I agree with the other posts, they just sleep all day. I would leave several toys and chew treats (no longer leave the chew treat cuz afraid of choking and don't want to take a chance) with Bella and she doesn't touch anything. I would leave them in specific places in the x-pen and everything would be exactly the same when I came home. She just sleeps all day. My husband even commented to me a couple of times when he happened to stay home that all she does is sleep. In the evening she's a bundle of energy she plays with us and Lucee and doesn't settle down on my lap until about 10:00pm. I'm sure Leo's just fine, it's just you feeling guilty - believe me I know the feeling. If that's the only reason you're considering selling Leo I would reconsider.:)

I agree with this!

Rehome???
 

As so many others have said, they do sleep all day... Dogs are most vigorous at dawn and dusk...... Perhaps find a YT'er in your area who is home all day and will babysit if you still feel uneasy. He will not be a puppy forever and I can attest to the sleeping all day because I am home all day and have to be quiet so as to NOT wake Rusty. LOL!

I am home and right now my furbutts are all sleeping..
I know a show breeder that has a male that is looking for a forever home.. he is larger..and 7 or 9 months old.. he has been neutered already and s**ts given.. he comes with a 3 year guarantee.. and his price is 300.00 if you think a mate would keep him company and take some of the gulit away from you...

Let me know if you want more info on this...anne

I know what you mean
 

My sister and I have a pet sitting business where we come to your home several times throughout the day. You do need to know the breed and what their habits are which is good. You could discuss that during a consultation. My suggestion would be to call a few places (usually around $20.00 per day) or better yet, get a second one. My guys love to see me come home but when I am gone they have each other to play with and most of the time, when I am here, they just sleep anyway. Don't throw in the towel.

I work from 8 - 5 and my boys are home alone during the day. Maybe you can get Leo a playmate so hes not so alone for so long? I don't think you need to rehome him in this situation. Just make sure hes safe where he is while you are gone and before and after work and on weekend give him lots of attention and love :) :) Good Luck!

You should be able to find a dog walker for $15/day. It seems like you are most worried about the days when you have to stay late. The perfect solution to that is a reliable high school kid who can check on him on those days. They typically get off early and what HS girl wouldn't want to play with cute Yorkie? I'm sure some neighborhood kid would jump at the chance to make $5 for playing with him for a half hour! Heck I paid a middle schooler $3 last summer to walk Sammy for 20 minutes. Such a deal!

I work about the same amount of hours you do. They really do adapt to your schedule. I had Murphy in an x-pen while I was at work. He is 1 year old. The last two weeks I have been leaving him out of the x-pen. He has the run of the living room and kitchen. He just sleeps on the couch. At night he sleeps on my bed, so he can be near me. I do take Murphy twice a month on a Wednesday to give his some socialization.
I had another yorkie for 14 years and worked the same amount of hours. He did fine being left alone.
I think as long as you give them your attention when you are home you are doing the best you can.

I give Carlos a kong filled with cheerios and peanut butter every time we leave. He gets so excited just seeing me make the kong he goes crazy. I think he cares more about getting the kong then me leaving. You could try doing something like that.

Same here :)

:) you'll make it. I was going to add is there maybe someone that can come take him out in the afternoon and spend a few minutes with him.

I too leave the TV on for mine. Cartoons, NO politics or news. :D

I agree with everyone else on here... Gracie is ALMOST 5 months and she sleeps majorty of the day... I was also thinking.... maybe you could leave a web cam and look in on him every once in a while.??? maybe that would give you peace of mind to actually see him sleeping or playing... good luck and Im sure you will do whats best for your little guy! ;)

I agree with everyone else. Both mine stay home while hubby and I are at work. Lexie stays in her crate and Tucker stays under a laundry basket with a potty pad under it, until he won't pee/poo the crate anymore. We tried leaving them in the x-pen during the day but they went NUTS in there while we were gone. I would find the pen moved nearly 10 feet and they would SCREECH when we got back home so we went back to the calmer, safer crate/laundry basket method. They are just fine doing that and Lexie actually LOVES to be in her crate where it's soft, warm, and she has her favorite fuzzy friend. Tucker's not so fond of the laundry basket and even with a full laundry basket on top managed to move out of the bedroom and down the hall...just don't know what I'm going to do with him :rolleyes: Anyway, I think your baby will be just fine without you while you're at work, just give him extra love on the weekends!

I see you've gotten some great advise here. And I have to say that I'm a little surprised by the responses - albeit a nice surprise. I have seen in the past where this kind of post (re: being gone all day at work) received some pretty nasty responses from people who thought that was just wrong. Most of us do have to work and not all of us can afford daycare for the pups (especially if you're already paying for child daycare) so it was nice to see the OP get responses from people in her same shoes.

