question about alone time

hey all,
just a question maybe i can get advice....
i know all our cavvys love us so much they cant bear to be away from us, BUT...my husband and I both work the night shift as nurses in the hospital, im part-time so i only have to work 2 days a week but every so often (maybe 2-3times per month) my husband and i have to work the same nights so lexi gets left alone for about 8 hours til we come home in the morning. So b/c of our night shift schedules we obviously cant get a dog walker or doggy daycare or a babysitter at 3am and she has really bad seperation anxiety and i feel so bad for her! we leave her in a closed off space in the hallway with a gate and some toys and her bed and we leave the tv on, but all i can think about while im at work is my little lexi crying her beautiful little eyes out
we leave her at my grandparents house occasionally but i feel like a burden sometimes since they're older and i dont want to impose on anyone so...
is there anything i can do to make her time away from us a little less painful? any suggestions? dont forget we're talking middle of the night...
oh and shes 6months old now...my poor baby. im just thankful this is only like twice a month.
sorry this was long...
thanks

If it's the night shift she should be asleep anyway so I wouldn't feel guilty. Try not to make a big fuss when you leave, no big goodbyes in a sad voice, your anxiety could be worrying her. And don't make a big fuss when you come home, it's shouldn't be regarded as "oh what a relief we are back" or she will view it that way too. Try to give her a little Independence in the home while you are there. Dylan isn't always by my side, I think he's sleeping in the lounge right now and I'm in the study. Hope this helps.

If you have time now. Leave Lexi for short periods of time in the crate. Don't make a fuss leave the house even to just walk around the block. Let her out when you come back, repeat this, and lengthen the time away. Plus I would have your things ready away from her when you do go to work. I would emphasize never making a fuss when you're leaving and no hugs of good-bye. Plus leave some frozen kongs to keep her busy if you have a penned off area were her crate is. Good luck. Hope others will give you better advice.

This must be difficult but as others have said it is night time so Lexi shouldn't miss you not being there. Does she sleep in the hallway even when you're not on nights? I'm thinking if the routine doesn't change she won't know the difference. Occasionally I have to do nights but we're lucky that my OH is always home overnight. When I get home in the morning I walk her then we both curl up on the bed.

There's whole section on separation anxiety in the Library with links. Leaving at night is the same as leaving any other time -- the management techniques are the same.

I would also like to add that it would be a great idea to give Lexi a good brisk work-out walk and then potty before you leave for work. If I have to leave to shop or whatever for a few hours during the day I do that and she sleeps til I get home. Always get in a good walk before bed too. She snores louder than my husband sometimes!

Leave the radio on for her.

I would suggest that you accustom Lexi to sleeping in her crate at night. It doesn't have to be in another room - it could be your bedroom. Even get her used to sleeping with the crate covered ... then when you are both out, she'll be less aware of the difference in her routine, although music never hurts. Again, just that will help her become less prone to separation anxiety if she's used to a certain amount of time ALL the time away from you.

thanks to all
as far as sleeping, she sleeps with us(in the bed) during the day while we're sleeping, so shes a night shift doggy too. lol
so shes wide awake at night, she never sleeps in the crate, she cuddles up with us in bed, i dont really have time for excercise before running off to work i only get about 6 hours of sleep before my next shift and i treasure those hours! haha. we dont make much of a fuss when we get home
like i said, shes never really had to be alone much of her little life, shes been alone maybe 6 times in her life span.... i know shes my fur baby and quite spoiled....
thanks for all your advice, i'll get her some kongs and maybe that'll distract her for a while for the next time
i left her with my grandparents tonight my poor baby.
thanks again.

I would get her used to having alone time away from you whilst you are in the house so that she can get used to you not being there all the time. When we got our babies I would always make sure I popped the shops etc during the day so that they got used to me being away although it does help when you have 2!

I find that if I throw a few cookies in their bed before I leave it satisfies them and they don't cry. So basically, they are preoccupied eating as I run out the door, and I've never had a problem. Actually, when I say "kennel up" they RUN because they'd rather have cookies than seeing me anyways I think sometimes

lol. That is so true arasara. We say nite nite and he's off! Straight into the bed crate upstairs!