How to Stop a Small Dog From Crying When He Is Left Alone?

Puppies are born into a litter where they have the mother for food and care and siblings with which to play. They get used to this environment and enjoy the family unit. When weaned from the mother, they are often soon put up for adoption. People adopt puppies from their family environments and move them into unfamiliar environments alone. Puppies soon learn to depend on their owners for attention and care. When the owner leaves and the small dog is completely alone for the first time, it gets scared and lonely; this causes it to cry for attention. With patience and a little effort, the small dog can gradually be left alone without crying.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog toys that hold treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the small dog in a room and leave for three minutes. Gradually build up more time until the dog gets used to being left alone and the whining decreases. As the dog learns to be alone, the whining will stop and the dog will start to find ways of entertaining itself.

    • 2

      Walk or run the dog before leaving. Exercise will help with pent up energy and the dog will be more relaxed when left alone.

    • 3

      Place dog toys that hold treats in the room with the dog before leaving. When the dog plays with the toys and retrieves a treat, it starts to focus its attention on the task of getting treats from the toy. This takes its mind off the fact that it is home alone.

    • 4

      Ignore whining when at home. The dog will learn that whining and crying does not get attention.

    • 5

      Give the dog a treat and leave the house without any type of communication with the dog. Telling the dog "goodbye" or "I'll be back soon" can increase the anxiety the dog feels, because it can sense that the owner is anxious about leaving. The treat trains the dog that it is rewarded when you leave and it will start to look forward to this action.