On 2014-02-12 10:14:04 +0000, David Rance said:

On Wed, 12 Feb 2014 09:47:54 Sacha wrote:

Animal behaviourists will tell you that dogs shouldn't be left on their
own too long as it causes them a good deal of stress. There are ways of
ameliorating this and it's also wiser to choose a breed that's less
highly strung or physically demanding, if you must have a dog you have
to leave alone for long periods.

An ex- colleague of mine, a teacher, inherited a dog when her mother
died (the colleague's mother, not the dog's!). It couldn't be left
alone in the house as it pined. She took to bringing it to school and
leaving it in the car. It still pined. Then she left it in the car with
a transistor radio playing music. It was fine! Don't worry, the car was
left with windows open, in the shade, and there was a bowl of water.
And she would go down to it every couple of hours and take it for a
short walk.

What interested me was that the dog was happy listening to (classical)
music, which is presumably what my ex-colleague listened to at home.

David

Yes, that works for some dogs, as does a talking programme for others.
It probably did help that the dog was used to listening to music with
its former owner, too. But dogs can have almost as many 'issues' as
humans! Your colleague was lucky she had a job that could accommodate
the dogs' needs to a large extent. People who have to be out all day
and can't even go home at lunchtime, really should ask themselves if
they should have a dog.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk