Leaving my dog for 8 hours.

[Harry.B]

So, as everyone else in the house is going away for a week it will be just me and the dog. For 3 of the days he will need to be alone for 8 hours while Im at work. He is currently 20 months old and has never been left for this long before.

 

Has anyone on here left their BC for this long before? If so how did they react?

[amc]

It all depends on your setup. On the rare occasions that we have to leave our dogs for that long, we have secure outside chain-link kennels to which they are all accustomed. If they HAVE to relieve themselves, there is room for them to do so. I'd be a little more reluctant to crate a dog for that long, although I must say, all ours sleep in their crates for at least that long...but during the night one of us is home to hear if they should need to be let out.

 

The primary considerations should be the dog's safety and comfort, and the safety of your home - if you can provide those it should be fine. Dogs sleep most of the time when they're not with their people anyway.

 

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Amy

[urge to herd]

Is there a possibility of a trusted friend or neighbor doing a mid-day visit? If he's never been left alone that long, working up to it would be a good thing.

 

A lot of dogs are left alone while their owners work 8 hrs + commute time, it's doable. For the first time, do try to work up to it so it's not such a shock.

 

Potty him, (if he doesn't have a eliminate on cue, that's a good thing to 'install' as well) at least 2x before you leave. Feed a light breakfast, not a heavy one.

 

Don't make a fuss when you get home, just business as usual.

 

Good luck ~ let us know how things go for you.

 

Ruth & Gibbs

[GentleLake]

I agree with everything that's been said except for the outside kennel. While I know there are people all over the country and all over the world who kennel their dogs, stealing dogs has become an organized criminal activity throughout the US and the UK. I've heard first hand accounts of dogs being stolen from urban, suburban and very rural areas. From right off of people's front porches, from a chain link kennel with roof and padlock. Saw a video of 2 men in a van stealing a golden retriever from a chain link fenced yard. It took less than 2 minutes.

 

And agile border collies can often jump or scale fences if they're bored or frightened. Or create a nuisance by digging or barking all day.

 

That's obviously something you'll have to decide for yourself whether you're comfortable with.

 

At 20 months old your dog should be able to control his bodily functions for that long, but if you're worried he won't be able to ask a trusted neighbor or friend to take him out mid-day. Dog sitters are available for a fee in most areas too.

 

If he's not trustworthy behaviorally in the house, being crated for 8 hours for 3 days isn't going to hurt him at all. It's also unlikely he'll soil his crate at this age either. Stuff and freeze a Kong with his breakfast or get him a nice, safe long lasting chew of some kind to keep him occupied for a while.

 

Blocking off a safe room such as a kitchen or bathroom is another option. Just make sure it's a room with a floor that can be easily cleaned if necessary and that there's nothing that's dangerous or can be destroyed. Ditto the Kong or chew.

 

And, yeah. Work up to longer periods ahead of time so that it won't be too big a deal for him.

 

My dogs used to routinely spend 10 hours in the house alone while I worked.

[Rush Fan]

My mother who lives with me usually attends to my BC during the day while I work. But she goes away every now and then for a week or two to visit family, so I have previously dealt with your current situation. The first time I needed to crate my BC while I worked all day she was @ 1 year old. As Urge to Herd mentioned, I used a little vacation time to gradually work her up to the full day (9-9.5 hours including commute).

 

I also invested $30 in a web camera, which I can use with my cell phone to keep an eye on her periodically throughout the day. What I've discovered through the camera is that she just sleeps all day, changing positions every hour or so. I put some hard chew toys (Nylabone or Benebone) in the crate to keep her occupied, but she rarely even touches them. There was one day that she stood up and whined and howled almost non stop starting at 10 AM. So I ran home @ 11 and let her out and sure enough she really had to go. Then I put her back in and went back to work and she was fine the rest of the day. One other time she threw up and started trying to lick it up. I used the microphone in the camera and told to her stop and she listened. It was around 2:30 so I left work early and went home and my good girl was sitting up in the corner opposite of where she got sick, staying away from the mess! So even though most times you'll just see your dog sleeping, I think the web camera is well worth the investment.

 

Also like others mentioned, I feed her a light breakfast when she will need to be crated, and I also make it a point to wake up 45 minutes or so early to either play with her a bit or walk her before leaving for work. Plus waking up early enables me to feed and water her a bit earlier to make sure she has time to fully relieve herself before I leave for the day.