: At Home

How do we accustom our puppy to being left alone?

Rather than make a fuss as you leave and an even bigger fuss when you return, treat it all as a matter of course. There is no need to say goodbye and make a scene. Simply leave quietly and return the same way. It is a good idea to practise this periodically even when you are not going out. "Leave" for short periods and return a number of times a day. This way the pup will come to realize that this is nothing to become anxious about.

Make your pup sit to be greeted and rewarded with a treat or game. Our aim is always to immediately reward desirable behaviour and ignore undesirable behaviour.

Remember that to your puppy any attention is positive, so do not even "reward" undesirable behaviour with loud words and growling. If the wrong behaviour occurs simply ignore it and look the other way. As soon as the pup stops jumping, sits or even just stands still and looks at you in a confused manner, reward this with some quiet encouragement and attention.

Do leave your puppy plenty of things to play with when you go out such as stuffed Kongs, treat balls and a permitted digging area. Then he or she can do all the usual puppy things and not get into trouble.