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Originally Posted by dwells1959  Harlie is a year and a half old now and since the kids are gone from the house, she's home by herself for ~10 hours a day. I think about her every day being by herself and it kills me. She has a big kitchen area to herself, so she's not cramped for space.
We've been considering a companion for her and want to ask you all what is typically the best fit. New pup, same age, male, female? Or, is she OK by herself? |
I really think that if she's home all by herself for that long, she definitely needs companionship. She's "ok" by herself, yes..but do you want her to be okay or do you want her to be happy?
The problem with getting another animal is that you won't be home to supervise them. If one gets injured while playing, they'd be injured for 10 hours without human intervention. Or...if one decides the other one is getting on their nerves, and gives them 'what for' again, no human intervention.
Another problem would be training. A puppy needs supervision. They chew things they shouldn't, eat things they shouldn't...get into things they shouldn't...and need to be taught where to potty. If nobody's home, there's still no human intervention and they'll potty wherever they want...making it 10x harder for you when you are home, and 10x harder for them because they won't understand...and you can't keep a puppy in a crate for 10 hours.
If you choose a young or older dog, there's no guarantee they're housebroken. I can't even tell you how many times I've seen people get dogs and say "Well the seller said they were housebroken"...and the dog is nowhere near housebroken.
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any chance you could take a vacation from work when getting this new dog? =/ If the answer is yes...everything above can be remedied!
As it is now...we've had Bella for a month and I still have to watch her like a hawk when she has free reign in the house. lol She wants to make sure she has tasted everything and anything she finds, and as we're moving soon that's clearly a no-no for her to do (unsafe at the moment).
Speaking of which, time to log off! LOL
Good luck!! I sincerely hope you DO find a little playmate for your furbutt...she'll be happier I believe, and with a little time off work it would be SO much easier on everyone involved, including you.