My husband is an insurance adjustor and works out of an office at our home so he is usually in and out of the house all day but there are times when he has to be gone for 6-7 hours at a time. I know that Tatum does nothing but sleep during those hours and I don't feel that she's deprived in any way.

You do what feels right for you but I hope you take these responses to heart. Good luck!

I'm sorry that you are having to make a big decision like this. I am looking to adopt a silky or yorkie, but I live in Ga. I already have a yorkie terrier and love him lots and I am looking for a brother or sister for him. I could give Leo lot's of love bec. my husband and I both work from home. Just wanted to throw that as an option to you.

I am a pet sitter and honestly, if you are feeling bad, try out that route first. You can hire someone like me for like $10-$15 a day (usually what we spend on lunch) to come over, check on him take him for a walk, clean his bowl and any pee pads. It's worth it. The dogs I take care of are great, they enjoy the break and it gives you a peace of mind.

I hope you decide to keep him and don't give up on him. I have 2 yorkies who I have adopted and it's hard on them to go to a new home after they are attached to the owners.
We all work and we all have to do what we have to do. He sounds like he is safe in his expen while you are at work.

I am just glad i can take mine with me evrywhere... what about day care a couple days of the week? I friends who do that , they love it !!!!

I also work from 8:30am-5pm... Mollie Grace is either in her pen or in my bedroom for the day... She doesn't seem to mind it. But I also walk daily at a local state park, and I bring her with so she can be outside, and get much needed exercise.

Take Leo for a walk in the evenings when you get home from work... He will love it!

I know this is a very difficult decision for you to make. Just think long and hard, and I'm sure you'll do what is in his best interest. I know my six-month-old wants to play all the time, but my 1 1/2-year-old sleeps a lot during the day. I also work full-time. When I got my second, it eased a lot of the guilt. Even when I'm home, they enjoy playing with each other -- or harassing each other. Good luck with this. Every day that goes by, I know you love him more and more.

I totally agree with this! When I come home from work, I always felt so bad at how excited my boys were to see me. It was like they missed me SO much! But when I leave the house for 30 minutes, they do the exact same thing! They just go nuts!

I totally understand how you feel though. I have two and even though they have each other, I still feel guilty leaving them all day. But I know I take the best care of them and love them to death when I am home, so how could they be better off with out me? It sounds like you are a very loving, wonderful mommy to Leo, so how could he be better off without YOU?

I don't think you would have to rehome him, lots of people work and leave their dogs at home. Is there any way that you could come home at lunch time? Or, if that's not possible, maybe find a dog walker who could come and walk him and play with him for awhile each day or even every other day. At least you are leaving him in a large area, and he's not crated all day.

Like others have said, they do a lot of sleeping during the day. I am home all day, as I work eves. I have been off work due to illness, so I am home all the time right now. My boys are very playful in the morning after breakfast. They nap on and off all day long. Honestly, I think the only reason they don't nap all day is because I'm home, and they are nosey so they follow me around to see what I'm doing.:) And, it is the same here as others have said. It doesn't matter if I'm gone for two minutes or for hours. Their still react the same way....as if I've been gone forever!

When I got Teddy, I was in my junior year of college. I had really long hours.. got up at 5am didn't get back til around 9 am. But luckily, i had those classes on monday, wed, and fri. Tues/ thurs I was able to see him. I can understand the guilt that goes into leaving him for hours unattended. I used to cry to bad when I left. I still do. I'm starting law school in the fall and and I know there will be periods of the day where I am gone. But you know, your dog loves you when you come home. Thats all that matters.

I hope
 

you can find a solution to your problem with him. Most small dogs are left alone all day without a problem.

I'm so sorry you're going thru this:( I just got a new job and just finished training but they put me on the schdule for the whole week. Let me tell you..i miss my babies so much when im at work, i even looked at their pics from my cell phone on my way home cause i missed them so much. But i need to make money for them, so i have to do it, atleast for a while. First thing if i were you, i would ask myself do you WANT to keep him? If you absolutely want to then i think you should. 2nd what do you think is best for him? or wait... it should be the other way around actually.. what is best for him, then do you want to keep him? If the solution to keep him is possible i would either put him in a daycare a few times a week or keep him in a bedroom with all his toys, food, etc. and have someone come over to check on him while you're working. Also you said you have a husband, does he work the same hours as you? Can he help in taking care of him? My bf doesn't work right now so while i work, he is with them. But if he starts to work soon we will work something out for them, either put them in doggie day care or have someone stay with them, like my mom or hire someone. It's possible that it can work. If i feel like my dogs miss me too much, i will quit my job, i just love them too much:( i already trained for 3 days and i miss them too much already lol I hope it all works out hun

i'm curious about where this is going... it's been 7 days since the OP. what's the verdict?? :)

i hope you decided to keep him! :love:

I have to wait until he is 6 months and have him neutered first and then find him a new home.He will be 5 months on may 12th.
I still havent made a decision yet but will keep you all updated.;)