Separation Training

Dogs, like people, are a highly social species. What's more, purebred dogs (including purebred mixes, like doodles) have been further selected for affiliation toward humans. In other words, for most dogs, companionship with humans (and/or dogs), is actually a biological imperative. 

Exceptionally few dogs enjoy being alone, though do some find solitude safer due to fear and/or trauma.

From a dog's perspective, we asked them to be part of our world through domestication and added even more pressure through the process of captivity (hey puppy, you live in a house with bipeds now!)... but nevertheless expect them to be naturally cool with solitude. That’s not quite fair to our dogs, especially puppies. Puppies are just babies… it’s biologically appropriate for them to dislike being alone!

From a human's perspective, however, while we may be our dogs' whole lives, our dogs are not ours. Humans need to do human things... things that often don't include our four-legged sidekicks.

Our job, then, is to give them the tools they need to make solitude as stress-free as possible.

Tools Needed

• • Crate, exercise pen, and/or baby gate(s)
  • High-value training treats

Focus

Before we get to the specifics, here are four basic principles to apply to any skill you’d like to teach your puppy:

Set your puppy up for success.
Meet your basic needs and your puppy’s basic needs before you begin training. Make sure both you and your puppy are feeling safe, comfortable, and secure in your surroundings. Work in a place where both of you can focus and at a time of day that works for the two of you. Make sure you have all of the tools you need.

Remember that your dog is a very good dog.
Dogs are an entirely different species from humans, with a different set of social rules, environmental affordances, developmental milestones, and genetic mandates. It is imperative to remember that most human rules are not inherently reinforcing for our canine companions.

Teach your puppy to love the behavior you want to see.
The fastest way to teach a puppy what is acceptable in our human world is to teach them to genuinely love our rules. Help your puppy love goal behaviors by rewarding those behaviors with things your puppy already loves.

Start at the beginning.Start easy, and gradually work through challenging but achievable goals. When training is easy and fun, your puppy will love to learn and to build on their skills.

When to Train

If your puppy is hungry, thirsty, hyper, or needs to pee, do not work on separation training. Only practice separation training when you are sure all of your puppy’s needs have been met, and ideally when they are relaxed and sleepy.

Where to Train

Choose an area of your home that is familiar to your puppy and that has very limited distractions. Use a crate, baby gate, and/or exercise pen to keep your puppy safe and secure.

How to Train Separation

• • Use a process called "systematic desensitization and classical counterconditioning" to incrementally give your puppy more moments of separation as time passes (and as they are comfortable) and pair that separation with something your puppy loves.
  • Give your puppy a high-value, long-lasting chew and leave them alone for ten seconds, with no way to follow you. Examples of high-value, long-lasting chews include pig ears, beef tendons, bully sticks, and food puzzles. 
  • Return to your puppy's area and trade the high-value, long-lasting chew with a high-value, instantly-consumable reward like cheese, a carrot, a bit of hot dog, or anything your puppy thinks is awesome.
  • ACT LIKE THE MOST BORING HUMAN ON THE PLANET FOR A MINUTE OR TWO. Except for your mere presence, give your puppy no reinforcers: no treats, no eye contact, no verbal praise, no petting, no sitting on the ground, no attention, no nothin’.
  • Give your puppy the high-value, long-lasting chew back and leave for a few more seconds than the previous trial.
  • Repeat these steps, adding a few seconds (and then minutes) into the exercise, making the exercise both easily achievable and gradually more difficult.

Remember that teaching your puppy to feel ok about separation is for the moments when you need to leave them at the house alone, and also for the times they are contained at home while you bustle around (getting ready for the day, making dinner, washing the dishes, etc.). Give your puppy low-stakes, low-arousal moments of being alone. Being alone for short periods of time can be just a normal part of cohabiting with humans.