Lesson 6: Keeping Quiet No Matter Where Your Puppy is

Goal

Your goal in Lesson 6 is that your puppy will be quiet in the crate when you leave the pup home either alone or with someone else in the house.

Time Frame

Lesson 6 usually takes several weeks, with 3 to 5 sessions a week. Some pups will complete Lesson 6 in a week.

When to Move On To Lesson 7

You are ready to move on to Lesson 7 after your puppy is able to be quiet in the crate no matter where you are with no cover/earthquakes.

Troubleshooting

If your pup is struggling with one aspect of this process, go back over Lesson 5, leaving the room more.

Lesson Table of Contents

Setting Up for Lesson 6

Lesson 6 Training Sessions

• Step 1: Cue Leaving the House
• Step 2: Leave the House

In this lesson, you will teach your pup that it can be relaxed and calm when it is left crated while you are away from home. Even if you don’t plan to leave the pup often, go through these steps with your pup to be sure it is calm and quiet no matter where you are.

A. Your puppy stays quiet
pup is quiet→treats→ release (More info)

B. Your puppy starts barking
pup barks→cover→ pup is quiet→uncover→treats→release (More info)

C. Your puppy keeps barking while the sheet is down
pup barks-barks→cover→earthquake→pup is quiet→uncover→treats→release (More info)

Setting Up For Lesson 6

• Do this lesson when you don’t actually need to leave the house.
• Start with a tired and hungry puppy.
• Put the crate in a quiet, non-distracting area for this training.
• Cover all but the front of the crate with an opaque sheet. Fold the front of the sheet above the door so you can easily cover the front if you need to.
• Be sure your pup is cool enough to be comfortable.
• Put a good chew toy in the crate before starting.
• Before starting, scatter a handful of treats towards the middle and back of the crate.
• Take your puppy out to potty immediately before you begin training so you are sure he does not need to pee or poop.
• If you can set up a camera on your pup, for example your phone or a Nest, do so.
• When you release your pup, do so without energy or excitement. Do not give treats outside the crate, no matter how well your pup has done. Just release the pup, potty it if needed, and go on with your day.

Step 1: Cue Leaving the House

This challenge teaches your puppy to remain calm while you prepare to leave the house.

Dogs are very aware of the signals that indicate their owners are leaving. They note the shoes you put on, when you are turning off lights or the TV, grab your car keys or coat, and more. So we want to (1) be aware of these cues, and (2) teach the pup to still be quiet in the crate when they happen.

1. List the various cues that indicate you are leaving the house for work, shopping, workouts, etc. Those might be work or work-out clothes, shoes, purses, car keys, turning out lights, or saying words. Think about how this might change by season. You are going to work on all of these.
2. Go through each of these, individually and then in combination during your lessons.
3. Put pup in crate, pick up keys, jingle them, and reward the pup for being quiet or go through cover-earthquake-uncover-repeat-reward.
4. Repeat with each cue and reward the pup for being quiet or go through cover-earthquake-uncover-repeat-reward.
5. Repeat with each combination of cues, such as picking up your keys and putting on a jacket. Reward the pup for being quiet or go through cover-earthquake-uncover-repeat-reward.

Step 2: Leave the House

This challenge teaches your puppy to remain calm while you leave the house.

As hard as it is, it is critical that you do not build your pup’s emotions when you are leaving (and returning to) your house. This one thing done by loving owners causes more anxiety and separation anxiety in dogs. Make yourself leave without saying good bye and return without greeting your puppy.

When you leave, just leave. Don’t say goodbye, don’t kiss and hug your dog, don’t tell them when mommy and daddy will be back. Just leave.

When you come back, ignore your dog. Put your stuff away, unpack your groceries, take your shoes off, pour your wine. Five minutes after coming home, greet your pup. I know this is hard but it is so very important, please do it.

So now let’s teach your pup to be calm when you leave the house.

1. Walk to the house door, open and close it. Go back to the pup and reward it.
2. Walk to the door, open it and go out. Immediately, go back to the pup and reward it.
3. Walk to the door, open it and go out and wait a minute. Go back to the pup and reward it.
4. Open the garage door. Press the car fob to unlock your car door. Press the elevator button (but don’t get in). Go back to the pup and reward it.
5. Start the car. Go back to the pup and reward it.
6. Get in the car and pull away from the house. Go back to the pup and reward it.
7. Leave for 5, then 10, then 30 minutes.
8. If your pup is calm and quiet for 30 minutes, ping-pong to the point that you can leave for several hours and your pup is calm and quiet in the crate. Remember, your pup should not be crated more than 4 hours during the day if it is crated overnight.