# Leaving a pup for 8 hours



## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

Lucy is 3.5 month old now, and I will be going back to work soon full-time (I work for public schools). The longest Lucy has been left so far is probably about 6 hours on two separate occasions, and she did fine (I think!). I had been taking her to work with me in June and early July. Now, I am working on trying to build her up to staying home alone for the whole work day (appox 8-8.5 hours including commute). When I will leave her she will be in her x-pen with food, water, crate, pee pad, and fun toys (which is what I normally do). This week she is staying with a colleague during the day who lives only 5-10 minutes from my work-place. And, I am going to check in on her at lunch-time. Starting next week, I will not have the luxury of keeping her there, and will have to start keeping her in her x-pen at home. I live too far from work to go in and check on her during the day. 
I am not looking for judgment since I know there are people who would refuse to leave them for over 4 hours everyday. I have no other option, and I do not have the funds at the moment to hire a dog walker or put her in doggie daycare everyday. Until my husband is home with me permanently (probably by mid-winter as he is overseas) I am a single mommy. On the upside, Lucy is doing so much better with with separation anxiety. My colleague texted me that she hasn't made a peep in her crate today! Woo!

I feel so much more guilt than I expected to have leaving her alone for so long. Do any of you work full-time and have a pup that tolerates it in an x-pen without a mid-day check-in? Do they eventually get used to it? 
(Wow this is long, sorry!)


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## Regina (Mar 9, 2013)

From long ago past experience leave a radio on that has a "talk" radio station rather than crazy music. The other option is to leave the tv on to a station that has just regular conversation. For my little guy,...I used to keep the food network channel on or reruns of Andy Griffth Show, Father knows best,...these were all on the TVLand station.Hope this helps...


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## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

i think that 8 hours is a bit long for a 3.5 month old pup (the general rule is age in month plus 1). Do you have a friend or neighbourhood kid that could stop in at noon and play with the pup for a half hour or so? I think leaving such a young dog for so long will just be setting him up for separation anxiety! 

I work outside the home and have made it work with a combination of daycare, and helpful friends and family. With my first dog I was able to get a friend's teenage son to stop by after school. He would take my pup out to pee in the yard and would play with her in the house for a half hour. I also had a university student that would stop by a couple days a week at lunchtime to take her out. You can do it with careful planning. It's tough when the are this little, but lots of people out there love puppies but can't have one of their own and jump at the opportunity to play with yours for a short time a few days a week!


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## Gibbs Mom and Dad (Jun 3, 2013)

Lucy419 said:


> ... I am not looking for judgment since I know there are people who would refuse to leave them for over 4 hours everyday. I have no other option, and I do not have the funds at the moment to hire a dog walker or put her in doggie daycare everyday.


I would hope no one would judge you for trying to do your best. We all have unique circumstances and I applaud you for asking for suggestions.

When do you go back to school? Do you have the ability to start increasing her "alone" time in 15 minute increments? My suggestion would be to start leaving her alone an additional 15 minutes each day. It will take about 4 weeks to increase from 4 hours to 8 hours.


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## BFrancs (May 17, 2012)

Here is another option for you. My husband set up two cameras and speaker in our dog's room....so we can spy on them while we're at work. My co-workers think am crazy for stalking my dogs. LOL 

There is an app on my iPhone where I can connect to the camera and the speaker. Its like a two-way walkie-talkie. You can hear them and they can hear you, if want. The feature can be turn off and on as needed. If you use the speaker, you can practice with her to get use to your voice on. I hope this makes sense. I don't have kids but I'm guessing there are baby-cameras that probably do they same thing and probably have more bells and whistles what you need.

I'm not computer savvy like my husband but if you want more details you can send me a PM and I'll ask him.

Here a picture of the set-up - I put a coffee cup so you can see its a small set-up.


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## swaye (Mar 28, 2013)

You are all so wonderful to support Lucy's mom with your experiences and suggestions. I have been in dire straights before and what I didn't need ( but some just couldn't resist) was criticism. I don't have any suggestions other than what was added, but wanted to say thanks for not adding to her distress.


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

Thank you all for the support and suggestions! 
I am an 11 month employee and I work flexible various days during the summer. I am working tomorrow and Wednesday. And next week I work Monday through Wednesday but need to travel a little further than my normal commute. After that, I'm back to work full-time 5 days a week.

I am moving to a new apartment in a couple of weeks and maybe I will meet some dog-friendly neighbors that are home during the day that wouldn't mind checking in on her. I don't have family in the area and the friends I have also work 9-5 jobs during the day. Not sure how to go about advertising it to others I dont know, and not sure if I would trust a random person off craigslist lol. Ideas?

I am hoping that tomorrow and Wednesday I can help build her tolerance to it. She did fine today, according to my friend/colleague. Thinking about looking into a baby cam/webcam to calm my worries. And I usually leave on the TV which I agree that it helps as well.
The upside is my husband will be here temporarily for 2.5 weeks at the end of August, so by then she will be 4-4.5 months and will have him home with her during the day. By the time he leaves, she will be almost 5 months when she needs to be home during the day when I'm at work. So that's a little better I guess.

