Raising a puppy by myself

[goose0612]

@melouise There's a lot of helpful advice on here around schedules and forced naps and crate training. The only other thing I would suggest is look at what toys you have in the crate. E.g. my 6mo cockapoo has a catapillar which she settles down and chews, she also has an octopus which she shakes and throws around. I give her the relaxing toys in the crate and the stimulating toys out the crate. I also put some food into a Kong for her to lick. She's quite happy to stay in her crate for up to 4 hours during the day when needed and will stay in for 8 hours overnight.
Good luck!

 

[dig4truth]

@melouise crate train. my pup hated being left alone but once he got used to his crate, i could leave him alone for hours

 

[heavensdaughter]

@melouise It gets so much better. My pup is 16 weeks now & she’s learned how to settle on her own when I’m cooking or cleaning. That was not possible 5 weeks ago, I had to have her tied to my waist to not lose sight of her.

 

[oooollliiivvvviiiiaaaa]

@melouise You can do it!!!! I did it with my shihtzu....yes a little different as he's much smaller. But the principle was the same. He barked and whines and whimpered. I did a LOT of leaving and coming back.....VERY short periods of time. Gradually left for more time. It took about a week to get up to an hour and then went faster. Now he's home for the whole work day with a walker who comes midday when I do have to go in and he's totally ok!! Sleeps and plays on his own at home and free roams ( took a year to let him free roam).
You will feel bad but it's totally OK to leave them. They learn you will be back and they love happy and fulfilled lives as long as you walk, play and feed them!! Promise. And your life will be MUCH better too!!

Strongly recommend a schedule so they know what to expect, forced naps are excellent. We did it for nine months or so...and then he learned to self regulate.

Can consider a walker or pet sitter for a few hours...or friends/ family if they're willing to relieve you for the early weeks.

Would strongly recommend starting soon and slowly going up in time leaving him. Every day counts!! You got this!

 

[melouise]

@oooollliiivvvviiiiaaaa What did you do for force naps and get him to stay in cage without barking?

 

[blessed2585]

@melouise Our puppy will not settle in her crate unless we cover her crate entirely with a blanket, turn off the lights and put on white noise on our Google home. We also made sure her crate got bigger with her as she grew so it felt cosy.

 

[mrmagic44]

@melouise If you don't want separation anxiety leave him more not less.

 

[ashira01]

@melouise He's still such a little baby!

Try building up his separation / crate time slowly.

e.g. put him in a room, close the door for a second or two then come back in. Then increase it to 5 seconds and see how he goes. Then 10, 15, etc. You're trying to help him understand that when you leave you will come back. Do this a few times a day and slowly build up.

When he's in his crate/pen, don't let him out when he is barking. It just created a pattern of demand barking. I used to wait until he stopped parking for 5 seconds and then come get him, and slowly increase it.

Also, during the day if I had to duck out for a bit I left him in his pen with a long chew - means you can leave them for a bit longer as they can stretch and play. And used the crate only for dedicated nap time.

 

[neld1]

@melouise Single person here who raised a puppy (my dog will be three in April). I feel your concern. Teaching a dog to be at home alone without stressing is a lengthy process which also is not linear. How well your dog takes to it is partly breed specific but also down to the dog‘s individual character.
Start very slowly now desensitising your puppy not being around you all the time whilst you are at home. Do you have a friend or family member close by or even a neighbour that can support you initially, i.e. someone staying with the puppy whilst you are running errands. You can then slowly practice being alone without stressing having to leave your puppy for length of time it is not used to. This is something that really helped me and I wish i had brought in my friend as support sooner.
I found it challenging finding the time to practice leaving mine alone with working from home. I took work calls in the garden or car and set reminders to leave the house.

