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New 1.5 year old Schnoodle - Home Alone?

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  Fenris-wolf 
#1 ·
Hello, this is my first time on this forum. After losing our lab a couple years ago, we finally decided to dive back into dog ownership. We got a 1.5 year old schnoodle. He was returned to the breeder for being too possessive of his toys and food. I don't think the last owner trained him much at all or tried to work through the issues they had with him. We've had him for almost a week now, he appears to be the perfect dog! Super cuddly, great with our kids (6 and 8 years old), doesn't bark much at all, etc. He's still pretty timid though, I think he's scared we'll abandon him. Like the only car rides we've taken him on, he gets very nervous and shaky. Anyway...my reason for posting... The breeder recommended us keeping him him confined to a small room during the day. We've set him up in our mudroom and left toys and a bone for him. He's home alone for about 8 hours total, but after 4 hours my wife comes home at lunch to let him out and play with him before she has to go back to work. I've got a camera on the room. He whines a little when we leave, but then quiets down quickly. For the past two days he's just been laying there, not doing much but sleeping. He seems like such a good boy, I'm worried about him being bored and lonely. I'm thinking about slowly giving him access to more and more of the house. Thought is that he'd just have more space and things to do, like look out the windows, "protect his house", etc. Any thoughts on letting him roam the house alone instead of cooping him up in one small room?
 
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#2 ·
Welcome! And congratulations on your new addition!

If things are going well, I'd say don't rock the boat. Rescue dogs go through major changes in the first 3 days, the first 3 weeks, and the first 3 months. After just a week, he's still very much getting acclimated. Don't be surprised if you start seeing some new behaviours as he gets comfortable, some of which may be undesirable. He needs stability in both his routine and his space, and his current confinement schedule is providing that for him.

If you wish to provide him with more to do during the day, stuff Kongs with pure natural peanut butter, kibble, and/or other healthy treats he likes and help him develop a good chewing/self-soothing habit. Just keep in mind that most happy dogs do sleep much of the time you're not there. This is not a bad thing. The last thing you want is a dog that obsessively stares out the window and barks at every little sight or sound.
 
#3 ·
Thanks Peggy! That makes a lot of sense. I guess I forgot how much dogs sleep...lol. Our last dog freaked out when we left and as he got older it got worse and worse to where he was hurting himself trying to get out. I really don't want that to happen again. Appreciate the advice, we'll just stick with what we're doing now since it's working. Thanks again.
 
#4 ·
This was written for new puppy owners, but there's lots of good info in there for you, too:


Have fun with your new friend! :)
 
#5 ·
Yes. If he's housebroken and doesn't chew the furniture, why not let him have free roam of at least one sunny room where he can look out the window?

Mine have the entire apartment except for my bedroom, and I always leave on the TV.

I've read about Schnoodles in the past, and they're extremely intelligent. Sitting in a mud room or laundry room for 8 hours, even with a quick lunch visit, is pretty hard for any living thing with that level of sensitivity and intelligence.

A good morning walk each day before heading out would also be good for both of you. For you or family, exercise, but for your Schnoodle, starting the day off naturally as a dog like yours is "Sanity Enhancement". :)
 
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