Leaving my yorkie alone while at work/school.

by Audriana
(New Jersey)

Question

Im considering buying a yorkie but i have done some research and many sites say that they cannot be left alone. Is this true?

They will probably be left alone from 9 am till 6pm during fall and winter but during the spring they will be left from 9 am till 3pm.

Do you think the dog will get upset from this? If I buy the dog in the summer can i train it to stay home alone for fall/winter/spring?

Answer

You will not be the first yorkie owner who has to work, it is done all the time. I do not think it is any reason for you not to buy a yorkie.

It is very important for your yorkie to be properly trained. As you can imagine, being left alone for that long will cause your dog to get bored and you do not know what they will get up to whilst you are away. You do not want to get back home to chewed up furniture or carpets etc.

I would suggest reading through the housebreaking advice and pay particular attention to the litter training advice as your yorkie will need a place to relieve themselves whilst you are away.

If you do start this process during the summer, I would advise starting to break your yorkie in to being left alone for shorter periods. You don't want to go from being at home all day, to then being away for the whole day. So maybe start with 1 hour then slowly go increasing the length of time until it is time for you to go back to work.

Another option is also to look for a trustworthy dog walker in your area. Someone who can maybe go at lunch time to pick up your yorkie to take them out for half an hour or so.

You should also leave many dog toys out so that your dog is entertained. DogToys.com features dog toys selected especially for your breed of dog.

I have also heard that some people leave the tv on so that their yorkie can hear voices during the day and possibly not feel so lonely.

I'm lucky in the fact that I work from home creating this website and I have never had to leave Harry by himself for such long periods.

If anyone has any further advice on leaving your yorkie alone during the day please share it with us.