Whats best suggestion to have dog be more indepandant when left home alone for 8hrs? - Page 2 - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Jacsmama · 11-19-2005, 11:11 AM

Yes! Getting two

is a good idea and a GREAT excuse to get another one!!

Maiflower · 12-13-2005, 11:09 AM

One other thing that can help your little yorkies with the separation is to leave behind a piece of clothing that smells like you. That way, he can go to it when he misses you while you are gone. It helps with destructive behaviors and helps him to get used to you being gone. I work about 9 hours a day and this trick has helped a lot when we first got our little Teddy. Now, we don't even need to put anything behind since he knows we will be coming back at the end of the day. Hope this helps!

lillissy82790 · 12-15-2005, 07:23 PM

i leave maisy for 8 hrs. on week days but she has her crate in my bathroom with a gate up because the floor is tiled its easy to clean if she makes a mess & she has a pee pad in there + a ton of toys that she only gets to play with when shes in the bathroom & blankets & a water bowl. she barks alot but shes always asleep when i come home and her toys are moved around and stuff so i think she plays.

SnowWa · 12-18-2005, 05:43 PM

I used to work longer hours than I do now.

It helps that I have two dogs. This keeps them from being home alone. One is free to roam in the house and the puppy is confined to the kitchen. But, they still know the other one is there.

I always leave the radio on for them.

In the winter when it gets dark early, I always leave a light on for them.

While my dogs are puppies, I have two neighbors who feel sorry for them, and often stop by to play with them. They even take the puppy home to their house occasionally.

But - the main thing is that my dogs have no choice. Staying at home while I work is just the way it is. And, all my dogs have adapted to this.

Carol Jean

susansmom · 12-22-2005, 08:19 AM

The person who said that about the dogs not knowing we're coming back until they become accustomed to a routine, really rang a bell with me. We've almost always had dogs and they've always become accustomed to our working hours. But now I work from home and I'm home most of the time. When I do go out, it's at odd times and odd durations for shopping or taking my parents to doctors. Some of those trips are lengthy because all the specialists are almost 2 hrs away. Maybe that's why Susan is having such a hard time. She gets nervous every morning. Even my husband works odd hours and odd days. She never knows who's leaving and who's staying and whether or not she's going to get to go or how long people are going to be gone. Poor little gal. It's been even worse lately because even though the weather here has been mild most days, I won't take her anywhere because I don't want to leave her alone in the car even for a few minutes. It's right before Christmas and some thief might think she'd make a great Christmas present. We had a dog stolen from our car when I was a child. It was awful!

MadisonsMommy · 12-22-2005, 08:51 AM

We leave Madison alone for about 5 hours 4x/week. She is crate trained and we leave her in there with her bed, water, some toys and chews. I have thought about setting up a fenced play area for her when we are gone, but havent gotten around to it. Do any of you do that? Any suggestions on that matter?
It's really sad because when we put on our coats and shoes she walks over to her crate and just lays there with her head down...so sad

We feel really bad leaving her, but I think they just get used to it! Plus we make an effort to give her lots of attention when we get home.

FirstYorkie · 12-22-2005, 10:03 AM

When I have to leave Joey (6 month old) for a couple of hours, he stays in the laundry room which is actually pretty good sized. His crate & bed are in there with the door open so he can go in and sleep if he wants to. He has lots of toys & bones to occupy him. And, he gets a treat for going "to jail". That's my prompt for going to the laundry room- "go to jail!".

He goes willingly so that he can get his treat!

When he gets older and I'm sure he won't chew destructively while I'm gone, he'll get the kitchen and the laundry room when I'm away. So far, his chewing hasn't been a problem, but knowing that it might get worse before it gets better, I don't want to give him extra space that I may have to take away later.

