Hi, I have a 10 month old chihuahua who is generally very well behaved. He lives with me and my partner and since we first got him I have been working from home only occasionally leaving him to work away from home for maximum 3-5 hours which he never had a problem with and he never showed any displays of separation anxiety. For the last 2 months I have been completely working from home and he has rarely been left alone for more than an hour and he has started to occasionally show signs of separaion anxiety, such as barking, whining and scratching at the door. To try and counteract this we have started leaving him alone in the living room at night whereas before he was allowed to sleep in the bedroom. My main concern is that in 2 months time I will be working 8 hour days away from home, although my partner is only out of the house 5 hours a day. Will my chihuahua be OK on his own for 5 hours a day? He will have access to food and water and he goes to the loo outside as well as being paper trained in the house. I have started to give him only the living room which is very large for him to live in with the door shut so that he does not know when we leave the living room whether we are only leaving the room or the flat. How much room should I give him when left alone? He has plently of toys such as kongs, interactive toys and stuffed toys and also a kong dispenser which dispenses a kong every hour. I am very worried about this drastic change for him, is there any advice any can give me? Many thanks

I think you need to crate train your pup. Read labman's sticky at the top of this forum for info on how to do it, or get a book. I have a 3 month old chi-poo that I have had a month and she sleeps in her crate ( I call it her den) even for naps. If she get tired she crawls in there and crashes out. I have a blanket and some toys in there and she is quite happy to stay in there. She sleeps in there for 8-9 hours through the night and doesn't mess in it either, but I do not put food in there with her. When she gets in the den I give her a treat and say "good girl, lay down" and she lays and eats her treat and goes to sleep. I do NOT respond to her if she whines, so she stopped that very quickly. I think less space is better than more.

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Originally Posted by daisymactx

I think you need to crate train your pup. Read labman's sticky at the top of this forum for info on how to do it, or get a book. I have a 3 month old chi-poo that I have had a month and she sleeps in her crate ( I call it her den) even for naps. If she get tired she crawls in there and crashes out. I have a blanket and some toys in there and she is quite happy to stay in there. She sleeps in there for 8-9 hours through the night and doesn't mess in it either, but I do not put food in there with her. When she gets in the den I give her a treat and say "good girl, lay down" and she lays and eats her treat and goes to sleep. I do NOT respond to her if she whines, so she stopped that very quickly. I think less space is better than more.

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Hi thank you for your quick response. I thought about crate training, but I am worried that he might become more distressed by being in a crate since he has had the entire living room to himself. He seems to be fine once he is on his own, he has plenty of toys and does not urinate or defacate, or destroy anything while we are gone, it is the initial whining after we leave. The neighbours say most of the time he is silent when we are gone but occasionally he has barked a lot for a long time.

The psychology behind the crate is that dogs are pack animals. If you see a pile of puppies they are huddled together. They like the security of being in a small den like cave. Now I have had a dog that I crated in a large plastic kennel, and he didn't care for it at all, but I think it was because he could'nt really see much of anything. Then I had a pug that loved the very same kennel, but she soiled in it - often! With this new puppy I did more research and asked around and found out that you want to keep them in a place that is only large enough for them to stand up, turn around and lay down. Her crate has a divider wall in it and when she gets larger I will take it out, but for now it is perfect. And it is a wire crate so she can see out of it easily. I think it gives her the same security as if she was curled up in my lap. They do get used to it and it makes it much easier for you. They are a lot like children - they actually like boundaries, and want to know you are in control. Try it out before you go to the longer hours, but keep the crate in another room. I work out of my home and when I go into my office I put Chloe in her crate in the kitchen. I have to! The first day I had her she chewed through the telephone line that connected me to the internet! There are just too many wires in here for her!

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate.
Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding
Time for more than one dog.

Yours may be a decent dog that doesn't have to be crated, unlike some Lab hellions. The crate will give it security in addition to restricting its activity allowing it to go longer without relieving itself.

