home alone.. how long is too long

[austin]

I wouldn't feel too good about leaving my dog in the car all day, even if the weather is mild. Instead of a kennel, we board at a doggie day care in our area. Our dog gets to play with other dogs all day, gets a lot of human attention and sleeps in a large enclosure indoors with her own bedding and toys. It runs about $30 to board overnight, but it might be a good solution in this case.

[Jaegergirl]

luckily maverick would only be in the car for a couple of hours. when we visit my family, he'll be able to visit with us. it's just when we go my inlaws that it becomes a matter of what to do with him.

[Nina&Bill]

Is there a room at your in-law's house where Maverick can be left undisturbed (away from the yappy dog) or failing that the garage? You can set his crate up in that room & have him crated there with no danger of him getting into mischief or upsetting the yappy dog, plus you have the excuse of taking the dog for a walk or checking on him if you need to escape from the bosom of the family for awhile :)

My in laws live about 2 hours away in Stonybrook, LI and traffic will usually increase travel time to 3 hours. We do alternate holidays (Christmas eve with my familiy...I'm Italian & Christmas eve is SACRED ;), Christmas day with them) but it's still a long day to leave a dog alone. My in-laws have 2 cats who are definitely not dog friendly. I've bought Amber one of those light weight Cabana crates (cordura with mesh sides) specifically for such travel days and Amber's crate will be set up in one of the spare rooms with the door closed in order to keep the cats out. This way she can hang out in her crate & doze & I can go let her out & spend time with her when I need a breather ;).

I wouldn't want to leave the dog alone in the car for a few hours. Christmas in Ohio can be cold :(

Good luck, though! Dontcha just love the holidays?




Nina

[ladawn]

My immediate family is not (usually) dog friendly--they tolerate Daisy now, but way before that, my grandmother had and still has an obnoxious little poodle. When she came, the dog stayed in the garage. My nanny was not happy, but felt it was a fair compromise. Garage is an easier sell than a spare bedroom for non dog lovers.

To me, "me and the dog or nothing" is a bit harsh and only works ifi you are really and truly willing to live with the possibility that the answer might be "nothing."

[Jaegergirl]

what kills me is that my snobby sister-in-law would be allowed to bring her cat if she wanted (my husband would seriously protest because he's terribly allergic to cats). i don't think she'd bring the cat but if she wanted to, i'm sure my inlaws would let her. oh well, you've all given me great suggestions. i'm sure i'll be able to figure something out.

just out of curiosity, what is the longest you'd leave a dog home alone, whether it be a holiday or just a regular day? and at what age? i think the most maverick has been left alone is about 6 hours.

[ladawn]

nine hours for my 1.5 year old and the longest was 11 hours (not intenional). I seemed to be more worse for the wear after that ordeal than she was.

[austin]

At 8 months, your dog's bladder should be fully-developed and he should be able to hold it 8-9 hours, maybe more. Just remember, they have to build up their bladder control so increase your time away gradually if he has been eliminating more frequently. My 1.5 year old holds it for 9 hours pretty regularly, and has gone 12 although I didn't (and wouldn't) do that to her on purpose. Like Ladawn, I was more upset than she was about it!

[Jaegergirl]

i was not aware that you had to gradually work up their bladder control. we got maverick at 15 mo.. he was already house and crated trained. since he went all night (7-8 hours) without having to be let out, i just assumed he'd be good to go when i had to go into work! luckily he never had an accident in his crate and luckily i only work part time (and only go into the office twice a week).