So I've had to start looking for a job and I found one as a taxi dispatcher. I would be working from 7:30am-5:00pm Monday-Friday. One out of those 5 days my hubby will be watching our daughter and Blitzen. And the other 4 days I can take Izabelle with me to work. But Blitzen would be alone in his room all day for about 7 hours. My husband would be able to take him out in the morning and give him his breakfast and he would leave around 10:30ish. Should I leave him his water bowl in his room? Fill his kong with treats as much as I can? Should I leave his light on? Is there anything else I can do to make this as easy as I can on him? I thought about getting someone to check up on his throughout the day..but there really isn't anybody I trust enough to come into my home while we're all out. We have no family up here either..we strictly moved up here to save money.
Home alone.
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Congrats on the job!! I read a lot of occupational folklore articles on cabbies 
Also, my dad drove cabs. ^^
First of all, try to gradually up the time Blitzen is left alone. Start at 5 mins and go from there increasing the time so he knows you will always return. NEVER give him goodbyes and dramatic pets and kisses telling him how much you'll miss him and stuff because he will transfer that energy into anxiety. Always make the departure nothing exciting. It usually helps to get ready and then relax and go about normal activities too, like- put on your coat and grab your keys or whtever but then go sit down and watch a bit of tv until he calms down. Ingore him completely about 5-15 minutes before you leave. This includes patting, talking to or feeding him so make sure you leave down water in plenty of time.
I guess you could give the kong as you leave?? I always had a dog who got so nervous as we left that he knew once fresh deli hams and cheese came out that he would be alone and you'd be surprised- Coco never once touched the deli slices until someone returned!!! So I don't know when an appropriate time would be for the kong. You don't want him to eat everything up before you leave while he's being ignored....
Anyway, Coco is 13 and while he can be left alone for this period of time we HAVE to keep him in a diaper with a maxi pad. He pees in it everyday while out of anxiety or necessity it's unclear now. But you could do the same for Blitzen if he's still too young to hold it fr hours.
Mostly, this big change will affect him. Dogs live socially and once their pack leaves he will naturally get nervous. Is he crate trained? Or room trained? (I cannot blockade Coco personally bc it makes him worse). It would be better to confine Blitzen to one room where there is a window. Any damage will be confined to that area as well. Training is a big must-do here, lifestyle changes sometimes make slow training inmpractical but overtime he will get used to the routine.
Also, do not make a scene once you return home. I know you will have missed your dog and he would have missed you but its very important not to excite him. Make it a routine to come home walk past him and ONLY greet him once he is calm. If he learns that he gets attention if he jumps on you and gets too excited and if you give in and pet him and squeal or over-dramatize your reunion then he will always associate being alone with a nervous energy that you bring home. He will not be able to contain his excitement and it will be way harder to break the system... Trust me, I'm STILL undoing 9 or 10 years of this on Coco. -_-
You can leave a light on if you like, he might not care. It's more for you than him since dogs can see plenty fine in the dark. Admittedly, I always leave a light on if I know I will be gone while it gets dark. Coco's got cataracts though and the light serves him in his lonliness so at least he can see where he's going!! lol
Anyway, good luck!! Let us know how he's taking it!
Also, my dad drove cabs. ^^First of all, try to gradually up the time Blitzen is left alone. Start at 5 mins and go from there increasing the time so he knows you will always return. NEVER give him goodbyes and dramatic pets and kisses telling him how much you'll miss him and stuff because he will transfer that energy into anxiety. Always make the departure nothing exciting. It usually helps to get ready and then relax and go about normal activities too, like- put on your coat and grab your keys or whtever but then go sit down and watch a bit of tv until he calms down. Ingore him completely about 5-15 minutes before you leave. This includes patting, talking to or feeding him so make sure you leave down water in plenty of time.
I guess you could give the kong as you leave?? I always had a dog who got so nervous as we left that he knew once fresh deli hams and cheese came out that he would be alone and you'd be surprised- Coco never once touched the deli slices until someone returned!!!
So I don't know when an appropriate time would be for the kong. You don't want him to eat everything up before you leave while he's being ignored....Anyway, Coco is 13 and while he can be left alone for this period of time we HAVE to keep him in a diaper with a maxi pad. He pees in it everyday while out of anxiety or necessity it's unclear now. But you could do the same for Blitzen if he's still too young to hold it fr hours.
