# I’m scared to leave puppy alone



## Tom and Louise (Jun 26, 2020)

Hi everyone!

First time posting, but thank you for keeping me sane over the last week! I’ve been scouring this forum for tips and your advice has been invaluable.

My girlfriend and I brought our beautiful Tilly home last weekend. She’s quite a character. I knew it was going to be hard work, but woah!

We’ve taken the last week off work so we can bond with her and have tried to start teaching her to stay on her own in the kitchen, but she cries so loudly every time we do, I am scared she’ll hurt herself or we’re doing some irreparable damage to her.

We have to start working again on Monday, we both work from home, but I am so worried about leaving her alone. It will only be a maximum of an hour at a time, but it still worries me.

We have Kong toys, but even when we leave her with these, she goes crazy whining.

We’ve booked in some one to one training to start in three weeks, but any advice you can offer in the interim would be gratefully received!

Thank you! ☺


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## Skyla-Belle (Jun 14, 2020)

Hiya 
Congratulations on your little lady! 
It's not easy is it... I feel your pain. 

Do you use a crate at all? 

Tc


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## Tom and Louise (Jun 26, 2020)

Skyla-Belle said:


> Hiya
> Congratulations on your little lady!
> It's not easy is it... I feel your pain.
> 
> ...


Hi, thanks for replying! Yes, we have been using a crate. She is fine in there when she sleeps, but if we try and put her in while she’s awake, she cries the house down!

I know everyone says to leave pups when they cry, but she sounds so distressed! We always wait for a couple of quiet seconds then go and let her out.

Maybe we’re too soft... don’t get my started on the panic whenever she picks something up in the garden like a twig!


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## Skyla-Belle (Jun 14, 2020)

Aww well I have to say we are very similar 🤭 
Skyla is 18 weeks now... she also is amazing in her crate at night.. sleeps 930-7 straight through and has done since 10 weeks... but put her in the in the day and as you say.. she cried like madand claws at the door.. 

However! We seem to have cracked it 🤞 
I started with short 10.. then 20.. and so on bursts it wasnt easy to hear her cry but I even sat and cried one day lol!! I then brought a crate cover... and had 3 sides down with the front 3/4 down... and put a worn hoodie on the floor in front of the door this seemed to be the turning point... 
I am also working from home so I now take her for a 9am walk.. then snack and put her in the crate when would be a sleep time, she will now stay in there for 45mins or so before she starts to whine... so I leave her an extra few mins so she doesn't think crying gets her straight out. 

We will be back in work soon so I'm trying to build up to feel comfortable to stay in there when I go to work or out for any reason. 

They all have their own ways and time scales but hopefully it will help 

Tx


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## Tom and Louise (Jun 26, 2020)

Aww, how sweet! Skyla must be clever! I can’t wait for the night Tilly sleeps all the way through!! 💤 😂


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## Skyla-Belle (Jun 14, 2020)

Tom and Louise said:


> Aww, how sweet! Skyla must be clever! I can’t wait for the night Tilly sleeps all the way through!! 💤 😂


I have to say night time I'm very lucky but day times were hard bless her and I was scared by using the crate in the day which she hated would mean she would hate it at night and not sleep.. which put me off. But perseverance paid off even though it was hard going and a real heartbreaker at times. 
Lots of love, praise and cuddles when she comes out also helps 🥰 
I hope it gets easier for you and my tips help


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## Tom and Louise (Jun 26, 2020)

Skyla-Belle said:


> I have to say night time I'm very lucky but day times were hard bless her and I was scared by using the crate in the day which she hated would mean she would hate it at night and not sleep.. which put me off. But perseverance paid off even though it was hard going and a real heartbreaker at times.
> Lots of love, praise and cuddles when she comes out also helps 🥰
> I hope it gets easier for you and my tips help



Thanks so much for the advice! It’s our first day back at work, so we’ll see how it goes.

Annoyingly, she decided last night was the one to start playing up... I’m sure she did it on purpose!


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## Dig (Dec 27, 2018)

It’s really hard getting routines in place, but taking small steps with plenty of rewards will definitely help. Dogs are so skilled at picking up on our feelings so maybe yours picked up on your feelings about starting work, maybe a bit of anxiety which affected her. Someone gave me a tip about singing or humming a lullaby really quietly while you’re putting your pup in the cage. It might not have much direct effect on the pup, but it should have a calming effect on the human which is passed onto the pup. It might not work for everyone, but it worked for us 😀


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## Skyla-Belle (Jun 14, 2020)

Tom and Louise said:


> Thanks so much for the advice! It’s our first day back at work, so we’ll see how it goes.
> 
> Annoyingly, she decided last night was the one to start playing up... I’m sure she did it on purpose!


Oh no bless you.. oh they know I'm sure Haha
Good luck


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## Tom and Louise (Jun 26, 2020)

Dig said:


> It’s really hard getting routines in place, but taking small steps with plenty of rewards will definitely help. Dogs are so skilled at picking up on our feelings so maybe yours picked up on your feelings about starting work, maybe a bit of anxiety which affected her. Someone gave me a tip about singing or humming a lullaby really quietly while you’re putting your pup in the cage. It might not have much direct effect on the pup, but it should have a calming effect on the human which is passed onto the pup. It might not work for everyone, but it worked for us 😀


I think you're right! She seems so much more relaxed when we're relaxed! 

Thank you - I like the tip about singing a lullaby, we'll try it! She's currently sleeping next to me in her playpen, when she wakes up, we'll take her outside for a wee and then try and settle her in the kitchen with a Kong.


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## Tom and Louise (Jun 26, 2020)

We made it through the first week! She’s spent most of the time in her play pen in the office, so she’s with us, but left to play on her own. We then take her out to the garden every hour or so for some playtime.

We tried leaving her in the kitchen on the first couple of days, but she cried so much. Think it’ll just need to be baby steps until she knows she can be on her own.

She’s off for her vaccinations at the vets today, so training her to wear her lead without trying to eat it is going to be the job this week! ☺


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Easy lead training in the garden - attach a light lead and then put a treat on the floor next to puppy, whilst pup is eating the treat step to the end of the lead (no pressure on the lead) and as pup finishes treat call them to you and put another treat on the floor and repeat. As they start to get used to moving on the lead you can start to give them the treats whilst they are walking next to you instead of on the ground


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## Tom and Louise (Jun 26, 2020)

2ndhandgal said:


> Easy lead training in the garden - attach a light lead and then put a treat on the floor next to puppy, whilst pup is eating the treat step to the end of the lead (no pressure on the lead) and as pup finishes treat call them to you and put another treat on the floor and repeat. As they start to get used to moving on the lead you can start to give them the treats whilst they are walking next to you instead of on the ground


Thank you, you make it sound so easy! We tried a similar technique yesterday, but the treats didn’t seem to be as tasty as the lead, which she chose to try and eat instead!


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## Dig (Dec 27, 2018)

Digby was a lead chomper too. We had to up the ante with the treats and found cooked chicken or liver were the only dead certs. He’s now nearly two and still occasionally has a go at the lead, but it’s mostly if he’s anxious and we can distract easily with a treat- we found that training to do something we want it much easier than trying to teach not to do something so we get him to sit and then walk close. All this take time, practice and perseverance. we tend to just use his regular kibble when out for a walk, but would still use chicken for a training session.
Celebrate small achievements- lead on- yay! One step - yay!


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