Dogs and nursing

rockstarjk · Apr 13, 2009

Thanks for all the comments! About the him being alone..he's 5 years old now and has been alone plenty of times...he doesn't whine or cry...he's pretty good with his toys because when I do get home we're always together. I won't have a dog door or anything - I'm moving to a condo or apartment. My plan is to walk him before I go to work and after I get home we'll play lots and lots! I'm more concerned with the day shifts. But I'll be DDNN...so the 5 days off he'll be sick of me!

dusky1228 · Apr 13, 2009

i have a very small dog-a 5 lb chihuahua. i have some long hours, and usually i take him to "doggy day care"-i bring him to a friend's house until i come home. but there are days that i can't do that. i make sure he has plenty of fresh water, and some dry kibble. he uses a litter box, so i don't have to worry about his being uncomfortable.

when he was younger and i had to leave him, and i had roommates that had a puppy also, i bought a puppy playyard and set that up in the living room. inside the small playyard (which was adjustable-i made it about 5 ft x 3 ft) i set up his soft crate with blankets and toys. this way he was restricted and protected when i could not be there, and could go curl up inside a doubly-protected hiding place to sleep.

when i get home, i always spend a little while cuddling him and playing with him.

see if you can work out dogwalking or doggy day care at least sometimes, just to break up the long day for him-if not, just spend lots of time with him when you are home. good luck!:paw:

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2009

How do you teach a dog to use a litter box?

dusky1228 · Apr 13, 2009

how do you teach a dog to use a litter box?

well, it's pretty much the same concept as training them to go outside.

i used a regular cat litter box and soft litter. the type is just personal choice. now he is using a dog litter box-it has a slight cut out in the side so he doesn't have to hop over the side.

when he was a puppy (he's 5 now), i would just put him in the box every hour or 2, immediately after eating, before bedtime, or whenever he looked like he was sniffing for a place. when he would "go", i made a fuss or gave him a tiny treat. if he had an accident (rarely happened), and i caught him at it, i would just pick him up and put him in the box to finish his business. he trained in one weekend-and he's a chihuahua, and they are notorious for being tougher to housetrain.

he is the second chihuahua i have trained to the litterbox. the other was my first chihuahua. they were both males. my current one just has to have a pad along the back wall of the litter box so he can do his little "leg lift" safely.

it's so great to do-no worries about discomfort or accidents, or taking him out when the weather is really bad.

i even trained a 13 year old dog to the litter box-just exactly this same way.:paw:

Jules A, MSN · Apr 13, 2009

The problem with 12s is that by the time you add in your drive time and the extra 1/2 hour ie. 7a to 7p is really 7a to 7:30p in most cases its more like 14 hours. That is a heck of a long time for them to be expected not to relieve themselves. If its a little dog with puppy pads, you have a doggy door etc. I'd be ok with it but as with humans holding it in for that long is not healthy! Doggie day care or a petwalker is a great alternative.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Apr 13, 2009

Hi, just a question to any nurses out there who have dogs.
How does your dog handle being at home alone for the 12 hours? I'm moving out of my house with my dog and therefore my dog will now be at home for 12 hours. Ideas? Opinions?

Mine pees all over the house.:icon_roll

But then, he's a mini-pin-Doxie mix with a bladder the size of a navy bean. We're used to puddles.

southernbeegirl, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2009

My dog is sooooo spoiled. and i wouldnt have him any other way, lol. he's half chiahuahua and half jack russel so he is hyper AND paranoid. ive had him for 6 years, he just turned 11 this month. he is so darned headstrong! i would love to litter train him. he thinks the dining room rug is where he should make the poo. sometimes after i take him to make the pee, he will come inside and try to make the poo. drives me nuts!

but he's my baby for sure. i'm home with him all week. he's only home alone on fridays and occasionally every other weekend when my hubby is working too. i always turn the tv on court tv (he loves it! we watch it all week. he lays on his pillow and watches. except for jami floyd who is on 11a-1p. he doesnt like her and usually sleeps while she's on, lol).

he has 5 blankets that he considers "his" and they stay on the couch. yep, 5 of them. i sit on one corner of the couch and he gets the rest. he needs all that room for his blankets and pillows. if my hubby or one of the boys "borrows" one of his blankets, he will sit in the floor in front of them and stare at me like "mommy! he took my blankie!!" and he wont stop until they give it back, lol. i'm the only one allowed to use one of his blankies.

he is soooo rotten, lol.

i think he actually enjoys his "alone" time. like i said, i leave the tv on with the volume low...make sure all his blankets are fluffed up for him and make sure he has fresh water and food. he's a night eater though so he doesnt eat much when i'm gone. but he mostly sleeps in the bed all day. i dont make it on the days he's home alone so he can wallow around all on it. he's always under the covers when i get home.

when i lock my car my horn beeps twice. thats his cue that i'm home. he will be sitting on the bed or the couch waiting on me when i open the door. if he's sleeping hard and doesnt hear the horn, he will cry for 10-15 minutes when i come in like "mommy, i'm so sorry! i was sleepin' ". it's so cute.

but he has OCD worse than i do. we have certain routines that cannot vary or he gets so upset and anxious.

like when i come home. i have to kiss him first and rub his belly...then i'm allowed to kiss "daddy" once. if i kiss on him more than once, i get barked at like i'm in trouble. then he runs to the bed and we roll around on the bed and play for a few minutes and i rub him and he kisses me. THEN i'm allowed to go make the pee but not before, lol.

and it is this way every time i come home from work. he gets so anxious if we vary from our routine.

it's like he has ADD actually. i love to open the sliding doors and the windows and let the air come in. the problem is that he thinks he should be the only dog in our apartment complex and he thinks we should be the only people. he has that "little man syndrome" where he thinks he is as big and mean as a rottwieler and he tries to attack all other animals and people. we've lived here forever so my neighbors are used to him, thankfully, lol. most just yell "hi yoda!" and keep going, lol.

but when i have the windows open, he literally runs from door to window to window. but when i close the windows and blinds, he will immediately lie down and go to sleep. it's like if he doesnt see people or animals out there he forgets they are thee. it's hilarious.

he has MAJOR issues, lol. my husband and his 3 boys all kid me and ask "when is yoda going to die so we can get a REAL dog", lol.

i think if you plan well that animals are ok by themselves. i've always had animals since i was a little girl and have always left them home alone while i work.

the only time i ever took yoda to the doggie spa was last year when i went to the beach for 10 days. i had booked him a corner suite so he wouldnt see many dogs because i knew he'd stay a nervous wreck. the vet had me take liquid benadryl to sedate him if needed. the benadryl didnt work and they gave him actual sedatives. he was so doped up when i picked him up that for about 20 hours all he could do was open his eyes and kiss me then fall over sleeping, lol. i wasnt angry at all because i know how he acts and how he gets nervous so i had told them i would rather him be sedated. his little voice was hoorifice for over a week after i got home because all he did was sit and bark the whole time he was awake. it broke my heart! this year we are staying somewhere he can go with us. i just cant bear to leave him that long again.

sorry bout the long post. when i get to talking about my baby i cant shut up!