Leaving Dogs home all day

getz

helena.ryan wrote: »

Leadinglady, you should start a new thread, I'm sure you'll get loads of responses of what people want in their kennels.

Extra charge for extra cuddles :D what a way to play on someones guilt at leaving their dogs.

yes i know but it must work because he tells me he was lucky to get them in --anyway i allways take my englishbulldog with me on holiday in fact i will be over in ireland for all of feb i have booked a cottage in the south wicklow area [again] every day i take him for a tramp in the woods--dog loves it --the tramps not so keen

DundalkDuffman

getz wrote: »

every day i take him for a tramp in the woods--dog loves it --the tramps not so keen

Hilarious! Laughing as I type!

TheLoc

I work full-time. My dog is at home in the back garden a lot. as long as you keep the doggy poop in the garden out he will be fine. most people who have dogs work full time. the dogs get used to it. as long as you come back and give him loving attention, play with him and take him for a walk, they will be happy. dogs do anything to keep their master happy and they are happy when you are happy. you just need to treat them well too. Its silly to suggest that you can't look after a dog because you work full time.

peasant

TheLoc wrote: »

. as long as you come back and give him loving attention, play with him and take him for a walk, they will be happy. dogs do anything to keep their master happy and they are happy when you are happy.

Are you sure about that?

A dog lives in the here and now, the very moment. It has very limited abilities of forward planning and also very limited capabilities of rearward projection.

A dog may very well feel lonely, abandoned, desparate while you're gone ...but the minute you come in through the door, that's forgotten. You're here now, everything is ok.

Similarly, every new separation can be a new descent into agony. I doesn't matter that the dog had the greatest of times with you last night, running, swimming, playing frisbee ...now you're gone and it feels abandoned.

So by judging the dog from when you interact with it you can NOT conclude that it acts/feels the same way when you're not there.

The only mitigating factor (what prevents your dog from howling in separation anxiety all day long) is routine. It will learn over time, that you come back. Some dogs learn to cope with this fairly well, others don't. The longer the period of your absence, the higher the chance that the dog will grow anxious at some stage.

But unless the dog leaves clear signs of its anxiety (chewed furniture, a mess on the floor, neighbours annoyed by whining and barking) you will never know, because as soon as you step through the door, its world is right again and it will behave "normally".

Unlike a human, it will not sit in the corner and sulk and "punish" you for putting it through this agony, no ...it will seize the moment and look for your attention and company.

You on the other hand will never know what happened to your dog / what it was feeling while you were gone.

TheLoc

Yes of course a dog is sad when you leave. and he will cry or mop around looking miserable. but you have to work. you can't be with the dog 24/7. thats not right either. and to the person who said they spend 40 euro a week on their dog, you are clearly spoiling him. which you can if you want but you really don't need to. he needs regular exercise and affection not millions of treats and presents. A dog is not a baby. I go home for lunch when i'm working and I leave him out the front. he plays and runs around like a nutter and loves it. he doesn't even need me. he stays near the house. then I call him, he goes into the back. I go away to work then come back. I mean you can't look after a dog constantly. If you can great but it's not bad for a dog to be on his own. everyone works. they'll be fine just obviously don't neglect him. my dog is one of the happiest dogs ever. I feed him very high quality food and he looks gorgeous with a lovely coat. as happy as larry.

peasant

TheLoc wrote: »

I go home for lunch when i'm working and I leave him out the front. he plays and runs around like a nutter and loves it.

But that makes a huge difference in the scheme of things.

You CAN come home and interrupt his otherwise boring and lonely day. Not many people can do that.

TheLoc

That is true. but I still don't think its cruelty to animals or anything. people get lonely too. I mean you revolve your whole life around your pet. I mean u can't give him 12 hours of constant affection every day. I used to work in a butchery and I had these women coming in spending a fortune on streaks and little joints of beef for their dogs. I couldn't believe it. Mash spuds and gravy all cooked up for the dog. I ask them why and they said "the dog loves it". Thats crazy. of course the ****in dog loves it. so would I. The dog also loves dry pebble food as long as you don't spoil him. Its a bit the same for affection. if you are constantly with him for a full week and suddenly your missing and going to work, then the dog will be in a bad state. if u keep the same routine, they get used to it and they love it. he doesn't cry or winge when I'm gone. he sleeps and goes to the toilet. I know this since I work nights sometimes and have to sleep during the day.

carmelite

:DWe've got our dogs!

