Getting the first dog in life, a person begins to ask many important questions. And one of them is how to teach a dog to stay at home. This is really important - separation, even temporary, is always hard for the pet, who knows that his beloved master leaves home for a long time, but does not understand what offenses he is so punished for. And improper human behavior can further exacerbate the situation. We’ll try to understand how to act in order to solve this problem.
Signs of concern
Quite often, even an adult dog, not to mention a puppy, noticing that his beloved master is getting dressed, packing up and going to the door, forgetting to grab a pet, falls into a panic. She begins to whine, bark, get confused under her feet, lie down on the doorstep, blocking the path, even grab her teeth by the legs. This is unpleasant and even dangerous - a young dog may well not calculate the strength and injure the owner. And not everyone can withstand the almost crying look of a dog.
However, this is quite natural - it is worth understanding if you want to learn how to train your dog to stay at home. Do not worry, even if at this moment she has certain signs of the disease, like a suddenly dried up and heated nose. This is stress that is easily eliminated by simple training. But first you need to understand - why is the dog so vividly showing his feelings.
Causes of excitement
Everything is surprisingly simple here. The dog, especially the young one, is extremely emotional. Take a look at people - an adult, knowing that loved ones are leaving him, are also worried, experiencing discomfort. But he easily submits his feelings, does not demonstrate them, realizing that nobody wants to be parted, however, this is a necessity. The child shows feelings much more vividly - asks not to leave, cries, begins to indulge.
The situation is the same with the dog. When she grows a little, it will pass.
Another conversation is if the dog is afraid to be alone at home. What to do in such a situation? Unfortunately, the owner himself is almost always to blame for such problems.
On the one hand, it is generally not advisable to start a dog if it is alone for 8-12 hours a day. Imagine yourself in her place. The fate of spending half life alone, not having the opportunity to do what you love, is far from sugar.
Therefore, you need to give your pet an opportunity to spend the time when you spend together, as interesting and intense as possible.
Regular walks
Quite often, a way to teach an adult dog to stay at home alone has to be looked for by people who do not devote enough time to the pet. Because of the busyness, you have to hurry with a dog, spending only a few minutes, and sometimes skipping this most important and favorite activity. Would you like it if at the end of the month you were deprived of a prize without explanation?
Therefore, try to walk the dog at the same time, and for as long as possible. If possible - let the dog run around, play with friends, and not just obediently wander after you on a leash.
Active rest will allow your pet to throw out maximum energy, and, having come home, he will first of all try to eat and fall asleep, and not worry about the fact that the owner has left him for a long time.
And just regular walks without passes allow the dog to be confident in the stability of the established world. Therefore, she will be much more relaxed to react to the fact that after a long walk, the owner leaves her alone at home, and almost immediately after returning, they will again walk together in their favorite park.
Errors in the separation
Another common mistake by which breeders have to rack their brains on how to teach a dog to stay at home is the wrong parting and meeting. Yes, yes, it also plays an important role.
In the morning, the owner leaves for work, a puppy who is poorly oriented in the world, not used to the new state of things, worries, whines mournfully, howls. As a result, the owner (and his heart is not stone, too) has lost his nerves, he begins to worry, say goodbye to his pet for a long time, and almost cry. And the dog is very sensitive to any changes in mood. Therefore, initial stress is further exacerbated by a host disorder. Of course, the puppy does not understand anything from what the owner says, but the general intonation additionally scares him. When a person nevertheless leaves home (to work, study, or for other business), the dog remains in confused feelings.
Returning home, the owner, seeing the joy of the dog, feels himself - and this will add stress and misunderstanding to the pet’s worldview. So the joy of meeting is mixed with uncertainty, even fear.
This situation is repeated day by day. The puppy turns into a dog, but the fact that the separation turns into stress for the couple remains. The owner has to try many methods before he can figure out how to teach the dog to stay at home alone. And this does not always bear fruit.
The right farewell and meeting
Remember - parting and meeting should not be excessively long. The owner - he is always alpha in a healthy relationship with the dog - must remain firm, confident, calm. Say goodbye to your pet briefly and firmly, tell him to behave well, promise to return quickly. The meeting also should not be too emotional. A dog can be stroked, hugged, even given some pet treat, but nothing more. Yes, the puppy is bored of being alone. And he can outgrow it only with your help.
We teach the dog to break up
Now practical advice that will help you figure out what to do - the dog is not left alone at home. This is best suited for puppies.
When a young pet gets used to a new place of residence, smells and surroundings, arrange separation more often. But they should be short. Take out the garbage, check the mailbox, go to the nearest store for bread. Separation lasts only a few minutes, and all this time the puppy is worried. However, the dog will very quickly understand - every time the owner leaves, he will definitely return, and again there will be an opportunity to play, walk, do what he likes.
The main subtlety is to be confident in yourself so that this confidence is transferred to the dog. Parting will cease to be something terrible for her, incomprehensible, therefore, they will be tolerated much easier, without unnecessary complications.
Provide leisure time for your pet
Another reason why the dog does not want to be left alone at home is ordinary boredom. She cannot read books, sit on the Internet, watch TV or go out for a walk. As a result, it is from boredom that she begins to have fun as she can.
As a result, toilet paper rolls, plastic bags, papers and books torn away far enough are torn to shreds. Shoes and any clothes, mobile phones, chargers, remotes and any other items that are in a place where a young puppy can reach are used. And he, believe me, can get almost anywhere.
On the one hand, a pet must be punished. But not too harsh - still partly you yourself are to blame for this mess. In addition, dogs have a short memory, especially puppies. If several hours have passed between the crime and punishment, he may not catch the connection. At the same time, in no case should you take all the blame on yourself - realizing that the violation should not be punished, the dog will become completely uncontrollable. Show the offender a damaged object, shout at it and slap a suitable object (not with your palm or leash, so as not to cause fear of caress and walk) in the ass. He should not be hurt - just an unpleasant sensation. The slap should be accompanied by a shout - sharp, loud and short. The dog must understand that the owner is dissatisfied with his behavior. And any unspoiled puppy or dog really does not like to upset the owner.
To prevent this from happening (or at least not on such a scale), remove all valuable and fragile objects away, leave enough food, water and toys so that your pet has something to do while you are not at home.
Busy evenings and weekends
Finally, often the question of how to teach an adult dog to stay alone at home is asked by owners who do not pay enough attention to the pet. Remember - it is in you and your family that the whole meaning of animal life is concentrated. You are for him alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, almost a god.
Pamper him more often, spend as much time with him as possible. A great choice would be an ordinary walk, a joint evening run (you can ride a bicycle, adapting to the dog's running), a variety of games.
Thanks to such an eventful life, the dog feels loved and it will be much easier to tolerate separation.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. Now you know how to teach your dog to stay at home. At the same time, you learned about the most common mistakes and you can probably easily avoid them.