Learning to be home alone Some dogs are okay without people, but many will suffer from social isolation. Loneliness is not a pleasant experience on a daily basis, but the stress can also accumulate over time and can make your dog ill. Plan ways to teach your dog that he will be home alone at times. Dogs normally do most fussing immediately after being left alone. The average pup will usually only fuss for 5-10 minutes. Try leaving a piece of old worn clothing having your smell, with your dog. This comforts many pups (ensure your clothing is safe such as a t-shirt). When you start to train your puppy to be used to being alone, set up your pup's space as you would if you were leaving for a long period (restricted area, access to water, toilet area, home alone toys etc). Try to perform this ritual a couple times every day: walk out of the room, return within half a minute and let your pup out. (don't do this while the pup is fussing.) Repeat this 6-10 times in a row, varying the length of time randomly from 15 seconds to 2-3 minutes. Each time,return and free your pup, do so without any reward or special behaviour. Make it a calm, regular thing. This will start to desensitise your pup in terms of  immediate reaction to you leaving, and will teach him that you always come back. Jangling keys, and other common sounds/acts that go with leaving can also be rehearsed in this way throughout the day. Try putting on your shoes, going outside, closing the door, and then return immediately or within 30 seconds. Normally, these things only happen when you are actually leaving, so the pup knows they precede loneliness. But by repeating these actions often, and not leaving, the pup no longer identifies them as guarantees that you are going to be gone. These calm arrivals and departures are to try to make separation less dramatic. When you go out, leave without any fuss around the pup. Give a happy, "Good-bye" and just go. The longer the pup is expecting you to go and waiting for you to leave, the more it will fuss. When you come home, once you let the pup out, if he is fussing and whining, ignore him. Disregard the temptation to shower your dog with attention, don't engage until you see your dog has settled. If your dog is still a puppy it is normal to fuss to some degree when you leave and return, so don't set up unrealistic expectations. Leave your pup with plenty of things to do whilst you are away. Refer to the environmental enrichment tips found on this site. Try leaving a radio on or a tape recording of normal house sounds to play whilst you are out.       BACK TO TRAINING TIPS