Re: Do you think dogs get lonely?
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Thanks Ser William. That makes me feel better to hear someone point out that dogs do in fact sleep a large part of the day. My coworkers are telling me how bad it is to leave a dog alone all day (even though they have done just that with their own dogs [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]).
Are you glad you got the 2nd dog then? Is it easier or more difficult?
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First of all I agree with Blarg in that SOME howl all day... but I think you'll find that to be the minority. I had a friend who lived in the apartment below me who had a dog that was borderline stalkerish when it came to his owner. He whined a little bit when my friend left in the morning but after that he just slept on the bed... by the window, watching all the cars go by hoping that one of them was my friend. So ok, he was lonely, but he did sleep a lot, and no howling!
I am very glad we got a 2nd dog, now. At first it was pretty brutal though, since our first (Maggie) seemed devastated that we would bring an outsider (Daisy) in. She stopped playing with us, she was extremely wary, and on top of it all they both got sick and had to be taken to the vet. It was awful. However, now they'll cuddle up back to back with each other, and while I wouldn't say they are best of friends they do tend to spend time near each other during the day.
The Shih Tzu is a great breed for apartment life. They require little space and small walks are enough exercise to keep them in great shape. I think if you are looking to get a bigger breed of dog you might find that they require a lot more attention and care, so maybe the loneliness factor would be more noticeable there.
Also to answer your question about being easier or more difficult with a 2nd, I don't think I can answer that properly. Mainly because we got them 3 months apart. Emotionally it was tougher that way. But from a training standpoint it made things a lot easier because Daisy would just copy everything Maggie did.
Good luck, don't let your co-workers deter you from getting a dog.
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