What your dog needs
All dogs needs vary depending on their age, fitness level, diet, health, coping ability and sociability. There is no one for all solution and it is important that if you are to keep your dog happy at home while alone that you assess and meet his or her requirements. Frequently destructive behaviour such as chewing or scratching and barking is mistakenly diagnosed as dominance. The suggestion being made that the dog is given a higher-ranking position and when you the owner or subordinate leaves the home the dog frets. This is incorrect information and should be disregarded if you are to properly deal with the issue. There are truly very few “hyperactive” dogs. Even though dogs are described as being hyper a lot truly hyperactive dogs find it difficult to rest at at and in extreme cases consultation with a vet and the use of pharmacology is part of the solution. Most dogs are actually either under or over stimulated, lacking rest or have a diet that is contributing to their problems when left home alone. It is highly unlikely that you have a hyperactive dog.
What Not to Do
Never leave your dog in your garden, as theft is very common now. Stolen dogs are used for bait in dogfights, as breeding stock in puppy farms or to be sold on. Either way stolen dogs are not sent to nice family homes and are certainly not cared for. Frequently we hear of elderly dogs that are stolen to be used as dogfight bait and this is all too common in Ireland and Dublin. Try not to leave your dog looking out a window at the front of your home as again this is temptation for thieves. Make sure that you are not being watched while you walk your dog especially if you own a particularly attractive, valuable or popular breed of dog. Do not let your dog outside to wander alone. While many dogs are latch key dogs. This is illegal and the dog warden, taken to the dog pound, will pick up your dog and if not collected or rehomed within 5 days your dog can be destroyed.
Safety
While your dog is alone he should wear a safety collar. A safety collar is one that will snap open should he become stuck on something. When dog’s collars become stuck or jammed in things like decking or door handles they panic and twist. Sadly this is how much strangulation happens. If you have two dogs they should both wear safety collars so as when they play and grab each other collars they will open if jaws get stuck. Safety collars can be worn as normal on walks and won’t open with a lead attached due to a clever design. Assess the environment as you would for a child. Household items such as cleaners should be locked away. Foods such as chocolate and alcohol should be locked away. Chocolate is the most common poisonous food for dogs, the darker the chocolate the more toxic. Medication should also be locked away safely.
Exercises to work your dogs brain
Many dog owners believe that dog walking and off lead play is the key to tiring a dog out. While a dog needs daily exercise they also need mental exercise and it is the mental exercise that will be of use to them while they are alone at home. There are many self control based exercises that will work your dogs mental capacity and tire them out so as they are more likely to rest during the day. These exercises are as follows: Loose Lead Walking Game Leave and Take Wait Check In / Look 15 minutes of these exercises before you leave the home is the equivalent to about an hours walk. Stop feeding your dog from a bowl, which takes on average 3 minutes to eat. Start to feed from KONG’s, Kibble Balls and food based toys. This will spread your dogs food out during the day, help them to use their brain to feed themselves and help natural tiredness take over so that they rest for an appropriate number of hours.
Your Dogs Daily Schedule
If you work a specific pattern then try to vary this with your dog. For example if you get up at 7am each morning try not to do exactly the same thing every morning. Dogs do not understand that Saturday and Sunday are different to Monday thru Friday. So vary when you go down to them in the morning. Some morning have a shower and then go down, other mornings go straight down, some mornings come down put on the kettle let them out, have a shower etc. By using food based toys to feed your dog then they wont have a set feeding schedule so won’t get in the habit of asking you for food at a specific time. If your dog is alone for more than 5 hours and lets face it that’s life with hectic work schedules, then in order to save your skirting boards and your dogs sanity you must employ a suitable programme for your dog. Invest in 3 KONG’s per dog in the home and get them a size up from what is recommended for your dogs breed/size. KONG toys are frequently misused and hence can be ineffective. To use a KONG toy correctly you want to feed all of your dogs daily food requirement from the KONG rather than feeding a bowl of food before you leave and then filling Kong’s when your dog is not hungry. See the KONG recipes for ideas.
