Moving home
Training your puppy to stay alone, step by step
6 min · last updated 18/06/2026
Small companion breeds are particularly people-oriented. Staying alone therefore is not automatic but an exercise like any other.
Weeks 1 to 2: distance within the home
The puppy first learns that you go into another room and come back. Start with five seconds and increase in small steps.
Leave and greet deliberately undramatically — that keeps your departure a non-event.
Weeks 3 to 4: closing the front door
Now you leave the flat briefly. A camera helps distinguish genuine relaxation from silent stress.
The goal after four weeks is 30 to 45 minutes. Four hours is the maximum we recommend for adult dogs.