How long do ye honestly leave your dogs alone for?

messygirl

Hiya

Am still getting ready to get a dog but would love to hear some truthful replies about how long your dog is left home alone for? Will be able to have the puppy alone for max 5 hours a day because I live with someone who does shift work but then if something comes up unexpectedly like they move out (not forseeable for the next year at least) the dog could very well end up alone for about 8-9 hours per day (they would be about a year old then)

So cruel or not? How do you reconcile your desire to get a dog knowing you will love it and take care of it with knowing that in the future they might be left alone for 9 hours, 5 days a week?

Please be brutally honest, dont want to get a pooch and for them to be miserable with me.

Also please be honest in telling me how long your dog is left alone and how he/she copes

andreac

My dog is only left alone for about 4 hours at a time, im lucky to bring my dog to work so i get to leave him at 9 and go over to him at 1 and walk him aroudn the fields at work at lunchtime, then im back to him again at 5.

When i got him i lived on site at work, so he was checked twice during the day, as i came home for tea break and lunchtime.

Snabe

my partner also works varying hours, so some days the dog can be alone in the back garden for up to 9 hours, maybe 3 days a week, for a period of about 3 months per year. the rest of the year, he won't be left alone for as long, maybe 5 hours at the most.

its not ideal and we hate leaving him for that long, but he has plenty of toys, shelter for when it rains, food, a bone and lots of water.

just walk him lots and give him toys that will mentally stimulate him to avoid boredom and he'll be grand.

Toulouse

First of all I'll just say that because of my long working day I never planned to get a dog, she was a stray that no one claimed and she stayed. So when I was living near my parents I used to drop her over to them in the morning and collect her from work in the evening (20 mile round trip). She would have had to be on her own for 9 hours otherwise and I couldn't do it to her. When I moved last year I chose to leave her with them as I couldn't take her with me. She loves it there, is with them all day everyday, they're never out for more than a couple of hours at a time so I'm happy with that and I know I'm so lucky to be in that position. Next year when I buy my own house I'll be close enough to be able to come home at lunch but I think she'll probably end up staying there with them. I know she'd be lonely having had so much company and she'd miss them.

I know it's different for others but I'd never be able to leave a dog for 8-9 hours. You might consider a dog walker to come in or get another dog but to be honest I know how bored I'd be left to my own devices for that long every week so I would never do it to a dog. It's not just the working hours either, what happens if you've to go out after work or something. It's great that you are considering this now though, see far too many rehoming ads that say their circumstances have changed and they can't give the dog the time it deserves.

littlelady

Our pooch is alone 3 days out of 5. Our neighbour is so good she pops into him the days shes off and brings him off with her. The days he is alone he is either in the house with run of the kitchen & hallway & if hes out the back he has his kennel & the shed. Both of which he has his toys & his stuffed kings which keep him occupied for ages. I sometimes feel bad about leaving him & am considering getting another dog for company but to be honest, I know how much he loves his sleep & rest time. When I am at home he spends most of the time curled at my feet asleep anyway.

Dublin141

There is always someone around so my dog is never alone for more than a couple of minutes except when we go to bed but she's not really alone because she can come upstairs if she wants. If we stay in bed too long, she sometimes gets destructive because she is bored waiting for us. But that happens on very rare occasions.

A lot of dogs are fine being alone for a certain amount of time as long as they have a comfy place to sleep, food, water and something interesting to play with. It can depend on breed and personality too. Some dogs do well alone, others get lonely and destructive. Would you consider getting two small puppies (not littermates)?

messygirl

I heard that it isn't a good idea because then they bond with each other instead of with you and get up to more mischief and are harder to control? if my circumstances change it would be that I would be living with my boyfriend and they have another dog there so would be good company so it wouldnt be too bad. His parents live very close by as well but I dont want to get a pup and then to be seen as transferring responsibility to someone else. Wouildnt feel comfortable asking someone else to care for my dog, though i know they wouldnt mind letting her out and have a run around and that,

I guess I'm just scared of getting a dog and she ending up unhappy but I know i would love it and am prepared for the bad stuff (chewing etc)

Lemlin

My cocker gets a twenty minute or half hour walk when I get her up in the morning (usually about 6.15). Then I give her her food for twenty minutes and go to work.

