Doggie Day Camp Junkie

[Cathy C. Bennett]

Ok so don't laugh (well you can if you'd like!). Harley (2.5 yrs) and Leo ( 1 yr) attend Doggie Day Camp, five days a week. Harley has been doing this since he was 4 months old and Leo since he was 6 months old. Here's my dilemma - it is getting to be too expensive. I want to stop, but I feel like a day camp junkie. I need to know how do you leave your house and just leave your doodles! My entire family treats them like babies, we hate to leave them alone - Home Depot, Lowes, Hallmark, you name it -they have been there. HELP me transition to one of those families that the people go out and the doodles stay home.

[Pat and Traveler]

How long would the dogs be alone at home?  I can (though rarely do) leave Trav for 5-6 hours.  That's pushing it a bit for us, but I wouldn't give a second thought to leaving him for 2-3 hours.  Well, other than that I'd miss him.  :)

[Jennifer and Jack]

I totally understand where you are coming from, I never left Jack home alone until he was over a year. If I left the house and daycare was closed and I didn't have a babysitter hired to come stay, I never left him for more then a very short time. That is not normal and I recognize that now.... I had to survive quite a while without DK.

 

Jack used to go to Day Care 4 days a week when I worked full time, I did 4, 10 hour shifts.   I noticed Jack as he grew up had less and less of a need to be around people and other dogs and was more comfortable home. I still bring him to day care but only two or three times a month.

 

Especially since you have two dogs, they will entertain each other. Most likely they will mostly sleep when you are not home. I  can't not imagine paying for two dogs in daycare full time, I barely could do one.

 

I would back them off to part time and see how they do. I am now home with Jack almost every day, I work PRN which means as needed so on average I work about four days a month.. Jack sometimes goes to school and sometimes doesn't

 

[Heather and Rocky]

Ugh - I have no idea.  I'd feel the same way... I have no advice - just sympathy!  When I finally find a job it won't matter much because my husband works from home...

 

OH WAIT - I do have an idea...how about an in home pet sitter?  You could have someone come mid day or even twice a day to check on the dogs and let them go potty etc.... how about that??  That would be cheaper than daycare wouldn't it??  Then, if that goes well then you could wean them down to once a day... and then eventually not at all maybe??

 

Heather

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Could you maybe do two or three days a week and leave them home alone the other days? I have finally been able to stop crating my two when I leave. The most I am ever gone is 4 hours. When I leave I always leave the TV on, and give them peanut butter or something they really love. If you have never left them home alone, I would ease them into the new routine gradually. Start with an hour and build from there. Will you be crating them?

[Christine & Shelby]

I take my Shelby (1.5 years) to play care twice a week.   She started play care when she was about 6 months old.  However, since it is just Shelby and I - she has been home alone while I am at work beginning about 1 week after she came home (I had that first week off).   Initially she was crated and I would come home at lunch - let her out, play with her a bit and then head back to work.  At 6 months - I started leaving Shelby out for short periods when running a quick errand.  Then at about 8 months - I started experimenting with house freedom while I was at work.  By 10 months - Shelby was spending all day (8-9) hours at home alone with house freedom.  She has done just fine.... I believe she spends most of the time sleeping, being on neighborhood watch (loves to sit and look out the front window in my office) and it's not been a problem.  About 6 months ago I had a dog door installed - since I was going to have back surgery... so now she really enjoys lounging outside too.  I think your guys will be just fine.   I find the difficult part for me to be wearing her out on days when she isn't at play care and I come home exhausted - but we get it done by long walks, lots of fetch and playdates with her doggie friends! 

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Take them to doggy daycare Mon, Wed and Friday...consider Tuesday and Thursday their day of rest.Seriously I don't know how they can handle 5 full on days of running, jumping and playing. Are they crashed every night when you get home?

Daisy goes only 1 day a week, she is so exhausted on Friday's that she sleeps from dinner until Daddy takes her for her walk (Mommy is on Yappy Hour) around 9PM.

[Coco Chanel and Cheryl]

I leave mine home when I go to work. She is fine and has no problems, but she has always done it. When she was young I came home in the middle of the day and walked her, but I find that harder. I won't leave her after work for a second. It is how I can be okay with her being home during the day!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Doggy door so they can have the best of both worlds - inside and outside?

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

I would consider reducing the days (to 1 or 2 per week) instead of cutting it all together.  Dexter and Kirby are alone when we are at work.  In the past this was 5 days a week, but our jobs have become more flexible and one of us is home most days (they're alone 2-3 days now).  They honestly sleep all day regardless of if we're here or not.  On my work from home days I wake them up for a walk/potty break at lunch. 

 

Observing how much sleeping they do makes me not feel guilty leaving them alone.  Good luck with your decisions :)

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

I think you should first taper off the amount of days-then maybe once a week, they will be fine with eachother-ours our 3 & 4 and finally left out together, they are almost always in the window (on the back of the couch) watching for us. They get their rest because sometimes they are sleeping in the window! It's really fun to drive by the house and if they are not there I honk the horn and they pop up in the window so fast, it's hysterical-my husband says that's mean but I get at least a few good laughs in during the week!

It's just us feeling guilty-they are fine once they adjust. I want to put mine in just for a day or 2 but it's expensive for us right now too.

Good luck-we also set up a camera when we do yard work to make sure that they are not getting into anything.

[Kim]

I take Allie to daycare just 2 days a week, Tuesday and Thursday.  Sometimes (not often) I take her 3 days.  On the days that she stays home, she sleeps all day because she is so tired from daycare.  We don't like to leave her home alone either.  Maybe you could start bringing them 2 or 3 times per week instead of 5?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

We used to send Peri 1-2 per week.  We just bought a house and are needing to save $, so I feel your pain!  The dogs have been FINE while we are at work.  Luckily, DH works out of the house and is home some.  However, they do have days they are along for 7-8 hours. They have access to the playroom and kitchen. Playroom has 6 huge windows and they sit on the couch "guarding" their home during the day. I can see their butt indentions :)  But really, they would be fine if you transitioned them to only a few days a week.  My Peri is SO HAPPY in the new home.  She has been great abotu not going to daycare.