"Maintaining your puppy’s confinement schedule when you are at home prepares your puppy to be calm when you are gone. Allowing a young puppy unrestricted access to you when you are at home quickly encourages him to become overly dependent, and overdependence is the most common reason why dogs become anxious when left at home alone. Try your best to teach your puppy to enjoy his own company, to develop self-confidence, and to stand on his own four paws. Once your puppy is confident and relaxed on his own, he may enjoy all of his time with you when you are at home. Most importantly, when you are at home, make certain to familiarize your puppy with his long-term confinement area (puppy playroom)." Read more at http://dogtime.com/dog-health/general/1470-puppy-training-home-alone-dunbar#iLz2yiB9ru1WLtrE.99
Things to note during the first Week: 1) Determine the location in which you want your puppy to be housed at. Allow your puppy to rest in the cage/area for the next few days. This allows time for your puppy to adjust to the new environment (new sounds, scent and sight). 2) Do not focus on training your puppy. 3) Dogs are natural pack animals, and will therefore love being with you. On the first few days, they may whine and cry for attention. It is important to ignore the urge to entertain them, so as to allow your puppy to know that whining will not help in getting things its way. If you run to your puppy when it whines and cry, it will only trigger him to keep barking and whining when he wants attention. Do note that he feels anxious and worried if he's away from you (because in the wild a puppy who gets separated is vulnerable and in great danger). This is why he will cry and complain and fuss and whine at first.... not because he hates your or his crate/cage! 4) A dog breeder advises not to spend more than 15 minutes with your puppy for the first week. This is so as to reduce your dog's expectation on how much time you will spend with it on a daily basis. It will also help to control your dog's urge to always be out and about expecting a playmate the whole day round. Do note that he is a domesticated dog and not a lone wolf, he needs to get used to being separated from you for short periods, so it is alright to ignore the whining and crying.
Things to note after the first week: 1) Do not introduce him to the other rooms of the house until he’s potty trained. Keep your puppy in a room and observe it carefully. Now is the time to potty train your dog. You cannot teach your dog what is wrong after it has made the mistake. You have to catch it in the action, or just before it pees or defecates elsewhere. Observe it carefully, and once you see it about to pee or defecate, immediately clap your hands and say firmly, "No No", then immediately carry it to where it is suppose to shit/pee. 2) If the pee/shit is half way through coming out, immediately clap your hands and say firmly, "No No", then use a tissue to immediately wipe up everything. Carry your dog to the pee area, put the pee and shit in the area and let it sniff the pee and shit. After time, it will understand the area to be where it should pee and shit.
