Page 319 - The Complete Dog Breed Book Choose the Perfect Dog for You, New Edition (DK)

S OCIALIZ A TION 319

Learning to be left alone
Everyone wants to spend a great deal of time with a new
puppy in the first few weeks after his arrival. The general
fuss and attention, combined with socialization, usually
mean that the puppy is never alone for more than a few of
his waking moments. As he gets older and stops receiving
such constant attention, he may become anxious at being
left alone. Part of his socialization should include teaching
him to accept being on his own.
Choose a time when your puppy is ready for sleep. Take
him outside to relieve himself before guiding him to his bed
and calmly leaving the room. Shut the door behind you and
ignore whining and barking until he gives up and falls asleep.
This exercise should be repeated until the puppy has learned
to settle quietly on his own for a few hours.
Puppies should be discouraged from following their
owners around everywhere they go. Make a point of shutting
doors behind you as you move around the house so that
your puppy cannot always come with you. At first, go back
to him quickly and reassure him, so that he knows he has not
been abandoned and that you never stay away for long. He
will soon learn that there is no need to become worried or
nervous at being left alone.
Never scold your dog for something that has happened
in your absence. If you leave your puppy for half an hour
and return to find he has chewed his blanket, do not punish
him. Dogs associate events that occur very close together:
scolding your puppy will teach him to be afraid of you
coming home, not that chewing a blanket is wrong.
GRADUAL SEPARATION
Use a stair gate to help an anxious dog build up to full separation. He
SEPARATION ANXIETY TOP TIPS will be reassured by seeing and hearing you, even if he cannot follow.
When dogs are really worried,
they can work out their anxiety ■ Early on in your puppy’s Anxiety in the older dog
by chewing whatever is nearby, training, get him comfortable
including furniture and other with being alone. Set aside A mature dog that has never been acclimatized to being left
possessions. This is a sign that periods during the day where alone may become extremely anxious on his own. Scratching
your dog is not coping with being you leave him for a short time. at doorways, panting and pacing, howling, and lapses in
left alone for long periods. He will rapidly gain confidence.
toilet training are all signs of a dog that is struggling to cope
with being left alone. The damage caused by an anxious dog
can be expensive to repair, and there is also a danger that
the dog may injure himself.
Deep-rooted separation anxiety can be tricky to overcome.
Some dogs are so anxious that they panic at the mere sight
of their owner picking up the keys. Long-standing cases
may require assistance from a professional behavior
counselor and, in the short term, possibly medication to
calm the dog down enough to concentrate on learning new
lessons. Socialization consists of patiently going back to
basics and, to begin with, getting your dog used to being
left alone for a few seconds at a time. You can then
gradually build up to longer periods of separation.

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