Hi how are you? Thank you for your reply. Does crate training help with separation anxiety? My chihuahua seems to be asleep most of the time we are gone and entertains himself with his numerous kongs are other toys, and has never yet destroyed anything when we are gone. The only problem seems to be the initial 30 seconds after I leave, and then I am told by the neighbours that he is quiet for most of the duration that I am gone. I am not sure if his behaviour constitutes separation anxiety, but my main concern is once I start to work outside of the house 8 hours a day (although my partner is only out for 6) that this will pose problems for him.

I just did a little experiment to see if it really helps with the separation anxiety or not.

First I left her in the kitchen with a baby gate to block her in. (I keep her confined until she gets old enough not to get into too much mischief and I spend most of my time either in my office or in the kitchen). I came in the office and could hear her whining and scratching on the gate. I waited until she got quiet and I went back in. She was sitting at the gate looking pitiful :-(. I stayed with her for a bit and petted her, then I put her in her "den" and left the room. No whining or anything. When I went back in she was curled up napping. So I guess it does help, but that could just be her young age or personality. It would be worth researching.

pookiechi, I understand that your dog is very well behaved and house broken. Just as an addition to the other posts, you don't have to shut the door of the crate once your chi has started recognizing it as his own special little place. Begin the process of retraining as soon as possible so that by the time your work schedule has changed, he has made the adjustment.

Place the crate in his room (living room). Start with labman's techniques in his sticky https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251802 and include all the advice given here on your thread. Put his favorite toy & blanket in there. Feed him in there. Start with an hour of crate training and extend the time until you start seeing that your dog is going into the crate all on his own. Then you can start to leave the door to the crate open for him to go in and out when he pleases. This will help him with his separation anxiety. He will have a place to hide out in when he starts feeling insecure. He will enjoy going to sleep in his little den. You have given him enough to do on his own while you are away. When you begin the crate training exercises, you need to go to another part of the flat for at least an hour so that he doesn't know whether you are there or not. Start extending your time away from him. Go outside for a couple of hours to get your errands run. If his crying only lasts for a couple of minutes when you are completely out of sight, that is okay. It is not a major case of separation anxiety and you can relax. Most dogs stress slightly when their person leaves them alone. It has more to do with a change in their regular routine. Dogs are creatures of habit. As your pup gets used to your going out on a regular basis, the anxiety will subside because it has become part of his daily routine. Let us know how he is coming along with this.

Maybe it is because I usually have alternatives, but I don't like seeing a dog left alone more that 4-5 hours, crate or no crate. I often suggest if you can't make it back for a mid day break, you try to find a neighbor or professional dog walker. I like the idea of doggy day care too.

If you work a long day in the near future then leaving your dog at home or in the backyard for eight hours plus is normal. Because your pet is part of the family, you should understand that the dog will always be loyal to you and miss you. One simple solution is for your dog to have a playmate, another dog.


Bobby :)

Bobby, I have to respectfully disagree with you. It may be normal for us humans to leave our dogs alone for 8 hours plus, but it isn't normal to dogs. Dogs are pack animals. They require the constant social interaction that their pack brings to them. Chronic and daily isolation creates an unstable dog. Whenever you hear about a dog attacking people, unless a dog has been inbred, untrained or poorly trained, it is usually a direct result of too little social interaction with their pack (their people). Getting another dog to keep the original dog company is not a reason to get a second dog. If a person doesn't have the time to give to training a dog properly, getting a second dog is a HUGE mistake. Then you are saddled with two unstable dogs. People should only get a second dog if they want one and are willing to give both dogs the attention that they require.

I think Pookiechi is doing a fine job with his chi. There are no disciplinary problems here. There only appears to be a small amount of separation anxiety. The dog craves the attention from his human pack, not another dog. Sometimes our schedules change and make it a bit more of a challenge to give our pets the attention that is needed. With Pookiechi's recognition that he needs to find a way to make this a less stressful change on his dog, he is doing the right thing by trying to find a positive outlet for his dog, and can begin to make the adjustments required prior to those changes.

