[Episode 18]

Do’s and Don’ts When Leaving Your Puppy Home Alone  

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Leaving your puppy home alone is a must. Many dogs and puppies need your help to be comfortable being home alone. Listen to this episode of The Naughty Dog Podcast or read below for some great tips.

Don’t leave your dog in a crate for more than six hours at a time. A crate is a great place for your dog to sleep at night. So if he’s sleeping in the crate for eight or nine hours, that’s fine. But when you leave the house, you don’t want to leave your dog in the crate for more than six hours.

Do leave your dog or puppy in a safe place. I would recommend that you confine your dog using an X-pen or an exercise pen for young or dogs that are less than 16 months old. An exercise pen is similar to a playpen for babies. You can also leave your puppy in a laundry room or kitchen behind a baby gate.

Do leave brain games or interactive toys for your dog. If it’s safe, you can leave toys, a dog, bed, and brain games for your dog or puppy and their confined area when they’re home alone. Make sure if you leave anything with your dog, that you’ve supervised him first so you know that he won’t swallow pieces of the toy. 

Don’t expect your dog to hold his bladder all day long. This is a big one. Small dogs have a smaller bladder than big dogs, so they can’t hold their bladder as long as big dogs. And you might be wondering, well, how long can my dog hold his bladder? Well, each dog’s an individual, each dog is different so test this out and see. 

Do walk your dog for 20 to 30 minutes before leaving him home alone. So remember some dogs can’t hold their bladder. Having a dog is a responsibility that you signed up for. Part of that responsibility means that you might have to get up earlier to take your dog on a 20 to 30 minute walk.

Do hire a qualified dog walker. What do I mean by a qualified dog walker? You need to ask the dog walker if they will be using any equipment when they’re walking your dog. Some dog walkers will use a prong collar, choke chains, and shock collars. You need to ask first. Do not use a dog walker that will use those harmful collars on your dog. 

Don’t wait until your puppy is six months old before leaving him home alone. There is no set age on when you should leave your puppy home alone. Start confinement training with your dog the day you bring him home. The Dog Academy has a lesson called Home Alone / Independence Training to help your dog learn to be calm when he’s in his confined area. 

Don’t let your dog cry it out in his confined area. Use the lesson in The Dog Academy to teach your puppy to relax when home alone. 

Separation. Anxiety is when your dog is having a full-blown panic attack. It’s very stressful and difficult to watch your dog panic when he’s home alone. Some barking or fussing without training is not separation anxiety. I discuss the two types of separation anxiety in this episode. 

If your dog isn’t comfortable at home alone, then your first step is always training, training, training, and a positive reinforcement training program. The Dog Academy is a perfect place for you to start and it’s convenient and affordable. 

Where do you leave your dog when he’s home alone?