# Leaving Dog Alone



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Once your dog is an adult, how long do you/can you leave them alone? What do you do if you go away, say on an overnight trip, or a weekend, or on summer vacation and can't take them?

I ask because our tiny dog has been SO easy and I want to get an idea what to expect and prep for with a GSD. Our dog is 8 pounds and doesn't shed, so a lot of the time he is welcomed in hotels, goes camping in the tent with us, even comes with us to people's houses because he is so small and people do not mind him. When we do have to leave him he is fine by himself overnight. He has a little doggie door out to a double x-pen in a fenced yard. He lets himself in and out, we leave "free feed" and water and he does fine, he likes to jump in the windowsill and watch people go by. If we go away for longer, I hire someone to come in and play with him, check on him, and take him for walks everyday. But generally he is just fine in the house for hours, doesnt act neurotic and has never chewed or ruined anything while we are gone. Never gets into anything at all, just plays with his toys and sleeps.

I know this is absolutely not the way a GSD would work. I get the feeling from reading posts on here that a GSD left alone even for a day would get bored and find trouble to get into, and tear things up. And maybe get some anxiety about being alone.

So... what do you do?


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

rarely do we go away for just a night,,,when we leave for a week or more they go to the kennel...


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

You should put them in a doggy daycare.
Its best for their saftey that they are not left alone, for 1 day or night or weekend trip.....


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

When I'm gone during the day, and Andrew's not home, Grimm hangs out in his "house" (crate.) If are away for an extended period of time (over 8 hours,) our friend who lives about 2 miles away comes and lets he and Gidget out and plays with them. If we go overnight/out of town, and we can't take them, we take them to "luxury boarding" at their Vet's. It costs less than boarding them in a standard concrete run, and they get their own 10 ft. x 10 ft. suite with beds, a t.v., XM radio, playtime 4 times a day, complimentary baths at pick-up, and the Vet's office is open 7 days a week


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

If you plan on getting a pet sitter, I would look in to it now, and start having the dog accustomed to the person coming over. You can bring your dogs more often these days, even GSD's. I have stayed at many hotels with my Ava girl. Brought her kennel and she was happy to be with me.


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: SouthernThistleWhen I'm gone during the day, and Andrew's not home, Grimm hangs out in his "house" (crate.) If are away for an extended period of time (over 8 hours,) our friend who lives about 2 miles away comes and lets he and Gidget out and plays with them. If we go overnight/out of town, and we can't take them, we take them to "luxury boarding" at their Vet's. It costs less than boarding them in a standard concrete run, and they get their own 10 ft. x 10 ft. suite with beds, a t.v., XM radio, playtime 4 times a day, complimentary baths at pick-up, and the Vet's office is open 7 days a week


where do I sign up???? sounds like a spa vacation to me! LOL


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## VectorSketcher (Jul 20, 2008)

For us I have a close network of friends that will either stay at my house, or allow my two monsters to stay at their house. If I am gone for a day and my friends are busy my neighbor is a very good friend and she will come over and check on them once an hour or so. I just can't leave them alone, my boy I could leave alone and know he would be just fine, but my girl is diabolical and will eliminate all the things she deems threatening inside my house ie:books, furniture, plants, curtains, carpet, rugs....the cat! Ha! So if they are not with us they are getting baby sitter.


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## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

We just don't go away longer than 5 or 6 hours, whenever we can. Otherwise, we do the doggie daycare (who boards overnight if we want) and also on vacations too. Works out fine for us. Siena is our 'special needs' doggie, so we've always been very aware of leaving her alone too long.


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## doggonefool (Apr 15, 2004)

I can leave my dogs while I go to work; up to 9 hours. The Houdini Huskies are in a Magnum Dog Run with a roof. It is 10X10 and has a dog house inside. The GSD's have the run of the yard and access to the family room of our home through a doggie door <span style="color: #000066">pg2 halfway down</span>

All 4 are rescues and have starved before so no self feeding for my pack. The huskies can go over/under/through just about anything so no doggie resorts for them. River, being fearful/aggressive is not welcome at any boarding facilities that I have talked with. My son comes and stays with them if we are gone overnight.

We rarely leave them


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

> Quote:they get their own 10 ft. x 10 ft. suite with beds, a t.v., XM radio, playtime 4 times a day, complimentary baths at pick-up, and the Vet's office is open 7 days a week


I want a vet like this!! Looks like I will have to pack up and move to your location!!


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## DianaB (Jan 3, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Zisso
> 
> 
> > Quote:they get their own 10 ft. x 10 ft. suite with beds, a t.v., XM radio, playtime 4 times a day, complimentary baths at pick-up, and the Vet's office is open 7 days a week
> ...


Me too. We once were (nearly) forced to board Siena in a vet facility as they thought she had ringworm (but even the vet wouldn't take her) and she said they only get potty breaks during the day and other than that are in a crate the rest of the time (with nobody there at night). No way would we do that... we were gone for 3 weeks. Ended up working out as she didn't have ringworm (we found out 2 days before our trip) and went to our doggie-daycare home for the duration. That vet above sounds great!


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

With 3 we rarely travel as we have to board them. But when we did travel 2 of the dogs went to Sagemoor in Pasco. 

Kayos used to go to Auntie Eileen's in Kennewick. Eileen is my friend with Dobermans. In fact if you read the Tri City news you may have seen an older lady with a red dobe named Shreq. He is probably one of the area's most active therapy dogs. She used to doggy sit Kay for us as Kay just does not board well. Kay loves Auntie Eileen and Shreq was her best bud. 

So consider a good friend with a dog that your dog can become friends with and swap doggy care. Just like skin kids!


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Thanks for the advice and local recommendation too, Kathy! I will have to check out Sagemoor.

My Speedy stayed at boarding twice (at the vet's, where they did have a yard and tried to take him out to play), and he was a complete basket case. He hated it, wouldn't eat, was super sad and they said he just would shake and look nervous anytime anyone came near. That is SO unlike him. That's why we started leaving him home instead. He is so much happier doing his "job" defending the house from the mailman.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i never leave my dog longer than 4 or 5 hours
without having someone come in and let him out,
give him a snack and spend a little time with him.
i'm sure they can longer than 4 or 5 hours without care.

if i were going away i probably would board my dog or
let a sitter take him home with them. either move makes me
nervous. i could have my GF's nephew stay at our house
but that makes me nervous also. if i were going to board
i would introduce my dog to the kennel. first we would go there together and hang out for a while. the next visit i would hang out for a while then i would put him in a pen for awhile. the next visit
i would leave at the kennel for 4 hours or so, why 4 hours, i don't know. his next visit would be an overnighter. i might leave him there
again. that visit i would leave him there two days. then i would leave him (nervously) for a week or so.

just writing about leaving my dog makes me nervous.
i have to go and pet my dog now.


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