Advice Re Leaving Dog Alone While Working

[Four smith]

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Hi

I posted here and puppy forum to get as much advice as possible

I have posted before about being left in an awkward situation with my puppy.i have managed to get him to six months or will have on 8 th jan now with leaving him only short periods.he is crate trained house trained and an absolute joy.he has changed our world very much for the better.however I must return to some kind of normal working.can you give me your thoughts advice on this routine please.

Mon to thur alone 8.30 til 12 .30 then 1.30 to 3.30

Fri alone 8.30 til 12.30

He is with us the rest of the time and sleeps in a crate in our room.he gets walked 7.30 til 8 am then again for 20 mins at lunch time and about an hour max at night,he loves his walks.i am beside myself to leave him but must work.i am looking for advice and reassurance that this can work for us.he is an absolute babe.

 

[pippywhippet]

I'm sure he will be fine left alone for that period of time provided he has a break midday with company, and plenty of attention and his walks which he enjoys as normal.

You can leave him with the radio or tv on and treat toys like filled kongs or biscuit puzzle balls to help keep him occupied- but he will probably be content to sleep and wait for your return once he is used to the routine. Do you have a friend or neighbour who could pop in and check on him to give you peace of mind?

Good luck and hope all goes well- in an ideal world you would be with him all day, but realistically we all have to work! :luck:

 

[Four smith]

I don't have anyone on a regular basis,my dad will pop in occasionally but not daily.i have thought of every which way possible, he is usually very happy in his cage.your doggies look lovely.

 

[Four smith]

Sorry just to add his cage is big he has a bed area and enough additional area to have a good old stretch,I will leave him with his kong and change his toys every day he has water and I will hide a few treats in there too, he gets up with us at six ish then gets a half hr walk before he goes in his cage.in the afternoon I plan to swap radio for tv and swap his toys over.he really does mean the world to me.

 

[Tigernidster]

I think you sound a loud a good and caring owner. Your concerns about leaving your pup indicate to me that you will do all you can to make him as happy as possible. It's never easy having to leave them but try not to pass your concerns on to him - be happy and relaxed when you have to go (don't fuss him) and I'm sure he will soon settle into your routine.

 

[H_Hounds]

Those hours seem fine. Realistacilly, if you couldn't leave them alone for those periods, the only people who could own dogs are those who are retired or on benefits etc.

When he is a bit older, I would get another dog for some company.

He will most likely sleep the most of the time he is left alone. When I'm at home all day, my dogs sleep most of the day, get up occasionally for a stretch, then sleep. They liven up around the times I would usually be coming home as they like routine. The only downside is that if you've had a tiring day, they're ready to start bouncing around when you arrive home lol.

I would be really consistent in when you come home, not to greet him straight away - let him calm down before you approach and open his crate (in 10 mins or so). Otherwise you are rewarding negative behaviour and may face unwanted barking or something down the line

 

[bertha]

When we come home the first thing we do is greet the dogs!!!!!!! Then let them out in the garden. I cannot imagine not greeting them or stopping them from being pleased to see us.

Each to his own I suppose, but that's how we have done it for the last 40 odd years of whippet owning. :thumbsup:

 

[H_Hounds]

When we come home the first thing we do is greet the dogs!!!!!!! Then let them out in the garden. I cannot imagine not greeting them or stopping them from being pleased to see us.

Each to his own I suppose, but that's how we have done it for the last 40 odd years of whippet owning. :thumbsup:

Well, I used to too, but they got so excited they would bark, whether they were in the garden or in the house so to stop this, I would ignore them until they were quiet and calm, then reward their good behaviour with fusses.

I have 2 great danes and a cocker so 2 big excited dogs bounding around barking and excited to see you often results in something being broken or bruises! ^_^

 

[Four smith]

Thanks for the replies and advice, I hope he enjoys the routine and continues to be as happy as he is now, there are four of us at home the kids are 14 and 11 so can help with walking etc so it's easy to share the jobs out non of us work weekends so we get lovely family time with the doggie.its such a life changing thing I love him to bits and we want him to be as happy as possible, I do think in a couple of yrs we all look for a rescue dog for company too.

 

[Tigernidster]

When we come home the first thing we do is greet the dogs!!!!!!! Then let them out in the garden. I cannot imagine not greeting them or stopping them from being pleased to see us.

Each to his own I suppose, but that's how we have done it for the last 40 odd years of whippet owning. :thumbsup:

I agree! We are pleased to see them too and it makes coming home such a joy!

 

[Strix]

Brude used to go absolutely nuts when we or visitors arrived (thanks to certain visitors encouraging such behaviour). It's not pleasant having 16kg bodily thrown paws first at your nuts, or if you are a small child, your face

I ignore him until he sits nicely to be greeted, and he's got the hang of it - but only if it's me or H. Everybody else still gets a beagle hurtled at them, but I'm working on that

 

[bertha]

My dogs don't bark when we come home! They are just pleased to see us, lots of fuss and wagging tails, they do jump up but stop when we tell them.

It's part of having dogs, I have four whippets and a greyhound, all say hello to visitors then go back to their beds!!!! Lazy lot they are.

 

[Four smith]

Yes if he goes in his cage now when I come home I let him straight out,he used to jump all over me but we have worked on it and now he wags furiously and leans against me for cuddles.its lovely.

 

[eingana]

I'm the only person that Molly doesn't bark for. When I come home she is always sitting behind the front door and just puts a snuffly nose around the door as I open it. If I need the loo too much to greet her properly then she will accompany me to the bathroom so she can make a big fuss of me then she'll go back downstairs to wait for me there.

Molly is very odd when it comes to being left. She doesn't like it very much, but chooses to ignore all sorts of distractions, toys and games and just sits behind the front door waiting for me. I've tried getting someone to come to take her out and she won't go with them, and unless she's got a stomach upset she can go 8 hours without going to the loo very easily.

I guess it comes down to the sort of dog you have, both breed and temperament, as to whether being left is an issue. As long as your dog has plenty of exercise and loo opportunities before you go out so he isn't bouncing up and down with frustration when he's left then I'm sure he'll get into the routine quickly enough

 

[H_Hounds]

Brude used to go absolutely nuts when we or visitors arrived (thanks to certain visitors encouraging such behaviour). It's not pleasant having 16kg bodily thrown paws first at your nuts, or if you are a small child, your face

I ignore him until he sits nicely to be greeted, and he's got the hang of it - but only if it's me or H. Everybody else still gets a beagle hurtled at them, but I'm working on that

Yes, unfortuantely all of our visitors get bumped around in the hallway with 3 dogs all trying to get close enough for fusses, and at least one person will get a tail whip from Bella. Strangers don't get this welcome though :-

 

[marieb811]

@ H_hounds, no disrespect but i think your comment re. dog owners are either on benefits/retired slightly judgemental - you seem to be forgetting those people, like myself who are full time parents. my dog is 6 yrs old, and we certainly wouldnt of got her if i worked full time, and No we do not collect benefits. in respect of the query posted i find when i am out for a while leaving a radio on low seems to keep my dog 'company'. i have done this since the day we got her as a 8 wk old pup and ive never had a problem, even from the first night. on my/our return she is ready to greet her owners with glee. when she was younger we used to close her into the dining room/conservatory but found after having minor surgery and having to be kept overnight at the vets she suffered from separation anxiety, therefore we bought a kong and gave her the run of the majority of the house. we've never had an issue since!!!!!!! your dog is still only a baby and thus should settle down in time.