Does anyone else feel the guilt?
 

Hello fellow Yorkie mom's and dad's. I find it so incredibly difficult to leave my baby at home during the day all alone. Even though myself or my fiancee go home every day at lunch it's still hard to leave her for that 4 hour time frame. She is so sad when we leave and it breaks my heart. We don't crate her during the day, we let her have the fun of the kitchen...but I know she doesn't play while we're gone, everything is right where it was when we left...

Do you think dog's have a concept of time? Also, do you think it would be less traumatic if we weren't to go home at lunch? How do you guys handle guilt of leaving your baby home alone?

Thanks!

yes, i feel quilty too. i got nala over the christmas break and the first day i had to leave her to go back to work i cried. i think she mainly sleeps while i'm gone and she's only there half a day by herself.

I definitely feel guilty leaving my little babies at home. It was really hard for me when we first got Hercules. All I would think about all day is him. Maybe that's why I'm always on yorkie talk!

I think the best way to cope for me has been to just make sure I give them all the attention in the world when I am home. It makes me feel like I'm making up for lost time!

There is no need to feel guilty. As a 20+ year dog pet parent I know that doggies sleep most of the day and night also. They are active early in the morning and around dusk, really only about 8-10 hours a day. While you worry, they are sleeping, so don't worry or feel guilty. At first I fretted about my furbabies, but learning and observing this made me feel better. I leave my Yorkie baby to run errands and he wails like the world is coming to an end, but when I return he is usually getting up from his nap and is sleepy. So while I worry he was sleeping.....
Just sayin'.........

I heard once that animals dont have a concept of time... I'd love to know.. (must research this) Its funny though,,, cause if your gone for 10mins or 3 hours they are equally happy to see ya! Know what I mean?!
I hate the guilt!! Even though I get to take him to work with me everyday/allday!! I thank my boss for that.. all the time... I buy him " card from the dog" usually say... Thanx for letting me come to work with my mom! ha.. If he only got a paycheck...that would be GREAT!! :rolleyes:

Yep, guilt here too. But since he and "his" kitty (actually my son's kitten - about 6 mos old) have bonded beyond belief - Tuck is just over 4 mos - I don't feel so bad. I have a kind of half-door arrangement with a piece of secured wood which Nicky the kitten can jump over so he can still get to his litter box -NO WAY would I leave that anywhere near Tucker, we all know how they love this cat-manufactured chewies. ICK! But usually when I come home, they're both climbing off of my bed, stretching and yawning - they curl up together and its just too cute. So at least he's not really "alone" all day.

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.

I wish I would be able to do that. I will unfortunately have to leave my furbaby for the work day when I get him. However, I will have his gandpa and grandma to play with him and take care of him during the day.

My husband works from home most of the time, so he stays with her and says she sleeps most of the morning, then wanders into his office around lunch and then sleeps most of the afternoon. My husband is an attorney and sometimes has to be in court all day, and on those days I go home at lunch and then I REALLY feel guilty to leave her to come back to work.

I SOOO wish my cat and dog would play... the cat runs from him and wants nothing to do with him,, I want em to be FRIENDS!! :(

Tell me about it...for his first year the longest Mojo would stay by himself was about 3 hours...but now, that i live alone, he stays at least 9 hours, it does break my heart...:( I want to get a friend for him soon...by the way, anybody here knows the date for the "take your pet to work day"?:D

I think the timing just worked out really well with both of them being so young. You could always adopt Bailey his own kitten... :)

when i bought alexander he is 4 months old now the breeder said to leave him in his carrier. i first thought that was cruel since it is such a small space, but he seems to like it because at night that is where he sleeps, so he knows it is a safe place and when i do leave he is always always sleeping when i come back. but of course i never leave him for more than 2 hours during the day. i stay at home usually and when it was cold i took him with me, but now with the tempertures rising no more staying in the car for no more than 5 min. at the most.

Yes, I have a hard time leaving the house to take my daughter to school or run errands, but it's been three months now and I am getting better at it. I even have two so they have company and I feel guilty. I have always bought my animals in pairs so they have company. I think it would be really lonely all day if they did not have a playmate.

I am also lucky because the cat loves to play with them too!

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 . :)

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!!

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?

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.

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.

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 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!!!!! :animal-sm

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. :)

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.

Assuaging the guilt ...with Animal Planet!
 

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!)

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.

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.

I found this article
 

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?

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...

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.