I have a 12 week old mini dachshund pup who screams blue murder when left on his own. I have tried leaving him for very short periods (seconds) & I always wait for a brief moment of silence before going back to him, but so far I am getting nowhere & I'm afraid I may be making the problem worse. He has a large crate in my lounge where he sleeps at night & he'll usually be fine until he hears somone get up in the morning. There is also a gate at the door so that he can be shut in the room if necessary. In the kitchen he has a small crate with a little area that has been blocked off for a little play area for him & again a gate at the doorway. The minute he is put in his play area or I go through the gate he starts to cry & I can't find any way of persuading him that he'll be fine for a second or two. Any ideas anyone, am I doing it right or am I making it worse (yes, I know he's only a baby but he does have to spend time on his own sometimes!)?

You have to ride the storm and just ignore him completely! 100% ingore him and he will stop whining, promise!

He has sussed you come back when he screams, so he screams blue murder, but for once if you dont come back it will make him think and stop him short.

Leave the room for 5 mins where he can still sort of see you and then incrase gradually till he isnt even bothered,
then do the same routine but in a place where he can't see you, gradually increase,
and lastly do it with you leaving the house altogether, 3 steps to freedom!

You have to ride the storm and just ignore him completely! 100% ingore him and he will stop whining, promise

Sorry , I would never do that, I never left my children to cry and cry,   so would never leave my puppy to cry and cry... he has left all that he is used to ,  having littermates to give him security....he is bound to cry for attention, he needs to learn he is safe .

The minute he is put in his play area or I go through the gate he starts to cry &

He is beginning to anticipate  the consequences to  the action, he knows going behind that  gate means left alone time....do you put him there any other times of the day,  I.E when you are in, and he can see you....  try altering his routine,  putting him "away"  at different times, allowing him to see you at all times,   give him a kong /treat,  while he is confined....alter the the time you leave him.

As for him crying when he hears you get up in the morning , that is normal...to b honest if he is going through the night at his age, without you having to get up for his potty break,  I would be content with that.

It's awfull hearing a puppy crying for attention :(

I've found the best way to deal with this is to ignore the pup when leaving the room (and a for a few minutes beforehand), then, on returning to the room, ignore the pup for a few minutes. The trick is, as you are trying, is to return before they start to cry, but if this is impossible, ignore the pup untill he stops crying. When 'ignoring' him - don't even look at him. This should help to reinforce that you leaving/returning is no big deal and crying will not get him any where.

Try using the same method in the morning too, don't go strait to him, leave it a few minutes (or until he is calm), it is really tough to do, but it is well worth it in the end. My pup is 7 months old now, on my return (after being out/getting up in the moning), he will sit very patiently waiting for his kisses & cuddles :) (he learnt this within a few days of us getting him)

This is the method I used when I brough my Mastiff pup home, we only had to edure 1 'whimper'. I have used this in conjunction with making him sit & wait for his food, I will put his food down, he has to sit & wait for my command untill he can eat it, as food 'rocks his world' this has done wonders for teaching him patience.

Sorry , I would never do that, I never left my children to cry and cry,   so would never leave my puppy to cry and cry... he has left all that he is used to ,  having littermates to give him security....he is bound to cry for attention, he needs to learn he is safe

Sorry Jackbox but this is a puppy, far cry from a child and should not be treated the same either!

The pup will learn that to be ignored deosnt mean you are abandoning him or leaving him as he knows you are still in the house and you are there 100% of the rest of the time playing with and feeding him, he's just crying to make you think you are needed, manipulating you in other words to come back!! lol

Mastifflover and mines advice is what has been done for generations and has never failed as far as I am aware.

Hi Rach85

Personally I'm 100% behind Jackbox here - I never leave pups to squeal, and even in my own particularly "needy" breed this has not led to difficulties down the line :)

Pups are very naturally scared, sensitive and lonely on being taken from their dam, siblings, the humans they've bonded with from the nest and their familiar surroundings.  To put further pressure on them at such a sensitive stage is IMO bordering on cruelty (albeit unintentional).   I would not allow anyone who started a pup off this way to have one of my puppies - something that I've nurtured, loved and put in endless hours of ensuring self confidence etc is worthy of a better start with it's new family than to be left distressed and feeling abandoned.

>Mastifflover and mines advice is what has been done for generations and has never failed as far as I am aware

It certainly hasn't been done for generations by everyone :)  Perhaps best to look at the bigger picture and let the OP take from the experiences offered what s/he will.

regards, Teri

Hi Teri

We are going to have to agree to disagree here :)

In every book I have ever read it says to use this method and it has been proven to work and is in no way what so ever 'cruel' to the puppy and by saying that you are implying that I am cruel to my puppies, I can asure you I am not and infact resent the remark.

Cruel is to leave the puppy before training it and coming home to a mess where the pup has been left alone without any training and develops seperation anxiety or is told off for creating a mess as they have never gotten used to being alone and therefore dont know what to do.

Its nothing about the bigger picture as you put it, each has their own training method and this one is proven to work without damaging the pups health mentally in any way shape or form.
As long as it is done in small segmants (leave for 5 mins, when used to that leave for 10 mins until you have the ability to go out for a few hours without any fuss) there is no detrimantal quality to the pup what so ever.

Sorry but I really disagree with you on this one and hope your words wont effect anyone who reads this poist and deems this effective method cruel as that would be completely misinformed.

Hope the post starter manages to find a method that works for them and their puppy :)

You needn't apologise for disagreeing with me :)  We're each entitled to an opinion and to air it on the forum :)

I hold the view that it is cruel to leave a puppy screaming - the most likely time for this to happen initially is on the pup's first night(s) in its new home so hardly going to be something that most new owners are going to do for 2 or 3 or 5 minutes at a time throughout the night.  In that set of circumstances I believe, strongly, that it is cruel - regardless of who is doing it and what their reasons for it are.

There is obviously a need to teach pups to spend some time alone and this can be done gradually (as you mention) and over a period of time but IMO most definitely not from the outset when the puppy is quite naturally and instinctively feeling very insecure - regardless of how good its base temperament.

>In every book I have ever read it says to use this method and it has been proven to work

I don't think you're making this up - clearly that is your basis for this method and you've decided to follow someone else's theory which is your choice however my experience is somewhat different as are my methods and I've never had a problem nor anyone I know who applies the same basics :) 

FTR, very little in life is "proven to work" - especially when dealing with inidividuals of a living, breathing species .........

ETA:

>Sorry but I really disagree with you on this one and hope your words wont effect anyone who reads this poist and deems this effective method cruel as that would be completely misinformed

I see you've made the above edit to your post :)  I think perhaps you're getting a little ahead of yourself here unless of course you have some professional qualification to pass judegement on advice of someone else's experience and conclude that their input is of lesser value somehow than your own!  Perhaps you will link to the "proof" that your way is the right and only way?

Just to make sure I have this right

You think its cruel to leave a puppy screaming even when its the first night home and its crated for the first night?
How would you stop the situation being cruel? let him slep in your bed and then be stuck with him there for the rest of his life? lol

I will continue to use my method and you will use yours but I still think its wrong to call this method cruel when its not.
It cant be helped the first night as you cant run down the stairs every 2 mins, and the more you resct to his cries the more he knows he can use them to have you at his side.

A method can be proven to work, of course it can,  but all may not agree with it still.

>You think its cruel to leave a puppy screaming even when its the first night home and its crated for the first night?

I agree totally with Teri here. No, I wouldn't take it into my bed, but I'd either have its bed beside mine if it was crated (it's not difficult to move a crate later), or I'd sleep downstairs with it (just as I do with a new litter) till it felt secure in its new environment. Both ways I'd hear when it needed to relieve itself in the night. No way would I crate a pup and leave it unattended all night to lie in its mess.

>You think its cruel to leave a puppy screaming even when its the first night home and its crated for the first night?

Absolutely :)

>How would you stop the situation being cruel? let him slep in your bed and then be stuck with him there for the rest of his life? lol

By having the puppy sleep at the side of my bed at night but of course the owner could choose to make up a temporary bed in whichever room the puppy was intended to continue sleeping in :)

>It cant be helped the first night as you cant run down the stairs every 2 mins, and the more you resct to his cries the more he knows he can use them to have you at his side

See above :)

>A method can be proven to work, of course it can,  but all may not agree with it still.

True - that can be said of anything although it doesn't mean it is the IDEAL method :  For example shock collars can stop some dogs in their tracks - I still wouldn't use one!

Totally agree about the shock collars!! so we do agree on something! lol :)

I have always been told that if you have a dog by your bed the first night thats a really bad thing to do and you will never be able to have him sleep anywhere else apart from where he is the first night, i thought to leave the pup crated downstairs and be strong while hearing the cries (ie not go running to him) was the best way?

