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Rick Hoaja, Ohio

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Is Your Dog Home Alone?

Make your home a haven for Fido and ensure
your own peace of mind

Does your dog have a sad face when you leave home in the morning?

I firmly believe that owning a dog is compatible with having a full-time
job outside the home. You just need to use the right techniques and products to keep Fido occupied while you're gone.

You also need to minimize the possibility of incessant barking that
riles your neighbors and results in police showing up on your doorstep.

Here's what has worked for me:

Create an indoor den

Leaving a dog alone outdoors all day is a terrible idea. It guarantees problems with the neighbors and behavior problems from your dog.
Further, you can't protect your dog from sudden, bad weather.

Use a crate if you or a pet sitter come in during the day to let him
out for a break. The rule of thumb is don't keep a dog in a crate longer
than 4-hours at a stretch.

If no one is home, use a gate, that he can see out of, to create a
den in a room such as the kitchen or laundry room.

Arrange a toilet area in the farthest part of the room using a doggy
door to the outside or newspapers, pads or dog litter tray.

Create a haven

Don't let him have the run of the house especially if he's a puppy.
A bored dog is a destructive dog and one that can harm himself by
chewing or swallowing dangerous objects.

Have a favorite blanket, toy and comfortable bed in his crate or the
room where you leave him during the day. He needs a comfortable
place to nap during the day.

Create mental stimulation

I like to leave a Kong toy filled with peanut butter or other gooey
treat. My dog happily spends the afternoon trying to get the treat.
koik Another good toy is the Buster Cubes which can be filled
with dry food.

Create pleasant sounds

Do you like to be a quiet house for hours on end? Leave the radio,
TV or CD player on. Some owners tape their own voices and leave
that playing all day. My dog loves classical music. Just make sure
it's soothing music, no heavy metal bands, please.

Create sustenance  

I don't like to leave food out. Bored dogs can overeat just as bored
humans do. However, I do think dogs should have drinking water
available any time they want it. Try leaving a bowl or two of water
for him. If you can afford it, use a water dispensing product.

Create a soothing environment

One of the newest products available is an electric diffuser that
releases Dog Appeasing Pheromones (DAP). These mimic the natural pheromones produced by lactating bitches to reassure puppies.

One study showed a 70% reduction in barking and whining when
the DAP was used. Sounds weird may be a scent-sible solution for
whining puppies.

Create unemotional leaving and return 

Don't make a production when you leave and come home. Spend
time with your dog (playing to tire him out and taking him to the
potty) before you leave in the morning.

When you get home at night, try to wait 5 minutes before
acknowledging him when you get home.

Consider - as a last resort - mood stabilizers

The drug clomipramine is sometimes prescribed for dogs that
exhibit extreme hyperactivity or destructive behaviors when
their owners are absent and when other treatments haven't
been effective.

Think of it as Prozac for dogs. It's not addictive, but it's a last
resort that should only be used under veterinarian control.

Click here for products to engage your dog while you're gone

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