My dog is home alone all day

[CesarTheGreat]

I leave my dog alone from about 7:30am til 3:30-4.

There is nobody here with him all day until I get home. It's 20 degrees out so he doesn't even get to go on walks when I get home like we do in the spring/summer/fall.

It does make me feel better though that when my girlfriend stayed here and worked from home she said texted me saying "He has not gotten up all day."

Apparently he sleeps all day and poked his head out of the blankets just a few times when he heard something then laid back down. I like to think he does that all day while I'm at work.

I don't want to be guilt tripped, but I'm starting to look for another dog. I would feel a lot better if he was here with another dog that he could play with. It would be a yorkie and I'd have to get him over xmas/new years, as I am off of work for 2 weeks at that time and would be able to spend it with the new dog.

Good or bad idea on getting another dog?

[Lovetodream88]

I think getting another dog just for your dog isn't a good idea. If your gonna get another dog you should do it for yourself. Even with two dogs there both gonna sleep when your gone that's just what dogs do when the humans aren't there.

[theporkieyorkie]

My older dog was suffering from separation anxiety and getting a second yorkie really seemed to help. Of course, it did bring on some other problems....it's harder to walk 2 dogs...it's harder to take 2 dogs out places...more accidents to clean up....they gang up on the cat....it takes longer to bathe 2 dogs....twice as expensive to feed and take care of 2 dogs etc etc.

Are you the only one at home or do you have someone else to help you with the dogs??

I really enjoy having both of my boys....but having 2 is definitely a lot more time consuming than having one....and it's much harder to handle both when you are only one person. On the other hand, I know there are single people who have 4,5,6 of them and do it~

[dawn27]

I agree . . adding another dog to an already difficult situation isn't' going to help him want to be more energetic during the day when you are not there. Most dogs do sleep most of the day whether we are home or not. I'm home all day long with mine and they still sleep most of the day. Plus two short week is not nearly enough time to train a new puppy, and during the winter it the worse time to try.


Couldn't your roommate walk him once or twice a day ?

[CesarTheGreat]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I think getting another dog just for your dog isn't a good idea. If your gonna get another dog you should do it for yourself. Even with two dogs there both gonna sleep when your gone that's just what dogs do when the humans aren't there.

I should mention that I've been wanting another dog for a long time now but never got one due to the living situation, so it wouldn't be just for him.

I live alone so there is nobody to be with the dogs during the day aside from weekends.

Feeding/bathing/walking 2 dogs wouldn't bother me.

How long do you guys leave your dogs alone, or is there somebody with them most of the time?

[Marhcarter]

Usually, my husband is home at night when I am working, and I am home during the day when he is working. Huey is alone for about 3 hours in the mornings before I get home after dh leaves. The only time he is home alone for extended times is when dh goes to visit his ill mother out of state for the weekend every 6-8 weeks and I have to work, which leaves him alone for 14-15 hours overnight. I truly feel that Huey sleeps the whole time I'm gone, no matter how he looks at me when I return. I just purchased a nanny cam from Amazon, though, and next time dh is out of town, I'm gonna set it up and check on him from work, just to see what he is doing.

[barneysmommmy]

I have 2 yorkies and a 15 year old pomchi. I was like you. I felt guilty about Barney (a puppy at the time) having so much alone time while I worked. We have Max, but at 15, he sleeps most of the time and Barney was a nuisance for him when he wanted to play. We added Anna (6 years old) during the summer so I could be home to work on potty training them and help her adjust. It is wonderful having 2 of them. It was a lot of work at first and there are issues that wouldn't exist if we just had Barney. For example, she is overweight and I have to measure her food and keep her out of his food. It's twice the baths, twice the walks, twice the vet visits and twice the love. If your heart was leaning towards having two I say go for it. It is so much fun watching them run and romp around the house. They are partners in crime. Ours are left alone for 7.5 to 8 hours during the day. I am not sure what they do during this time. Maybe I should record them also. It would be fun to watch.