 

[tina33]

@melouise I got a labrador puppy at the end of last year when he was 8 weeks old (He is now 20 weeks) and work from home. The first 3 weeks were the hardest but it definitely gets easier. This is what really helped me:

• sleep schedule - I follow a schedule of 1 hour playtime, 2 hour nap when he was 8-12 week, and 8-10hr sleep at night. Puppies need so much sleep but they don't know they need it. My pup got super bity when he was tired and I became the chew toy. I do have to work around the schedule to fit in my committements but it does seem to work alright. I also put on some doggy heartbeat sound or white noise. I heard there is a toy called snuggle puppy that has a heartbeat vibration which some puppies love? I personally haven't tried it so can't comment on how useful it is but seen good reviews from this sub.
• Play pen - this was a game changer. When I cannot keep my eyes on him (say working or cooking), I let him hangout in the playpen during his awake hours and he can do his own thing, but he can still see me just not within reach. I got a baby playpen/gate and put the crate inside it and lined the area with vinyl for easy clean up. It becomes his own hangout area so I get to free myself or need alone time (he is not allow to free roam the house yet). But I always put the pup in the crate when he needs to sleep. One thing the trainer said was puppies needs to learn to be on their own to avoid separation anxiety, but the key is do this very slowly and gradually increase the duration to build up the confidence that being alone is ok. I am still using the playpen now.
• Crate training - I always put him into his crate to sleep, and also cover the crate with a light bedsheets with a bit of overhang on the sides. It helped a lot when I have to leave the house or when I had to be out of his sight for more than half an hour (build up the duration). Make it a game to go into the crate and reward HEAVILY, and also feed him inside the crate. Whenever I wake up the puppy from nap time or put him into the crate, I give him a couple of kibbles through the crate door and give praises. Also setup a camera looking into the crate so you know what he is up to when not around the house.

Treasure the puppy moments! They grow up too quickly!

 

[pgc]

@melouise Start with short trips away then increase the time. Give him a treat and soft music

 

[susiequeii]

@melouise I have a new rescue dog. She is a little older than yours, but she is adjusting and is afraid when left alone. Your little guy hasn’t been away from his doggy mom or siblings that long, so he is a baby still adjusting. You’re everything to him and his only safety and love now. It sounds like you’re doing a really good job with him.
Please know that it will get much easier! Short separations are best for now and then he will learn that you do come back for him and he’s safe. Just for now do short errands. Give him something that he only gets when you put him in the crate for your errands/ appointments. I give my pup a kong toy filled with dog peanut butter when I leave and that keeps her busy for awhile then she naps. She still cries/ barks when she hears me return. Give him different toys to help occupy him when you’re working. Then see him on breaks. He’ll learn to occupy himself a little and still have the comfort of seeing you. Have you read the 333 adopt a dog rule. It explains their adjustment period. You may want to do a puppy training class at some point. Hang in there! It will get easier!!! Thank you for giving him a home

 

[dheeraj]

@melouise As others have said, just start out slowly and build up. I work from home and was really worried about my guy getting separation anxiety. We let him settle in for a couple of weeks, then started out just leaving him for small periods every day (10 or 15 minutes) then at weekends, we would go to the pub round the corner and be out for an hour. The longest we've left him for now is about 3 hours.
I leave him in another room whilst I work too. Just pop in every 90 mins or so to give him a fuss and let him out to pee. I play with him at lunchtime then go back to work. We got a pet camera a few weeks ago which has really helped. I put it on while I'm working so I can see what he's up to, most of the time he just sleeps.
You could try giving him a lick pad or a frozen kong or something before you leave as well as this will help relax and distract him.

 

[samtheman]

@melouise As a single puppy owner myself (my pup is 8 months now, I've had her since she was 8 weeks) here's my advice:

1. Prepare to offer a lot of patience. It's almost a rite of passage that dog owners should expect a few things around the house to get chewed up or torn up. They're curious, so biting/gnawing is one of the ways they explore! Dogs will respond much better to positive reinforcement so don't lose your temper with your baby like I've seen so many other dog owners do before.
2. Potty accidents WILL happen. Have those pee pads prepared and try and take your pup to pee outside/take bathroom breaks at the same times each day. Repetition will become routine and soon they'll learn which times are for potty and which times are for play.
3. KEEP YOUR PLACE CLEAN AND CLEAR! I've made the mistake of what my puppy could reach. Puppy-proof your place like you would a toddler. Apart from grazing the floor, my dog's evolved to jumping onto chairs to get onto my counter/desk/whatever flat surface to reach things. So far she's eaten parts of a wooden spoon, a pencil, my APPLE PENCIL, her leash, lint, zippers, tags on toys, more zippers, tissues...the list goes on. Your lack of vet bills later on will thank you.
4. Speaking of the vet, note down 24/7 vets in your area as well as a normal clinic. You're going to become pretty familiar with your vet the first few weeks as your puppy completes their first round of vaccinations.