I would love to have the puppy in our room the first night so he can see and smell us and Mitz as well but left in a bed while we are asleep surely he will get up and chew things and get in trouble?

Please enlighten me on how i could do this safelt so the pup cant get into trouble but then still be able to leave him downstairs crated when we are nipping out or for future sleeping as we dont want a dog bed permantly in our room!!
IE Can i have his crate in our room for the first night but then downstairs as normal the 2nd night?

Edited for JG - I always shoot down the stairs when i hear a whine so i can take him out, maybe i should sleep downstairs with him the first few nights? but then wont he miss me when im not there after the few nights and we are back to the 2st night situation again with him whining for me downstairs when im in bed?

>Can i have his crate in our room for the first night but then downstairs as normal the 2nd night?

It usually takes a few nights for them to feel safe and 'at home', but in a week you could probably have him sleeping soundly downstairs.

I just fear that he will be fine in our room, but once he has his first night downstairs alone in his crate he will whine as much as he would have his first night when he was alone and we are back to square one.

Time isnt a problem as I take alot of time off work to help the new puppy settle.

Hi Rach,

My pups go in a crate whenever unsupervised so yes, overnight and when I'm out during the day :)  I prefer a crate as this keeps them safely away from wires - my only REAL concern as the consequences are unthinkable.  I have the crate in my bedroom with me so can hear the pup stir and wake up and then let it out to relieve itself regularly overnight.  If timing feeds and play etc well enough (not easy LOL), it's possible to get about 5 hours sleep before needing to take the puppy out during the night but probably 4 hours is more realistic.  I take them out to have a wee etc., make no fuss, just bring them back in and put back to bed.  It's surprising how easily they can take to this routine and you can relax better knowing that they are not lying in a soiled bed etc.

They get quickly used to a crate - the pups I've bred were crate trained before leaving however if you time things right and get the "ambience" right it's possible to get a pup that's never seen a crate before to accept it calmly :)   Put a blanket or toy smelling of mum in with pup.  Also put something smelling of new owner in too like a t-shirt for eg.  Cover the top and all but front door of cage with a blanket to make it snug, dark and den like.  During the day before bedtime feed the puppy in the crate (door open) and give chews etc in there when he's relaxing.  When he doses off lift him in gently and he'll wake up in there too after daytime naps.

If going down the route of having the crate in your bedroom but with the intention of moving it a later stage I'd probably keep the crate in the bedroom for at least a week, pref two, as during this time the puppy will need toiletting more often.  After that move the crate gradually out - perhaps onto the landing but with the door open for a few nights and then into the kitchen or whatever after that.  If the puppy is distressed at all, take a step back and do things more slowly.  By around 11-12 weeks (breeds, sizeand time of year can cause huge variations here of course) it should be possible for the puppy to stay clean and dry overnight for around 6-7 hours and is therefore nearer the mark IMO to start making changes as to the location of where it sleeps.

regards Teri

ok then, just to clarify as you all seem to have gone off on a rant - he is fine in his crate overnight. He cried the first night but now he just setles down & sleeps & is clean until he wakes up around 7am. The trouble starts when he is up & awake & that appears to be most of the day. In the 3 1/2 weeks he has been with me he cries/barks/howls & gets really angry if I leave the room ,even if he can see me, even if its only for a second & he can keep it going for a long time - there are no quiet bits when I can jump in. I've tried leaving him - doesn't work as he never shuts up. I've tried pretending to leave the room & gradually going through the gate for longer & longer but he's not having any of it. I suppose he'll get used to it eventually - I hope.

So we should have the crate upstairs until he can go through the night without needing a wee etc?

We will only have 1 crate for him and thought he could be next to our girl who is also crated when we are not there downstairs, so should I have the pup crated upstairs in our room for the first 2 weeks say (as we are getting him at 9 weeks and this would make him 11 weeks old)and then when he is going through the night well, take his crate downstairs and have him next to Mitz?
He shouldnt start whining then should he as he has Mitz next to him but he might miss sleeping upstairs....

Hi again Rach

>So we should have the crate upstairs until he can go through the night without needing a wee etc?