I'm generally back by five and she gets a walk again then and a swim in the lake at the end of my estate every two to three days (or every day if we're having a warm patch of weather). Then she is fed again and we let her in for the evening and she is put back out again to the shed at 11 or so when we are off to bed.

We're both away at work from 8 to half four but she tends to be fine. I leave her plenty of toys and, as mentioned on other threads, I often bring a friend's dog up to stay a day or two with her. I also drop her to my friend's house sometimes and she can play with his two dogs.

I thought about getting a second dog but it'd be too much of a commitment at the moment. Our garden is big too but I still wouldn't like to have two dogs in it. We'll be moving to the country in a year or two (after building finishes) and I plan to have three to four dogs then because I'll have huge space to look after them.

She has the run of the shed for the day as well as the garden and I always make sure she has clean water. Both in a pot in the shed and a drinker out in the yard.

I've never noticed any problems with her. In fact, I use the same routine at the weekends in that I walk her in the morning and I've often noticed her napping during the day outside while I'd be in the house cleaning. I think the two walks (and particularly the swimming when its done) tire her out. And I also often go out to the garden and throw the ball for her too.

I don't think you should have any reservation about getting a dog. Just give her attention when you are there and she'll be fine.

There are plenty of people who give their dog about three walks a week and leave it sitting there alone the rest of the time so any dog would be better off with someone who will give them attention when they can if you ask me.

YOURFACE!

We have two dogs who are by themselves weekdays for about 5 hours a day. My bf comes home at lunch and a few other times during the day and walks them etc but there's still boldness going on. Yesterday they ate the skirting board in the kitchen!

Dublin141

Sorry YOURFACE but that made me laugh out loud. How on earth did they manage that?!!

Messygirl - that usually only happens with littermates. Of course anything is possible At least if there is two, they have company (or else they eat your skirting boards hehe). As I said it can depend on breed, I personally would get two different breed of puppies if I was starting over but I like seeing how dogs behave towards each other.

If you spend a lot of time with the dog when you are there, training and stimulating them mentally then the dog should (again, there's always exceptions) be fine when you aren't there.

toadfly

We have a 16month old yorkie, I come home at lunch to her, and home then by5. one day I didnt come home she had ripped the carpet (we are in rental house, landlord knows we have her) and cant get a piece of carpet to match so dont no what we are going to do.

anyway! be careful about leaving a dog that long, a lot of damage can be done. I know yorkies can be quite hard to control so maybe if you were planning on getting a more laid back breed if would be better. as long as they dont do damage and get exercise in the evenings it shud be fine.

messygirl

I was hoping to get a cavalier, my boyf's aunt had one and it loved its sleep and its food and its crate (know not all dogs are the same and he was an adult dog) and I have researched the breed a lot. I think ideally I would get a puppy and spend a lot of time socialising, training, etc and then when it is a year would love a greyhound rescue but one thing a a time!

Dublin141

Cavaliers are usually great first pets to get and greyhounds are also meant to be the best couch potatoes around. I would love to rescue a greyhound myself but my other half is oddly freaked out by them

The only thing about Cavaliers that puts me off is the risk of health problems. In saying that, my OH's family dog is a Cavalier. It's in its late teens now! Other than that you should be okay if you are prepared to put the effort into training and socialising.

Blueprint

I've read that Cavaliers are very sociable and don't do well when left alone a lot at all...

If you want to get two dogs at once, it is a bad idea to get two puppies even if they aren't litter mates, as it can cause all kinds of problems and, especially if they are alone together for 9 hours a day, their primary bond will be with each other not you.

00112984

We have a 9.5 month old Cav, Lucy, and they're a brilliant dog but they hate being left alone. Since we've had her, I'd say the longest she's been alone has been about three hours, if even that. I work full-time from home and my in-laws live nearby so Lucy often gets dropped over to them if something comes up that we need to be out of the house for too long.

