Starting Out - Distance
You can then teach your dog or puppy to cope with very small absences – even just 1-2 steps away from them is enough for some puppies.
Make sure your puppy has a food toy or chew to keep them occupied, and is nice and relaxed.
Gradually increase the distance you move away from them, provided they are still relaxed. You should only move out of sight of your puppy if they remain relaxed and/or engaged with their chew or toy, and only for seconds at a time.
Starting out - Duration
The next part to work on is the time you are away from your puppy. This should also be done gradually, but not at the same time as the distance work! Think seconds rather than minutes at this early stage.
Giving long lasting chews or interesting filled food toys/puzzles can help to keep your puppy occupied.
Monitoring
Once you have built up to being out of sight from your puppy, you can check how they are travelling with dog monitoring programs, apps and just by recording using your iPad or phone.
If your puppy is distressed, return immediately and go back to shorter and closer absences.
You will be surprised how doing these simple exercises can help set your puppy up for success later in life and help them to be relaxed when left alone.
There are more steps to take after these initial exercises, but this will give you a good start.
Putting all this together can be a bit daunting, so please contact us to help you formulate a plan specific to your puppy.