And good luck! Congrats on your new furbaby and may you guys have many adventures together!!!

 

[heatherbliss]

@melouise I’m in the same boat with raising a puppy by myself. I have a 15 week old GSD puppy who I’ve had since she was 8 weeks old who loves her kennel.

Somethings I’ve done to help with the kennel

• Her kennel is never used as punishment. Puppies are extremely curious so if she destroys something or uses the bathroom in the house that’s ultimately my fault because I wasn’t paying enough attention or ignored her queues.

-Also, a lot of owners only use the kennel when they leave the house. She goes in the kennel after every meal for at least an hour. At first they might wine a bit but the more you feed into that the more they learn if they wine that means they get attention.

• I’m very big on training so every treat or meal she gets outside of her kennel she works for it. Sometimes that’s a training session other times it’s puzzle games. Her kennel is like a toy box where it’s “easy” treats for her. I have a rotation of toys she only gets when she goes into her crate such as Kong’s, treat dispensers like the balls, guru or orbee. Currently she beats me to her kennel and waits for me if she sees I’ve got one of her kennel toys out.
• the biggest thing I’ve found is teaching her to do “nothing” or be bored. I’m not going to constantly entertain her or expect my other dogs to do it. We constantly go places where I just wait for her to settle and reward. Giving her a safe space where you can see her with toys for her to play with for her to learn to entertain herself.

 

[melouise]

@heatherbliss I’m working on him staying in his kennel until he settles down for a nap and not giving into his whining or cries I hope it works. That’s what a friend did

 

[christianlinguist]

@melouise I hope this will give you some perspective as I was in the same situation a few weeks ago. I got my pup at 9 weeks and wasn't even able to shower without someone being there as she would be in a full blown panic over being alone. I would also sleep on a matress next to her because otherwise no sleep for both of us. We started training being alone immediately with me leaving for 3 seconds and coming back and rewarding her for being a good girl and being quiet. When I needed to be gone for longer than the amount she was comfortable with I would tire her out completely and when she was asleep with music on sneak out of the room to shower as quickly as possible (for example) and always have a camera on her so I could check if she was doing okay. Over time the 3 seconds became a minute, 10 minutes and just overall being okay. She is now 16 week and I can leave for however long she can hold her pee but I keep it at 3 hours just to be sure. If I leave for more than 10 minutes she will go in her crate to make sure she won't get herself in trouble. Moral of the story, it feels terrible at first and you really want to give up at times because of the what have I done thought but with training you can make things happen fairly quickly. You won't be stuck at home forever, but the first few weeks are extremely rough.

 

[jzzart]

@melouise Breathe, you can do this! It's tough, really tough, but you can do it. Start in small steps, at least that's what helped with my girl who is now 11 months old.

I began by leaving her alone when she was napping in her crate (i don't use a crate anymore). Sometimes I'd have to lay with her until she fell asleep and then sneak out. Next, I'd leave the room while she ate her food, so she'd notice I wasn't there but was too interested in her food.

Then I started with being out of the house for 20 minutes (a big jump!) And gave her a nice treat to chew when I left. She was fine with that so a couple days later I tried 45 minutes. Etc etc. Slowly built up. By 5 months, she was alone for 4-5 hours at a time and free roamed most of the house.

Now at 11 months, I can leave her for however long is needed. I choose to hire a dog sitter to walk her halfway through my workday because I think it's nice for her. I do stick to a routine because if I rush out of the door unexpectedly, she can be quite loud! I tell her 'Im going now, you'll stay here and I'll be home later' and leave the radio on. With this, she's perfect and mainly just sleeps while I'm out.

I hope this helps! I really recommend you leaving the house even when you don't need to so that your pup learns it's ok. Even just pop out for a coffee at some point, gives you some me time.

 

[lovelydove]

@melouise Currently raising a puppy alone and solid crate training + daycare have been essential! I actually crate trained first and made sure she was solid with being in the crate while I was gone before I introduced daycare (this was a gradual process over months), that way she knows how to be comfortable and content home in the crate and daycare is just a socialization bonus and not a bandaid for separation anxiety.

 

[tstor]

@melouise Playpen. I have a roomate but she doesnt like to watch the dog. I still need to do homework, shower, work.

Pet playpen with a waterproof bottom was a game changer. Fill it with toys on roatation and he will get used to it super quick.