Working full time living in apartment but would love a dog, thoughts?

JonnyF

I live in a third floor balcony that I own (no landlord problems) I work full time during the day so I realise that this is far from ideal for a dog but I'd love to get one.
There's heaps of parkland and place for exercise, I'm very active myself so would see the dog getting plenty of activity when I am around but need advice on this.
Is anyone here in a similar position? How do you manage the dog when you're at work? Is it unfair to leave a dog in an apartment for the day? I would let it have the run of the place apart from the bedrooms, the whole apartment is hard wood so no problems with messes, also have a well enclosed, covered balcony so thinking of putting a dog door in there too to give them a bit more space.

Are there particular breeds that would be more suitable to this situation? I did a bit of reading and thought maybe a terrier or something similar.

kylith

If you work full time you'll eed to hire a dog walker to come in and take the pooch out for a toilet break during the day.

Also, even if you own your apartment the building my have restrictions on owning pets, so you'll probably want to check that first.

trio

Well you would have to consider what the dog's daily life would be like.

8am - you feed it and leave. Then it wanders from room to room for 8 hours. Looking for something to do. Just wandering back and forth. It may have a bit of a snooze, but it's slept all night so it's not that tired. So it chews on everything it can get it's teeth into - it's the only thing to do.

It desperately needs to wee and poo, but if you've housetrained it then it knows it has to hold it in all day. So it's holding it, and holding it....

At 6pm you arrive home and it's so unbelievably excited for some company at last that it goes bat**** crazy. Hopping up and down, barking and barking - so excited! But you're wrecked and need to cook dinner. The dog won't stop hopping up on you for a second though.

And if you haven't housetrained it, then you come home to piss and poo everywhere. You spend the first half hour at home on your hands and knees whilst an over-excited dog is hopping all over you "Play with me! Play with me!"

You take it out for a walk and it goes mental - look! other dogs! cars! grass! You're worn out trying to just control it on the lead and you get home and it's 8pm already and you just wish it would curl up on the couch beside you and watch TV like the dog you wanted.

So yeah - you really do have to get a Dog Walker to take the dog out for an hour in the middle of the day. Or you'll find it very hard going indeed.

kylith

trio wrote: »

Well you would have to consider what the dog's daily life would be like.

8am - you feed it and leave. Then it wanders from room to room for 8 hours. Looking for something to do. Just wandering back and forth. It may have a bit of a snooze, but it's slept all night so it's not that tired. So it chews on everything it can get it's teeth into - it's the only thing to do.

It desperately needs to wee and poo, but if you've housetrained it then it knows it has to hold it in all day. So it's holding it, and holding it....

At 6pm you arrive home and it's so unbelievably excited for some company at last that it goes bat**** crazy. Hopping up and down, barking and barking - so excited! But you're wrecked and need to cook dinner. The dog won't stop hopping up on you for a second though.

ETA: For some reason I completely missed your last line. Sorry.

And if you haven't housetrained it, then you come home to piss and poo everywhere. You spend the first half hour at home on your hands and knees whilst an over-excited dog is hopping all over you "Play with me! Play with me!"

You take it out for a walk and it goes mental - look! other dogs! cars! grass! You're worn out trying to just control it on the lead and you get home and it's 8pm already and you just wish it would curl up on the couch beside you and watch TV like the dog you wanted.

So yeah - you really do have to get a Dog Walker to take the dog out for an hour in the middle of the day. Or you'll find it very hard going indeed.

OR

You get up at 7am and walk the dog for 45min/1 hour. Dog is fed and left to snooze, chew on toys and amuse itself with something like a kong from 8am until 1pm when a dog walker comes and takes it for another hour's walk, possibly along with other dogs that it can play with. Dog is supplied with fresh kong, and maybe even has its toys changed around. Human comes back at 6pm, takes dog for a third walk, then play and interaction/affection until about 11pm/midnight when the dog is taken out for a final wee before bed. Some people even train small breeds to use a litter tray.

I think that it's preferable if dogs have access to a garden, but I don't think that working, or living in an apartment, are necessarily barriers to sharing your life with a dog.

Meeoow

a nice great dane or a husky would suit there boss

garancafan

I can understand your desire for a dog but trio makes some very valid points. I was interested to learn recently that in Sweden it is against the law to leave an animal alone for more than 5 hours and that it is rigorously enforced.

Stephen P

I live in an apartment and have a King Charles/Shih Tzu cross. I work full time and my wife part-time. I'm gone everyday from 8.30am and my wife goes out at 11am. The dog is left on her own indoors from 11am - 6pm, sometimes 5pm. This is not every day, my wife would have one day a week off and works late night twice a week so she's not on her own for too long a lot. Our balcony is about 16 meters long, we're on the top floor. She has plenty of room to run up and down to play ball. We bring her for a walk every evening for an hour. She's a happy little dog. I was hesitant to get a dog at first but she has plenty of freedom and lots of attention. I own the apartment and there's no restriction on having pets in the development. I don't think I'd recommend getting a big dog as they need more exercise.
Good luck with your decision

kylith

Stephen P wrote: »

I don't think I'd recommend getting a big dog as they need more exercise.
Good luck with your decision

In before someone recommends a Greyhound!

