Doggone Etiquette —

Latch-Key Dogs

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

Where do you spend your time if you are home alone all day? Do you have freedom of the whole house, or just certain rooms? Or are you confined to a small part of one room? Are you bored? So what do you do to entertain yourself? Do you bounce up and down and bark at anything that moves (or doesn’t move) outside the window? Do you eat things you shouldn’t and give yourself a tummy ache? Or do you sleep the whole day long, dreaming of all the things you would do if only you could.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

It used to be a very different world for dogs. Either there was someone home with the dog all day (usually Mom), or the dog went to work with its owner on a farm, in a gas station, a store or any similar workplace that was dog-friendly. It wasn’t all that long ago when times changed and, as soon as the kids went off to school, Mom joined the workforce and poor old (or young) Rufus was left home alone. 

Today it’s the computer age and the lucky dogs are the ones whose owners are able to work from home. Even so, there are still plenty of dogs that are not so lucky and have to contend with dreary solitude. Dogs are, by nature, social or what we call “pack” animals that thrive on interaction and companionship. Try explaining to a dog that you’ll be around for him on weekends, but when you come home at night after work, you prefer peace and quiet. Granted, there are some dogs that will go along with this un-dog-like life and make the best of it. Then there are others that can’t cope with the stress and will let you know it. You’ll come home to chewed furniture, holes dug in the carpet and complaints from the neighbors about barking and howling, to say nothing of a neurotic dog in need of help.

A puppy cannot be expected to train itself to your way of thinking, but there are lots of things you can do to prevent the stress of a mature latch-key dog. Here are some of them, in no particular order: Give the dog sufficient exercise prior to your departure. If you can manage it, a walk is better than just letting him out, but in either case be sure he relieves himself. Leave the radio on a station with calm music and keep the sound low. This has a soothing effect and helps curb the dog’s natural instinct to listen for (and bark at) every sound coming from outdoors. Plenty of fresh water is essential and a few dog biscuits will fend off starvation if dinner won’t be for another eight hours!

You must decide where the dog is left so that both your home and the dog are safe. Start off with confinement to a (relatively!) non-destructive area enclosed by pet gates rather than closed doors when you’ll be gone for a few hours. Work up to the full day and only allow more freedom gradually, perhaps when you’ll be working a half-day.

Of course, there is one other thing you can do that will rate an A+ in your dog’s lonely day, and that is to hire a qualified dog-walker, or pet-sitters, whose job it is to make life more pleasant for the latch-key dogs. Rufus will quickly catch onto the set time every day when he’ll be walked, played with and earn another treat.

A very special event is coming up for all you dog-lovers, or would-be dog owners. On October 17 and 18 the American Kennel Club will hold Meet the Breeds (all 160 of them!) at the Javits Center in New York City. You can pick up information about the various breeds, talk to the breeders and trainers, meet the breeds – and pet the pups! There will also be exciting demonstrations going on where you can learn about all the neat things you can do with your dogs. This is a great opportunity for kids, too. Get reduced-rate tickets online now at MeettheBreeds.com. 

Until next time – BE GOOD!

-  Bardi