Home Alone

[FrenchieDante]

Left Danté home alone while I went to work for the first time tonight. I was a wreck!!! Besides the fact that he stomped all over his own poop, he was pretty much unphased. Was I more scared than him? He was alone for 8 hours, with someone checking on him mid-way for 30 minutes. I don't know how I can get through another shift worrying like I do. Please ease my mind.

 

[Daves Mum]

I wouldn't worry yourself, you know he is safe, did you leave a radio or tv on for him so he isn't in silence? He will be fine x

 

[Julie Stevenson]

I did the same thing. Worried myself sick at times. As long as he is in a sae place like a kitchen, bathroom or laundry room and he can't get out you shouldn't worry. He will be just fine. I have an Xpen but I don't like to use it. I prefer my yard and garage. He can't get out and he is safe. Give him a bed to sleep in, lots of chew toys and yes leave a radio on or TV for background noise and don't worry. Ollie used ot dance in his poop too when I was gone. I knew when I got home it was clean up the mess on the floor and give him a bath. LOL

 

[lkclark]

Bear tap-danced in his poop too on the first night in his crate; he was a mess when I woke up! The clean-up was a two-man job. Lol. BUT he has never pooped in the crate ever since! I don't think he enjoyed it too much either!

 

[FrenchieDante]

Ugh. And I guess there's really nothing to correct it . Hijacking my own thread but... I feel like Danté's bored. He has no interest in his toys anymore and just wants to chew on everything else. He sits there and stares at me until I let him onto the couch... & once there chews the pillows, cushions and blankets. Do I have to constantly be engaging him?? He's not even that interested in fetch or "stuffy attack" play. He eventually gets bored and wants to chew my hair, my clothes, the curtains, the couch. I feel bad, like i'm boring him. He has a bed full of toys and has no interest in them anymore!!! Another annoying quip: anytime i go into the kitchen for ANYTHING... He cries and whines begging to be fed. He eats in the kitchen. Unfortunately the kitchen and living room are connected, so he will always know when i'm in the kitchen. Any advice?

 

[Julie Stevenson]

Ugh. And I guess there's really nothing to correct it . Hijacking my own thread but... I feel like Danté's bored. He has no interest in his toys anymore and just wants to chew on everything else. He sits there and stares at me until I let him onto the couch... & once there chews the pillows, cushions and blankets. Do I have to constantly be engaging him?? He's not even that interested in fetch or "stuffy attack" play. He eventually gets bored and wants to chew my hair, my clothes, the curtains, the couch. I feel bad, like i'm boring him. He has a bed full of toys and has no interest in them anymore!!! Another annoying quip: anytime i go into the kitchen for ANYTHING... He cries and whines begging to be fed. He eats in the kitchen. Unfortunately the kitchen and living room are connected, so he will always know when i'm in the kitchen. Any advice?

Ah this is when your patience and training will need to begin. He's a puppy and puppies are REALLY good at pushing our buttons. It sounds like this is also a one dog family? With no other doggies to play with, he will rely on you for entertainment. Now that does not mean you need to be entertaining him all the time either and to be honest you shouldn't. He needs to learn to play alone too and entertain himself. When your done playing and want to watch TV or whatever then ignore the little man. Yes, at first that will be difficult but he will continue to bug you if you allow him too. You need to set boundaries and limitations for him. If he cries while you are in the kitchen ignore him. Don't engage in the behavior that will only encourage it. Ignore the cries. Don't look at him. Don't talk to him, Pretend he is not doing anything at all to get your attention. I will tell you having multiple dogs does make it easier on you as they will play together and tire each other out. That's the main reason I bought Batty. Ollie needed a good playmate and Mommy wanted another puppy! LOL They are children and will manipulate you IF you ALLOW it. Be strict with your rules, do your best to tire him out when you can. I always tell my clients a tire dog is a good dog!

PS - I will add if he is chewing something he is not suppose to....use a firm and LOW tone voice and tell him NO. Remove the item he is chewing on and replace with a toy he can chew on. I would invest in something that will engage him like a filled kong or treat ball that he has to work to get stuff out of. That will keep him busy for a little while anyway.

 

[FrenchieDante]

Thank you soooo much Julie. For a second there, I thought I was being a horrible mom by ignoring him. I already feel bad enough leaving him when i'm at work.

 

[Julie Stevenson]

Thank you soooo much Julie. For a second there, I thought I was being a horrible mom by ignoring him. I already feel bad enough leaving him when i'm at work.

Anytime. Your not a bad mommy at all...we all have to work so we can spoil our babies. Don't worry he will be devoted to you and appreciate the time you are able to give to him.

 

[Cbrugs]

Right now the kids are out of school for summer vacation so someone is always home with Jax but when they are in school, Jax is home alone (confined in the kitchen). I try to take him to doggie daycare a few times a month which he absolutely loves. And no joke, one day at daycare and he will then sleep almost all day the next day because he is so tired. And like [MENTION=314]Julie Stevenson[/MENTION] said, a tired dog is a good dog! I know not everyone is comfortable with the daycare thing but the place Jax goes is family owned and really good. They all love having Jax there and he loves it as well. As soon we pull into the parking lot he recognizes it and goes crazy and wants to run in.

