Two hours 40 minutes...

[JudyN]

... is how long I left Jasper for today. When i got home he came ambling down the stairs to greet me so had presumably been sleeping on our bed.

I've been stepping up his SA training as I haven't had any work for the past week. Also, my mum is coming to stay in a fortnight and it would be lovely to be able to go out somewhere with her and without Jasper now and again! Being able eventually to leave him for 4 hours would be wonderful, but he's been quite happy with 2-hour-plus absences all this week.

But... having mild fibromyalgia, I don't have endless energy. And after a week of giving him a long morning walk, then going out for a few hours, then coming home not long before he's ready to go on his second walk, and still having to think about cooking and housework is exhausting! And expensive as I end up going into town on the bus (which means I can sneak up the drive, listen for howling and peep through the window) and killing time there. It's not as if I want to go for a nice long walk... I could go to the library but my dodgy back doesn't like sitting in strange seats for too long.

Plus when the work I'm expecting to turn up any day finally arrives, I certainly won't have the time for this!

So... how do you accustom an SA-prone dog to being left for 4 hours when it really isn't practical to go out for 4 hours that often???

[Nettle]

Empathy and a bunch of flowers.

Can't help with most of it but as my energy reserves are easily depleted I do connect with the way it makes you feel.

Can you leave the car down the road, walk out of the house and drive to town from there?

[JudyN]

Can you leave the car down the road, walk out of the house and drive to town from there?

I could - or rather, park it down the road on my return so I can creep up the drive, then retrieve it later. It still leaves the difficulty of finding the time & energy, but gives me more choice of where to go

Still - it's a lot less frustrating than when I'd pop out for half an hour and come home to a dog who'd been serenading the neighbours. The problem is now me, and not him

I think I'm going to give myself a day off today - and then work on going out for longer every other day rather than for a shorter period every day.

[Dibbythedog]

If he is relaxed at being left for two hours , he could well be fine at being left for four hours without having to build up that time.
PIp had SA and still does howl occasionally , I don't usually go out for more than two hours but occasionally I go out for the day and my OH who lives down the road will come and let him and Libby out after 4 hours and he is fine.
We don't know how time passes for dogs, but perhaps, like us, they react to how they feel , if they are worried then 5 minutes seems like an eternity but relaxed and probably sleeping , the time passes before they realise it and you are home.

[JudyN]

Yes, he might be fine - I tend to err on the side of caution because if I didn't, I'd have to record him to make sure he's OK and I used to find listening back to those recordings quite traumatic.

[delladooo]

I don't know how feasible it is but what about instead of specifically going somewhere you could park up somewhere with a good book? You might look a little odd just sat reading in your car but would probably save you money if you can cope with it

[JudyN]

I lost track of time in town today... then tried and failed to find a short cut back to the bus station, then I had to wait ages for a bus, which was the one that goes the scenic route.... 3 hours 40 mins I was out for, and Jasper was quiet and on his bed when I peeped through the front window

[Dibbythedog]

That's really good news ! Well done , Jasper

[MPbandmom]

Good news. That is just about as long as you were aiming for isn't it?

[JudyN]

Yup, I'm pretty chuffed! We still need to work on going out different times of day, both OH and I going out at the same time, both of us going out with one or both of the DSs... as much as we need Jasper to get used to it, we need to convince ourselves that we're not going to come home to a dribbling wreck, and that may prove even harder