Mostly, this big change will affect him. Dogs live socially and once their pack leaves he will naturally get nervous. Is he crate trained? Or room trained? (I cannot blockade Coco personally bc it makes him worse). It would be better to confine Blitzen to one room where there is a window. Any damage will be confined to that area as well. Training is a big must-do here, lifestyle changes sometimes make slow training inmpractical but overtime he will get used to the routine.
Also, do not make a scene once you return home. I know you will have missed your dog and he would have missed you but its very important not to excite him. Make it a routine to come home walk past him and ONLY greet him once he is calm. If he learns that he gets attention if he jumps on you and gets too excited and if you give in and pet him and squeal or over-dramatize your reunion then he will always associate being alone with a nervous energy that you bring home. He will not be able to contain his excitement and it will be way harder to break the system... Trust me, I'm STILL undoing 9 or 10 years of this on Coco. -_-
You can leave a light on if you like, he might not care. It's more for you than him since dogs can see plenty fine in the dark. Admittedly, I always leave a light on if I know I will be gone while it gets dark. Coco's got cataracts though and the light serves him in his lonliness so at least he can see where he's going!! lol
Anyway, good luck!! Let us know how he's taking it!
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Dogs can be left home for that long. It sucks and its not natural for a pack animal but they can learn to adapt. Or at least we adapt to the destruction caused by it.
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I wouldn't crate a dog for that long, but as long as it can walk and move around if it wants, I just think it'll get lonely. Maybe you could also get a doggie door so he could relieve himself?
I'm sorry but, I would never re-home my dog because he's going to be home alone for about 7 hours. That just seems like a really dum reason to me. There's is absolutely nothing that can make me give him up unless it's health related and there's nothing I can do about it. I love him too much to give him up for that reason. Not only would it break his heart, it would break ours too. We have had him for 3 months (on the 27th) and I have got to say that he is one of the best things that has happened to me. He is my baby..there are way too many reasons for me not to give him up. And another reason I wouldn't give him up is that a lot of the dogs up here are not taken care of properly. There are dogs outside ALL the time outside house on leashes and some people even let their dogs roam free. Their water and food bowls are outside (water frozen because its so freakin cold)...the kind of love and care that Blitzen gets a lot of the other dogs don't. I have seen little puppies get tortured because the kids think it's fun, dogs that are on leashes get poked with sticks and get stuff (small rocks too) thrown at them. And I think because of that a lot of them are a little aggressive. Sometimes when Blitzen and I go for our walks..the dogs on leashes barks and growls and show their teeth..and Blitzen doesn't bark or growl EVER and I don't want him to ever be in an environment like that and become like the other dogs- prisoners (the way I see it). I'm not saying everybody is like that either, there are obviously people who take proper care of their dogs. Blitzen ran away when he was a puppy and nobody bothered to go out and look for him..he was out in the dead of cold for about a month or so with no food and no water. I'm sorry but the thought of getting rid of him hurts...I'm such a sap. lol.
Anywhooo...it doesn't matter cuz I'm not taking the job. Their place reeks of cigarette smell. I can't breathe in a place like that and there's no way I'm going to put my daughter in an environment like that for 10 hrs a day 5 days a week. I put out baby-sitting fliers today too and I am going to be doing in-home sittings only so I'll be home with Blitzen all day too
Anywhooo...it doesn't matter cuz I'm not taking the job. Their place reeks of cigarette smell. I can't breathe in a place like that and there's no way I'm going to put my daughter in an environment like that for 10 hrs a day 5 days a week. I put out baby-sitting fliers today too and I am going to be doing in-home sittings only so I'll be home with Blitzen all day too
And also he has never peed in his room from the day we got him. He also doesn't act up when we leave. I put him in his room before we get ready because as soon as he sees me put on my coat and shoes, he knows we're going out and he gets excited. While we get ready and he's in his room, he doesn't act up at all...we hear nothing. He only gets really excited when we come back home but he doesn't get any attention until he has calmed down because I used to do it and it had made him even more excited.
My pups are having to adjust to me being full time again. I enjoyed so much of every extra hour I was able to spend with them even though all they ever did was sleep. I miss napping with them the most.
I'm sure if they could ask they would want to go out to the park more or run some errands with me in the car. I have to build quality time with them now vs quanity. Do I want to have them home alone for the day? Nope I would rather have them at my side where ever I am but the reality is that they do have to be home. Granted, my dogs are a breed that is independent and ok with being on their own for long periods of time.
