Home alone
Can your dog be trusted to stay home alone without a crate? If she is getting into things while you’re still at home, probably not. On the other hand, if she isn’t destroying things, then full independence from the crate is possible, says dog trainer, Nicole Ellis. When Ellis was training her dog, Rossi, she first kept some rooms off limits. (You can do this by shutting doors or buying a baby gate or two.) “This gave Rossi less room to roam and less room to find items to play with,” Ellis says. Conduct a few test runs for a limited period of time. If all goes well, you can try leaving for a longer period of time.
Pet, don’t pat
Guess what? Dog aren’t crazy about us patting them on the head while saying, “Good boy.” “Patting on the head is generally a punishment for most dogs and most dogs merely tolerate being patted on the head,” says Harstein. Try rubbing the side of your dog, their chest, or behind their ears instead.
Don’t say “NO” when they whine
You know your pup is feeling all right – a game of fetch, dinner and potty time were all accomplished – but for some reason, she’s looking at you with those puppy eyes and whining. Ellis shares that dogs can whine for a number of reasons, like boredom, anxiousness, excitement, or just wanting some attention. “The best method to end attention whining is to ignore it completely,” she says. “For some dogs, even saying ‘no’ feels rewarding because they got your attention.” When your pup does stop whining, Ellis suggests rewarding the behaviour with a treat to instil that no whining means attention and whining means the fun is over.
