How long are your own dogs home alone?

[eli]

With me going mobile, this is a concern for me.
I think mine are well behaved enough but not sure I'd want to leave them loose in the house for 5-6 hours. Even so, it is the idea that I'm not there that has me wondering about their well being.

I thought I might look into having someone check on them, imagine- a pet sitter needing a pet sitter! mid way thru or so. Is that being silly?

Do any of you have this angst? I think I'm as bad now as I was when my daughter was small & I worked!

Crazy me!
Erica

[rapuzzled]

We leave our dogs alone for a good part of the day. Sometimes my moms home, but other days they are left for 8 hours. We know from experience that they can go 11 hours without having to go to the bathroom (one time thing lol, we don't usually leave them that LONG). Generally when we are gone they just sleep anyway, heck when we're home they sleep. Ahhh, to have a dog's life.

[goldiphlox]

well mine is spoiled rotten

she comes with me to work everyday. and if i go mobile she will come with me. that's my dog in my avatar. she is very good though. occasionally, if i know i have to go to the doc or something after work i'll leave her home. but then she looks at me with her all too human expression and she gives me guilt. if the doc would let me, i could bring her. she'd just lay in the corner till i was done. i could leave her in the house all day, if i had to. she would just sleep and wait for me to return, and be overcome with joy when i did. could you tell i love this dog. i've had other dogs and cats, and loved them all. but, once in a while one comes along that is just so special. That's my Tiki. The best dog i ever had.........but then again to answer your question, i guess it depends on the dogs....maybe you don't trust them in the house alone all day? could you plan your route that in the middle somewhere you could be near home? and stop in for lunch maybe? if not, maybe it would be good for you to have someone stop in to check on them. if it would make u feel better....

[scrubapup]

I'll leave mine home alone for up to 6 hours, but any longer then that and I would have somebody come to the house to let them outside for a bit. I have 2 daughters who still live at home, so I don't have to worry about it right now. But my girls are 19 and 20 and ready to leave the nest **cries** so then I'll have to figure something out. Hopefully we will be in the new house before that happens, and then I'll have a dog door leading to a fenced in yard. But I'll still worry. I wish I could take them to the shop with me, but my shop is small, the dogs are big and they hate it there.

But to answer your question, I don't think it's silly to have somebody check on them. They're our kids with 4 legs

[wenndyr]

my dogs are home alone for 8 hours a day, and we have a dog walker come to walk them because sometimes am gone longer and feel bad,I know I wouldnt want to hold my pee for that long. but we do pay alot for our dog walker

[BeeJL]

The next best thing to coming with you is a dog door and fenced yard. If you can't do this, try to find ways to keep them entertained/busy while you are gone. Cong toys work well. I stuff them with something soft like canned dog food and put them in the freezer the night before. That way it takes a little longer for the dogs to work on them. If you can leave your dogs outside on nice days, try giving them each a knuckle bone. Good luck, if they are used to coming with you, it make take a couple of weeks for them to adjust to the new routine. Try not to let the guilt get to you.

[Arrooh]

It depends on the dogs

and the ages and sizes. I've heard that smaller dogs have smaller bladders and such, but then I think they drink less. 10 hour day is nothing for dogs alone if adults and enjoying each other. I do book so that I can come home inbetween and snack/lunch and enjoy my dogs, one of my favorite things of my own mobile service. I even do evening grooms and will come home, eat dinner and feed my dogs, then back out again. I've come to think that dogs don't have a real good concept of time, as in left long or short periods of time, left is left.

[Maggy]

I take mine sometimes and leave them sometimes, they've gone 10 hrs without a problem though I try not to make a habit of that of course.

Mine don't stay out loose though, they go in crates. Brenna's crate needs snap hooks though because she's gotten loose and I had the fun of replacing all my blinds.

[Helly]

Whizzy goes to work with me every day. But Oli usually stays home. He can go 8 hours or longer through the night, so I suspect he can hold it 8 or more hours during the day, too.

[Boxerfan]

My boxer can't hold it more than 3 or 4 hours and she can't be trusted in the house not to get into anything and everything, my male mutt would just whiz on everything even though he's neutered. They have access to the laundry room only with a dog door to the fenced yard. The backyard doesn't face any streets so I feel pretty comfortable with this setup. My last dog goes with me every day since I can't seem to keep her inside the fence when I leave. She's good as long as we're home but soon as the car pulls out of the drive she finds a way out and I'm afraid Houdini (well actually Charlie) will teach the others her tricks.