I think I worry too much about her, but I just don't want to psychologically scar her! Thank you again for the support


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Gibbs Mom and Dad said:


> I would hope no one would judge you for trying to do your best. We all have unique circumstances and I applaud you for asking for suggestions.
> 
> When do you go back to school? Do you have the ability to start increasing her "alone" time in 15 minute increments? My suggestion would be to start leaving her alone an additional 15 minutes each day. It will take about 4 weeks to increase from 4 hours to 8 hours.


ditto get a treat timer dispenser


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

If you have an iphone you can download the icam app. I set up my laptop and I can view my guys that way. My guys just sleep when I am gone so I stopped watching them.

If you are going to leave her for that many hours, I would give her a good 30- 45 min walk before and after work. I've been known to get up before light to tire my guys out before I leave. I do have a dog walker who comes in at the 4-5 hours, but since you can't do that you can at least tire her out

Maybe a playmate too

I know you don't want to hear it, but I would say this to anyone. It's just not fair to leave any dog that many hours all week. So whatever you can work out I bet she will appreciate.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

What is hard for you is your puppy's age and the potty training. I would rather somehow have your baby have more space to play some. Like maybe blocking off a larger area. That is just me I have never liked cages for animals. I would get a kitten so your baby has a friend. I leave the radio on and give treats before I leave for work. I have neighbors who say they bark some at outside noises but then calm down. They are really excited when I come home. Zoey has started a new thing lately barking at me when I come in the door. Maddie is starting to copy her. It takes them about five min's of loving and me telling them I missed them to calm down. If I could afford to try new toys I would buy some more to see if they like them. Mine seem to only like a few I've spent money on. Some like kongs to occupy their time. Mine have never like them. I like to hope when I leave that they play some with each other. I hope you can find someone to come halfway thru the day. It will be hard and I hope others talk who have just one Havanese to hear how they handle being left.


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## RoutineAvocado (Feb 6, 2013)

No judging from me. I'm not sure what I would do but I've started wondering about this. We have a mid-day walker but there have a been a few evenings when I didn't want to come home right away and contemplated leaving her longer. I'm not sure if she'd rather I come home for a short period then leave her again or just stay out and come home a few hours late. She's always done fine home alone but I don't know how long I could comfortably push it.

Our mid-day walker also refreshes the water bowl. I thought that was unnecessary at first but she drinks more now that she's bigger. Maybe consider using a bottle or a bigger bowl so she doesn't run out? Maybe she won't get that thirsty if she's just laying around.

Does she like kongs? That's the only thing that works for us. She's thrilled when we get ready to leave and hops in her pen waiting for it. I just popped two soggy kibble kongs in the freezer for tomorrow.

Good luck! I really believe these pups are adaptable and can learn to do what they need to do. It sounds like you've already got her comfortable with some separation and have a good foundation to start with.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Lucy419 said:


> Lucy is 3.5 month old now, and I will be going back to work soon full-time (I work for public schools). The longest Lucy has been left so far is probably about 6 hours on two separate occasions, and she did fine (I think!). I had been taking her to work with me in June and early July. Now, I am working on trying to build her up to staying home alone for the whole work day (appox 8-8.5 hours including commute). When I will leave her she will be in her x-pen with food, water, crate, pee pad, and fun toys (which is what I normally do). This week she is staying with a colleague during the day who lives only 5-10 minutes from my work-place. And, I am going to check in on her at lunch-time. Starting next week, I will not have the luxury of keeping her there, and will have to start keeping her in her x-pen at home. I live too far from work to go in and check on her during the day.
> I am not looking for judgment since I know there are people who would refuse to leave them for over 4 hours everyday. I have no other option, and I do not have the funds at the moment to hire a dog walker or put her in doggie daycare everyday. Until my husband is home with me permanently (probably by mid-winter as he is overseas) I am a single mommy. On the upside, Lucy is doing so much better with with separation anxiety. My colleague texted me that she hasn't made a peep in her crate today! Woo!
> 
> I feel so much more guilt than I expected to have leaving her alone for so long. Do any of you work full-time and have a pup that tolerates it in an x-pen without a mid-day check-in? Do they eventually get used to it?
> (Wow this is long, sorry!)


 I just wanted to share one more thing. Maddie when she was about 4 to 5 mo old climbed out of her x pin. So you might think about a top for it. She really hurt herself and was limping. Another thing that can happen is they jump on their crate roof and get out that way.And don't leave doggie chews because they can choke on them. Ones like bully sticks . :baby:


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

I wish I lived nearby, I would come and play with your pup! 

Do you have a friend who has a dog who is also gone all day? Maybe you can have them hang out together-both in their own crates (since yours is so young and puppies sometimes think they can run with the grown ups) or something like that.


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## Ruthiec (Jun 18, 2013)

You poor thing, what a worry for you. But at least you are concerned enough to seek advice. I do wonder about some dogs in our neighbourhood who just seem to be alone all day and do nothing but bark. I wonder whether their owners even know.