That's what I would recommend, until he can be reasonably expected to be clean overnight - in reality my pups never leave the bedroom but I realise that's not everyone's preferred husbandry :)

I think you'll find that having Mitz next to him should help hugely :)  He wont miss sleeping upstairs if you dont make a big deal of anything - i.e. when lights are out he should just settle, when you need to take him out to toilet be calm and quiet as possible until you put him back to bed so he doesn't feel he's missing out on anything :)  If being in the bedroom is just temporary start to get him used to being crated beside Mitz during the day when you're having a shower etc - even if Mitz isn't crated but just loose in the same room.  Canine company plays a huge part in settling youngsters quickly - obviously not everyone has a second dog so you're one step ahead already :)

When you are with him how do you interact with him?
If you are giving him loads of kisses and cuddles (or course :) ) and playing with him a lot & talking in that high pitch 'baby' voice (like I do with my pup - ohh you little cutie etc.. in a high pitched voice!!!), it maybe that he just finds you too fun to be without ?? In which case it could be worth trying to be a lot more 'quiet' with him (ie: soft, slow talking tones, stroking him slowly etc.), to make you appear not so over-stimulating??

No idea if this makes any sense to anyone?? just an idea.

In Response to springfever
In that case I would be popping in and out of the kitchen where he is behind the baby gate totally ignoring his crying.  I would be say doing the potatoes, nip out and fetch something from the living room, like cups etc ignoring the fuss he is making, continue to do whatever chores you have in the room he is in but do not interact with him until he has been quiet and settled, then call him to you ask for a sit etc, and give a treat.  A short game, and then go about your business again in sight out of sight for short periods, like to vacuum the living room (still in sight etc)

In this way he knows your around, but not at his Beck and call.  At some point he should settle for a nap when you can go upstairs, still using the vacuum say so he knows your still doing the boring stuff.  Pop back and forth when he is fussing, but again ignore him if he is fussing, just pat him nonchalantly when he stops and off again so that you being there and not being there are not much different.

Of course you will be attending to him as well at least four times a day to feed, every hour or so for toilet breaks while he is awake and for short training sessions before his meals.

Hi springfever,

pups are baby animals - it may not seem like it but yours does need to sleep regularly throughout the day and you have to take advantage of those times to get a routine established and him accustomed to being in his own company :)

Do you feed him in his crate?  If not, do this from now on :)

Do you give him anything to chew on (stuffed kong for eg) when he's in the crate?  Again, if not, do this from now on.

The idea behind using a crate is a safe haven for the puppy so we must make it an attractive and pleasant place to be - I leave crate doors open when supervised but pups shut in when not.  If your puppy is accepting of the crate overnight then there is no real reason for him not to be at any other time other than he has not yet made the association of his crate being a GOOD place :)  When he's had a spurt of excited activity, been fed and been toiletted, put him in with something smelling of yourself (like a t-shirt/pj's etc) and give him something to occupy his already tiring mind and body such as a stuffed kong to lick and chew at.  Wait with him until he settles happily and then try moving away, within his sight and/or hearing.  It takes patience if working with a puppy which has already been getting itself in a tizzy so you may have to drag out these periods for a longer term than normal now that it's become an issue for both of you.

HTH, Teri

Hi mastifflover - made absolute sense to me :) 

I've got different "voices" for all of mine (guess that makes me the crazy dog lady LOL)  It's SO easy to over fuss pups without realising it - they're so inevitably cute, cuddly and comical that we often give them the wrong signals even when we think we're trying hard to be nonchalant we're be anything but! 

Oh and puppy breath ........................ don't even get me started on that!

i never left my dog on his own till he was at least 16 weeks old,i took him everywhere with me,or one of my family stayed with him at home,he even came upstairs at night time.when the time came to leave him at home on his own, i did it for an hour at a time,and gradually i was able to leave him for a few hours without any fuss.at nightime he either lies on the landing or in my room on the floor,although i usually wake up to him in my bed,not ideal i suppose,but i dont mind.the only time he whimpers is when he hears the rest of the family getting up,which is to be expected.
when i leave him on his own,i ensure all wires and anything dangerous are well out the way, hes got his own little toy basket full of all dog friendly toys and treats,and i used to hide treats around the room to keep him entertained should he of got bored,hes tired of this now,and prefers to get up on the couch and have well earned snooze while were out...lol
all this without crating him,although i do have a gate up between the kitchen and lounge,and he gets put in the kitchen behind the gate if the kids are doing jigsaws or colouring on the floor etc,the last thing they need is big german shepherd paws all over their drawings,but he can see where we all are and just lies down looking in with a big sulky face! i suppose ive been lucky in this way,wish he was this well behaved out of the house.....lol

Hi Teri
Thanks for your reply. I've pointed out to him that he has to sleep but he doesn't seem that keen apart from in the evening & overnight. He has has various chew toys but doesn't seem that interested & as for a kong, stuffed or otherwise,he's just not interested. I've just in the last few days persuaded him that he can eat without me standing next to him but again, he's not that interested in food. Over the last few days he has started to go into the lounge crate on his own & he loves his little crate & pen in the kitchen but only if I'm around. He also will wake instantly if I try & move out of the room. I have all the right books & dvd's - Gwen Bailey, Ian Dunbar etc not to mention the various behaviour & training courses I've done (I fancied being a behaviourist at one point & then realised my people skills are rubbish!) & it all worked on my last pup. I went back to work when he was 16 weeks old (only for 3 hours), he's never been fussed about being left on his own so this has all come as a bit of a shock!

