Separation Training will be done incrementally to avoid causing distress to the puppies. It’s important to realize that stress is ok and healthy for dogs, but distress is undesirable. So we will be using an incremental approach to our separation training, observing puppies for signs of confidence at the current level before progressing. This applies to all work in this class.Sleeping and Resting:We are starting with Sleeping and Resting because this is one area where dogs tend to separate from each other naturally, both also occur several times every day, and so this is the perfect “baby step” towards independence. Nighttime

If your puppies are crated at night, or crate trained, this work will be easier. If your puppies have been sleeping together, either in the same crate or in the same pen, we will separate them for sleeping in an incremental manner. 1. Start by creating two “bedrooms” in your puppy’s sleeping area. If they are currently sleeping in one large crate you will replace the single crate with two crates. 2. Wire crates are recommended (but not required) so the puppy’s can see and contact each other if they want. 3. Place each puppy’s crate right next to the other, such that the puppies can sleep touching each other by laying on the same side of the crate. Place a suitable bed in each crate. Ideally this bed will be one the puppies have already used and that already smells familiar. *If you are using pens for nightime, do the same but with one pen per puppy, or by installing a nighttime divider. 4. Put the crates as near to the puppies regular sleeping area as possible.5. If the puppies are young you can invest in a Snuggle Puppy for each puppy (optional). Snuggle puppies are very comforting to puppies.You will use your regular nighttime routine, potty breaks if needed, during this process exactly as you would if you had a single puppy. Puppies can be taken out individually and together in equal number.We will not be covering crate training here, and will be focusing on the separation process. Over the course of several days/weeks you will gradually move the puppy’s sleeping crates further and further apart until puppies are eventually sleeping out of sight of each other (in the same room is fine but not required). Of course you can adjust these distances based on your room, just be sure to start close together and move apart gradually. Here is a typical progression:Step 1. Puppies are crated directly next to each other.Step 2. Crates are pulled apart with 1 inch between crates.Step 3. Crates are pulled apart with 2 inches between crates.Step 4. Crates are pulled apart with 3 Inches between crates.Step 5. Crates are pulled 6 inches apart.Step 6. Crates are pulled 12 inches apart.Step 7. Crates remain 12 inches apart several nights.How will we follow our Puppy Led protocol during these steps? By observing for indications of distress or confidence with each step’s change. Signs of confidence:Puppy goes to sleep quickly and without much vocalizations.Puppy sleeps and wakes on their “regular” schedule. Puppy engages with a pacifier to self soothe upon waking until falling asleep again.

Signs of stress:Puppy Is a little restless before falling asleep, vocalizations are short and low to medium in intensity. Puppy can self soothePuppy takes a bit to fall asleep but sleeps well, may wake up very early.Puppy will engage with high value pacifier, may fuss a little upon waking but does eventually fall asleep again.

Signs of distress:Puppy can’t sleep, vocalizations are constant, high pitched, breathy, and restart upon waking.Puppy doesn’t sleep soundly and wakes up frequently in the night and early in the morning.Puppy ignores pacifiers and cannot soothe themselves.What to do if puppy is distressed? If one or both puppies are showing signs of being upset, stressed, or distressed we will halt at our present level and remain at that level until the puppy moves from distressed to stressed or confident. But remember, we don’t need to wait for a puppy to be fully confident to move forward to the next step. We can move forward if our puppy is mildly stressed, or confident. We will NOT back track, instead just “hold” where you are and refer to the lesson on helping puppies deal with stress/distress. We do not want to respond to an increase in “upset feelings” by moving the puppies closer. Learning to comfort yourself is part of being independent. We just won’t make it any harder until the puppy tells us via their behavior that they can handle their present emotions. Step 8. Once puppies are confidently sleeping 12 inches apart we will start to decrease their visual access to each other. Step 9. Using a visual block (cardboard, a sheet, or towel) we will incrementally reduce how much the puppies can see each other.Step 10. Cover 1/4 of the visual space between the puppies.Step 11. Cover 1/2 of the visual space between puppies.Step 12. Cover 3/4 of the visual space between puppies.Step 13. Cover the space between puppies such that the puppies cannot see each other at all.Step 14. Stay at this step until puppies are confident sleeping 12 inches apart without being able to see each other.Once the puppies are confidently sleeping 12 inches apart, without being able to see each other, you are ready for the final steps of nighttime separation.Step 15. Separate the crates by 24 inches with complete visual block.Step 16. Separate the crates by 3 feet with complete visual block.Step 17. Move puppy sleeping crates onto opposite sides of your bed, such that the puppies cannot see each other, and the bed is in between the sleeping crates. Step 18. Maintain this level of separation at night until the puppies are fully house trained, and ready to sleep outside of the crate (if planned).Step 20 (only for dogs able to sleep loose at night). Crate 1 dog at bedtime in their usual nighttime crate. The second dog sleeps loose but baby gated into the room.Step 21. Repeat each night, alternating who sleeps loose and who sleeps crated, always allowing equal nights out and equal nights up. Starting with one night loose and one night up, to two nights loose and two nights up, until both dogs can sleep loose or crated both, together and apart, up to a week at a time. If at any time the dogs begin exhibiting any guarding behavior, snarking, or other signs of tension return to a separated sleeping schedule, sleeping space is a common area of tension between dogs. We can avoid this hot spot by insisting dogs who guard sleeping spaces sleep crated, or baby gated in another bedroom or area.

Fostering Independence Through Separation: Nighttime