Discodog

No problem with a big dog. Exercise is not dependant on the size of the dog. Greyhounds do not need long walks. Often smaller dogs, including terriers will tend to be more hyper & less chilled. I have two big dogs that stay in the house for up to 10 hours with no problems - one is a Greyhound. Even in an apartment I would prefer two as they keep each other company.

If you were going to get a dog then I would plan to take as much time off as you can. Gradually get the dog used to being left by increasing the time a little each day. Give it a good walk first - mine get 45 mins off lead & the same each evening & you will need to pop out with the dog for a bedtime pee. Get a cheap dictation/voice recorder with voice activation & leave it on record - then you know if the dog is barking when you are out.

You may have a problem in getting a dog. The SPCA's & bigger rescues will be very reluctant. The smaller rescues may be able to find you a dog that is used to being left. When I am home all day the dogs snooze & they do the same thing when I am not here.

drongal

H - swello everyone.
This is my first post on boards.ie, but i hope i could help:-)
I have a beautifully westie, 4years old. From his second day I have started to learn wee and poo outside, and staying alone for few hours. For first few months it was 4-5h every day. Now sometimes it is 10h (:-( i don't like to do this). He does not have any issues with this.
Below is a sample day of my dogs life:

7:00 -8:00 am morning walk
8:30- 8:45 very quick walk before i will leave home
8:45 - 6pm (sometimes 7pm)- sleeping time:-)
After work :10-15 min walk.
7:30 - 9:30 evening walk
12am - quick late night walk.

Currently I'm living in town house, but i used to live in apartment as well.

kylith wrote: »

If you work full time you'll eed to hire a dog walker to come in and take the pooch out for a toilet break during the day.

Also, even if you own your apartment the building my have restrictions on owning pets, so you'll probably want to check that first.

Sorry, but when i read first part of your post i could not stop laughing:-) Dogs are not cats, and you can learn them to wee and poo outside. And you can learn them to wait for this until doors will be opened...

About the restrictions: that's true, but it shouldn't be a problem if apartment has his own entrance.

Toulouse

drongal wrote: »

Sorry, but when i read first part of your post i could not stop laughing:-) Dogs are not cats, and you can learn them to wee and poo outside. And you can learn them to wait for this until doors will be opened...

So you think it's funny to have a dog hold it's bladder and bowels for 9+ hours?

True, dogs are not cats and you can teach them to go outside but I think it's cruel to keep an animal cooped up inside all day waiting for you to come home to let it out to pee. Having being trained to go outside if it can't hold it in until you come home then it's distressing for the dog.

OP, dog-walker is the way to go if you're planning on leaving the dog for this long during the day.

kylith

drongal wrote: »

Sorry, but when i read first part of your post i could not stop laughing:-) Dogs are not cats, and you can learn them to wee and poo outside. And you can learn them to wait for this until doors will be opened...

I know dogs aren't cats, but it is certainly possible to train a dog to use a litter tray.

Personally I think it's unfair to expect a dog to hold itself for 8 hours twice a day (while the owner's in work, and again over night).

Discodog

Dogs get into & like routine. All three of mine were strays & not house trained but they learnt in a couple of days. Yes they are in all day but I do not believe that they are dying for a pee & here is the proof.

As soon as I get home I open the door & often one or two of the dogs will not bother to go outside for a pee - clearly they don't need one !. My oldest dog never pees first thing in the morning or when I get home but waits until her walk. This is her choice not mine

During the day I know that the dogs are comfortable, warm, & most of all safe. Training them to expect being let out during the day, say by a dog walker, is fine until it stops for whatever reason.

I don't go along with idea that dogs need a lot of space. This weekend mine will have the run of the house but they will still spend 90% of their time snoozing between walks.

drongal

Toulouse wrote: »

So you think it's funny to have a dog hold it's bladder and bowels for 9+ hours?

Its not funny, but 8-9 is fine for my dog. Since he was 6 months he does not have any problem with this.

When i got him, i was considering dog walker, but i decided to wait couple weeks. We have been working on this...
It did worked fine for him.
I know that dogs might have an issue with this, but you cannot assume that this is a problem for every single dog. I know that when I'm at work, my dog is sleeping:-)

kylith wrote: »

I know dogs aren't cats, but it is certainly possible to train a dog to use a litter tray.

Personally I think it's unfair to expect a dog to hold itself for 8 hours twice a day (while the owner's in work, and again over night).

So i assume that if you have a dog, he is sleeping outside. Is that fair?

kylith

drongal wrote: »

So i assume that if you have a dog, he is sleeping outside. Is that fair?

How does that have anything to do with the topic at hand? Is it fairer to give a dog free access to the garden so that they can go to the loo whenever they need rather than having them hold it even if they're caught short, as even humans can be, or if they have a sudden attack of diahorreah? Yes, I think it is. If I didn't have a garden, and couldn't afford to get someone to come let them out during the day, I wouldn't have dogs.

Yes, my dogs sleep outdoors, I purposefully got a breed hardy enough to do so. They love being outside, tend to lie on the threshold of the back door even when they have free access to the house, and run outside at bedtime. If the dog is used to being outside, and is hardy enough to do so, then I see no problem with them sleeping out.