The answer is clear: I must leave him alone.

It is very common that you think about taking a vacation to receive the puppy, or that you worry about what will happen when you go to work. No worries, we have experienced it and we have thought like you and it is one of the biggest mistakes that can be made in the socialization of the puppy.

It is imperative that whether or not we are at home, the toy poodle puppy is alone for at least 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. We can leave him in a small room or in the bathroom, or in a dog park, always with food and water.

This exercise of being alone and returning home gives them self-confidence and helps them build an independent personality. It is vital to avoid separation anxiety. They are dogs that can perfectly spend 12 or 16 hours alone. Because of our work, there are days when we get home at lunchtime and others almost after dinner. For your peace of mind, put a web cam on him and you will see how he spends the day sleeping or playing alone.

Another essential aspect is that you do not have a party when you get home. In fact, the ideal is to ignore it for the first few minutes. It doesn't matter if he cries or barks, if we succumb to him we are giving him the power. We, as a rule, first change our clothes, leave everything in the closet and then let our furry babies out of their sleeping room. This is ideal for them and the development of their personality.

A very good trick for exercise in the first few days is to leave the puppy in a separate place or room. We leave the house, stay outside for 5 minutes and come back in, we go to his area, we enter but we don't greet him. He will want us to listen to him, but we must ignore him. We repeat with 10, 15, 30 minutes. And then after an hour. This type of exercise helps his independence, but above all it makes him see that crying or barking is of no use, since the control of when to pet him is ours. It may seem harsh, in fact it is almost more so for us than for them, but toy poodles are beautiful and they know it, they are so smart that they manipulate us. This exercise teaches them that we are in charge. Or at least we try.