Hi and thank you so much for all your comments, I really appreciate the advice, and thank you Bobby for reassuring me that it is normal to go to work and have a dog! I did think about getting a second dog but I am not sure I could cope with the added expense as well as having the time to re-train another puppy before I start 9-5 work. I will have someone (my sister) to come in the middle of the day for my dog, but my main concern now is the barking when I am gone. I have been told that sometimes when I am gone he is quite and other times he barks constantly, which he does not do when we are at home. When I leave I give him his kong which distracts him from my departure, but I am worried that the neighbours will start to get very frustrated with the barking. My vet has told me that I should get a pheromone plug in device which apparenty relaxes dogs, does anyone have experience with this idea?
Many thanks for all your advice and hope you are well

Pookechi I also have little yappers, when I leave my dogs I turn on the t.v. I figure the noise drowns out the outside sounds that disturbs them and it seems more normal for them as far as having the sound of human voices. You may want to leave it on a station that you would normally watch. I'm not sure if that matters though, but I do it anyway. You could try that and see if it cuts down on the barking. Good Luck

bushg has brought up a good technique. Television or radio does a great job of relaxing the dog. You may want to start him on that while you are still home. The crate training is also a way of relaxing him, although I can tell you seem to have your doubts about it.

I have used the pheromone plug. Frankly, I never found it to make much of a difference but others I know have sworn they do the trick. They are not that cheap, you have to keep purchasing refills, and you have to keep a close eye on it. Don't keep it plugged in when the liquid product gets used up. It can be a fire hazard like the air freshener plug ins have been.

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Originally Posted by RubyPitbull

bushg has brought up a good technique. Television or radio does a great job of relaxing the dog. You may want to start him on that while you are still home. The crate training is also a way of relaxing him, although I can tell you seem to have your doubts about it.

I have used the pheromone plug. Frankly, I never found it to make much of a difference but others I know have sworn they do the trick. They are not that cheap, you have to keep purchasing refills, and you have to keep a close eye on it. Don't keep it plugged in when the liquid product gets used up. It can be a fire hazard like the air freshener plug ins have been.

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Hi Rubypitbull how are you? Thank you for your help and advice, I always leave the TV on for him, to try to mask the outside noises, but last night I went to my sister's apartment in the same block as me and we watched him from a webcam I set up, and he still barked due to outside noises. The problem is the my apartment is on the first floor in a busy gated complex with lots of ofices and people, and I have floor to ceiling windows where he can see and hear everything. I think his barking is due to him being protective of his territory, at least from what I have seen. Although he never barks about outside noises when we are home. I have also discovered that his separatio anxiety, if he does have it, could be and probably is due to me giving him too much attention most of the time and making too much of a fuss over him. So I have been giving him more independence by playing with him on my terms rather than on his. Does this sound like the right thing to do?
Many thanks and hope you are well

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Originally Posted by bushg

Pookechi I also have little yappers, when I leave my dogs I turn on the t.v. I figure the noise drowns out the outside sounds that disturbs them and it seems more normal for them as far as having the sound of human voices. You may want to leave it on a station that you would normally watch. I'm not sure if that matters though, but I do it anyway. You could try that and see if it cuts down on the barking. Good Luck

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Hi how are you? Thank you for your advice, I have been leaving the TV on for my dog too, have you found that this cuts down on yapping? I am worried that because the yapping is so high pitched the noise will travel, and the people in the apartment two floors up have just had a baby, although I am not sure it would travel that far, hopefully. Do you have chihuahuas?
Hope you are well

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Originally Posted by BABRAM

If you work a long day in the near future then leaving your dog at home or in the backyard for eight hours plus is normal. Because your pet is part of the family, you should understand that the dog will always be loyal to you and miss you. One simple solution is for your dog to have a playmate, another dog.


