Does anyone else feel the guilt?

[scrappysmom]

I find it hard to leave my baby home alone as I"m pulling out of the drive way my baby is sitting in the window watching me leave , it makes me sad . it"s like he"s saying dont leave me .

[LIL MIS' MAGIC]

I too used to feel guilty all day while in classes but once we got a playmate I am not sure they even notice that I leave in the morning...but they are always there to greet me when I get home...it makes the day great when they coming running the moment you walk in the door!!

[loki]

Originally Posted by chloeandj

I definately recommend a friend for your pup if you are able. She will love having the company during the day and she may be a better pet when you get home. May not need so much exercise when you get home, sleep better at night, etc.

Hi there
my pup is almost a year old. What kind of a friend do you mean? Like another puppy? I have beeen thinking about getting another yorkie but I am unsure if I should wait until my pup is a little older. Any ideas?

[pspin1975]

Yup, I felt so guilty that I am no longer working..I am a full-time mommy to Louie. I take him everywhere with me. Today we went to get our toes and nails done. It's pathetic...but I just couldn't take leaving him.

[chloeandj]

Originally Posted by loki

Hi there
my pup is almost a year old. What kind of a friend do you mean? Like another puppy? I have beeen thinking about getting another yorkie but I am unsure if I should wait until my pup is a little older. Any ideas?

Yes, I mean a puppy. My other dog is a year old and we now have 14 week old yorkie. I think it's perfect timing. As my older dog is potty trained and knows her manners now and it seems like it is easier not having 2 puppies at the same time. Yet at a year old she is not too much grown that she still plays plenty with the puppy. My mom works all day and has a maltese, she recently got her dog a friend and she goes on and on how much better it is. Her older dog isn't so hyper when she gets home at night because she's been playing during the day with the puppy. Also she doesn't get up quite so early in the morning now because she isn't sleeping so much during the day.

[klogan]

Yes, I feel so guilty. My husband and I both work full time - he is home alone from around 7:15 AM until 5:30 PM Monday - Friday. I actually have a dog walker Tuesday and Thursday (very expensive in CA, so only twice a week) t take him out to get some fresh air and a walk. That makes me less stressed out knowing someone has checked in on him.

It is getting easier since I he is passed the anxiety stage. He knows we will be back home!

[I_love_lucy]

I always feel bad leaving Lucy, even to go to sleep at night. I put her in her bed and give her a kiss and rub her belly and it is the most heart wrenching thing to walk away. I think I'd rather sleep on the floor next to her!

Most of the time there is someone at home with her, but sometimes mum and dad go out so when I come home for my lunch she is alone. She knocks me off my feet with kisses which is always nice . I feel sooo bad going back though, even though I just put her in her chair in the sun and I know that when I get back she will still be there! Its a dogs life!!!!!

[Ringo]

Don't feel guilty. I'm home all day long with mine and all he does is sleep until about 6:00 pm. I will try to take him for walks and he just lays down. LOL He's up from like 6-10 pm and he's more than wired. I think maybe it has something to do with the reasons they were bred....to hunt rats. Rats are nocturnal and I swear my boy is too. I take him out often during the day, but he just sleeps in the car and I carry him around. He's lazy in the daytime.

[YorkieLover9]

I feel like crying when I read these posts. I have to leave my baby everyday too and I'm near tears every single morning. I think about him all day, wondering if he's barking, crying, lonely. I miss him. But being a single mom, if I don't work, he doesn't get all the toys he gets and the best food available. I do feel guilty. When I get home in the evening, he is so so happy to see me, takes me 15 to 20 minutes to get him calmed down enough to leave his side to make his dinner.

I know I couldn't handle another puppy, but I'm thinking of getting him a kitten to be his friend. He saw a cat that came up to our front door, don't think he's ever seen a cat before and he growled but this was a big cat. I think he would love a kitten friend.

Where do I get a great kitten (I'd like to adopt) as I know their shots and things are up to date? Any suggestions. I've looked on petfinder and I've seen some great cats but some of the adoption places want so much money for them.