As you don't have an alternative at the moment I think you just need to see how she copes. If she can cope with 6 hours then it's not such a stretch to 8 hours.

The main thing is try somehow to find out how she reacts the first couple of times you are gone all day. That way you will know whether it's OK or whether you need to find a different solution. We can't rig up a web-cam so I left my IPAD on video the first couple of times we left Charlie on his own for a few hours. It was reassuring to see that other than a little whine at one stage he was really quite settled, sleeping most of the time.

So if possible rig something up so you can at least review how she was. If not then you could ask your neighbour for feedback.


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## mack (Jul 2, 2013)

Hi Lucy....let me start by saying you are not alone. I fell in love with this breed almost a year ago. I purchased Mack when he was 4 months old approximately 1 month ago. One of my concerns was that I had read so much about havs not wanting to be left alone for long periods of time. While I was in love with the breed, I work 8 hours per day. My case is slightly different as my husband works evenings so he is home in the morning. However, he is normally sleep...so I feed and walk Mack before I leave for work. My husband lets him out for a potty break before he leaves for work. Mack spends the rest of his time in his expen until I return home 3.5 hours later. He does very well and I spend a lot of time with him when I get home. I may just have an exceptional dog...but I raise my dog the way I raise my kids and that is..Mommy has to work. I do not throw pity parties or run guilt trips on myself for that.....mommy has to work and that's the bottom line. I say raise your dog to fit your lifestyle and not the other way around.


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## Lucy419 (Jun 10, 2013)

Thank you all for your input. I think I will start by plugging in my ipad to watch her in how she copes. Perhaps I will also get a timed treat dispenser! Katherine, I like the idea of kongs. I saw the videos in a previous thread you posted about how to appropriately stuff a kong. Really interesting! I tried it with her first with some dry food with some cheese and she didn't really get it and didn't seem too motivated to get it all out. She just walks away haha. I think it takes a lot of practice with it which we haven't done yet, and I think you worked a lot with Zelda to get her to like it. I would love it if she was more food motivated so I can leave her with that when I go. Mack, when I was deciding to get a havanese, I knew the same thing as well-that they don't like to be left alone. I also discussed with various people., of course including my husband, and they all said that dogs adapt to your lifestyle and not the other way around. So, I got Lucy when I did because I had the flexibility with work over the summer to train her, and I wanted to be kept busy with a companion as I am living alone until my husband comes home. It really helps having her around! I'll keep you all updated as the next couple of weeks unfold.


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## DebW (Jun 11, 2013)

I feel your pain! It's so hard to leave the tykes.

I also downloaded the iCam app to watch Sheldon on my iPhone when I was at work. I actually found it more stressful listening to him cry and trying to escape the ex-pen - it was worse than not knowing. But he turned a corner, and became more comfortable in (or resigned to?) his ex-pen, so things have gotten vastly better. I leave the radio on (he's quite up to date on the Wiener situation) and a house fan on for white noise. I fill empty toilet paper rolls with kibble and a stinky treat to let him shred and enjoy. 

I'm having a teenaged girl come by every day at lunch to give him a walk or at least some human play time. At about the time she'll need to go back to school, Sheldon will be old enough for doggie daycare, which has been my life saver in juggling work with puppy-Mommyhood.


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## BFrancs (May 17, 2012)

Canela is the same - she isn't food motivated and a VERY picky eater, which doesn't help (unlike the other three they will eater whatever is in front of them). After trying many, many different kinds of treats and her smelling it, dropping it and walking away with her nose in the air I finally figured out she only likes 2 kinds of treats: dried turkey hearts and chicken jerky. She is so picky she will only eat a certain brand too, trust me, I tried to switch brands and no luck but the good thing she will do just about anything to get one of them.

Here are links if you want to try them:

Dried Turkey Hearts: http://www.freshisbest.com/products/pet-treats-chews

Chicken (Herb) Jerky: http://www.etsy.com/listing/123372536/chicken-chews-for-dogs-made-in-the-usa?ref=shop_home_active

As for the Kongs, hope you have better luck then I did. They didn't work for my guys, maybe if I would have introduced it to them as puppies they would have like them but now, its too much of a hassle for them. They move it around and walk away. Just in case, here some ideas for the kongs: peanut butter, yogurt, cheese, kibbles, biscuits, meat scraps, scramble eggs (my guys LOVE eggs), canned pumpkin, smashed fruit, cottage cheese, cream chees, braunschwager. You might even want to mix up the ingredients, freeze some smashed bananas, biscuits with yogurt or with another favorite treat of hers. Did you try melting the cheese on the kibble, maybe she'll eat it that way. Zap it in the microwave for a couple of second then put in the kong.

Good Luck with your baby.


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## SJ1998 (Feb 4, 2013)

http://cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=724

My pup loves this. I am lucky in that I home office, but this is good if its raining or I am busy and need to wear him out. My dog is also a treat snob but in this case I think its the sound he loves and that he can see it. I heard about it from another forum member.


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## DebW (Jun 11, 2013)

I make homemade versions out of plastic water bottles!


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