How To Make Being Home Alone Less Stressful For Your Dog

You come home from work thrilled to be greeted by your four-legged best friend, but it’s soon obvious you weren’t the only one who had a rough day. Stinky accidents, chewed up belongings, destroyed furniture, another noise complaint from the neighbor—they’re all signs that your dog gets stressed when he’s home alone.

Whether it’s extreme separation anxiety or a general loathing of being left alone, not being able to safely stay home alone is a problem for some dogs. You hate the clean-up, but your pup is suffering from extreme stress. Staying home 24/7 isn’t an option, so here are a few ideas to help your fur-baby feel more comfortable and confident at home alone.

Create a Safe Space

There should be an area in your home where your dog feels the most safe and secure. For most pets, their favorite areas are small, comfy, and isolated.  It’s where they go to escape the chaos of the outside world, and it can be used to help them feel calm in moments of stress.

Even if you think your dog is bomb proof and not in the least bit nervous, there will be times when he will need a place to escape, a sanctuary. Create a safe haven for him and make everyone aware of it.

Most dog owners do this through crate training. The crate is never used as punishment, and instead, it’s a beacon of all things safe and good. If you don’t want to crate train, a small room or blocked-off area of the house will also work. If your dog isn’t confident enough to be left alone with unrestricted access to the entire house, keep him confined in his safe place while you’re gone.

Exercise Before You Leave

One of the most common reasons why dogs destroy things while their owners are gone has to do with pent up energy. Being home alone means there are no people to observe or play with, and for a dog that loves to be social, that’s a distressing situation. You can help ease the throes of your dog’s boredom by appropriately exercising him before you leave the house.  

If you have to leave him alone while you go to work, wake up a half hour early to take your pup for a walk. The physical activity will give your dog a chance to burn energy so that he’ll be better able to relax when the house gets quiet and boring.

Keep Calm

Dogs are perceptive family members, and if you’re worked up about something, they will be too. They can tell when you’re stressed or worried, and knowing that you, their pack leader, is anxious, this will make them upset and anxious, as well. When you are ready to leave the house, make sure you’re both calm.

Drawn-out goodbyes may make you feel better, but it actually makes your dog feel worse about the prospect of being home alone. Instead of telling him how much you love him and that you’ll be back soon, walk out the door without talking to or touching him. Start ignoring him several minutes before you leave, and simply leave like it’s business as usual.  This is difficult to do (and I know this personally), but this will show your dog that you’re not worried, and he shouldn’t be either.

 Start Short

Like every other lesson your dog learns, you can’t expect him to be an expert at staying home alone on his first try. It takes practice, and it’s best to start small. When you bring a new dog home, start the process by leaving him home alone for only five minutes at a time. Walk out the door as if you’re going to work and do a loop around the block. If he successfully passes that test, you can increase the time. If you want to avoid messy accidents, remember younger dogs shouldn’t be left alone as long as mature adults.

Provide Comforting Entertainment

There are several things you can leave out for your dog to provide both comfort and entertainment while you’re gone. An old t-shirt that smells like you will be comforting to him, even when you’re far away.

Make sure he has constructive ways to occupy his time when you’re not around. Stuff a Kong toy with enough goodies to keep him busy for hours. Fill a puzzle toy with his daily ration of kibble so he has to work for his meals. Hide treats or favorite toys around the house for him to find while you’re gone. If you want to leave other chew toys or interactive puzzles out for your dog, first make sure they’re 100% safe.

Never leave your dog unsupervised with a toy that could be chewed apart and swallowed. Before leaving your dog alone, make sure any toys in the environment are indestructible.

If appealing to their senses of smell and taste doesn’t work, many dog owners use soothing sounds to keep stressed-out pups calm. Try leaving the TV or radio on to make pupper feel like he’s not all alone. There are even audiobooks that are specifically made to help keep dogs calm while home alone.

Resist the Urge to Punish

When you come home to find your favorite shoes destroyed, a pile of poo on your new carpet, and an annoyed message saying your dog howled all day long, your first instinct is to yell and punish the dog. It’s a natural response, but it also makes the situation worse.

Dogs aren’t like humans, and so they can’t connect past behaviors with present punishments. So, if you punish them for chewing on something and wave the incriminating evidence in their face, they’ll have no idea what you’re doing. All that they will know is you’re mad and they’re in trouble. Unpredictable punishments will make them feel even more scared and insecure, which in turn will lead to more stress and behavioral problems when they’re left alone. It’s a vicious cycle that only you can break. Use positive reinforcement on days you come home to a clean house, but never use punishment on the bad days.

When you are home, give your dog some quality time. For a quick outing, take him with you when you run errands. Choose ones where you don’t have to leave him in the car, such as picking up the kids from school, going to the drive-thru at the bank or buying food at the pet supply store.

Go for a walk every day, and give him plenty of sniffing time. Play hide-and-seek games or other brain stimulating games with him. Practice his obedience commands. Beyond his walk, which should be an appropriate distance and speed for his breed and age, just a few minutes of these activities will enrich your relationship with your dog, even if he spends a chunk of the day without you.