advice on leaving pets alone whilst I work?

EllieBeast

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Hi, I'll try to keep this as short as possible!!
I have a lovely 2.5yo dalmatian bitch and a 9 month old bengal x kitten(indoor cat).
4 weeks ago my other half left me after 4 years together. I have always had to leave a good two hours before he did on work days so the pets are having to be alone for longer than they are used to.
At the moment they go to my parents house on the two work days that I can't get back to them at lunch time, weird setup I know but the cat is very used to this and seems to thoroughly enjoy his visits to daycare!! No sign of stress at all.
The other 3 days a week I pop back at lunch time and let the dog out, give them a fuss, do some training and take the dog for a run when I have enough time.
Whenever I arrive home at lunch they are both asleep on the spare bed, very settled and they get on incredibly well. It's when I come to leave them again that I want to find a distraction! By this point they are bouncy and full of it and I need to find something to give them to distract them when I leave and encourage them to settle!
Food wise the dalmatian could do with putting weight on so calories aren't an issue, she isn't totally food motivated so it would have to be totally delicious and as she has the run of the house- I'd prefer it wasn't too messy!
The cat is food obsessed and likely to become a porker once he's finished growing! For him I was debating getting him one of those treat balls for small dogs and just to put some of his daily food ration in there. Has anyone tried this with cats? He's very dextrous and completely has the bengal personality....
The dog does get at least one, usually two good length off lead walks(runs... She doesn't really walk anywhere!.)
Could anyone recommend anything else I could be doing? Anything I might be missing? They are both very well behaved and have been fantastic company for me! I just want to make sure I'm doing right by them!
 

mynutmeg

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don't know about the cat but my collie gets a small chew as I go out the door - she then goes and settles down to eat it and isn't upset by me going out whereas if she doesn't get a chew she's barks a far bit for the first 5 minutes or so.
 

Exploding Chestnuts

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There are loads of cats toys on amazon some of which are trickle feeders, only problem is that smart cats might find them too easy and the others will sit and stare.
 

Karran

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My little pup gets two kongs stuffed with treats and meat, one small and one medium.
I also use one of these:

kongwobbler_jpg_161x209_q85.jpg
I try to mix it all up as to what ones she has but she normally has two of them in the morning, it takes her about 15 minutes to empty the wobbler, she has hours of fun pawing it all over the kitchen to get the food out, sometimes there's still food left in the kongs, when we get home.

She then seems to go up and have a nap in her basket until someone comes home to give her a quick lunchtime walk and then plays with the remaining kong and then naps some more until I get home.
 

paisley

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Whats your routine when you leave them in the morning? I struggled to settle my lurcher after a lunchtime visit, and its usually because it was a bit rushed. Plus he was used to me coming home and staying home, not leaving again after 15 mins or so. Possibly try and do the same things you do in the morning before leaving again if possible.

I actually think mine is more relaxed now I have a dog walker- obviously its not me galloping in for a short slightly tense time, he seems to accept she is there for a short while, and isnt staying, so this might also be worth considering?
 

EllieBeast

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Cheers for the advice guys! Im loathe to leave her with any rawhide type chews as I know of a couple of dogs that have choked on them, so I tend to only let her have them when I'm about. Although tbh she isn't particularly interested in them - certainly not enough to distract her from me leaving!
I like the kong idea but what can I fill it with that isn't going to create a hell of a mess? I don't really want to contain her to just rooms with moppable floors! I cant just use her own food, she isn't interested enough in that either!
I had thought about a walker Paisley but unfortunately I just cant afford that now I'm running the house on my own. I do have the same routine when I leave them morning and afternoon, they certainly aren't distressed when I leave, and don't chew or destroy the house at all. I just would feel happier knowing that the dog at least is happily occupied when I leave rather than standing looking sad as I depart! Maybe I'm just a softy...
Thanks again for all your advice!
 

0310Star

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We have invested in a camera at home. My puppy has the kitchen at the moment when we aren't there and although only left about 4 hours at a time, I was worrying about her constantly.
The camera is great, linked to our phones, and if she starts barking for example we get a notification to let us know there is a lot of noise going on. You can also talk through it. It has massively put my mind at rest as all she does when we aren't there is sleep and I know now this is 100% what she does as I can keep an eye on her.

Well worth the £70 or so it was! Could be an idea to put in the room where they spend most of their time, like you say the spare room?
 

Chiffy

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I put good quality small dog biscuits stuck in with peanut butter in a large kong. It takes ages to lick out and makes no mess. You can also freeze filled kongs and they last even longer. If you do a search on here there was a thread about kong fillings.
 

paisley

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. I just would feel happier knowing that the dog at least is happily occupied when I leave rather than standing looking sad as I depart! Maybe I'm just a softy...
QUOTE]

Honestly, there isnt anything more guilt inducing than the mournful face pressed against the window as you go. I tell mine I have to go to work to buy him toys and non-essential stuff for me, like food. Plus the warm dog shaped dent in the duvet on the sofa tells me his day wasn't too harsh ;)
 

leflynn

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I now get ushered to the treat cupboard if my grey thinnks I am leaving him at home as he expects a pigs ears/chew now! It makes it easier for me not to see the sad face at the window either and seems to settle him :)

I think once you get into a routine it'll be easier for you all :)
 

pippixox

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I think your set up sounds pretty good :) treat wise- what about pigs ears? (as leflynn said) I used to get dried ones, but now I actually get raw pigs ears (my dog eats raw many way). my dog gets excited about me leaving in the morning!!! As he knows it results in a pigs ear or a kong stuffed with mince.

I could be gone for 1 hour or 6 and he is always excited when I return, but will happily eat his ear and then sleep all day with my cat (can always see hair on the double bed they share!)
 

pippixox

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I think your set up sounds pretty good :) treat wise- what about pigs ears? (as leflynn said) I used to get dried ones, but now I actually get raw pigs ears (my dog eats raw many way). my dog gets excited about me leaving in the morning!!! As he knows it results in a pigs ear or a kong stuffed with mince.

I could be gone for 1 hour or 6 and he is always excited when I return, but will happily eat his ear and then sleep all day with my cat (can always see hair on the double bed they share!)
 
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