I've answered an ad on another website and we are going to collect our two new dogs tomorrow night. I'll post pictures when I get some.

The people who own them haven't got enough time for them and are renmovating their house so are looking for them to get somewhere where they will get some more attention!

I'm so happy thanks to everyone for your support and advice.

carlybabe1

peasant wrote: »

Ever ask yourself where all those dogs in the pounds and rescues come from?

Quite a substantial number I would suspect come from so called "loving homes" where people simply didn't realise how much work and commitment goes into having a dog and how much time you need to spend with them and dedicate to them to make them agreeable companions.

A lot of people like to think that yes, they work all day, but once they are back home thay can dedicate the rest of the avaible time to their dog.

Like heck they can!

There are dinners to be cooked, clothes to be washed, carpets to be hoovered, news to be watched, feet to be put up, etc, etc and slowly but surely poor doggy falls by the wayside and turns into a nuisance rather than a joy, only to end up in the pound.

You can't blame rescues for having a good long look at prospective owners, if only to prevent the dogs from coming back again 6 months later.

This is a really good point, and theres a prime example living next door to me....it barks all day cause its alone, and terrorises my cats :mad: having said all that i really dont blame the little thing, hows this for inconsideration, he was left out the back on his own all day and night xmas eve, all day xmas day, and night, and the poor ****er hasn't even got a kennel much less anything else....I've already reported them to the spca but to no avail....:mad:

Whispered

Congrats OP. Hope everyone settles in well and you have many happy days with your new family members. PICS?

peasant wrote: »

A dog lives in the here and now, the very moment. It has very limited abilities of forward planning and also very limited capabilities of rearward projection.
.

Peasant, I never thought of that. We have someone calling in for (what is supposed to be) an hour to feed the pup, play with him etc. I was planning on phasing that out when he gets a bit older. I only work in the office for 2 days and am home the rest of the week. But having read your post I'm not so sure. Very confused actually about what to do. If he has no concept of time, then he will be miserable for 3 hours until Jane or other minder arrives and will be as bad as he would be if he was alone for 6 - 8 hours. Do you know what I mean? Obviously now I need to keep it up as he is on 3 feeds a day but do you think 8 hours alone 2 days a week is too much when he gets older?

(first day back at work and I'm missing him terribly dog minder said he was asleep when she got in, he's been fed and went back to bed after a quick play, telling me not to worry etc but you can't help it can you!)

peasant

I guess you will just have to play it by ear and hope that he gets used to it over time. as his day will be broken up initially and it's not going to happen all the time, I'd say chances are pretty good that he will form a routine and get used to it.

Avoid making a goodbye scene though (no matter how much you will miss him during the day). He will sense immediatedly that something is "wrong" and only fret more.

chrisdr

Just my opinion on this but the pound cares enough to ensure that the home it goes to will provide the dog with a quality of life care. Too many times people adopt and then bring them back because of various stupid reasons. IMO I do not blame them for stallingl.. Regardless of how many someone adopts, when one or two dogs are left home alone they get bored and start getting into things and you will surely take them back..Also with working all day the owner comes home and the dog or dogs being home all day want attention and love and they might be too tired to cope. The dogs develop behavioral problems because of neglect and lack of affection. Potential owners never release the responsiblity and time it takes. All a dog or a cat for that matters wants love, their needs taken care of, and compassion. It gives unconditional love and alot of times the owner or potential never gives back and how sad is that.

Then which gives the owner a cause to regret adopting and once again, they may end up back where they came from..

Now I apologize but as a vet I see this too many times and they are only thinking of the animal..No matter what others might think some shelters do care.