[Rebekah]

My dogs do just fine alone for 8 hrs or a more. I don't believe in crating them even for an hour. But then I never crate my dogs unless we go for a ride in the truck which is the state law here in Ct. I like to know my dogs are free to roam around and I trust them. I can't see them being stuck in a box that long either. Not being able to walk around and stretch their legs. Besides one of my dogs guards the house and refuses to let anybody in. The other one will let anybody in and point out the cookie jar!

[HoundLover]

well...i have a friend who crates her three dogs during the day and lets the other two out during the day...i know rex is out during the day but he has bone cancer in one leg (rottie 9 yrs old i believe), and champ i think she might crate during the day? not sure...but thats only because he ate carpeting after she's left him alone during the day! 3 times after doing that and having to have surgery for it already...she just crates him. marley im not sure if she crates him or not...mofasa i know she does and star she crates as well (puppy) and moo is 2 yrs old. she has 5 dogs (3 rotties, 1 aussie mix and 1 am. pitbull terrier pup). now my dogs....when we had buddy and eddie they were both just left to roam the house...didnt matter as they didnt get into trouble. buddy was crated as a puppy but other than that after he outgrew the loaned crate...no problem. eddie we got as an adult and have never had a problem leaving him alone in the house. i dont really worry about it....they will just get up on forbiddin furniture and snooze the day away. thats what eddie does anyways LOL!!! at night he gets up on the couch (big no no!) and sleeps....during the day its either the floor or moms bed...(hes allowed on the bed). and 1 chair downstairs. never had any accidents....
now if you KNOW your dogs cannot hold it for that long, OR have excessive energy where if they were left alone for long periods of time something is going to get destroyed....then yes id either crate them or put them in an Xpen (this is bigger than a crate and provides more room to stretch out.) or just have someone stop by occaisionally.
its truly up to you but i honestly dont worry about it.
Hound

[Fur Elite]

After avoiding all the work of putting in a dog door for years, I found a wonderful "dog window" product on the internet (double paned glass that has a door on one side of it....you raise your window open and install this "dog door window" and close your window on top of it) and I can't IMAGINE not having a dog door now. In fact, if and when I ever move and don't have windows suitable for this (my windows are like 10 inches off the floor) I will put one in a door, wall WHEREVER. There simply is nothing like it IF you have a secure yard. I have had it for 4 years now and my dogs can go out whenever they want. You can remove the panel and close and lock your window if you are going out of town. You can block the dog door part of it if you need to keep the dogs in or out. FABulous! Amazing the products you can find on the internet!

However, when my poodle is in season I do not let her outside out of my sight, so the dog door is blocked during this time. Sometimes I am gone up to 9 hours and they all do just fine and dandy. All dogs do is sleep all day long. At least, when I have a day off and I am sitting at home...all they do is sleep. I can't get them to play if I TRY. So, don't feel so guilty. They well adapt to your schedule.

[eli]

Thanks everyone for the much needed

help!!

Altho I think the dog door is great, I won't do a dog door for several reasons. I'd be worried they might get dognapped. I'd be worried what I'd find IN my house when I returned! I'd worry they might bother the neighbors with barking if they spotted a cat.

I will consider a sitter. I've been planning that maybe after I'm more routine with my stops I'd just come home for a while mid day then go back out.

Thanks again for helping my worried mind.
Erica

[dogroomerjvl]

Home alone

I have 2 dogs. Sierra an 11 year old cocker spaniel and Chico a 1 1/2 year old sheltie. Sierra was always good in the house alone for up to 8 hours without being checked on but I knew when I got Chico it wouldn't be that easy as he had separation anxiety. So when I first got him I took him to work with me. Then I introduced him to the crate at night when I was at home. He didn't like it much at first but now he loves his crate. Then I started giving him free reign of the house for short periods of time. Started at 15 mins. and worked my way up from there. Now he spends 7 hours or so home alone with free reign and Sierra for companionship. No messes to clean up or shoes ripped to shreads anymore. I worked very hard with him and if he slipped up I knew in my case I was working him too fast. I also got him into dog obedience with the use of the clicker and positive reinforcement only. It has helped him become a better dog and I will never go back to the old method of a choaker chain. Maybe my old gal has taught my new dog a few new tricks.

Kathy
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I'm a beauticican not a magician.