Brainless, thanks for your reply too. I think I might try what you suggested as that does make a lot of sense. Fingers crossed that my springer & I can take our ear plugs out soon! I'll let you know.

Hi shelleybel,

That's exactly what I did with my first dogs many moons ago - no crates but managed very well :)  I don't know if crates will become more popular nowadays with the amount of places selling them to the GP (when I first used one it was on loan from a breeder friend and I was gobsmacked at the sight LOL) but nowadays even PAH sell them.

Even now I don't like to rely on them for long as it would be too easy to forget to actually train the dog!  Once I know they are toilet trained and the room(s) safe of cables and wires (plus pup old enough to know what isn't allowable to chew in case of anything electrical forgotten) then the crates are kept for dog shows (even then, rarely used).   Usually by around 16 weeks or so in my own breed then crates can be dispensed with at home (of course there are folks who've never wanted to use them anyway).

Many - a great many - well adjusted, happy, non-destructive family pets have been raised without the need for a crate or even a baby gate.  It's easy sometimes to forget that now that gadgets are aplenty :)

Well done you! regards, teri

To springfever - I know it can be a frustrating time and hopefully you'll turn the corner sooner rather than later.  I think Brainless' reply has probably put you on the right track for your particular youngster since you've tried other methods without success :)

If only the little blighters would read the dang books!!!!  Life would be so much easier ......

Please update on progress (be positive - you WILL make progress :) )
regards, Teri

My dog slept in a crate on his own from the first night i got him (aged 7 weeks) and continues to sleep downtairs on his own now (aged one year). Think sometimes you just have to take the bull by the horns and "be cruel to be kind"

im no expert so ignore me if i dont make sense, lol
you say hes ok at night in the crate in the lounge, but in his day crate in the kitchen he wont settle unless youre around, maybe he doesnt like the kichen crate,you say its smaller but with a pen for playing in, maybe you could try him in the bigger crate in the kitchen to see if this is the problem, or maybe you could good old fashioned dog proof the kitchen and dispense of the crate and see how he goes with that.
i hope i was of some help,ive never crated dogs(not saying that its a bad thing to crate dogs),and those few that i know have,say they wish they never had...but i suppose everybody finds something different that works for them.

To Fred's Mum

>My dog slept in a crate on his own from the first night i got him (aged 7 weeks)

you don't say how he was :)  Was he calm, happy, settled and completely clean/dry overnight or did he cry, howl, squeal and soil his crate?

>Think sometimes you just have to take the bull by the horns and "be cruel to be kind"

Sorry - as an animal lover I cannot accept that it is ever OK to be "cruel"   Perhaps it was just an unfortunate turn of phrase .... 
Being "cruel to be kind" could well imply, in this instance at any rate, that being *cruel* to the puppy by leaving it distressed and anxious and possibly in damp or soiled bedding overnight was *kinder on the owner* by not inconveniencing them ......   Perhaps you will clarify? :)

As I understand it the pup is fine at night, not crying, and happy with the crate, so all this advice about nighttime crating  etc is a little beside the point. It seems the problem is the pup being demanding and needy in the day , i.e. trying it on a bit to get you to keep him company. The good news is that as he has aleady learned to cope with being alone at night, this should not be a major problem to solve.
Lets face it, our pups are cute,and when they are awake we tend to give them lots of attention. So we end up often with a situation where the pup is in one of two situations......either being fussed/cuddled/spoken to/given attention. or being alone  without it. There is  a stark contrast between these two situations for the pup, and naturally he wants to have more of the pleasurable situation, than the other one. There needs to be a half way house, where the pup knows you are around, but is not receiving the constant pleasant stimulus of all the nice things it associates with you. Basically you need to timetable in  playing and contact time, but ALSO quiet, being ignored time. Hard though it may be, spend some time studiously ignoring your pup for short periods, do not speak to it, and do not give eye contact too frequently. Try and make yourself a bit more boring in general! Once pup gets used to this "down time", start walking in and out of the room for seconds at a time ( regardless of screaming status) but give no eye contact, and do not talk to the pup, not even to reassure it. Just keep going in and out, ignoring it, so it learns you that you come back.
I did this with an afghan that I fostered that had appalling separation anxiety, and it actually worked really quickly. I actually went in and out fifty times in one session! Within a day the screaming stopped. Took a while longer to get her to be happy for a few hours, but that will come in time. Just work on short periods for now.
Good luck :-D