 

[lkclark]

Right now the kids are out of school for summer vacation so someone is always home with Jax but when they are in school, Jax is home alone (confined in the kitchen). I try to take him to doggie daycare a few times a month which he absolutely loves. And no joke, one day at daycare and he will then sleep almost all day the next day because he is so tired. And like [MENTION=314]Julie Stevenson[/MENTION] said, a tired dog is a good dog! I know not everyone is comfortable with the daycare thing but the place Jax goes is family owned and really good. They all love having Jax there and he loves it as well. As soon we pull into the parking lot he recognizes it and goes crazy and wants to run in.

Same thing here.

It's entirely out of our budget, but I do pay for Bear to attend daycare every day that we are at work. I was actually running late this morning, so I saw Jon when he came to pick him up and Bear was just beside himself with excitement. They bring him home at 1:30-2 and put him in his crate, where he presumably sleeps for a few hours before I come home.

He is so well-adjusted and even muscular for a puppy...I wouldn't have done it any other way. Totally worth skipping out on my own treats for a few months.

 

[davidh]

He's still a pup and they love and need a lot of attention, Frenchies love their people. He is bored being by himself all day, so when you get home show him plenty of attention and play with him. Maybe take him for a walk if it's not too hot outside, that will use up some of his energy. The person that comes to check on him during the day, do they feed him? If not, see if they will. A pup should eat three times a day until they get about 6 or 7 months of age.

 

[MamaAndi]

Looks like its time to get another frenchie!

I wouldn't worry about him being home alone. If you could webcam him....I bet he just sleeps...so that could also be why he is wired when you get home! Lol
Puppies and young dogs do go through phases that aren't always enjoyable but just keep in mind that it does get better!

 

[Julie Stevenson]

Right now the kids are out of school for summer vacation so someone is always home with Jax but when they are in school, Jax is home alone (confined in the kitchen). I try to take him to doggie daycare a few times a month which he absolutely loves. And no joke, one day at daycare and he will then sleep almost all day the next day because he is so tired. And like [MENTION=314]Julie Stevenson[/MENTION] said, a tired dog is a good dog! I know not everyone is comfortable with the daycare thing but the place Jax goes is family owned and really good. They all love having Jax there and he loves it as well. As soon we pull into the parking lot he recognizes it and goes crazy and wants to run in.

The daycare story does not suprise me. My kiddo works at a doggie daycare and it's a great place, But I do agree not all are created equal! She was at a different a few months ago and it was not a place I would take my boys.....

 

[2bullymama]

Ah this is when your patience and training will need to begin. He's a puppy and puppies are REALLY good at pushing our buttons. It sounds like this is also a one dog family? With no other doggies to play with, he will rely on you for entertainment. Now that does not mean you need to be entertaining him all the time either and to be honest you shouldn't. He needs to learn to play alone too and entertain himself. When your done playing and want to watch TV or whatever then ignore the little man. Yes, at first that will be difficult but he will continue to bug you if you allow him too. You need to set boundaries and limitations for him. If he cries while you are in the kitchen ignore him. Don't engage in the behavior that will only encourage it. Ignore the cries. Don't look at him. Don't talk to him, Pretend he is not doing anything at all to get your attention. I will tell you having multiple dogs does make it easier on you as they will play together and tire each other out. That's the main reason I bought Batty. Ollie needed a good playmate and Mommy wanted another puppy! LOL They are children and will manipulate you IF you ALLOW it. Be strict with your rules, do your best to tire him out when you can. I always tell my clients a tire dog is a good dog!

PS - I will add if he is chewing something he is not suppose to....use a firm and LOW tone voice and tell him NO. Remove the item he is chewing on and replace with a toy he can chew on. I would invest in something that will engage him like a filled kong or treat ball that he has to work to get stuff out of. That will keep him busy for a little while anyway.

:goodpost:

 

[FrenchieDante]

I'm tired. Last night I came home to a disaster zone. Danté stays in a large cage while i'm at work, divided -- a smaller portion with a gel mat and fleece blanket (his crate bed) and a larger portion with a puppy pad. He had TWO visitors while i was away!!! He had his spoonful of yogurt and was played with by each visitor. He had his puppy pad changed to a fresh one.

I don't know what happened between then and me coming home at 3:00 am... but Danté poo'd three times and marched all through it. There was poo everywhere. There was poo on the wall, there was poo across the room, there was poo all over my hardwood floors. The poo was CAKED onto his paw pads and he had to have a bath. It took some tough scrubbing to get the poo off of his paws. His mat had to be scrubbed, fleece washed and dried and entire crate disinfected. I am totally lucky I have a good, well adjusted playful puppy. But I was frustrated last night. I feel bad for him, and I feel bad for me -serving drinks all night to 200+ poker players for 8 hours and then coming home to a poo war zone is unexplainably unpleasant

- - - Updated - - -

I wish there was an option for doggie care during the hours i work. 6pm-2am

 

[Calle Roo]

Dante sounds exactly like Quella when it comes to being unsupervised around her BM. Luckily I've only experienced it 7 times, but like you said... there was literally pooty poo ON the walls and it was a 30-60 minute clean up atleast.

