Home Alone

Ken and I have been talking about how nice it would be to have a pet sitter come to the house rather than kenneling the dogs when we were out of town. It would allow the dogs to be together, surrounded by familiar things. We wouldn't have to worry about them catching something from another dog. We would know everything about the environment they would be staying in.

The problem is that our dogs never have the free run of the house when we are not at home. At night, Emme sleeps in a crate in our bedroom and Rudy sleeps on the rug in our bedroom with the door shut. When we are gone during the day or evening, we put both dogs in individual crates in the family room, one on either side of the fireplace. We say, "It is time for nitey-nite in the crates" and both dogs dash for their crates (and the dog biscuit they get for going inside).

So we have been practicing letting the dogs be home alone but not in the crates. For the past week we have been leaving the dogs out when we run errands. I lock the back door, put up the baby gate to the second floor and then tell the dogs to "Guard the house" as we leave. I haven't left them alone for too long, a half hour one time, 45 minutes another. I don't know what they do when they are home alone. I've seen no evidence of mischief when I returned. They have learned a lot of things in the past. I am sure they can learn this too but it is a major change.