Thanks. This helps. Since he's always had a full-time dogsittter, I'm thinking 4 hours is the most I'm going to let him go. Or should I say, that's the most HE'LL let ME go. He gives me those sad eyes when I leave, then chews my out when I come home.

Fortunately, I only live a mile from work.

Any "proof" that leaving TV and radio on helps? I mean, has anybody talked to a vet or read an article about it?

Well my girl comes to work, comes with me on holidays and well just about every where.
She is safer with me as she was issuse and I leave her maybe for an hour or two at home if I have to go shopping and sometimes if I have a pick up office job for a few hours but then she in her hugh Kennel.

Joy

Neo is never alone there is alway someone here.




Heather

For the first year of Bender's life he was never alone. This was a lot easier since we lived in Europe where dogs are allowed in restaurants and malls and such. He became very attached to his leash :) Last October my husband started working long days, and I was away a couple months in the US, so my in-laws kept him (he LOVES his grandpa, because he gives him his own plate at dinner time...makes him feel like a person). Anyhow, after I came back and got into work and such myself we started leaving him home alone more. We've stretched it up to 4 hours at regular intervals during the week, with work, school, etc. If we're going to be gone more than 6 hours, we find him a sitter. We always leave a light on in case we'll be out past dark (Bender is scared of the dark), and we always bring him a stuffed toy home...which is why he has over 100 stuffed animals! He seems ok with it. We just have to say bye-bye before we leave, otherwise he whines and cries for hours, because he thinks we're not coming home (and this goes for when only 1 of us leaves too). When we come home from work he sits with us on the couch while we eat dinner and watch Futurama or the Simpsons :animal36

The most Ive ever left prudence is 2 hours.I just cant stand to be away from my dogs.As for holidays? well it just doesn't happen.ha ha ha .

I'm a bit crazy about leaving the monkeys! I always come home for lunch so they are alone for 4 hours at a time! On days that I teach and can't come home they go to daycare to play all day!

I don't know of any "proof" that it helps. My own experience has been that outside noises scared ours and the television is a steady racket that drowns out any sudden outside noises and they don't feel so alone.