The thing about Cavs is that they were bred as companion lap dogs and it's still such a strong instinct in them. Interestingly enough, they were also bred as bedwarmers for cold nights in big, cold houses and there's nothing a Cav loves more than a warm bed with people in it
They're a brilliant breed but not very independent and can become noticeably out-of-sorts if they're left to their own devices. Even before bed, our pooch has to have a good play-session before she's ready to settle down. As breeds go, they do sleep a good bit but normally after a good bout of exercise so leaving one from 8am to 6pm or whatever just means you have a little bunle of destructive energy waiting for you to get home.

mulmulcahy

we have a 12 week od cocker and she is on her own for 4/5 hours 2 to 3 days a week. we knew that this would be the case when we got her and i think that its not too long to leave them on their own. saying that our pup is a cryer and she hates being left on her own. she was one of the first to leave the litter and she has firmly attached herself to me and my bf. she cried so much the first week and a half that we ended up taking turns sleeping downstairs with her. eventually we got sense and realised although she is our beloved pet, she is only a dog after all and now we only feel a small bit guilty leaving her on her own. So dont feel guilty leaving her on her own. As one poster said, if they have plenty of toys and water and food if necessary there is nothing wrong with a bit of me time for your pup and this is coming from somebody who cried the whole way to work the first day i left her. best of luck with your new pup

cowzerp

My 2 are never alone, they have each other

Magenta

I don't think that leaving a dog on it's own for a few hours is neccessarily cruel in itself, but I think it depends on the dog and the situation.
If a dog is really mollycoddled and spoilt and gets attention whenever it wants then it can easily get separation anxiety, also some dogs are just clingier than others.
However I think that if a dog is trained from the start to accept being left alone for a while then it will be OK for a few hours.

Sigma Force

Our dogs are lucky in that I'm home all the time so they are rarely left for more than the time it takes to do a bit of grocery shopping etc. If I am gone anywhere for the entire day and not back until evening or if we have to go anywhere over night then the neighbour will let them out to run around, feed them etc.

A good reliable neighbour is like gold dust so we're lucky just dread moving if we can ever sell might not be as easy to find someone right next door that's dog friendly.

So basically the two dogs keep each other company when we're not here but we're never gone long prob on average 2 hours at a time.

The pup is around 13 wks now and hasn't been left alone yet, the longest he's been left alone is about 20 mins and that's when I'm still in the house lol.
I know I have to start leaving him home alone soon but he's getting better at amusing himself and not as clingy.

It is possible to have a full time job and have a dog, otherwise there'd be a lot less dog owners. At the end of the day if people want a dog they usually have to go out and earn money to feed the dog.

One option if you do find the dog is lonley is 1.obviously when you are there lots of walks etc. 2.see if there are any dog creches or a friendly neighbour in your area that would walk the dog for a fee for an hour every day.

YOURFACE!

Dublin141 wrote: »

Sorry YOURFACE but that made me laugh out loud. How on earth did they manage that?!!

We forgot to stuff the Kongs! They seem totally immune to that spray stuff now! Ah Well, Lesson Learnt!

molly(",)

there is four people in my house so our lab usually has people comming and going all day but when she was a pup she was left on her own for on average 5 hours a day she destroyed our house as they do !! shes fine now that she is six sleeps and sunbathes for most the day. :rolleyes:

rumor

We have a 2yr old cocker spaniel. He is on his own from 9 till 6 four days a week in the garden.Usually the other half comes home to him on lunch time. At first we were a bit worried about him being on his own so we filmed him in the garden one day using a web cam up against the window. To our delight he spent most of the day playing with his toys or sleeping. Now our neighbour has a dog so they play together in the garden. They are great company for each other. And then in the evenings and weekends he gets our undivided attention. He is the happiest dog i know.:D

crossmolinalad

have a black lab
i leave him alone for 6 to 8 hours a day
i left open the back door and have a big garden almost a acre to play
do this in summer and winter
he never distroyed anything exept one day
when i came home he ate 1.5 kgramms of butter
im not afraid to let the door open when im gone nobody exept the neightbours can enter the propperty
even posty delivers my post next door if im not home

funkyjebus

Got a wheaten a 3 months back, and had the same reservations as you. But I think it was all for nothing, he loves the place. My gf and I both leave for work about 8, but are up for a bout a half hour before where he follows us around getting ready, i then put him in the back garden, where he has a kennel, lots of space, toys etc. I put a bowl of food and water in his kennel and I'm off.

