Alone training - am I doing it right, anything else to do?

[longboyz100]

I know there are a lot of topics on SA and alone training (believe me I have read most of them!) but I am not currently sure what I'm doing is helping and wanted to check if I need to amend anything or just keep going. 

For context my boy has come a long way in the last two months, at the worst he would bark, whine and pant so much he'd leave puddles of drool while alone. I put this improvement down to him settling into a house opposed to the flat we moved from 3 weeks ago rather than my alone training (it literally approved the day we moved and he really didnt like that flat!).  I haven't seen any noticable improvements using my training technique since I've had him 8+ weeks ago unfortunately. 

Currently when alone he will abandon his kong/licking mat after 30 seconds or 1 minute and sit on the sofa alert and staring at the door for the whole time he is alone (and whine). It's this last part I am struggling to get over and get him 100% comfortable with being alone. I want to get to the point where he is happy to just sleep or lay down on the sofa or his bed which is what he would do if I'm there. 

 I do the obvious advised things, give him a kong, ensure well exercised, calm comings and goings and leave him alone most of the day I'm home (he spends the day in the living room sleeping while I work upstairs). 

For the training I typically try and do x2 30 mins sessions a day at random times.

1. Calmly give kong or licking mat, he'll settle down with this to begin with

2. Draw curtains and walk out living room door, closing it behind me. (This gives him the run of the conservatory and living room rather than whole house)

3. Leave out the front door and usually wait in the porch or garage for anywhere between 30 secs to 5 mins. Or just walk up the street and back. 

4. Calmly come back and take toy back, relax normally for a few minutes then repeat up to 30 minute session

By the time I get back he mostly will be either waiting behind the door having left his toy with his ears perked up or he's on the sofa watching the door intensively. He will remain like this for the whole time I'm gone (the most has been an hour). He just isn't comfortable and remains uptight the whole time. 

Is there anything I'm missing or do I just need to keep going at this stage and get in lots of repititions? I'm spending a lot of time doing it each day, which I'm fine with, but don't want it to be wasted. I’m up against the clock as I need to get him happy before I go back to the office. Any help or pointers will be greatly apprieciated! 

 

Thanks !

 

 

[LaFlaca]

Please read the pamphlet “I’ll Be Home Soon” by Patricia McConnell. It’s the SA bible!  

[Longboi88]

Hey, thanks I have read it through several times now. That's what I based my training above on

[BatterseaBrindl]

"Leave out the front door and usually wait in the porch or garage for anywhere between 30 secs to 5 mins. Or just walk up the street and back. "

He knows that you have not actually left!   

You need to actually leave the property... not just stand outside. 

His ears are 'perked up' because he knows that you haven't actually left.   

Yes.  Dogs are that smart!

Pick up your car keys, put on your coat.  Get in your car and drive away.... even if it is just around the corner for the first couple of times.  Make it a longer trip each time.  

 

[HeyRunDog]

9 hours ago, longboyz100 said:

I want to get to the point where he is happy to just sleep or lay down on the sofa or his bed which is what he would do if I'm there. 

Well done. If he's happy to do that then you should have no problem getting him to do the same when you leave him.

I agree with BatterseaBrindl. He knows you haven't really gone away. You need to go away properly so he can't hear, see or sense you. Get a cheap dog-cam so you can see what he does when he is left alone and he might surprise you. Also try leaving the radio on quietly to kill the silence.

When I leave Grace she will eat her Kong then climb onto the sofa and look out of the window. When I get back I can see her still looking out of the window before she runs to the door to great me. I purchased a dog-cam to see what she did in between. When she realises I'm not coming back straight away she curls up on the sofa, and apart from a couple of roaching sessions, that's it. I usually get back from work just after the school kids go past and it's that that alerts her I'm on my way, so she takes up her sentry duties looking out of the window for when I come back.  

Edited October 23, 2020 by HeyRunDog

[MerseyGrey]

I don’t have any experience of separation anxiety so someone might put me straight on this, but I would leave the curtains/blinds open. Greyhounds love to watch what is going on and it’s the next best thing to be in the midst of what’s going on. Mine will go to the window frequently just to watch the world go by.

This might be contrary to the information in the book you have, in which case, ignore me!

[LaFlaca]

6 hours ago, MerseyGrey said:

I don’t have any experience of separation anxiety so someone might put me straight on this, but I would leave the curtains/blinds open. Greyhounds love to watch what is going on and it’s the next best thing to be in the midst of what’s going on. Mine will go to the window frequently just to watch the world go by.

This might be contrary to the information in the book you have, in which case, ignore me!

That’s a great idea. My last two hounds had severe separation anxiety.  Both of them chewed the blinds to smithereens. Using Patricia McConnell’s methods and leaving the blinds open was very helpful. 

[longboyz100]

Thank you for the pointers they are have proved very helpful.

You have been right - he reacts very differently when I actually leave him (and now he can see me leave with the blinds open), he won't go and listen by the living room door now but sit on the sofa listening very alert or watch out the window for awhile. Time to get to work to get him to fully relax!