Didnt explain myself very well did i :-)
He whimpered at first but settled down after an hour or so. I got up in the night to let him into the garden  to go to the toilet. The first night i got him i didnt sleep a wink but wanted him to get used to sleeping on his own downstairs. You have to start how you mean to go on. He was always clean through the night and soon got used to the routine. He wasnt crying in real distress merely whimpering a little.
I know why people dont like hearing children/dogs cry but i know so many people who run straight there when they hear crying and have made life difficult for themself by doing so. Freddie is happy in his own company and quite often takes himself off to his cage so is clearly happy there.

Having just raised and homed another litter and gone through the anguish of choosing new 'parents' for the little balls of fluff I find it hard to read about leaving puppies to cry for an hour until settled.  I feel settled translates exhausted.

My girl isn't big on motherhood (loves to be with them till the teeth appear) after 5 weeks and puppies are fully weaned, a little early for some folks but I listen to nature not what the books are telling me.  They sleep in the whelping box for their day time naps and have free access to a cage with toys all day.  I don't force them into the cage or whelping box, which is enormous over 6 ft long, but put them into the whelping box when they are naturally drifting off and they sleep peacefully for a couple of hours (age between 5 - 8 weeks) before naturally waking and wanting to be out and about again.  At 6-7 weeks they stop messing their box, more or less, and go straight into the garden on waking before being fed. Between 7-8 weeks we have many dry nights as well with puppies going from midnight to 6.30 typically and going straight into the garden on waking 

I have been left with singleton pups, because new mums couldnt pick up right away etc, and they continue in this way not worried about being alone.  I don't put singletons in with the pack because it only makes learning to be alone more scary.  Without exception every pup has gone away settled and carried on being happy for 6 or more hours through the night.  They are 10 weeks old now.

The key has always been ensuring they go to bed happy and settled, tired well fed an pottied. Not left to cry for hours on end.

The same applies to a new pup coming in.  As others have said I sleep with the newcomer in the place where they are to be housed.  The crate is placed opened under a blanket or desk with paper near the door for toileting.  Depending on the size of the dog, smaller breeds seem to take longer, I have had them go through the night in the first month (6 hours) because they feel safe in their own space.

Sure you have to leave them some time but you need to be relaxed and confident about it or your worries pass to the dog. 

Sorry for the long post its been a long few moths with puppies and Crufts at the end of it LOL

I'm pleased to report that Reggie seems much happier being left for short periods. He will now stay in the lounge behind a gate if I have to pop out to do something, without crying. He just sits patiently until I get back. I haven't tried leaving the room for longer than a minute or 2 though. My other dog babysits if I have to which works providing Reggie is feeling calm & isn't being a pain in the neck by hanging off Hoaby's tail. I've also managed to persuade him that his 'pit' (so named as it is normally full of shredded paper, half chewed biscuits etc) in the kitchen is the best place to be by only putting him in when he is desparate to get in & then he'll let me get on with cooking or cleaning etc. Even the housetraining has improved - I'm presuming that he's just got a little bit older & thats why things have improved. Now I've just got to persuade him that a walk down the road is fun & traffic isn't scary!

When I first got my chihuahua cross breed ,I took him to bed for the first month, he would sleep in my bed with me and would wake me when he needed the loo. I  had a cat litter try for him to use at night . After a month I got him his own bed and put in in my bedroom. When he asked to come back to bed with me I gave him a hug and took him to his bed. He would get up and come to the side of the bed and I would reach down and comfort him, he would then go back to bed. He still sleeps in my room in his own bed, and so dose the cat. When I say "BEDTIME" they both run up to bed.
To get my dog used to being alone, I never encouraged him to follow me in the house. If I went t to the kitchen or another room he had to stay in the living room , I often wondered how the wolf stopped her cubs following her on hunts. But if your pup learns not to follow you round the house its easy er to leave it to go shopping. He's a great dog 4 years old now. But thinks he rules the world outside lol