Guest donatella Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 (edited) Hi all I'm a new member here, from Brisbane and I have a gorgeous 4.5 month old Pomeranian pooch named Lucy. I got her at 3 months old and she was already partly trained and I think the breeder used to leave her and her brother at home alone when she went to work however I am not coping at leaving her home when I work. I am a Nurse and a shift worker and live with another nurse so there is generally one person home but there are some weeks when she will spend a day alone and there is a week coming up where she will spend 7am - 3.30pm home alone for 4 days and this is giving me severe anxiety. I've tried looking at doggy daycares but there aren't many near me (i'm in Morningside, South side of brisbane) and the one near me is full. I have left her alone before and she seems fine, she doesn't cry or bark or chew at furniture, she's so well behaved and even if i am home sleeping she is playing by herself in the lounge room. she toilets on wee wee pads perfectly i just feel so bad that my baby is home alone for so long. is this normal? surely there are people who leave their dogs for longer periods and more days a week then this? i think i'm the one suffering from separation anxiety! i leave her with toys, a kong and i'm considering leaving her with a raw bone which she loves, but many people say not to leave a puppy unsupervised with a bone. When i'm not home she has the run of the living room and kitchen and my room. the living room and kitchen are tiled and my room is her bed. i make sure all the powerpoints are turned off and everything off the floor but i cant shake my nerves about it! Anyway nice to meet you all, i'm just venting a few of my frustrations and anxieties Edited September 1, 2011 by donatella Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Flying Furball Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Don't feel bad especially if she shows no sign of stress, count your luck!! I felt EXACTLY the same but now leave my Papillon at home alone up to ten hours a day three times a week. I have a dog walker once a week ($20) and put that in the middle of the days, I also have some short work days. A routine is good, so I walk him before I go out, and I feed him as I walk out the door so my leaving is a great thing! Lately I throw snacks all over the floor and the little bugger doesn't look at me as I leave. It took me a while to relax around it and to establish the routine. I leave the radio on with music, and close off a few doors of the apartment. I feel so lucky that he seems to love his home and is a happy to sleep indoors on soft things! I also had a trainer come in to help me establish the routine and feel better about it. Maybe you might want to do that too to assist you and help you feel more confident. Doggy day care may be handy but do you want to rely on it and have a dog who can never be alone?? Save some money and get her used to it as dogs all over the world spend some time alone and don't suffer, especially with dedicated owners. My friend who is a vet said it is good for them to learn to be separate as there will be times when you need to leave them at a vet or go on holidays, so better it is a part of their regular lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Flying Furball Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Just to add...I think I was the one suffering from separtation anxiety too I know exactly what you mean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lavendergirl Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I wouldn't leave a 4.5 month old pup at doggy day-care. The potential for injury or some sort of trauma is much greater than leaving the dog at home alone. The doggy day care thing is a bit of a con IMO. Unless the dogs are separated in size, temperament tested and supervised 100% of the time there is potential for trouble. Can you gradually build up to leaving him alone for the 4 hours so you can see that he copes fine? Best to start as you mean to go on and get him accustomed to being alone for periods of time. Believe me you don't want a dog that develops separation anxiety! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Don't feel bad especially if she shows no sign of stress, count your luck!! I felt EXACTLY the same but now leave my Papillon at home alone up to ten hours a day three times a week. I have a dog walker once a week ($20) and put that in the middle of the days, I also have some short work days. A routine is good, so I walk him before I go out, and I feed him as I walk out the door so my leaving is a great thing! Lately I throw snacks all over the floor and the little bugger doesn't look at me as I leave. It took me a while to relax around it and to establish the routine. I leave the radio on with music, and close off a few doors of the apartment. I feel so lucky that he seems to love his home and is a happy to sleep indoors on soft things! I also had a trainer come in to help me establish the routine and feel better about it. Maybe you might want to do that too to assist you and help you feel more confident. Doggy day care may be handy but do you want to rely on it and have a dog who can never be alone?? Save some money and get her used to it as dogs all over the world spend some time alone and don't suffer, especially with dedicated owners. My friend who is a vet said it is good for them to learn to be separate as there will be times when you need to leave them at a vet or go on holidays, so better it is a part of their regular lives. thank you! it helps me to hear other peoples stories about leaving their babies at home. i know work needs to go on but its so hard not to worry about them. I am very lucky she seems quite settled and happy hear, i've never heard peep out of her and she'll often wander off and play by herself. she gets up in the morning off my bed and into the lounge room to play by herself, i couldn't have asked for a better behaved dog actually, its just me with the problems! you're