Home Alone.pdf

H O M E

A L O N E

Your new puppydog needs lots of attention

(companionship, education, and play), but also to be

taught how to entertain himself appropriately and how to

thoroughly enjoy his time when left at home alone.

Otherwise, a social vacuum can be a very lonely place.

Puppies and dogs predictably develop housesoiling,

chewing, digging, and barking problems if allowed too

much freedom and too little supervision and guidance

during their first few weeks at home. Puppies and newly

adopted dogs may become overdependent if allowed

unrestricted access to their owners during the initial time

in their new home. Overdependent dogs often become

anxious when left at home alone, and they attempt to

adapt to the boredom and stress of solitary confinement

by busying themselves with doggy activities—chewing,

digging, barking—which soon become owner-absent

behavior problems. What else is there to do? Severely

stressed dogs may work themselves up into a frenzy and

spend the day circling, pacing, and panting.

2004 Ian Dunbar

www.jamesandkenneth.com

A Speciall Pllace

Dogs are den animals, and they value their own special place — a place for peaceful retreat, a

methodical chew, or even a snooze. A doggy den (a collapsible and portable dog crate and dog

bed) is an ideal training tool. Apart from its obvious uses for transporting dogs by car or plane, a

crate may be used for short-term confinement when you cannot supervise your puppydog—to

keep him out of mischief and prevent him from making housesoiling, destructive chewing, and

digging mistakes. In addition, the crate may be used specifically to create good household habits:

to housetrain your puppydog; to establish a hard-to-break chewtoy habit; to reduce excessive

barking; to prevent inappropriate digging; and to foster confidence and calmness.

Right from the outset, when you are home, regularly confine your pup for "little quiet moments"

in his dog crate in order to teach household manners and imbue confidence. Then your dog can

look forward to enjoying a lifetime with the full run of your house, whether you are home or not.

A Speciall Pllace

Teach Your Puppydog to Enjoy His Doggy Den

A dog crate is really no different than a child's crib, playpen, or bedroom. The first item on the

agenda is to teach your puppydog to thoroughly enjoy spending time in his doggy den. Stuff your

puppy's first meal into a hollow chewtoy (see our Chewing blueprint), tie the chewtoy inside the

crate, and leave the door open so the pup may come and go as he pleases. Praise your puppy while

he chews the chewtoy and supervise the puppy if he leaves the crate. Once the pup has settled

down for a quiet chew, you may close the crate door. For your pup's second meal, put the stuffed

chewtoys inside the crate and shut the door with the puppy on the outside. Once your puppy

worries at the crate to get to his dinner, let the puppy enter his crate and close the door behind

Teach Your Puppydog to Enjoy His Doggy Den

Reprinted by www.dogstardailly.com with permission of Dr. Ian Dunbar and James & Kenneth Publlishers

behavior bllueprint by Dr. Ian Dunbar

him. From now on, always give your puppy a stuffed chewtoy when confining him to his crate.

Your pup will soon learn that confinement is for a short time—and an enjoyable time.

Teach Your Dog to Teach Hersellf

When at home, always confine your puppydog with a variety of hollow chewtoys stuffed with kibble

and treats. Confining a dog to a crate with an attractive chewtoy is like confining a child to an empty

room with a video game. This is called autoshaping. All you have to do is set up the situation, and

your dog will automatically train herself. Each treat extricated from the chewtoy progressively

reinforces chewing chewtoys and settling down calmly and quietly. Your dog will soon become

hooked on her chewtoy-habit, leaving very little time for inappropriate chewing, digging, or barking.

And if your puppydog is happily preoccupied chewing her chewtoy, she will fret less.

Teach Your Dog to Teach Hersellf

Housetraining

A dog crate may be used to predict when your puppy needs to relieve herself. Regular, but short-

term (one hour or less) confinement inhibits your puppy from eliminating. This means that she will

want to eliminate immediately when released each hour and taken to her toilet area, where she is

handsomely rewarded with tasty training treats. However, never confine your unhousetrained

puppy to her crate for longer than an hour, or when you are away from home; otherwise, the poor

pup may be forced to soil her bedroom. As a temporary necessity until your puppy is housetrained,

leave her in a special long-term confinement area. (See our Housetraining blueprint.)

Housetraining

Home-Allone Dogs Need An Occupation

Preparing dogs for inevitable periods of solitary confinement—and specifically teaching them

how to occupy their time when left at home alone—is the most pressing humane consideration for

any new puppydog in any household. Every dog requires some form of enjoyable occupational

therapy. Vocational chewtoy chewing is the easiest and most enjoyable solution.

Dogs are crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk), and so it is pretty easy to teach them how

to calmly pass the time of day. During your puppydog's first few days and weeks at home,

regularly confine him to a crate with stuffed chewtoys. Prepare the pup for your absence when

you are present. When at home, it is possible to monitor your pup's behavior when confined for

numerous short periods throughout the day. Your puppydog's first impressions of an established

daily routine create an acceptable and enjoyable status quo for years to come. Remember, once

your puppydog is confident, independent, and trained, he may enjoy free range of your house and

garden for the rest of his life.

If you require a more detailed description, read our Home Alone booklet and AFTER You Get

Your Puppy. To teach your dog to be calmer and bark less, you will need a dog crate, a number of

hollow chewtoys, and some freeze-dried liver treats. All of these products are available from your

local pet store, or on-line from www.dogwise.com.

Home-Allone Dogs Need An Occupation

www.jamesandkenneth.com

New Puppy, New Adult Dog, Housetraining, Chewing,

Digging, Barking, Home Alone, Puppy Biting,

Fighting, Fear of People, Dogs & Children,

HyperDog, Puppy Training, Come-Sit-Down-Stay,

Walking On Leash, and Cat Manners.

courtesy of

J AMES & K ENNETH

PUBLISHERS

1-800-784-5531

www.jamesandkenneth.com

You have the author’s and publisher’s permission to

duplicate and distribute this behavior blueprint

BEHAVIOR BLUEPRINTS from

2004 Ian Dunbar

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