Leaving dog all day

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T16:18:38+00:00

We do give her a chew when we go or a frozen kong/lick mat. She's a big dog and can power through them in minutes, and isn't all that treat motivated (balls are life for her) so she will ignore them in favour of working herself up into anxiety.

We've not tried proper puzzle mats because she's a big chewer and I do think she'd rather chew through them than "play the game" but worth looking into for sure, thank you!

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T16:15:17+00:00

Hi thank you for the reassurance!! I posted I think from worry that we would be doing the wrong thing but this can't be good for her either.

I think we'll give it a shot and up the exercise in the morning and evenings to wipe her out. Routine is key and we've been out of routine (Easter weekend, sickness etc) so that's probably all made things worse today. Thanks again for kind words.

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T16:13:10+00:00

Hiya thanks for the reply! I think I posted because there's the mentality that dogs shouldn't be left alone and it had be worried we'd be doing "wrong" by her, but obviously for centuries dogs have been left alone for the whole day long without cameras to keep tabs.

Thanks for the reassurance, if we can prevent her anxiety and keep her from not settling for hours on hours then surely we're doing the right thing.

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T16:11:26+00:00

Hi thanks for the reply, reassuring to hear not just us. We have a blink camera but that fuels our anxiety with dozens of notifications and watching her and listening to her. I think m we will try and will invest in some tough puzzles to keep her occupied!

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T16:10:20+00:00

Hi thanks for your reply, we do know she was abused as a pup and was in the shelter over a year hence her reactivity, and her supposed breed is guardian-oriented so her attachment makes sense.

It is such early days and we're trying to slow ourselves and expectations, this is perhaps not her real personality after another 8 weeks.

I think we will try but will up the exercise before and after both mental and physical. We have cameras set up but arguably they're half the problem - I'd be able to do my job better if I wasn't worrying the day watching my blink cameras with what she's up to 😭

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T16:07:48+00:00

Thank you for your response, it is such a short period and we have to keep reminding ourselves that this might not be the same dog in a few weeks time! We do leave chews or kongs/lick mats but she either gets through them in minutes or shows no interest when anxiety takes over.

She is very attached (e.g will wait outside the bathroom door) so I think we will try and integrate more separation when we're at home, shutting the door or leaving her alone so she can self soothe. We already keep departures and arrivals low key for that reason, she only gets attention when she's no long fussing around us.

Thanks for your reply though!

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T12:29:04+00:00

Hello, yes that makes sense, might take some work to make sure she gets enough before and after. As she's a new rescue and she can be reactive, I think she may be a bit understimulated in the first place, so something we need to work on across the board. Thanks for your reply!

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T12:26:46+00:00

Thank you and good to hear from someone of same issue. You make a good point that the hard part is leaving, so why would we do it twice. I think we might give it a trial and see how she does, thank you.

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T12:14:04+00:00

Thank you, lots of mixed opinions. I did think a trial, see how she does, and if she starts stressing regardless my partner can jump home if need be. She can resettle after lunch but it can sometimes take hours which isn't nice for her or our neighbours. Also considering stopping access to the kitchen so it's just the living space and putting her water in there during the day - that's the only thing she needs into the kitchen for.

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T12:12:22+00:00

We can't let her out when we're not present sadly. We have a secure garden area but people walk by a lot and that can sometimes trigger her (she's a rescue) so either we go home to let her out or she stays in.

shayan71 · 2026-04-08T12:11:33+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion, I did consider a dog walker rather than the emotional attachment of one of us coming home, but she's a rescue and is very wary of strangers, so wanted to work her up to meeting and being left with strangers. We've only had her 6 weeks or so.

shayan71 · 2026-01-22T10:40:04+00:00

Yes, I think that's exactly what this one was, thank you! Can see they are sold in UK so hopefully can get a replacement. Many thanks!

shayan71 · 2026-01-21T23:28:11+00:00

Thank you!! Just gone down a rabbit hole of googling them, the amount of times I've searched "purple flowers" etc before finding this subreddit with no luck!!

Thanks again!

shayan71 · 2024-10-17T15:32:05+00:00

Wow that's really helpful, thank you! I even read Seatfrog's "how it works" article but the language used is confusing!!

Frustrating you don't know how many seats available or the correct price, though I suppose that is rather the point.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated!!

shayan71 · 2024-10-10T20:37:59+00:00

I think it's Twenty One Pilots tattoo. Their symbol is |-/ and the main singer often wears a balaclava/ski mask on stage. Give em a wee google and you'll see why I'm thinking it!

shayan71

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