How Much Time Does Your Dog/s Spend On Thier Own?

[Guest donatella]

Mine spends about 2 hours a day alone during work days as i've tailored my work so i'm on lates as my flatmate works earlies. But the days I do earlies as well she will be home for 8 hours a day and I will be suffering with the anxiety.

I have purchased a webcam and App on my Iphone to check in on her when i'm not home.

If i have parties on the weekends she goes for sleepovers at mums, I absolutely hate leaving her alone ANYTIME if it can be avoided.

[Weasels]

This is good! You're all making me feel normal (there's no right answer here, but lots of you are saying your dogs are doing similar things to what I see mine doing - ie sleeping the whole time!). :D

I'm also wondering if you think it makes a big difference if you are a single or multiple dog household? I'm currently a singly dog household, looking to rejoin the multiple dog household clan again soon-ish. I have to say when I had 2 dogs I didn't feel so bad about leaving them for longer periods as I do now that there's only 1 dog (although she does have the 2 cats to hang out with - and they do). But that being said she does cope really well, and I sort of think she also enjoys having some of her own time - I'm pretty sure she gets sick of me when we spend too much time together!!!

Speaking for mine, I feel better that they aren't totally alone, but they rarely play together and I don't rely on them to provide mental stimulation for each other. The Foxdog is a bit 'special' when it comes to other dogs, and even when she wants to play I don't think she knows how (she can read and manipulate humans like an expert though ;)).

In some ways I am jealous of people with dogs that play together and are 'friends', but on the flip side mine don't knock things over wrestling and chasing each other around the house I am however very grateful that I can leave toys, food, etc. lying around without fear of fights or stealing It'd be a struggle to leave them alone during the day otherwise.

The main problem is that if one gets all woofy about something the other will join in, and bark for longer because they don't know what they were barking about in the first place! :rolleyes:

[JulesP]

So, I got home early today. And I know that the munchkin spends a lot of time sleeping, but she didn't hear me get home so I figured I'd wait to see what she did. She was asleep when I got home, and it wasn't until I did something that made a bit of noise in the house that she stirred at all!! And the whole hour I was home without her knowing she spent like this...

Any guilt trips I'm having are over! I want her life I think!!!!

Gorgeous pic!

[Bluefairy]

Every 6 weeks we have to travel into the city, which is an all day trip, so on those days Archie is by himself from about 10am until 5pm. He gets a raw hide bone while we are away.

My daughter and myself are home almost 24/7, but we do put Archie outside for 30 minutes to an hour, a couple of times a day. More as a break for both him and us. He has heaps of toys and chew bones out there. He mostly lays in the sun and sleeps. I do check on him often.

One day a week we go into the town for a couple of hours, and Archie is left in his crate. He is happy to just sleep or chew on his raw hide....its taking him ages to chew this ;)

So he's not on his own a lot, he mostly spends it inside asleep while we watch TV.

Lynn