Leaving Sophie alone...

[chatwizme]

Hubby has been semi-retired and has been home with Sophie until one pm. Then she goes into the kennel until about 5 pm when I get home from work. She is 16 months and weighs around 4 lbs even. Hubby's decided to re-climb the ladder again and his schedule is going to change. Sophie will have to be alone from 9 am till 5:30. Whenever we have left her alone in the house and NOT in the kennel she is a nervous wreck. (we watch her thru the windows) She sits in one place on the sofa and doesn't move, other than to shake, until we return. I have tried to introduce this to her gradually but still she seems MUCH more comfy and happy locked in her kennel than outside of it and alone in that big house. Any thoughts? I am afraid if I leave her in the kennel the entire day she will be bored and unable to sleep thru the night. Should I let her be panicked half the day outside the kennel? Or is that meaner than locking her up and letting her sleep and be bored? We are feeling very guilty and worried about this change. I don't know how be sure which option is the best. Today I am leaving her out of her kennel from 9-noon and then I will run home and take her for a brief walk and put her in the kennel till five. Any advise or similar experience stories would be MUCH appreciated. Incidentally, we LOVE her more than anything in the universe...well...the five grandkids are really close runners up...

[CJxDanielle]

If she is comfortable I say you should leave her in her kennel and just put a toy in there for her (Kongs work wonders), she will be fine. My Cody is fine being left in his crate (although he is use to it).

Maybe Doggie Daycare if you are still uncomfortable?

[Rhetts_mama]

How about a compromise and putting the crate in an area you can gate off like a bathroom or kitchen and then leaving the crate door open so she can come and go as she pleases?

[spiritwings1202]

Please Please Please.........exercise pen sold at pet smart. At least she will be able to move around and play. In her crate she can't move around as much and it is going to be an adjustment as it is being home alone let alone being confined. At least with an exercise pen she won't feel so shut out from the world.
here is the one I haveKennel-Aire Exercise Pens - Exercise Pens - Crates & Kennels - PetSmart

[chatwizme]

Whenever we've left her out of the kennel we place the kennel in the same spot we'd leave it if we were shutting her in it and we leave the door open and lots of toys and chews and comfort stuff for her. All of everything is available for her, some in the kennel and some out. But she has NEVER even approached the kennel to get into it if we don't actually put her there. She never tries to decline when we put her in it, she seems to love it. But she doesn't EVER go in on her own, not when we're there with her or when we've spied on her thru the windows. I'd almost hate to put her in the bathroom or kitchen cuz she loves to watch outside from the windows and french doors. In the bathroom or kitchen she couldn't see outside all day and that would make me feel like we've jailed her as punishment. She LOVES to watch the birds and the trees in the wind. Good suggestion tho and we have considered it...

[spiritwings1202]

My dog Pixie loves her ex-pen and she knows when we go somewhere that is where she goes just bc I feel safer knowing that she can't get into anything, and she can't irritate Daisy my (6 yr Jack-a-poo).
I can't imagine leaving the whole house to Pixie while I was gone all day I think I would come home to different house. lol Of course Pixie is 10 months old so it might make a big difference.
I would leave a radio on while your gone, so that she doesn't feel so alone. You could start by gradualy getting her use to being home alone.
I would say if she loves the kitchen and she can look outside maybe a gate and keep her confined to the kitchen.

[Roxiesmama]

We gradually transitioned Roxie. The first few weeks we had her she stayed in her crate the entire time I was at work. Then I gated off the kitchen and left her in there during the day for a few months. Now she has free range of the kitchen and living room areas (the whole downstairs basically). We took her crate away because she was getting violently protective of it (but that's a whole nother story). She now has an ex-pen with her bed and toys in it. We only keep her confined at night to sleep.

[Pixie Girl]

We keep our Pixie in our Kitchen area and includes a laundry room, coat room and half way. There is windows for her to look out and also her crate that she can go into if she wants along with toys and water.

I agree with spiritwing1202 gradually introduce her to a more confine area, leaving a radio on may help.

