but both the owner and the pet require patience and discipline. The main thing is to be attentive to the dog’s condition, because sometimes it’s a simulation, and sometimes the dog can really feel unwell. Therefore, if a dog, after being alone, has stress, problems with food and stool, then the owner should try to compensate for the lack of attention.
