Helping your dog get used to spending time alone

You want to ensure that your Boston Terrier Rescue doesn’t struggle when you leave them home alone. Dogs are social and it’s not unusual for them to feel worried when they are left, especially for the first time. So, you need to teach your pooch how to spend time on their own and ensure they learn to feel relaxed by themselves.

Teaching a dog to cope when home alone should ideally start when they are still a puppy. It’s important to help prevent separation anxiety from developing, so the sooner you can prepare them, the better.

Is your dog already struggling to cope by themselves? Here’s what to do if your dog is showing signs of separation anxiety.

Teach your dog how to be alone

Before leaving your dog home alone, you need to teach them that it is alright and that they will be able to cope on their own. The more you do this before you actually need to leave the house, the easier it will be when you do.

 

Here are a few ways you can do that:

• make sure they have a comfy bed or build them a doggy den.
• teach your dog to settle down calmly, rather than giving them attention when they follow you around
• use baby gates across doorways to introduce time apart
• leave them with a long-lasting treat or toy that releases food
• slowly increase the time you leave them alone while you’re in the house
• start to build up the time you leave the house for
• factor some time apart into your daily routine.

 

 

It’s important to build up time apart very gradually and associate it with something positive, like a long-lasting treat. Monitor how your pup responds, and shorten the time left if they show any signs of anxiety.

 

It’s normal for dogs to want to be with us, but ultimately you want them to learn to enjoy being by themselves and to not follow you around and rely on your attention. That way, they will be able to cope better when you do leave the house and they are alone.

 

Source: Dogs Trust