Before you got your dog, did you worry about leaving them home alone?

1. 84

   Efficient Adminposted 10 years ago

   Before you got your dog, did you worry about leaving them home alone?
   
   Do your dogs have trouble being by themselves all day?  What about puppies? Do they need constant attention while they are still babies, or can you leave them alone all day while you have to work?

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   jandeeposted 10 years ago

   No Dog should be left alone all day as they need company the same as you do.
   I have left my dog ,on extremely rare  ,occasions, for Four hours, absolute most !
   
   Puppies should never be left alone. Never..If you work you should hesitate before getting a dog. I have always been able to have my dogs with me at work so have been very lucky in being self-employed
   NEVER leave a dog in a car re. Sunshine & Heat.

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      Efficient Adminposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for commenting. Yes I would never leave the dog in a car. I don't believe I would take them out on a really hot day either. I go walking in 95 degree weather but I will let my dog relax in the air conditioning!

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm retraining a service dog, so she goes everywhere possible with me for her mental health. She stays in the car short periods, windows cracked. I'm in MN, so heat is less of a problem. Labs can stay in a car as long as it's 20-80°F, per our vet.

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3. 69

   ladydeonneposted 10 years ago

   I have had dogs all of my adult life.  I have also had a career all of my adult life.  My deceased husband and I both worked.  We were parents of (2) children   We always had (2) dogs.  We had (2) dogs so that they would be company for each other when our family was away or to play with each other on a daily basis. The dogs were in our home for at least  (6) hours while our children were in school.  The nanny was home with the children before and after school until one of us got home from work.  Our dogs were in our home with food, toys, and soothing music.  There was heat in the winter and central air during the warm months.  They had free rein of the whole house.
   I do not consider our behavior in any way abusive.  Most middle class families whereby both spouses work, leave their dog or dogs at home alone.   When  I was on my own, after my (14) year old dog died leaving his (13) year old sibling behind, I took him to doggie daycare so that he would not be alone. while I was away at work.  In later years when I had more flexibility on my job, I took my dogs to work with me.
   I would rather see well treated and loved dogs be left in home while their parents are at work rather than have them live in shelters or roam the streets.  (I continue to use daycare when I or my daughter have to be away from home for long periods of time.)

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, ladydeonne! Your approach is very practical for the family (including the dogs in that family). Jandee's commandments, in my opinion, should be taken more as guidelines to follow if possible in a perfect world; few families could manage that

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      Efficient Adminposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for sharing. It sounds like you are great parents to your 4-legged children. It sounds like they were comfortable and well taken care of while you had to work all day.

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4. 81

   Becky Katzposted 10 years ago

   I have had dogs for years and I have never had to worry about leaving them home alone. When they are being house trained, I used to leave them with my parents. They would take care of them and make sure they spent time outside. When they grew up, I would take them over to their house to visit sometimes. I always made sure they had toys, food and plenty of water if I left them home. I would also run home on my lunchtime to let them out. They always seemed to do well.
   We put a nanny cam in the house to see what they did while we were gone. They played with their toys, watched out the window and barked, ate and drank. They also napped so that they had plenty of energy to keep me entertained when I got home. Sometimes one dog and sometimes more, to keep each other company.
   Now my husband is disabled and our daughter is home-schooled so we don't worry about it. Just a few hours and we are home.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Very practical, Becky! An approach that considers both the humans' needs and the canines'. One HAS to leave a dog alone sometimes--it just works out that way: life is sometimes crazy. Personally, my dog mostly sleeps while I'm gone.

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      Becky Katzposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      My mom had a dog that was fine when she went to work, but she knew that on the weekend, she went with. She got vindictive if she was not taken, Tore a box of tissues into little shreds several times for revenge when she did not get to go on weekends.

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5. 66

   Lady Guinevereposted 10 years ago

   We take ours with us as much as we can.  On hot or too cold days we leave him home.  When he first came to us and we kept him I took him to my mom's.  Every time that I left the room he would whine.  When I went to the bathroom and closed the door he whined at the door until I came out.  He had separation Anxiety.  I guess that came with him being dropped off and almost ready to die when he found our home.  He's not no tiny dog either ad he has tried to get up in the chair with us at times.  He is part yellow lab/boxer and german shepherd and weighs 85 pounds.  uke just sleeps all the time that we are gone.  He wasn't a puppy when he found us.
   There are things that you can do while you are away from your home though.  Get a ticking clock an wrap it up in some warm towels and the puppies should lay with that because the ticking sound of the clock is most likely like the mother dog.  That is also why they like to be held in your arms,  you are warm and have a heartbeat like their mom.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I take my dog everywhere I can, too. She is a ruined service dog that I am trying to retrain and she's used to going wherever her person goes, so I approximate that by taking her on errands. Monitoring the temp in the car is critical, however!

