Learning to Be Alone
Being devoted to you and being dependent on you are not the same thing.
Rottweilers naturally become very attached to their people. That's one of the things we love about them.
But your puppy also needs to learn that they don't have to be beside you, touching you or being entertained by you every minute of the day.
One of the most important things you can teach your puppy is:
“I can relax by myself, and my person always comes back.”
And just like everything else we're teaching, that starts when they're young.
Your Puppy Already Has a Head Start
Your Spartan puppy has already started learning how to be independent before coming home.
They've been sleeping individually in their own kennels at night rather than sleeping in one big puppy pile.
That doesn't mean there won't be some complaining when they arrive at your house.
Everything has changed.
New house. New smells. New people. No littermates.
Give them time to adjust—but keep the routine going.
Your puppy already knows how to sleep in a kennel.
Don't stop now.
Nighttime Means Kennel Time
I want your puppy sleeping in their kennel at night.
Not in your bed.
Not loose in the bedroom.
Not wandering around the house.
In their kennel.
Besides helping with potty training and keeping your puppy safe, nighttime kennel sleeping teaches an important lesson:
“I can sleep by myself.”
If your puppy genuinely needs a nighttime potty trip, take them out.
Keep it boring.
Outside → potty → back to the kennel.
We're not starting the day at 2:00 in the morning. 😂
Don't Forget the Midday Nap
I also like puppies to have a midday nap in their kennel.
Young puppies need a tremendous amount of sleep anyway, and a scheduled quiet period gives them an opportunity to settle without constant stimulation.
It also keeps the kennel from becoming something that only happens at night or when you leave the house.
Sometimes the kennel means bedtime.
Sometimes it means nap time.
Sometimes it means food.
Sometimes it simply means:
“It's time to settle.”
That's exactly what I want.
Feed Your Puppy in the Kennel
I like to feed puppies in their kennel.
Breakfast. Lunch. Supper.
Food is something your puppy looks forward to, so we're building another positive association with that space.
Kennel = good things happen here.
After your puppy finishes eating, you don't necessarily have to fling the door open the second the last piece of food disappears.
Let them spend a little quiet time there.
They can finish eating, settle and relax.
Again, we're teaching:
Activity → Settle.
Excitement → Calm.
Give Your Puppy a Place to Be a Puppy
When I bring an eight-week-old puppy into my own home, I don't immediately give them the run of the house.
I set up a puppy play yard with toys and appropriate things to chew and explore.
This gives the puppy a safe place where they can play and learn to be content without someone constantly entertaining them.
That's important.
Your puppy doesn't need you sitting on the floor playing with them every minute they're awake.
Sometimes they need to learn:
“I have my toys. I'm safe. My person is nearby. I can entertain myself.”
- You can cook dinner.
- Do laundry.
- Work around the house.
- Sit down and watch television.
- Your puppy can see that you're there without requiring your attention every second.
That's one of the earliest ways I teach independence.
Freedom Is Earned
An eight-week-old puppy doesn't need the run of the entire house.
I like to think of freedom in stages:
Kennel → Puppy Play Yard → Supervised Freedom → More Freedom as They Earn It
As your puppy becomes more reliable with potty training, chewing, boundaries and manners, their world can gradually get bigger.
Until then, the play yard gives them room to play and be a puppy without enough freedom to wander off and make bad decisions.
And puppies can make some remarkably creative bad decisions. 😂
We're not trying to keep them confined forever.
We're simply giving them the amount of freedom they're ready to handle.
Start While You're Still There
Teaching your puppy to be alone doesn't begin by leaving the house for hours.
It begins while you're still home.
Your puppy can be in their play yard while you're across the room.
They can be in their kennel while you're doing something nearby.
They can play with their toys while you aren't interacting with them.
Then start moving around.
Walk into another room.
Come back.
Go take a shower.
Do some laundry.
Spend a little time where the puppy can't see you.
Then return.
We're gradually teaching:
“Sometimes my person is right here. Sometimes they're somewhere else. Either way, I'm okay.”
Then Practice Actually Leaving
Once your puppy is becoming comfortable settling without you right beside them, start practicing short departures.
Leave the house.
Come back.
Keep it normal.
Over time, gradually increase the amount of time your puppy spends alone as they're ready for it.
Don't go from:
“Someone has been with me every second for two weeks.”
to:
“See you in six hours!”
We're building a skill.
Give your puppy opportunities to practice it.
Don't Make Leaving a Big Event
You don't need a five-minute goodbye speech every time you walk out the door.
And when you return, you don't have to immediately turn it into the greatest reunion in recorded history. 😂
Coming and going should become a normal part of life.
You leave.
Your puppy rests.
You come back.
Life continues.
The less dramatic we make the routine, the more ordinary it becomes.
Don't Let Your Puppy Train YOU
Puppies are smart.
Very smart.
And they learn patterns quickly—including patterns we didn't intend to teach them.
If your puppy whines and you immediately open the kennel...
If they bark and you immediately come running...
If they fuss and you immediately pick them up...
Your puppy may begin to learn:
“Oh! THAT'S how I get my person to do what I want.”
Pretty soon, you may think you're training your puppy when your puppy has actually been doing a pretty good job of training you.
That doesn't mean we ignore a puppy who genuinely needs something.
Young puppies need bathroom trips. They need food, water, exercise, attention and care.
But there's a difference between:
“I need to go potty.”
and
“I don't particularly care for this arrangement, and I'd like you to come entertain me now.”
If you know your puppy has gone potty, has eaten, is safe and comfortable and it's time to rest, give them an opportunity to settle.
Try not to teach:
Whining = door opens.
Whenever possible, wait for a moment of quiet before opening the kennel or giving attention.
You decide when it's time to come out—not the puppy.
Leave the Kennel Door Open Too
The kennel shouldn't always be somewhere your puppy is put.
When your puppy isn't required to be in it, I like leaving the kennel door open.
Let them discover that they can choose to go in there.
They may grab a toy and lie down.
They may take a nap.
They may simply decide they want some quiet.
That's a GOOD thing.
I want my dogs to know:
“This is my place. I can relax here.”
When Your Dog Chooses Their Kennel—Leave Them Alone
This becomes especially important when you have company.
A house full of visitors, talking, laughing, children and activity can be a lot for a puppy—or even an adult dog.
Sometimes your dog may decide:
“I've had enough. I'm going to my kennel.”
Let them.
They're making a good choice.
This is especially important with children.
I tell children that if the dog voluntarily goes into their kennel, leave them alone.
Don't crawl in with them.
Don't reach inside after them.
Don't try to pull them back out.
Don't keep calling them to come play.
The dog has chosen to take a break.
Respect it.
The Same Rule Applies to “Place”
I like the same rule for the dog's Place platform.
If you have company and your dog chooses to go lie on their platform, they don't necessarily need someone immediately calling them back into all the activity.
Sometimes they're perfectly content right where they are.
Let them settle.
We're giving the dog an appropriate way to remove themselves from excitement rather than expecting them to participate in everything happening around them.
That's a valuable skill.
Complaining Isn't Always Separation Anxiety
A puppy whining because they'd rather be sitting in your lap doesn't automatically mean they have separation anxiety.
Sometimes puppies complain.
Sometimes they're frustrated.
Sometimes they're tired.
Sometimes they've figured out that making noise gets somebody's attention.
That's why it's important to look at the whole situation instead of reacting to every sound.
But there is a difference between ordinary puppy complaining and a dog showing significant distress.
Frantic attempts to escape, injuring themselves trying to get out, excessive drooling, prolonged panic or a dog who truly cannot settle when left alone deserves more attention than ordinary puppy fussing.
If you're seeing that kind of behavior consistently, talk with your veterinarian or a qualified behavior professional rather than simply assuming the puppy needs to “cry it out.”
Being Content Doesn't Mean Being Entertained
This may be one of the biggest lessons on this page.
- Your puppy needs play.
- They need training.
- They need exercise.
- They need interaction with you.
But they also need to learn how to do nothing sometimes.
- They can chew a toy in their play yard.
- They can take a nap in their kennel.
- They can lie on their Place.
- They can watch you cook dinner without participating.
- They can be awake without somebody providing entertainment.
- That's not neglecting your puppy.
That's teaching independence.
Keep It Simple
Let your puppy sleep in their kennel at night.
Give them a midday kennel nap.
Feed their meals in the kennel.
Use a puppy play yard while they're earning more freedom.
Let them learn to play by themselves.
Practice being apart while you're still home.
Gradually practice leaving.
Don't make departures and arrivals a huge event.
Don't let your puppy train you.
Leave the kennel door open when appropriate so they can choose it themselves.
And when your dog chooses their kennel or Place because they need a break—
respect that choice.
We're not trying to raise a Rottweiler who doesn't care whether you're around.
Quite the opposite.
We want that wonderful Rottweiler devotion without creating a dog who believes they cannot function unless you're right beside them.
The goal is:
“I love being with my person. But I can relax by myself, I have a safe place to settle, and I know my person always comes back.”