[bjh]

There are many things to consider before you get another dog. How old is your yorkie and what is his personality like? Has he been around other dogs and if so how does he react to them? Most adult males would not want anything to do with a puppy. You might consider adopting a older female that has a personality similar to your males personality.

[alaskayorkie]

There are pros and cons to getting another dog. I don't think it will help with boredom relief because they likely will sleep most of the day when you're away. Worst-case scenario is they won't get along and you'll have to separate them for safety reasons. I had that happen once until I successfully addressed the fighting issues between the 2-year-old male and the new 10-year-old male. But I really think dogs benefit from the companionship, having one of their own kind to relate to. And two sure are a lot of fun.

I wouldn't cut off exercise because it's cold outside. I live in an area that's cold, too, and walk my dogs every day down to -5 F. Once I got them used to wearing a fleece coat (and booties when there's snow on the ground) they don't seem to mind. They benefit from consistent year-round activity.

Best of luck.

[McheleM]

I leave around 10 in the morning and pop back in around 4-5 and then leave again until 10-11 at night, depending on what I'm working on. Other days I am home all day.

We have security cameras and other than water and potty pads, they lounge around on their beds and sleep.

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I think getting another dog just for your dog isn't a good idea. If your gonna get another dog you should do it for yourself. Even with two dogs there both gonna sleep when your gone that's just what dogs do when the humans aren't there.

agree, I work all day too, the little boogers wrestle and play until they are exhausted and I come home to sleeping doggies

[tokipoki]

I have a similar experience to others here...my pups sleep a lot when I'm at home so I'm certain that they spend most of their time alternating between window-watching and napping when I'm gone. Once or twice a week, they'll be home alone for 7 or 8 hours but the other days I'm here most of the time when I'm not in class or the hospital.

I definitely would not recommend getting a puppy without having the time to be at home (or having other people to be at home) a lot with him...2 weeks doesn't seem like enough time to work with training and allowing a pup to acclimate (I'm just saying for a puppy it would be particularly difficult, although you did not mention what age dog you'd be interested in getting).

We added Teddy to our family when he was around 10 months and that made the transition of having a 2nd dog much easier since he was older. He was already housebroken, not teething, and got along well with Toki. There is no way that I could have taken on a young puppy having to go through all of the constant supervision/frequent potty breaks/etc. with my schedule at the time but an older puppy (close in age and energy level to my current dog) was perfect. With that being said, I really love having 2 dogs. It is a bonus that the two of mine play together and can keep each other company but it was not the primary deciding factor for me.

[Jilleen]

My two babies are left alone for 9 hours a day. I think they enjoy having each other and I feel better knowing they have each other.

Yorkie - 4 yrs old/9 lbs
bully/boxer mix - 2yrs old/60 lbs.

[chestermama]

chester is alone while I work, luckily I work part time, he just sleeps all the time anyway

[lilbumbleybees]

I agree with most everyone that there are pros and cons to getting another furbaby. If you have been thinking about it regardless, then it's not a bad idea. If you're considering it just for your baby now, make sure you are wanting the responsibility of two dogs. We have four and have set up a camera to see what they do because we have a similar situation. I work from 11-8 every night and my husband works from 8-5 and then comes to the salon we own to help me out until 8pm. So they're all alone. When we review the tape some days we. Find that they mostly sleep and be lazy, BUT they do spend an hour at least of the day playing together which makes me feel so much better about being gone so long. I love that they have each other, but having so many is a job in it's own once I do get home from work. I suggest weighing your pros and cons. Also, if it's in the finances to do and there is one near to you then you might consider doggie daycare. We can't afford to send all of ours, but if we could I would do it in a heartbeat! They got to go for free a few times once and LOVED it! I didn't feel guilty about them being home alone and knew they were having a good time. Plus they came home exhausted! Lol