Diet and Nutrition
Diet plays a huge role in your dogs behaviour. If you feed your dog canned food with preservatives and caffeine their blood sugar levels and available energy sources will fluctuate. You will also notice more waste. So if your dog has too much energy and they are at home alone they will resort to chewing, digging, barking or scratching behaviours to expel that energy. If they need to relieve themselves more frequently then you are more likely to come home to toileting accidents in the home. While some dog food brands appear cheaper than others they frequently contain bulking agents such as cereals. These bulking agents are simply excreted by the dog and this results in the dog needing more of that food to sustain himself. So by purchasing a 15KG bag of a high grade food for €60 or a 15KG bag of a lower grade food for €40 you will ultimately be feeding more of the cheaper food so this is a false economy. Ingredients in dog food should be made up of high grade meat with good % and other nutrients to help your dog stay calmer, more focused and excrete less. Your vet or a Canine Nutritionist is the best port of call but we recommend the following foods to help keep your dog mentally and physically happy. Luath and Robbies from Land of Holistic Pets http://www.landofholisticpets.comJames Wellbeloved But there many other high-grade foods the key is learning how to read and interpret the label much like our own diets.
Toileting Requirements
Puppies have different toileting requirements to adult dogs. While adult dogs can hold it for longer periods you should ensure that your dog is not holding urine for very long hours as urinary tract infections will be more common. Puppies should have a secure pen for safety with their bed at one end and their pee pads at the other end. Puppies up to 16 weeks can generally only hold it for about 2 hours.
Equipment and how to use it
KONG Toys – The food is stuffed inside the KONG toy so as it is difficult for the dog to get out. It should take over an hour to remove all the food from a well-packed KONG toy.
Quick Release Safety Collar – This collar looks much the same as a regular collar but the buckle will snap open should the dog become caught in anything. The collar has 2 D rings that connect together and to the lead while on walks so as the collar does not open while on a walk.
Crate – A crate or cage is a safe haven or den for your dog. Dogs need to be trained to the crate. Crates should not be used for more than 4 hours at a time. Crates are useful in the car or if your dog is staying with family or friends as they will understand their crate to be their den and place of safety allowing them to settle easier.
Kool Dogz – This toy can be used on hot days. It is simply a giant ice lolly. It can contain food, KONG’s etc to keep your dog occupied.
Daycare for your Dog
Some dogs will find it too hard to be alone during the day. The healthy development of a puppy is dependent on social contact, building coping ability and confidence and socialising them to other puppies, dogs and people. Adolescent dogs can find it hard to settle and may need extra attention in this area. Particularly hormonal changes or change of home or environment can unsettle a dog. Daycare can be a solution for such dogs and break up the week for them. At daycare they can interact with other dogs, exercise and learn how to socialise appropriately. Daycare can also be used post op or for dogs on crate rest or who need regular medication.
An Example Home Alone Programme for an active dog11pm night before – make up 3 KONG, 1 with kibble dinner and a larger biscuit to block the hole at the top, 1 with sardine mix with kibble and 1 with laughing cow cheese rubbed on the inside of the KONG. Place 1 in the freezer.7am wake up, get up and let the dog out to toilet. Stick on the kettle.After letting the dog back in make sure plenty of fresh water 3 mins of leave an take Go and shower and dress.Come down and let the dog out again for a second toilet while I get the KONG’s ready inside.Take a small handful of kibble making sure I am within the dogs food allowance and throw them over the floor where dog is staying. Place 1 KONG in dogs bed, 1 KONG under table and 1 KONG somewhere elseLeave without making a fuss or saying goodbyeReturn homeLet the dog outCollect the KONGs, wash and prepare for tomorrowShort walk, small meal before 7pm.
Separation Anxiety
This can only be diagnosed following an assessment of the dogs coping ability, the dogs daily schedule, assessment of whether the dogs needs are being met daily, the behaviours he displays while left alone and the extent of these behaviours. If you feel your dog may suffer from separation anxiety speak with us directly.
he's so intelligent! He figured out last night how to get the kitchen drawers open so now he can go up to them and pull them open with his paw! 
... they are clever little brats at times.... thats soo funny with drawer !! 
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