The Calm Alone blog
Plain, practical guides for dogs who struggle when left alone, and the people who love them.
- Training
What to do when you come home
Big greetings can make the next goodbye harder. How to come home calmly after a training session, and what to do if you find a mess.
- Safety
When to call your vet or a veterinary behaviorist
Some dogs need more than a training plan. The signs that mean it’s time for your vet, and the professionals worth asking about.
- Planning
Covering long days while you train: daycare, sitters and friends
A single long absence can set training back. How to plan cover for work days while your dog builds up time alone, including low-cost options.
- Being alone
Why the first 40 minutes alone matter most
Anxious dogs tend to be most upset in the first 40 minutes alone. Why progress is slow early on, and how to get through it.
- Reading your dog
Calm, mild, stressed: reading your dog on a home camera
What calm, mild signs and stress look like on a pet camera, and what to do after each. Any phone or pet camera with live view works.
- Safety
Crate or safe room? Why many dogs do better loose when alone
Many dogs who struggle alone get worse in a crate. How to set up a safe room or gated area instead, and what to put in it.
- Training
Keys, shoes, coat: taking the sting out of departure cues
Many dogs start to worry before you’ve left. Here’s how to make keys, shoes and your coat mean nothing, one small rung at a time.
- Training
Graduated departures: how short absences build calm
Graduated departures teach a dog that being alone is fine, one short absence at a time. How to pick the first length, and when to go longer or step back.
- Being alone
Why some dogs bark, howl or chew when left alone
The barking, howling and chewed door frames aren’t spite. Here’s what’s usually going on when a dog struggles alone, and the first steps that help.