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The behaviour casebook

Case B-08

I left my indie alone due to my work he start crying and destroying things and scratching the door

The question, as it arrived
I left my indie alone due to my work he start crying and destroying things and scratching the door

Kept word for word, including the spelling. It is what a dog parent typed at the point of running out of ideas, and that is worth more than a tidy version of it.

Your indie dog howls, scratches the door, and destroys things when you leave for work? Sunny Luthra's 7-step process trains dogs to stay calm alone, no force needed.

Answered by
Sunny Luthra
Published
Revised
Extent
0 sections · 3 min

Good Morning sunny I hope you and your pack are fine Sir I want to know when I left my indie alone due to my work he start crying and destroying things and scratching the door and I tied him because he will not able to destroy things he start crying, barking and howling from last 1 week how it can be reduced sir

Hi,

This is a very common issue because operating from the pack is not natural for dogs, in their natural habitat they never get separated because separation means death for them.

Understanding this is important because then only we empathize with our dog's situation.

This is right that in their natural habitat they don't separate but in humans, we have to separate, now the question arises of how to make your dog understand that you will come back.

Most people make the mistake of making the dog calm in real-life scenarios, by real-life scenarios I meant that you are trying to calm your dog when you are leaving for the office, but you should help your dog from a training point of view, and by training point of view, I meant that you are not going to office but you are pretending that you are going out with an intention to help your dog understand and calm down.

So, here is the process that you need to understand and implement:

  1. First thing you have to take care of is the exercise of your dog. Make sure that you are giving a lot of exercise to your dog first thing in the morning. An exercise has a structure in it, so free-running is not exercising, take him on long runs or bicycle rides.
  2. Start giving him leash time while you are at home. Tie your dog when you are watching a show or cooking, start with 5 mins leash time and keep on increasing the duration, this way he will learn to be calm while on a leash at home.
  3. When he is calm on leash begin the next process, and the next process is that you are pretending to go out, if your dog gets anxious to stop the process, sit down, please practice no touch no talk no eye contact and start again. You must follow no touch no talk no eye contact mostly in the whole process.
  4. If he is calm then go out, and within 5 seconds come back, and practice no touch no talk no eye contact, sit down and let your dog calm down.
  5. Once your dog calms down, repeat again going out and keep on increasing the duration. Take baby steps and soon your dog will be able to understand that it is ok to be alone for a while because the person I am dependent on is coming back.
  6. In the whole process be very calm and confident. Don't get frustrated, Giving exercise is the most important factor of this process.
  7. There is a resting mode in dogs, that only get triggered when they are tired and calm. Don't nurture excitement in your dog and please everyone in the family to be on same page, but do everything politely with compassion.

Be consistent.

Questions this record answers

My indie dog was calm for 6 months and suddenly started getting anxious when left alone. What changed?

Any disruption to routine can trigger regression, a change in your work schedule, a new person in the house, a move, or even a change in the walk timing. Go back to basics: ensure the morning exercise is consistent and long enough, restart the gradual desensitization process from step 3, and check whether anyone at home changed their behavior with the dog. The anxiety is almost always traceable to a specific change.

My dog is tied inside as mentioned in step 2 but he keeps barking on the leash. How do I handle this?

Leash barking is normal in the early days, the dog has never been asked to be calm while stationary. Do not comfort or engage. Sit nearby, calmly read a book or watch TV. When the dog stops barking even for 30 seconds, quietly acknowledge it. Gradually increase leash sessions. Most dogs stop protesting the leash within 4 to 5 days once they realize calm behavior on leash is the norm.

How long should I practice the 'pretend to leave' routine before increasing the time?

Start with 5 seconds outside the door, just close it and open it. Do this 10 to 15 times a day for 3 to 4 days. Then increase to 30 seconds, then 2 minutes, then 5 minutes. The golden rule is: only increase duration when the dog is consistently calm at the current duration. Rushing the progression is the most common mistake and is what causes regression.

Should I give my dog a Kong or chew toy before leaving for work?

Yes, a food-stuffed Kong or long-lasting chew given just before departure creates a positive association with your leaving. The dog learns that your exit predicts something good. Pair this with the exercise and gradual desensitization practice and it becomes a powerful combination. Make sure the chew is safe for unsupervised use and won't cause a choking hazard.

We live in a flat in Mumbai and the dog's barking is upsetting neighbours. What can I do immediately while working on the training?

Short-term: inform neighbors you are actively working on a training program and give them a realistic timeline (3 to 4 weeks). Ask a trusted person to check in on the dog midday if possible to break up the alone time. Consider a doggy daycare for 2 to 3 days a week during the training period. Long-term, the 7-step desensitization process is the only lasting solution, temporary management buys you time but does not fix the root cause.

Ask about your own dog

A case is general. Your dog is not.

The detail that resolves a behaviour case is almost never the one the parent thought mattered. Bring the specifics, the timing, the household, what you do in the ten minutes before it happens, to a one-to-one call with Sunny.

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Before you try anything here

Some of this belongs in a room, not on a page

A bite that broke skin, a dog guarding food or a place from the people who live there, or any of this in a home with a small child, those want a behaviourist present. All three are workable. None of them are workable from here.

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