The best thing is to not make a big fuss as lots of attention excites them and then you leave , which leaves them with built up excitement and no way of realeasing it . Except maybe chewing up your nice shoes . I get a small treat and leave it on the floor , he knows I ' m going because of the routine of this , which is like what is described in the LPT , but it distracts him so he doesn ' t even watch me walk out the door . Also me leaving is now associated with food . Some peole do it with a special toy that they hide and only get out when they ' re leaving their dog on its own , so the dog has the positive association of being alone with a toy , plus it is entertained . You can still say goodbye but the trick is to not make a huge fuss and drag it out , creating too much excitement . Be all non shallant to give the idea that being left alone isn ' t a big deal .