How to Ease Your Dog Into Alone Time Without Stress

Does your dog struggle with separation anxiety every time you leave the house? Certified Dog Trainer Abigail Schulte explains how to ease your dog into alone time and work through separation anxiety with patience, structure, and gradual training.

TRANSCRIPT

Having a pup who suffers from separation anxiety can be stressful for both pet and pet parent. I'm Abby. This is Aula and Harvey. We're here with Kenship to talk about how to work on it so that they can get used to being home alone. Let's jump in. The first thing you need to do is gauge your dog's tolerance so you know where to start. Are they okay with you being halfway down the hall? Can you be in a room in the house with the door closed? Can you even be outside for a few seconds? Keep a stopwatch and track how long they can remain calm without you. For some pups, it may only be a few seconds. Once you have that number, you have your baseline and you can start to work up from there. Once you have their baseline, start doing separation training once or twice a day. Ideally, five or six times a week. Initially, you'll just want to start desensitizing them to actions and sounds they may associate with you leaving the home. For example, pick up your keys and jiggle them without leaving. Put shoes or jackets on and wear them around the house for a bit before taking them off. Open and close the front door without going outside. Once they stop reacting to those things, walk out the door and close it behind you. Listen for any signs of distress. As soon as you hear any barking or whining, go back in. Don't push it. The goal is to show them that they are safe. While you're outside, keep an eye on the clock to see how long your pup can go without you. Ideally, as you practice, you'll be able to go for longer periods. Once your pup does show signs of distress and you come back, give it a few minutes before you try again. If you leave while they're still excited about your previous return, they're likely to have less of a tolerance on your next try, which could end up making the issue worse. Wait until they're calm, cool, and collected, and then try again. One way to speed up the process is to make sure they're getting enough physical and mental stimulation. Both can help decrease stress and anxiety. Plus, if they're tired when you leave, they can spend most of their time alone napping. Overcoming separation anxiety can take some dogs a long time, but progress is progress. Don't be discouraged if things move slowly. If you feel like you're not making much progress, it might be time to recruit a professional trainer. I hope these tips have been helpful in getting you started. Thank you so much for watching. I'll see you next time.