Bobby :)

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Just because something is commonly done doesn't mean it is right, or even acceptable. It used to normal to leave dogs chained to a dog house. It used to be normal to feed them table scraps. It used to be normal not to spay/neuter them. It used to be normal to let them run loose. I hope nobody considers any of the above acceptable, although all of it is still all too frequently done.

Leaving a dog outside all day by itself can lead to problems, barking, escaping, destroying the yard, being abused, stolen, or killed, etc. Inside you an still have problems with barking plus fouling and destroying things. pookiechi has good cause to be concerned even if many dogs adjust to being left alone. I see many questions here and elsewhere where dogs don't adjust well to being left alone long periods.

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Originally Posted by bushg

Pookechi I also have little yappers, when I leave my dogs I turn on the t.v. I figure the noise drowns out the outside sounds that disturbs them and it seems more normal for them as far as having the sound of human voices. You may want to leave it on a station that you would normally watch. I'm not sure if that matters though, but I do it anyway. You could try that and see if it cuts down on the barking. Good Luck

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Hi how are you? Thank you for your advice, I have been leaving the TV on for my dog too, have you found that this cuts down on yapping? I am worried that because the yapping is so high pitched the noise will travel, and the people in the apartment two floors up have just had a baby, although I am not sure it would travel that far, hopefully. Do you have chihuahuas?
Hope you are well

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Originally Posted by labman

Just because something is commonly done doesn't mean it is right, or even acceptable. It used to normal to leave dogs chained to a dog house. It used to be normal to feed them table scraps. It used to be normal not to spay/neuter them. It used to be normal to let them run loose. I hope nobody considers any of the above acceptable, although all of it is still all too frequently done.

Leaving a dog outside all day by itself can lead to problems, barking, escaping, destroying the yard, being abused, stolen, or killed, etc. Inside you an still have problems with barking plus fouling and destroying things. pookiechi has good cause to be concerned even if many dogs adjust to being left alone. I see many questions here and elsewhere where dogs don't adjust well to being left alone long periods of time.

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Hi Labman how are you?
I would definitely not leave my dog outside for many reasons you mentioned above, he will be kept indoors, and my sister who lives in an apartment in my block will walk him in the middle of the day. My dog doesn't destroy things, or foul where he isn't supposed to, he has a training pad in the bathroom for emergencies, although he rarely uses it. I will be walking him before I leave to work and I have installed a baby gate to keep him only in the living room when I am gone with him food, bed and water and a selection of toys including a machine which dispenses a kong for him every hour while I am gone. Does this sound like a good set up? I am still reluctant about crate training, although I wish I had started him on that when we first got him. He does not react well to change at all and for that reason I don't want to add to his distress of me leaving him to work and also getting him used to the crate.
Another question I have is, although we keep him in the living room at night away from us so he can learn indepedance, should I start restricting his access while I am at home in the months leading to me going to work? I have installed a baby gate although I am unsure of when to use it. I used to have the living room door shut where he stays so that he wouldn't know if I was leaving the apartment or just leaving the room, and it did not seem to cause him any distress when I left the room at all, although he seems to know when I have left the apartment even when I haven't shown any signs of it, i.e.. Putting on a coat etc. Sorry for all the questions but could someone shed light on this?
Hope you are all well

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Originally Posted by pookiechi

hi how are you? thank you for your advice, I have been leaving the tv on for my dog too, have you found that this cuts down on yapping? I am worried that because the yapping is so high pitched the noise will travel, and the people in the apartment two floors up have just had a baby, although I am not sure it would travel that far, hopefully. Do you have chihuahuas?
hope you are well

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Yes it has helped my dogs. I have a pom/ dashschund mix and a chihauahua/rat terrrier mix. I live in a house and my neighbor said she could hear them barking from her porch. Also I blocked their view from the window so that they could not get up there and see. Now I only let them look out when I am at home, so that when they get too loud or bark too long I can correct them. I think it is OK for a few small barks to let you know someone is there but for them to keep right on is a nuisance.