We'd absolutely love a puppy/dog but...

SuprSi

The wife and I would love a puppy or dog. The problem is that we are away from home every weekday from 7am until about 6pm. We have a large gravel back garden and a small-ish kitchen/entrance hallway in our house, so there are places we could leave it while we're out, but I'm worried that any puppy would find it very difficult with us being away for 11 hours of every day.

Has anyone got any experience with this? Do puppies need people to be around more or could they manage? Obviously we'd walk it every evening to make up for it being indoors all day.

andreac

Sorry, but you just wouldnt be suited to getting a dog, let alone a puppy. 11 hours is far too long to leave any dog alone, even more so a puppy.

Unless there is an option of the dog going to doggy day care a few days a week or if a family member can mind it, then you just wouldnt be suited to a dog, im sorry.

SuprSi

andreac wrote: »

Sorry, but you just wouldnt be suited to getting a dog, let alone a puppy. 11 hours is far too long to leave any dog alone, even more so a puppy.

Unless there is an option of the dog going to doggy day care a few days a week or if a family member can mind it, then you just wouldnt be suited to a dog, im sorry.

Thanks, that's what we feared. Our landlord/lady are around a lot of the time but I'm not sure whether they'd be up for the babysitting side of things. We'll check it with them first.

andreac

Theres a difference between someone actually minding them and someone being around so i wouldnt be relying on that alone.

A puppy needs serious work and being on its own for 11 hours is just not an option at all.

Dirk Gently

If you leave a new pup alone for (1)1 hours you can say goodbye to skirting boards, curtains, chairs, doors, sofa and anything else that is or isn't nailed down.

are you serious

I think you should wait until one of you work hours change time-wise 11 hours would be far too long for a puppy to be alone.

Think of it, 11 hours alone, you both or one of you arrive home at 6 ish, clean the mess the pup has made(poo+wee) dinner time for you+other half + the pup at earliest then its 7.30, get ready for a walk, takes you up to roughly 8.30pm, chill out time then takes you to about 10, then bed time. Dog would be getting 3-4 hours interaction a day... Realistically then you have to add on your sleep time of 7 or 8 hours, meaning the dog is alone for 18 or so hours a day.

Most of the day when your working the dog is sleeping because it has nothing to stimulate it, when not sleeping and when your in work the dog would no doubt rip the house to pieces (even the best behaved dogs would go spare) if he/she was out the back garden it might not have anything to rip up so even less stimulation, so the amount of interaction would just not be fair on the dog at all.

Fair play to you for asking though, in my opinion it is just not the right time for a dog!

falabo

if you employed a dog walker I dont see the problem.

Andreac I know where you're coming from, it's totally unfair to be leaving a dog for 11 hour on its own every day but if a dog walker was coming to walk the dog half way through the day, isn't better than living a miserable life in a dog pound ?

on top of this, if you can give the dog a short walk in the morning and a long one in the evening there should be no proeblem OP

It is a BIG commitment but can be done. I am gone monday to friday from 0715 to 1700 but have employed a dog walker. I also walk them (sometimes) in the morning and every single day NO EXCEPTION in the evening.

At weekends, they would get some serious workout (2 hours of the lead each day)

My dogs are VERY VERY happy and I'm proud to say I can manage both my working life and keep them happy.

It's doable.

Cutie18Ireland

If you are serious about getting a dog, that you need to leave alone I would suggest an older dog. We adopted a 14 yr old westie who slept all day...

andreac

falabo wrote: »

if you employed a dog walker I dont see the problem.

Andreac I know where you're coming from, it's totally unfair to be leaving a dog for 11 hour on its own every day but if a dog walker was coming to walk the dog half way through the day, isn't better than living a miserable life in a dog pound ?

on top of this, if you can give the dog a short walk in the morning and a long one in the evening there should be no proeblem OP

It is a BIG commitment but can be done. I am gone monday to friday from 0715 to 1700 but have employed a dog walker. I also walk them (sometimes) in the morning and every single day NO EXCEPTION in the evening.

At weekends, they would get some serious workout (2 hours of the lead each day)

My dogs are VERY VERY happy and I'm proud to say I can manage both my working life and keep them happy.

It's doable.