Below is a puppy cam view of Quella when I first got her. I always have a webcam aimed at her space when I'm out and about or even downstairs. Of course, if she gets in to trouble; God forbid, something happen, I'm helpless. But the rest of the time, I'm reassured that she is home and content while I'm away. I'd probably be traumatized if she had a pooty poo escapade while I watched helplessly from my ipad or phone.

Edit: Per the below camera, I changed the angle so I could see Q when she was scooting around the whole x-pen. One day I went to run some errands and started with getting gas. After I pumped, I looked at the puppy cam from my phone and couldn't see Quella anywhere. Now this is when I first got her, so the house wasn't puppy proofed and she was on the 2nd floor with an exposed loft. Now obviously she couldn't climb out of the cage or under the cage, but I was in hysteria. I raced home and quietly came in the house to see what was going on. She pushed her bed a few inches from the gate so I couldn't see her sleeping on the floor behind it. I was in hysterics and puppy proofed the loft, stairs and overhang balcony later that evening. I never realized how fragile yet independant a dog could be, all at the same time. It's taken 3 months for me to 'think' she will be okay on her own for a bit and without a sitter and I'd still rather stay at home and 'protect' her.

XoXo from Quella La Roux and her mommy too!

 

[karla215]

Side note - - must now get puppy cam! Awesome!

 

[Julie Stevenson]

I'm tired. Last night I came home to a disaster zone. Danté stays in a large cage while i'm at work, divided -- a smaller portion with a gel mat and fleece blanket (his crate bed) and a larger portion with a puppy pad. He had TWO visitors while i was away!!! He had his spoonful of yogurt and was played with by each visitor. He had his puppy pad changed to a fresh one.

I don't know what happened between then and me coming home at 3:00 am... but Danté poo'd three times and marched all through it. There was poo everywhere. There was poo on the wall, there was poo across the room, there was poo all over my hardwood floors. The poo was CAKED onto his paw pads and he had to have a bath. It took some tough scrubbing to get the poo off of his paws. His mat had to be scrubbed, fleece washed and dried and entire crate disinfected. I am totally lucky I have a good, well adjusted playful puppy. But I was frustrated last night. I feel bad for him, and I feel bad for me -serving drinks all night to 200+ poker players for 8 hours and then coming home to a poo war zone is unexplainably unpleasant

- - - Updated - - -

I wish there was an option for doggie care during the hours i work. 6pm-2am

Oh NO!!!! What a mess and not something you want to deal with at 3AM! YIKES! I'm trying to envision your crate set up. If I were you I would try to put him in a place with more room so can can poo and get away from it and not dance it in! Do you have a bathroom or laundry room you can put him in? A kitchen with a baby gate? I love baby gates. They really give the pups more room but still confine them to a certain area. Is that an option you could try? A dogs natural reaction is to eliminate AWAY from where they sleep. Now soome pups that have been caged and forced to live in their poop will have more of a tendancy to poop where they sleep!

 

[Julie Stevenson]

Dante sounds exactly like Quella when it comes to being unsupervised around her BM. Luckily I've only experienced it 7 times, but like you said... there was literally pooty poo ON the walls and it was a 30-60 minute clean up atleast.

Below is a puppy cam view of Quella when I first got her. I always have a webcam aimed at her space when I'm out and about or even downstairs. Of course, if she gets in to trouble; God forbid, something happen, I'm helpless. But the rest of the time, I'm reassured that she is home and content while I'm away. I'd probably be traumatized if she had a pooty poo escapade while I watched helplessly from my ipad or phone.

Edit: Per the below camera, I changed the angle so I could see Q when she was scooting around the whole x-pen. One day I went to run some errands and started with getting gas. After I pumped, I looked at the puppy cam from my phone and couldn't see Quella anywhere. Now this is when I first got her, so the house wasn't puppy proofed and she was on the 2nd floor with an exposed loft. Now obviously she couldn't climb out of the cage or under the cage, but I was in hysteria. I raced home and quietly came in the house to see what was going on. She pushed her bed a few inches from the gate so I couldn't see her sleeping on the floor behind it. I was in hysterics and puppy proofed the loft, stairs and overhang balcony later that evening. I never realized how fragile yet independant a dog could be, all at the same time. It's taken 3 months for me to 'think' she will be okay on her own for a bit and without a sitter and I'd still rather stay at home and 'protect' her.

XoXo from Quella La Roux and her mommy too!

View attachment 3651

You sounds like me. I'm always WORRIED about my babies! I didn't get a webcam but I did think about it! LOL