[Passionfruition]

Whenever we must leave Sully, we put his kennel in front of the TV and turn on Animal Planet! We also make sure he has one of his favorite toys in his kennel with him. When he was a puppy-pup, I used to put one of my sleep shirts in there, so he could smell me. Sully is 8 mo. old now.

Speaking of playmates, my dog and cat play constantly! They are really best friends! Penny is himalayan/siamese and is 3 years old. (Miss Personality!)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ruition_/6.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ruition_/5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4..._/969cf875.jpg

[scrappysmom]

passiofruition you have a beatiful himalayan,i have a himalayan also a male .heres pics of my cats scrappy has these 3 too chase around.

[Victri]

Guilty here also, I am Sydnee's favorite toy I think. I take her every where.

The only problem I have is she has developed a thing for egg from Sonics in the a.m. I think. When we were traveling she got off her feed so to speak and wouldn't eat hardly anything. I gave her Nutro Cal and made the mistake of trying to give her an egg. Which worked and now everytime we pass a take out like Sonics or Whataburger she starts whining and wanting me to stop.

Only one of the animals takes the time to play with her, they are older and set in their ways and that is Daniel, and he is usually smacking her around. He doesn't have claws so I don't worry. I just feel so bad they haven't learned to love her and she has been with us for 2 months now. Cause she just wants to play with them.

[YorkieLover9]

regarding dogs having concept of time. I'll try to copy and paste the relevant parts.

Dogs are not lonely, people are lonely," explained Matt Margolis, a Los Angeles-based dog trainer and host of PBS’s "Woof, It’s a Dog’s Life." If you are going to be out of the house all day, you should focus on safety, not loneliness, he said. If your dog is under two, or older but new to you, he needs a confined space in the house free of furniture where he can be while you are gone. A dog of any age needs access to the outdoors through a doggy door, and an enclosed outdoor area where it can do its business.

It’s natural to assume that these spaces must be large, since the dog will be in them all day, but Margolis says this is still thinking like a person and not like a dog. A dog does not have a sense of time, and he will not feel the weight of those empty hours going by as you would if you were confined to one room and one outdoor area for nine or 10 hours.

The enclosed outdoor area can be modestly sized. Forty square feet--an area 4 by 10 feet--is sufficient for a dog weighing 60 pounds or less. For a larger dog or two dogs, a 4 by 16 foot area will suffice, though some breeds are high energy and need more room.

These areas may sound small, but most dogs won’t use this area for exercise—"they sleep 95 percent of the time when you’re away," Margolis explained.

I realize the paragraphs may not make sense but I only copied and pasted the relevant parts about dogs having concept of time and how much they sleep. The article also mentioned that our departing and arriving should not be lengthy and a big deal made but rather non-chalant (sp). It even noted that upon our arrival home, we should not make a big production but rather ignore the dog for a few minutes and then go to it.

What do you guys think?

[Brady's Mom]

Great information, however I would have a really really hard time ignoring my baby when I come home....but I'm really glad to know that they don't have a concept of time. But I wonder about the loneliness factor....I think that a dog can feel loneliness as they feel so many other emotions...

[whispersmom2]

There is research done that shows dogs do not have a concept of time. You can prove it to yourself. Leave your house and stay away for 5 minutes. Watch your baby's reaction when you come home. Then, leave as you do when going to work. When you come home notice the reaction.
One of the big problems I see with Yorkie owneDs is that they make a fuss when they are getting ready to leave. Their voice has the high-pitched "mommie" sound and they hug and kiss and do all sorts of things BEFORE they leave. Hooman parents do the same thing. We have read far too many books, I think. Before you leave, get the Kongs out-stuff peanut butter way back in the small end. Use, cream cheese or any other soft thing your baby loves. Leave several toys out that will challenge them to work with. Food, water, safe place(crate or such) and maybe an X-pen.Throw some treats on the floor and while the dog is distracted-LEAVE! No fuss, kissy, apologies etc. Do the same thing when you come home. Ignore(this is really hard) him/her if they are really wild and demanding. Let them settle down a bit. You will be surprised how well this can work. They get upset when we leave-not so much because we are leaving. They are responding to the tone of our voice.