Leaving a dog

I have to agree with Red-squirrel, both that the dog will be fine without you and that it might be wise to do something to break up the day for her. Gitdog will sleep all day when I'm out if neccessary but he's much happier with a bit of company and he's a complete !!!! later in the day if left unstimulated for any length of time.

Having said that, wanting a dog that relies on you for everything isn't a good thing. If it were true, it would be very unfair on the dog. Sometimes things change and a bit of resilience is called for on both sides. You really don't want to create a dog with separation anxiety, it's so hard for them in those circumstances.

I’ve had my dog for the last 9 years, he’s a chihuahua cross Norfolk terrier and have worked Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm most of his life. These things really helped me manage this:

When he was aged 1 to 5/6 years he REALLY benefited from a long walk in the mornings before work and a long one after. He was clearly more settled with this. As he’s getting towards 10 years old he’s less fussed now, but still enjoys the extra outings.

Be prepared to have to make some serious sacrifices. You CANNOT be out all day and then go out for dinner for 3 hours after Uni. You HAVE to be there with them after your day and that is a huge restriction. I’ve had to turn down many events and outings throughout my 20’s to ensure the dog is happy and not alone longer than absolutely necessary. That is a LOT of a dedication that’s needed... be prepared now or rehome the dog.

The dog needs some sort of routine, it settles them knowing you are coming back. That falls in line with the above. You can’t just decide on Thursday night that your not getting home until 8-9pm.

Be prepared to clean up wee and my suggestion is if you can, have your dog sleep somewhere which is spacious enough for them to walk around, eat and drink, and be relatively easy to clean up little wee’s. A small dog doesn’t leave a huge puddle, but it can stink after a bit. You’ll find yourself with ruined curtains / sofas etc if the dogs being left alone all day without being able to pee. You also cannot be angry with the dog for piddling all over your kitchen.

A dog walker is a great idea if you can get it - but in reality your going to be a student and I assume you can’t afford that as I couldn’t for a long time.

I found having my dog come and sleep on my bed each night really helped his mood. For a long time he slept downstairs and I noticed especially as he got a little older he seemed down. I let him sleep in the bed and he’s really cheered up. I think for mine it’s just about spending more time snuggled up to me.

Be prepared to sacrifice a lot of social life for the dog. If I could go back 9 years and not have got him I would, i was 19 and loved then idea of a puppy and didn’t think hard about it, but I did and I’ve stuck to my promise to him to put him first, after all, he didn’t ask for me!

Good luck!

Smb3088 wrote: »

I have a three year old yorkie x chi. She is my life.. just me and her and she is like my little baby. Up until now, I went part time so I could be with her at home. And she is so used to me coming and going, leaving her max 6/7 hours at a time, 3times a week. Not only do we do everything together, she is a total lap dog(2.5 kilos) relies on me for everything and is so sensitive. Now I must state I have serious anxiety as well when I am away from her too long. I worry about her for nothing, she’s like my comfort blanket so being away from her hurts me.

That all said, I’m needing to and wanting to and am heading back to university for four years to get my masters degree in osteopathy. It’s 4 days 9-1730pm. The university is 28 minutes drive away from me. The first two years are in lectures a lot, with year 3&4 being less in lecture and more in clinic.
I’m dreading leaving Bluefor four days a week 0900-1730. My mum reminds me dogs don’t have care for time and she’ll be ok. Please can someone just assure me she’ll be ok, adapt and not change her personality or suffer without me as much as I will without her? It’s not forever, but I’m just so worried. (P.s- she doesn’t need a dog walker as I’ll do morning and evening walks) will she be ok while I’m at uni..in her home where we’ve lived 3 years , safe, comfortable and just lonely!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

And don't try the 'emotional support animal' thing. It's not a Guide Dog or other assistance dog, it's a pet you want to bring along; if a student genuinely needs a trained, working animal, they have it because they need it, but not pets.

Now that opens up a can of worms, - what actually is a support or assistance dog? We had a tenant here who got a puppy as an "assistance dog" for her young son who has autism. OP has severe anxiety, might it not (officially at least) be classed as an assistance dog for her, if she were to argue her case?

I am asking, I don't know. I am genuinely curious as to what constitutes an assistance dog.

borrowmydoggy.com - register and then people will walk/sit for her for free. I use it loads for walking