Dog lonliness

pdunno

Hi can anyone out there offer some advice on this.

Recently my parents moved house and couldn't take their dog with them for the time being so I'm looking after him for a while, labrador. Now the thing is, he was well looked after and had plenty of company as he used to be allowed into the house every afternoon as soon as they got home from work and was around them untill they would go to bed at night.

Now, however, I put the dog out the back each morning and don;t let him in untill late in the evening before I go to bed as I'm rarelly there. Now it seems to me as though the guy has lost a lot of his personality and I genuinely feel he is lonely. I try to walk him and take him to the beach for a run as often as possible, usually 3 times a week but I know this is not enough.

Anyone got any advice/opinoins on this????

Fuzzie Bear

Any chance you could get him a friend ?? I've always sworn never to have one dog on its own ever again ?

Failing that, what about leaving a radio in shelter somewhere so he can hear voices and doesn't feel alone ?

Does he have a favourite toy that he likes??

disillusioned

I agree with fuzzie.

I had one dog who was alone while I worked - the guilt I felt resulted in getting him a pal! It worked a treat. The dogs are like peas in a pod and I know they're both happier. A radio will ease the loneliness but nothing can help as much as real company.

Good Luck with it.

pdunno

he'll only be staying there a short while, maybe a few weeks, but like you said the guilt is terrible. do dogs genuinely feel lonely or do they get used to being by themselves?

Einstein

i dont think they do get used to being alone. they suffer big time from separation anxiety!

peasant

Dogs are highly social animals and suffer when left alone for long periods ...especially all day!

While having two dogs is better than one in that regard, two unsupervised dogs left to their own devices all day long is also a recipe for disaster. They may find ways and means to keep themselves amused that might not be to your or your neighbour's liking.

Basically any dog(s) should not be left alone more than 4 - 5 hours on a regular basis.

So either return him to your parents as quickly as possible, take some time off or find somebody to look into him every so often. There are professional dog sitters / walkers out there who will come into your home and look after your dog for a few hours while you're gone.

And in general: If you (or the rest of your family) aren't home all day ...don't get a dog. That's just cruel.
Dogs don't need to be entertained 24/7 ..but they need to know that you are there.

wasted_winter

Dogs are really sociable animals and do suffer from anxiety and depression when they are left alone for extended periods of time. My own dog ended up on antidepressants when I started working some slightly longer hours - despite the fact she had my mothers attention full-time!

The dog is probably missing your parents dreadfully, then to add to this you are breaking his normal routine of 'house-time' starting in the evening. The poor thing is left alone in the garden for the day, then when he expects company to arrive (it's as though dogs have their own little internal clocks!) it doesn't - so he spends the evening alone.

As it's just a temporary situation I'd recommend you ask someone to drop in during the day. If you can't make a lunch-hour pit stop then personally I'd ask a neighbour to drop in to the poor fella. Even 20 minutes throwing a ball around would be something.

Do you have any neighbours that could do you that favour? Even if you can think of a neighbour who you know is fond of animals.

Other than that I'd hire a dog-walker for the middle of the day - advertise in local shops, it's the summer time and there are plenty of teenages who would love to earn some cash - just make sure the person is responsible!!!

At the very least make sure you do spend some time with him each night - a new interesting toy and some treats would go a long way!!!

Believe me... the quickest way to an animals heart is through their stomach!

pdunno

thanks for all the advice, I've taken a lot of it on board and the results have been very noticeable. I have a retired family friend drop in every day and if i know I'm going to be late home I make sure that friend drops in again and lets the dog into the house. Also I make sure to spend quality time playing with the dog and going for walks and stuff.

This has proved to be doubled edged, I am now getting great enjoyment from the dog and he is notcieably happier. You can see his delight when I get home in the evening and he really goes mad if he sees me going for his lead. We do spend a lot of time together, even in the house he comes (almost) eveywhere with me.

so thanks again to everyone for the advice

Sigma Force

That's great news, ahhh love a happy ending