Leaving your Dog Home Alone

I've been absent because I've had a pretty hectic work schedule the past 12 days. Luckily, I do have a roommate who also has a dog (a rescue Husky named "Huck") to keep Sawyer company. When I first got Sawyer, I did experience some dog-mom guilt for having to leave him alone while I went to work. Here are some tips I've learned along the way to make the process as easy as possible for owner and dog:

Sawyer and his "roommate" Huck

 1.   Walking and Exercise is not only important for humans, it's equally as important for animals. It helps keep the dog focused, eliminating any anxieties or stress they might feel. I always take Sawyer for a walk in the morning before I go to work, as well as our normal walk in the afternoon (more on dogs and heat a bit later this week). I've found that getting him out, and having him focus his attention on a walk, seems to distract him from the fact that I'll be leaving for work shortly. When dogs have anxious energy pent up from lack of exercise, they can often translate that same anxious energy into bad behavior inside the house while you are gone. Again, our morning walks are relatively short - about 15 minutes, with a longer (1-1.5 mile walk in the afternoon).

2. Have a Special Place for Your Dog: We have wood floors in our house, which is great during the summer, but doesn't translate into the most comfortable space for dogs (who aren't allowed on the furniture). Sawyer has his crate (I need to do a post on crate training in the near future), with his own bed inside his crate. But, I figured I needed to get him his own space for during the day when I am gone. See below:

Sawyer in his bed

 This was a great find from Home Goods, which I found relatively inexpensive ( I think it was about $25-$30). Bonus- it matches my living room furniture!!! They actually have a really great pet section in general. This bed was perfect for Sawyer because he loves things he can curl into. Whenever I leave the house, I make sure to put him in a "down" command into his bed. No problems! Nothing is destroyed or out of place when I get home from work, and he knows he has his own "spot!"

3. Leave for Short Periods of Time and Make it Positive Experience When you Return: When I first started leaving Sawyer at home out of his crate, I would leave for very limited periods of time. I.e. a short trip to the grocery store, a quick walk to the mailbox. Just so he would know that I will return every time. I also wasn't 100% sure that he would leave my house alone, so I didn't want to go far in case my couch needed rescuing. As he began to earn my trust, and as I began to trust him more, I would begin leaving him for long periods of time. And I always made my coming home experience a positive one. Since I work all day, and he and Huck are alone for a good chunk of time, I always try to incorporate a little bit of play time when I get back. That way, he gets my undivided attention while we play, and then we get to go on our walk.

Sawyer and his Kong

Now, I know some of you have written about dogs that have severe separation anxiety, or even dogs that you don't quite feel comfortable leaving with free reign of the home. I'll be back this week to address some of those issues.

For now, Happy Monday! We have a short work-week ahead and will be headed to Belton, TX this weekend to have some fun on the water!