right about the letting them get used to time alone, i have a friend who's dog is never alone she drops it at her parents house when she's at work, the dog has literally never been left alone. I'm just glad that Lucy wont be alone 5 days a week, it'll only be a few days a week max so she's lucky in that respect. i just have this fear i'm going to come home to broken leg or a dog thats choked to death, but i'm sure she's not as hyper while noone is home. thanks for your reassurance, every bit helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I wouldn't leave a 4.5 month old pup at doggy day-care. The potential for injury or some sort of trauma is much greater than leaving the dog at home alone. The doggy day care thing is a bit of a con IMO. Unless the dogs are separated in size, temperament tested and supervised 100% of the time there is potential for trouble. Can you gradually build up to leaving him alone for the 4 hours so you can see that he copes fine? Best to start as you mean to go on and get him accustomed to being alone for periods of time. Believe me you don't want a dog that develops separation anxiety! and doggy daycare is quite expensive! you're probably right though, when my girl plays with my mums dog (a maltese) they need to be supervised as they can play too hard and someone always gets hurt, they get too excited. she is good now, i've left her before, she does 4-5 hours no problems, not a peep, if i leave her a raw bone she doesn't even look at the door when i leave, i leave the radio on too. what are you thoughts on leaving bones with a puppy for 8 hours though? some people have mixed emotions, her little mouth is tiny, i doubt she could get a piece off but i'd hate to have a choked to death dog on arrival at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lavendergirl Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I wouldn't leave a 4.5 month old pup at doggy day-care. The potential for injury or some sort of trauma is much greater than leaving the dog at home alone. The doggy day care thing is a bit of a con IMO. Unless the dogs are separated in size, temperament tested and supervised 100% of the time there is potential for trouble. Can you gradually build up to leaving him alone for the 4 hours so you can see that he copes fine? Best to start as you mean to go on and get him accustomed to being alone for periods of time. Believe me you don't want a dog that develops separation anxiety! and doggy daycare is quite expensive! you're probably right though, when my girl plays with my mums dog (a maltese) they need to be supervised as they can play too hard and someone always gets hurt, they get too excited. she is good now, i've left her before, she does 4-5 hours no problems, not a peep, if i leave her a raw bone she doesn't even look at the door when i leave, i leave the radio on too. what are you thoughts on leaving bones with a puppy for 8 hours though? some people have mixed emotions, her little mouth is tiny, i doubt she could get a piece off but i'd hate to have a choked to death dog on arrival at home. I wouldn't leave her unsupervised with a bone - especially if you are worried about it. She can have the bones when you are there. Does she like chew toys or you could leave her with a chew treat perhaps a Greenie or something? Just do a thorough check of the area before leaving to make sure she can't get in to anything dangerous and I am sure she will be fine. She is lucky to have such a caring Mum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I wouldn't leave a 4.5 month old pup at doggy day-care. The potential for injury or some sort of trauma is much greater than leaving the dog at home alone. The doggy day care thing is a bit of a con IMO. Unless the dogs are separated in size, temperament tested and supervised 100% of the time there is potential for trouble. Can you gradually build up to leaving him alone for the 4 hours so you can see that he copes fine? Best to start as you mean to go on and get him accustomed to being alone for periods of time. Believe me you don't want a dog that develops separation anxiety! and doggy daycare is quite expensive! you're probably right though, when my girl plays with my mums dog (a maltese) they need to be supervised as they can play too hard and someone always gets hurt, they get too excited. she is good now, i've left her before, she does 4-5 hours no problems, not a peep, if i leave her a raw bone she doesn't even look at the door when i leave, i leave the radio on too. what are you thoughts on leaving bones with a puppy for 8 hours though? some people have mixed emotions, her little mouth is tiny, i doubt she could get a piece off but i'd hate to have a choked to death dog on arrival at home. I wouldn't leave her unsupervised with a bone - especially if you are worried about it. She can have the bones when you are there. Does she like chew toys or you could leave her with a chew treat perhaps a Greenie or something? Just do a thorough check of the area before leaving to make sure she can't get in to anything dangerous and I am sure she will be fine. She is lucky to have such a caring Mum i might leave the bones for only when i'm here. she loves her toys and she has a kong. she probably just sleeps all day! ahahah i never knew i'd be so dang worried about leaving her, i dont have kids but my mum keeps saying "everyone keeps saying how good a mother you'll be with how you are with your dog" hahaa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanlo Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 If your in Morningside you could consider Furry Kids at Home. I used them when I first moved to Brisbane, at the time I only had one dog and he was not used to being on his one (and I was not used to leaving him). Stephanie is great, for my dog she would just come and sit with him for half an hour, play with him, groom him, bring her dog to spend time with him. She would then send me a text after each visit to let me know everything was okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Set up a webcam and record her for a day and I would not be surprised if you soon stop worrying or looking for doggy day care. Most dogs simply spend their day sleeping. Take puppy for a walk before work and do a short training session for some mental exhaustion. Leave different toys on rotation, some treats hidden for pup to find and a kong and you'll have a content puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saffioraire Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Try looking at some of Patricia's stuff. Her website is here: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/ Her books are reasonably inexpensive and some can be borrowed from State ANKC libraries. I have read in a forward of another of her books that Pat suffers from separation anxiety from her dogs, so theres a chance she may touch on this issue somewhere. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Hope there is something here for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 If she doesn't have any issues and is quite happy home alone, then you are well on the way to creating them. Stop worrying, a dog with a streak of independence, is worth it's weight in gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlet Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I'd just suggest not leaving a collar on her while you are away if you're worried about choking. Or you can get "breakaway" collars that will unclip if the dog gets the collar caught on anything. Sounds like she is a great pup and she might even like her alone time. Try not to stress to much as she could pick up on your anxiety and that could stress her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 If she doesn't have any issues and is quite happy home alone, then you are well on the way to creating them. Stop worrying, a dog with a streak of independence, is worth it's weight in gold. Yes. At this age your puppy will still sleep a lot of the time. Getting used to time alone now is better than starting leaving a puppy at an older age. As long as the environment is safe your puppy will be absolutely fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 i dont think you have anything to worry about personally, its not thaat long that she will be home alone for anyway i leave my dogs with bones if you dont want to do that throw some kipple on the floor to give her something to do while you are out, do you have any kongs? you can fill them with goodies or peanut paste that she has to lick out or empty bottles things she is allowed to play with, she will prob have a ball without you. when my baby girl got desexed she was in a crate with water and kongs from 7am till i got home at about 1pm and she was perfectly fine would run straight out to the toilet when i got home (good baby girl) can you confine her to a large crate? or a play pen so she isnt running around the house looking for trouble? i used to throw the kibble in the crate and put biscuit bones and pigs feet etc and peanut paste kongs in the crate for my girl im sure she will be perfectly happy/fine do not stress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Dogs need to learn to be happy alone It is one thing which will save all sorts of worries during her life You will need to work, go out and enjoy life - she needs to learn to play by herself, use self control, relax when alone .....but if you have a clingy and dependent dog and an over protective fussing owner - that's not a healthy relationship ! Thank teh stars you have a pup who seems level headed and sensible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 If your in Morningside you could consider Furry Kids at Home. I used them when I first moved to Brisbane, at the time I only had one dog and he was not used to being on his one (and I was not used to leaving him). Stephanie is great, for my dog she would just come and sit with him for half an hour, play with him, groom him, bring her dog to spend time with him. She would then send me a text after each visit to let me know everything was okay. yeh i looked first at their doggy daycare but she said it was full i might consider their pet sitting though, but its about $27 a visit i think which will add up quickly. i think i'm the one with the anxiety as i leave my pooch and she never makes a sound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Set up a webcam and record her for a day and I would not be surprised if you soon stop worrying or looking for doggy day care. Most dogs simply spend their day sleeping. Take puppy for a walk before work and do a short training session for some mental exhaustion. Leave different toys on rotation, some treats hidden for pup to find and a kong and you'll have a content puppy. i'm very interesting in learning more about this webcam thing, i'll google research it. i've no doubt she entertains herself, thankfully she's not needy, she sleeps with me and gets up on her own in the morning to head into the lounge room to play with her toys herself coming in every now and then to jump on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Try looking at some of Patricia's stuff. Her website is here: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/ Her books are reasonably inexpensive and some can be borrowed from State ANKC libraries. I have read in a forward of another of her books that Pat suffers from separation anxiety from her dogs, so theres a chance she may touch on this issue somewhere. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Hope there is something here for you. ohh thanks for that, i'll have a look now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 If she doesn't have any issues and is quite happy home alone, then you are well on the way to creating them. Stop worrying, a dog with a streak of independence, is worth it's weight in gold. thank you, its all me, not her and i'm only stressing as its my first week back at work, i'm sure after my first week of routine we'll both be used to the idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now