11-19-2005, 11:11 AM	#16
Jacsmama Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 121	Yes! Getting two is a good idea and a GREAT excuse to get another one!! __________________ Jac & Beanie's Mama http://www.dogster.com/?328747 http://www.dogster.com/?328752

12-15-2005, 07:23 PM	#18
lillissy82790 YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Central Florida Posts: 497	i leave maisy for 8 hrs. on week days but she has her crate in my bathroom with a gate up because the floor is tiled its easy to clean if she makes a mess & she has a pee pad in there + a ton of toys that she only gets to play with when shes in the bathroom & blankets & a water bowl. she barks alot but shes always asleep when i come home and her toys are moved around and stuff so i think she plays. __________________ MAISY!! go to maisy's dogster and add her as your pup pal!: Dogster

12-18-2005, 05:43 PM	#19
SnowWa YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,992	I used to work longer hours than I do now. It helps that I have two dogs. This keeps them from being home alone. One is free to roam in the house and the puppy is confined to the kitchen. But, they still know the other one is there. I always leave the radio on for them. In the winter when it gets dark early, I always leave a light on for them. While my dogs are puppies, I have two neighbors who feel sorry for them, and often stop by to play with them. They even take the puppy home to their house occasionally. But - the main thing is that my dogs have no choice. Staying at home while I work is just the way it is. And, all my dogs have adapted to this. Carol Jean __________________ http://tinypic.com/ipxhmb.jpg A Yorkie is worth a thousand words.

12-22-2005, 08:51 AM	#21
MadisonsMommy Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 51	We leave Madison alone for about 5 hours 4x/week. She is crate trained and we leave her in there with her bed, water, some toys and chews. I have thought about setting up a fenced play area for her when we are gone, but havent gotten around to it. Do any of you do that? Any suggestions on that matter? It's really sad because when we put on our coats and shoes she walks over to her crate and just lays there with her head down...so sad We feel really bad leaving her, but I think they just get used to it! Plus we make an effort to give her lots of attention when we get home. __________________ Madison's Mommy, Katie "The secret to being completely relaxed is having a human to do all the worrying for you."

12-13-2005, 11:09 AM	#17
Maiflower BANNED! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 48	One other thing that can help your little yorkies with the separation is to leave behind a piece of clothing that smells like you. That way, he can go to it when he misses you while you are gone. It helps with destructive behaviors and helps him to get used to you being gone. I work about 9 hours a day and this trick has helped a lot when we first got our little Teddy. Now, we don't even need to put anything behind since he knows we will be coming back at the end of the day. Hope this helps!

12-22-2005, 08:19 AM	#20
susansmom YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Harrison, AR Posts: 347	The person who said that about the dogs not knowing we're coming back until they become accustomed to a routine, really rang a bell with me. We've almost always had dogs and they've always become accustomed to our working hours. But now I work from home and I'm home most of the time. When I do go out, it's at odd times and odd durations for shopping or taking my parents to doctors. Some of those trips are lengthy because all the specialists are almost 2 hrs away. Maybe that's why Susan is having such a hard time. She gets nervous every morning. Even my husband works odd hours and odd days. She never knows who's leaving and who's staying and whether or not she's going to get to go or how long people are going to be gone. Poor little gal. It's been even worse lately because even though the weather here has been mild most days, I won't take her anywhere because I don't want to leave her alone in the car even for a few minutes. It's right before Christmas and some thief might think she'd make a great Christmas present. We had a dog stolen from our car when I was a child. It was awful!

12-22-2005, 10:03 AM	#22
FirstYorkie YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London Posts: 1,739	When I have to leave Joey (6 month old) for a couple of hours, he stays in the laundry room which is actually pretty good sized. His crate & bed are in there with the door open so he can go in and sleep if he wants to. He has lots of toys & bones to occupy him. And, he gets a treat for going "to jail". That's my prompt for going to the laundry room- "go to jail!". He goes willingly so that he can get his treat! When he gets older and I'm sure he won't chew destructively while I'm gone, he'll get the kitchen and the laundry room when I'm away. So far, his chewing hasn't been a problem, but knowing that it might get worse before it gets better, I don't want to give him extra space that I may have to take away later.