[chatwizme]

Thanks for the ideas. Yesterday when I went home at noon she had been out of the kennel and alone all morning (3 hrs) and she met me at the door with such enthusiasm it bordered on panic. I took her for a quick walk and loved her up and then I noticed she had not eaten one single bite of her food. I tried to feed her fresh cut up pieces of chicken and she refused ! I had to put her in the kennel for the rest of the afternoon knowing she hadn't eaten a bite all day. When i returned later right on regular schedule she finally ate and acted normal. Today hubby is home as usual but the schedule will be changing too soon. We have sort of planned to keep leaving her out in the morning and see if she will adjust. Then I will walk her and love her for an hour around noon and kennel her all afternoon just like she has been for her whole short life. I will leave HGTV on in the mornings and the radio on in the afternoon as usual. (She loves her afternoon naps, during the weekends when we're home and don't kennel her all day she is whimpering to be held so she can sleep). She NEVER gets into anything, NEVER has destroyed anything, never chews or makes any messes and seldom has pottie accidents either. In fact we marvel constantly at how easy and adorable she is and how quickly she learns and is willing to please. We got sooo lucky! She doesn't bark, isn't yappy, goes to everyone, loves kids, loves to ride in the car and loves her walks. She is AWESOME! She does insist on leaving her toys everywhere tho. Has to have about ten of them out and about at all times and several bully bones. Hubby laughs and tells me how I would never allow our children to leave debris all over our floors! sPOILED ROTTEN LITTLE SOPH! X0X0X0X0

[Mary4]

How about a dog walker? Or even a high school kid to come over and play with her an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon? All the kids are out of school now. You may not even have to pay if you find a kid through the church looking for service hours.

I would love to find something like that for my daughter, Maura. She's 12, loves animals and is an absolute natural with every animal she's ever come across, large, small, dogs, cats, horses, everything.

Hmmm, just thought of maybe putting up flyers for her for a summer job!!

[zoedo]

Thanks whoever posted the link to PetSmart for the ex-pen. I've had one for Zoe since before she came home but mine is the large one and can be used in many shapes which fits when I move her around. But i hadn't known they came in smaller sizes. I am thinking about getting the small one so i can put it in the yard on days when she just wants to lie in the grass and not potty. That way she won't be straining at the leash.

[chatwizme]

I have ordered a pet pen from Amazon. It arrived yesterday. What an awesome contraption! Seems sturdy and was so simple to assemble, like less than 30 seconds. I set it up for her last night and she went in and out of the door and seemed comfy with it. I don't need to use it yet as hubby is still home for a few more weeks, but i think i'll try it for awhile this evening and see if she can jump out of it. She can jump, that's for sure. I'm also certain i can't put her little kennel/crate bed in the pet pen cuz she will just jump on top of it and then jump out. At least i think that's what might happen. I'm going to experiment for a few days. I love the look and feel and function of the pet pen. I might have to return it and get the bigger one that's 8 panels cuz it is taller. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will work. She SO needs to be held and loved all day, she is truly a lap lover. She will miss hubby something fierce, I'm sure. She is with me constantly every evening, never a step away, and most of the time she's right on my lap or at the end of the leash. Spoiled and i LOVE it. Thank God for inventing Yorkies !!!!!!!!

[AddieandMiaMom]

I actually have an 8 panel one, which I just love (got it on Amazon, too). I don't use it as a traditional expen anymore, I now use it across the large opening between the living room and dining room. Our three pups have the dining room, kitchen, and hallway to roam and can see out the patio door all day. What I used to do when I only had Addie and Mia (to give them more space) was put the two crates side by side (I have the large wire ones with a crate tray and bed inside), hook the expen up to one of the crates and then slide the rest of it around to the wall. They had a rather large circle that way so they had the sleeping/play/eating/drinking area and then the piddle pad area.

[ellabee]

hi chatwizme, hubby and I work full days too, and I wanted to send a quick note to say I understand what you're going through, we have been there too.

my Billie is very much a people pup, she also has high anxiety. the ex-pen seems to make her feel safe and settled. our eventual "solution" was to add another pup to our home so that Billie wouldn't be alone all day. They are pack animals, after all...and then we realized that Billie didn't have the energy to keep up with a puppy...so we added another one!!

I do feel better, knowing she isn't alone while we are at work. I thought about dog walkers, doggy daycare, etc but there were reasons why I vetoed those ideas. But, short of adding to your family, I did want to say, the pen is an excellent solution - it worked for Billie back when she was an "only child"!