I'm sure if they could ask they would want to go out to the park more or run some errands with me in the car. I have to build quality time with them now vs quanity. Do I want to have them home alone for the day? Nope I would rather have them at my side where ever I am but the reality is that they do have to be home. Granted, my dogs are a breed that is independent and ok with being on their own for long periods of time.
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No, rehoming a family member for reasons like that is unfair. That's why the classifieds are chock full of unwanted pets. You're right in your decision to keep him! ^^ He IS family afterall.
And yes, you're doing right by ignoring him until he calms down. You're a wonderful momma to Blitzen!
And yes, you're doing right by ignoring him until he calms down. You're a wonderful momma to Blitzen!
Thank you! Of course he is family..he's my little baby. I wonder how many other people on here would give up their pets for reasons like that? :hmm: I personally think it's better that they stay home alone for 7 hrs so you can go work so that they do have a roof over their heads and they do have food in their stomachs. Even if I had taken the job, I would have let him stay in his room rather than give him up and everybody being unhappy (including him). And I can't think of a single reason I'd give him up..even though at times he makes me want to pull all my hair out. He can be a handful at times.
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Ha!! I feel ya there. Coco needs to be lifted up and down the stairs outside now and in the winter this gets awful annoying. Sometimes he even just stands there and don't know what to do out there bc he thinks if he waits long enough I'll cave and give him a walk. Grrraaaaahhhh!!!!
It is very unrealistic to assume that people can stay at home with their dogs instead of working. Dogs do fine when we are at work, it doesn't sound like he has separation anxiety so when you leave just leave and don't make a big fuss. I leave the tv on for my dog most of the time, he's ok either way. Mostly he sleeps when we are gone. Don't feel so guilty about leaving him alone, he's ok.
Doesn't he sleep for that long sometimes, anyways? 7 hours isn't THAT bad, not as bad as you're making it sound. It's one thing if a dog was going to be left alone for 12+ hours every day but 7 hours is reasonable IMO. No reason to rehome a dog
.LOL! That's awesome..is he a big dog? I can hardly imagine how my back would be if I had to do that every-time Blitzen needed to go up and down the stairs and we have to go down the stairs to go outside every-time. Only problem I have with Blitzen is his excitement when he sees other people/ dogs, and sometimes getting into his old habits (pulling when walking, jumping up at me and my hubby, and accidents when he gets too excited) but we're working on those and I'm sure it'll get better once we get him fixed too.
I didn't even think of that. Sleeping for long hours. Sometimes he doesn't even come out right away when I open his door! Lazy dog lol. Oh well, everybody's got their own opinions about what's right for their own dogs.
I didn't even think of that. Sleeping for long hours. Sometimes he doesn't even come out right away when I open his door! Lazy dog lol. Oh well, everybody's got their own opinions about what's right for their own dogs.
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While I can see that as being a warm loving environment for a dog and certainly an ideal day, dogs have been domesticated by us. That means they live under our rules. We need to keep this in check and not get out of hand but did you maybe get Patch at a rescue who is no-kill and possibly run by compassionate people who want the best but unrealistically so? It's easy for someone else to make the rules when surrenduring an animal because they can say whatever they want and you'll do it to get the animal. Upon personal research, however, and like someone mentioned, its just unrealistic to work and be home all the time anyway.
Dogs are routine animals. They know when you wake up, when breakfast is coming, when they get a walk, etc. . . as long as its consistant. Therefore, its easy for dogs to get used to being left alone for a couple hours. Train them right and they'll be fine. Coco knows when the diaper goes on he's goin to be left alone (granted, we put it on well before we leave so hopefully he forgets it... Which he does ) **BTW, Mastie, Coco is only about 30 lbs..^^
Dogs are routine animals. They know when you wake up, when breakfast is coming, when they get a walk, etc. . . as long as its consistant. Therefore, its easy for dogs to get used to being left alone for a couple hours. Train them right and they'll be fine. Coco knows when the diaper goes on he's goin to be left alone (granted, we put it on well before we leave so hopefully he forgets it... Which he does
) **BTW, Mastie, Coco is only about 30 lbs..^^You're not the "bad person"...it's just your opinion and I'm truly sorry that this thread made you appear like a bad person. That's what you do with your dog and if you feel it's right, there's nothing wrong in expressing your feelings. I would have left him alone for that long because at the time I had no choice...we needed the extra income..but it didn't happen.
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