Transitioning dog now that we will work out of the home-

[anniespup]

We have a one year old Schnoodle and thanks to some early advice from this forum he is doing great! We are enrolled in our second class 'good manners' and are having such fun as a family.

During the day while my husband works from home, Luca is allowed to be in a large family room with patio doors to look out back, and he is free to roam the kitchen. When we are with Luca he can roam in other areas of the home, too. We try to keep him physically and mentally stimulated so we haven't had any issues with him tearing up couches, papers etc. So far so good

Now my husband is going back to work outside of the home and Luca will need to be home alone. I want the transition for Luca to be a smooth one. Any advice as to keeping him from being bored or feeling separated, and how to create an indoor space for him to use the bathroom without confusing his outdoor habit.

A typical day Luca will be alone from 7:15 until about 2:30/3:00 PM.

Thanks for your help!
Anniespup

[JudyN]

I'd have thought Luca would be able to hold on from 7.15am till 3.00pm, assuming he's completely reliable at the moment. I'd at least start out with this aim in mind, and then rethink if you hit problems.

Do you ever leave Luca at the moment? If so, it should be a simple case of gradually increasing the time you leave him for. If not, then when your husband is at home he should practise leaving for very short periods of time, possibly no more than stepping out of the door and coming straight back in again, and building up gradually. Ideally you'd give him a good walk to tire him out but that would involve a very early start! Don't pay him too much attention for a while before you leave, and don't make too much of a fuss of him on returning (some people recommend ignoring completely but I don't go along with that as it seems unnatural to me and probably to the dog too). Leave a selection of chew toys, frozen kongs, treats wrapped up in newspaper to unwrap, maybe treats hidden around the areas he can access.

I hope some of that helps

[anniespup]

Thanks for the help and comments! But, would you suggest setting up a potty area for him if we have to be away from home for longer? Would the dog instinctively know where to go?
P.S. we have left the dog during the day, so Luca is used to people coming and going. He seems to do very well. But, this would be the longest stretch without a person around.