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6. 61

   duffsmomposted 10 years ago

   Dogs are pack animals and I think if they could talk they would tell you they never want to be alone.
   
   Yes, we worried about it. We never leave them alone for more than a 3 hours at a time.  But as ladydeonne says 2 dogs keep each other company.  We always leave the TV or music on for them and make sure they have water and that all dangerous things are put away. 
   
   It's a lot like having kids.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      duffsmom, you are very practical, as usual, and your advice is right on the mark. Great tips that you summed up succinctly: they are a lot like having kids! I'm sure your dogs are happy, or at least comfortable, when you are not there.

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   flacoinohioposted 10 years ago

   I did not worry about the dogs being alone before I had them, only after.   Kidding aside, we crated our dog when we were not home.  He was not allowed to roam freely while we were not home.  When we were home, he was let out, unless he got into trouble, when he got into trouble , his crate was his time out place.  After a few weeks, he would go to his crate when being scolded.  We stopped scolding him when he went into his crate.  When he was with us for the first few weeks, we used the separation piece that came with the crate, it reduces the amount of space the puppy has to roam in the crate.  Enough to move around, stand and lie down, but not enough to go to the bathroom.  Most dogs will not go to the bathroom in their "den".  There are exceptions such as really young dogs, rescued dogs who are used to being in a cage all of the time, and an unhealthy dog.  You must have an established crating, pottying, and exercise routine, this will allow your dog to be able to be in it's crate while you are gone.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      flacoinohio, our dogs must be related. My dog considers her crate her "safe place", too, and if she does something wrong I just say "go kennel" and she goes in on her own. Also if she is frightened (ex: a storm, guests) or just tired she will go in.

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   Monis Masposted 10 years ago

   Before I got my dog, I was really worried. I didn't work for a month after we bought him, and after that I was rushing home after work to let him out. But he was always really good, and now I don't have to worry at all!

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9. 78

   nanderson500posted 10 years ago

   Some dogs have separation anxiety. I worried about leaving my dog alone after I first got him. At first, he would cry and scratch at the door when I would leave but now he is much calmer.

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      Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Great point! If anyone thinks their dog has separation anxiety, there are many ways of helping the dog grow more confident being alone: separation anxiety is miserable but usually curable. I wrote an article on that topic, if you need some tips.

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10. 61

    jravity1posted 10 years ago

    Before I got my dog  I did not worry about leaving them home alone, because before I got a dog I didnt have a dog. See what I mean there. But I do know what you mean.
    
    This is a difficult thing for most people to do. Puppies are exactly like children, they are inquisitive. So of course something will go wrong if they are left out of a kennel, and in a kennel is no place for a dog.  My dogs are 4 and 6, and they still get in trouble sometimes when they are alone. There are many reasons  for this, including lack of attention and lack of exercise. My suggestion would be if your dog misbehaves normally, take them for a long exhausting walk before you need to go. and let them mellow for the time your gone. You could save yourself a lot of hassle like this.

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       Laura Schneiderposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Right on the money, jravity1! A friend of mine who runs a service dog training school has the saying, "A tired dog is a good dog!" And it's really true.

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11. 93

    agilitymachposted 10 years ago

    Ideally dogs should not be left alone all day.  There are plenty of options - dog walkers, pet sitters who can come by once a day, doggie daycare, elderly neighbors or trusted neighborhood children who can be paid to drop by once a day and more.
    
    I did not worry about my dogs being left home all day because they aren't.  My dogs ARE my work, and they come to work with me.
    
    Puppies require tons of socialization.  (If someone doesn't know what socialization is, I have a hub on it.)  When staying home alone all day, they are missing out on socialization.  As long as their owners are willing to put in the extra time in the evenings and weekend to make up for this deficit and as long as the puppy is given a safe and yet mentally enriching place to stay during the day, it is OK for them to stay at home for a while.  I, personally, have always worked out other arrangements for my dogs, even when I was working full time where the dogs couldn't be with me.

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