If they leave him all alone, the two-year-old Cockerpoo will bark and cry until someone returns.
Henry has only lived with them for six weeks, so he will still be in a period of adjustment.
It’s important Henry feels safe.
Henry watches out of the window and barks at passing people and dogs. He has run of the house and either a person or mail coming to the front door alarms him.
This won’t help his confidence when they try to leave him all alone. When left, he needs to be as calm and confident as possible for separation work.
Diagnosis
It’s important to dissect the detail as each and every case is individual and a bit different. What applies to one may not apply to another.
The couple’s comings and goings are a bit unusual. They have two-year-old little boy so one of them is at home all the time.
The lady gets up very early for work and Henry stays upstairs with the man. When she’s at home, the gentleman goes to work and won’t come home until midnight.
All these regular comings and goings of just one of them at a time can be made use of.
Henry is unconcerned when the gentleman leaves. However, he is anxious when the lady goes out if it’s in the daytime. He will wait at the door, maybe whine, then settle and go and check again.
He melts down into a panic when they are both go out together and he’s left all alone.
Making a start
They must try not to leave Henry all alone at all while they work on it. (In emergency the best they can do is to leave from a different door to the one they normally go out of).
Breaking the Velcro connection.
Henry follows them both around. He panics if either of them shuts a door on him. Getting him happy left briefly in a room by himself is the place to start.
- A good game to start with is to call him from room to room for food. For instance, the lady upstairs in a bedroom and the man in the kitchen.
- The gentleman makes being with him when the lady goes out as good as possible, with food or play.
- It’s important to choose the best place to leave him. He will feel safest in the living room, away from the front door and windows. They will gate the room. Going through gate is better than shutting a door on him to begin with.
- He will get used to that gate being shut – not always kept open. (It may be necessary to get him used to the open gate first).
- He will slowly get out of the habit of always freely following them about. When one of them goes out of the room, they can leave Henry behind with the other and shut the gate.
- Each time someone goes through gate, say ‘Stay’ (or whatever word they have chosen for their leaving ritual).
Leaving Henry all alone
Now it’s time to work on leaving Henry behind the gate, all alone, without the company of one of them.
Each thing done randomly many times until it’s no big deal.
- The lady in particular needs to work at this as her departures stress him the most.
- Go to the gate, walk through, take a few steps, come back in. Lots of times.
- Now walk away a little further. Drop food as she leaves. Say ‘Stay’. Shut the gate. Come back in. Over and over.
- Now go to the front door
- Now outside the front door, leaving it open,
Getting ready to shut the front door.
- Environment – as ‘safe’ as possible. Gentle calm music. Maybe a plugin pet Remedy or Adaptyl plugin.
- Build up a ritual. I suggest introducing a visible cue – a bowl, say. Each time before they leave, they place the bowl beside the sofa and then throw a treat on the sofa. He may ignore it to start with. Eventually the bowl will become a signal to jump on the sofa.
- ‘Stay’.
- Slowly increase time away.
- They will use their camera so they return before Henry shows any distress.
From here they can add other cues that signal they are leaving and Henry will be all alone. Things such as picking up keys, changing shoes, dressing the little boy and so on.
About Five weeks later: “…Since doing this, Henry has been able to be left at home without one single bark, moan or howl. It’s really changed our lives……… I can’t believe by changing a few simple things him much he has changed. He’s like a new dog. When I watch him on the camera whilst out, he’s fast asleep and calm….. I just cant believe how good he is. I never thought this would be possible. We want to thank you for all your help and advice. We can finally get back to normal living”.
Are you unable to leave your dog alone happily? To get back to normal living like Henry’s owners click here.