My gf is a primary teacher so comes home anywhere from 3 to 5, or I come home at 5.30. He is normally really excited to see us then, but calms down in a few. We always take him for a long walk everyday, this makes big difference to him. As the gf is a teacher she gets lots of holidays off, so that helps as well.

cosnochta

funkyjebus wrote: »

We always take him for a long walk everyday, this makes big difference to him.

If he's still only a puppy, then be careful how long you walk him for. Long walks can be damaging to puppies' growing bones and overwalking could cause problems in the future.

On another note, I am delighted to hear how well your new dog settled into your home. You've given me hope! I am also a primary teacher and we are hoping to get our own puppy sometime next year, so I may well be pming you for advice on settling the pup!

funkyjebus

By all means do. Ah he's five months now and has much better legs than me!! We are right beside the phoenix park, so its really just he running around the fileds after the frisbee. But i wrecks him out, and gets out any aggression, so when I come home the garden hasn't been ripped to pieces!!

Do as much reading on the subject before you buy, I must have read about 15 books before we got the little guy, and it helped so so much. I felt relly prepared for all instences. You have a year so no excuses!!

And if your still undecided about what breed to get, may I suggest a irish soft coated wheaten terrier, just look at him!

cosnochta

funkyjebus wrote: »

By all means do. Ah he's five months now and has much better legs than me!! We are right beside the phoenix park, so its really just he running around the fileds after the frisbee. But i wrecks him out, and gets out any aggression, so when I come home the garden hasn't been ripped to pieces!!

Do as much reading on the subject before you buy, I must have read about 15 books before we got the little guy, and it helped so so much. I felt relly prepared for all instences. You have a year so no excuses!!

And if your still undecided about what breed to get, may I suggest a irish soft coated wheaten terrier, just look at him!

Funkyjebus, he is absolutely gorgeous!!! I may have to find out where you live and come and steal him! :P

I've always loved Wheaten Terriers. I have my heart set on a black mini poodle this time round though, but in the future, who knows?!

I'm excited already even though I won't be considering getting a pup until I have a week off in May next year. Still, no harm in planning ahead.

funkyjebus

We wanted one ages before we got on but waited until my gf was off on summer holidays and i took two weeks off as well so he could settle in and get a routine going. It was a hard wait but I'd recommend it.

Good luck with the poodle, and as i said pm me if you need anything

messygirl

Hiya I got accepted onto Hibernia teacher training college starting Febraury (woohoo!) I'll be leaving my job and getting part time work and be at home a lot so I am getting one in about 2 months. With my flatmate working shift (and loves dogs) I have one booked and will be viewing next month and all going well should be getting him/her end of november!!! Little cav cutie Thanks for all advice, feel a lot better knowing people have happy adjusted dogs and lives outside the home

barbiegirl

Sindy is 5 months now and I normally try to work from home in afternoons, as I leave about 9 she's not too bad. Plus my brother lives with us during college term and he's about later in then morning to play with her too. She has a walled garden, lots of toys, a nice kennell and plenty of food so she is generally happy.
There are occasional long days but I try to keep them to a minimum. Plus wwe walk her every evening.
Plus the inlaws have said now that they have the grandkids in the afternoons that they will pop up and take her for a walk too as the kids love her.
All in all a happy puppy. But if we left her in the house on her own she'd destroy the place :-)

lrushe

I work shift, early one week, late the next. When I do earlies my dogs (I have 3) are walked off leash for 1hr+ in the afternoon and when I'm on lates they go for their walk in the morning and then fed their dinner, they are usually spark out when I am leaving for work. They've never been destructive except when they were young pups but grew out of that. I did used to feel guilty for leaving them but they have a good quality of life especially compared to neighbours dogs who have their owners home all day but the only time they see them is when a bowl of food is thrown out to them once a day, no walks, no affection shown to them. Plus when I open the back door when I come home the sight of 4 sleepy animals (3 dogs plus our cat) staggering out in single file (biggest to the smallest!!!)from the dog flap in the shed I genuinely feel that they suffer no ill effects for being without me on the weekdays