Does your dog struggle with being separated from you? Do they follow you from room to room? Always need to be touching you? Exhibit stress behaviors when you leave the house?

As much as we love the attention we receive from our adoring pups, feeding into the behaviors can cause them more stress and make it difficult for them to function on their own. Instead, we want to foster confidence and independence, so that our dogs can rest in security when we leave the house, knowing they'll be okay while we're away. Here are five ways you can start working on this today:

1. Encourage Exploration
   Confidence is a trait that's often overlooked but greatly impacts how a dog exists in this world. A confident dog is a secure dog. The best way to build confidence is to put dogs in situations where they have to overcome obstacles - literally and figuratively. They need to be exposed to novel stimuli - sights, sounds, smells, textures, etc. They need to experience things that make them a little uncomfortable and then overcome their fears. When you give them freedom to explore, smell everything, investigate strange things in their environment, and coach them through situations that feel a little scary, they get a major boost in their confidence. Just like if you thought you couldn't run a marathon, then you trained hard for one and accomplished your goal, you'd feel on top of the world! Build an obstacle course for your dog using things you have around the house. Take your dog to a new environment that has unfamiliar stimuli and let them explore at their own pace. Sit with them and observe a construction site at a safe distance. Get creative!
2. Create Space
   In order for your dog to feel safe when they're separated from you, they have to practice spending time away from you! Crate training and teaching a place command are two great ways to create space. Throughout the day, have your dog take rest breaks in their crate. Regardless of their age, dogs need plenty of sleep - let them sleep in their crate! Importantly, have them go in their crate while you are home. Often, dogs only are crated when their owner leaves the house and this compounds their stress. They should be comfortable in the crate regardless of whether or not you are at home.
   Using a place command is also a great way to create space, especially for clingy dogs. When you would normally snuggle on the couch together, send them to their place cot and make it worth their time with a long lasting chew or toy. If they are still learning the command, tether them using a leash tied to an immovable object like a large piece of furniture. This will teach them that they can be across the room from you and be just find. Extend the distance and duration to help build independence!
3. Desensitize Cues
   Dogs are smart - they understand that when you pick up your keys, it means you're headed out of the house. For a dog who has a negative association with you leaving the house, cues like putting on your shoes, packing your backpack, opening the garage, etc., can set off a cascade of stress. Desensitize your dog to these cues by performing these acts without actually leaving the house. Put on your shoes, stand around a bit, then take them off and put them away. Grab your keys and jingle them, then go make dinner. Open the garage, leave it open for a few minutes, then close it. Lower your dog's stress at key transition points by desensitizing them to the cues they've come to associate with separation. 
4. Keep Things Mellow
   If you make a big deal out of leaving your dog, and again make a big deal when you come home, your dog will feel that being left alone is a big deal! Instead of dramatic goodbyes and ecstatic greetings, try calmly leaving as if you're just going out to get the mail, and returning home with the same attitude. You don't have to ignore your dog completely (those this may help extinguish over-excited behaviors), but an air of nonchalance will set the tone - a bit of time apart is no big deal!
5. Stick to Routines
   Dogs thrive with structure and predictability. If you want them to feel safe in your absence, stick to a routine that they can predict. Come and go from the house at similar times of day so they know that you will be returning home and when. If your schedule changes often, try setting aside a week or two to stick to a routine schedule, then make gradual changes. Once your dog understands that separation from you isn't a big deal, a rigid schedule will become less necessary.

Let us help you build your dog's confidence and independence! For more information, check out our in-person training programs and online courses!