But how long is the dog walker going to walk the dog, an hour, 2 hours?, it still means the pup will be on its own for at least 8/9 hours a day, which is still far too much in my opinion. If the dog goes to doggy day care then that might work, but i honestly dont think its fair to leave a dog on its own for that long.

Evac101

Curiosity impels me to ask whether, in people's opinions, leaving two dogs together for 8-9 hours a day is all right, i.e. that they would provide company for each other, or would the opinion be that they'll both feel lonely? (With apologies to the OP as this wasn't their original enquiry at all).

SuprSi

Evac101 wrote: »

Curiosity impels me to ask whether, in people's opinions, leaving two dogs together for 8-9 hours a day is all right, i.e. that they would provide company for each other, or would the opinion be that they'll both feel lonely? (With apologies to the OP as this wasn't their original enquiry at all).

I was actually wondering the same thing myself!

falabo

andreac wrote: »

But how long is the dog walker going to walk the dog, an hour, 2 hours?, it still means the pup will be on its own for at least 8/9 hours a day, which is still far too much in my opinion. If the dog goes to doggy day care then that might work, but i honestly dont think its fair to leave a dog on its own for that long.

a dog thats proeprly exercised will sleep. if the dog gets a wak in the morning he will most likely sleep until lucnh time, when the dog walker arrives. back one hour later and the dog will sleep again until the owners gets home.

If according to you, owners have to present 24/7 there would be VERY VERY VERY few people able to have a dog.

andreac

falabo wrote: »

a dog thats proeprly exercised will sleep. if the dog gets a wak in the morning he will most likely sleep until lucnh time, when the dog walker arrives. back one hour later and the dog will sleep again until the owners gets home.

If according to you, owners have to present 24/7 there would be VERY VERY VERY few people able to have a dog.

No, thats not what im saying, where did i say about an owner being there 24/7??
I own dogs and i work, but they are never on their own for longer than 4/5 hours. Mine come to work with me and are walked on my lunch, then i collect them after work and bring them home with me.

8/9 hours is far too long for a pup to be on its own. Puppies dont sleep all day long, they will chew, cry etc. They need company and im sorry, but an hour during an 11/12 hour day on their own simply isnt enough.

falabo

andreac wrote: »

No, thats not what im saying, where did i say about an owner being there 24/7??
I own dogs and i work, but they are never on their own for longer than 4/5 hours. Mine come to work with me and are walked on my lunch, then i collect them after work and bring them home with me.

8/9 hours is far too long for a pup to be on its own. Puppies dont sleep all day long, they will chew, cry etc. They need company and im sorry, but an hour during an 11/12 hour day on their own simply isnt enough.

but Andrea, if a dog walker come shalf way through the day, the dg wouldn be on its own for 9 hours ... 4/5 hours at once, max ....

reeta

8/9 hours is far too long for a pup to be on its own. Puppies dont sleep all day long, they will chew, cry etc. They need company and im sorry, but an hour during an 11/12 hour day on their own simply isnt enough.[/QUOTE]


I totally agree with you here. There is no way a puppy/dog should be on its own for that lenght of time or in my view anything near it. I work full time but my dog is never on its own for more than 2/3 hours (after a morning walk). Someone coming in during that long long day for around an hour is just not good enough !!!

Bebo stunnah

Dirk Gently wrote: »

you can say goodbye to skirting boards, curtains, chairs, doors, sofa and anything else that is or isn't nailed down.

Dont know what kind of skirting boards you have. All of mine are nailed down...

falabo

reeta wrote: »

8/9 hours is far too long for a pup to be on its own. Puppies dont sleep all day long, they will chew, cry etc. They need company and im sorry, but an hour during an 11/12 hour day on their own simply isnt enough.[/QUOTE]


I totally agree with you here. There is no way a puppy/dog should be on its own for that lenght of time or in my view anything near it. I work full time but my dog is never on its own for more than 2/3 hours (after a morning walk). Someone coming in during that long long day for around an hour is just not good enough !!!

Puppies become dogs and get used to being on their own. I used to be COMPLETELY OBSESSED with no leaving my puppies on their own and was even paying for daycare costing me hundreds every MONTH. I absolutely LOVE my dogs but reduced gradually and they still get the dog walker every day and costing a fraction of the price for day care. Once they get around 2 yeras old dogs can get quiet lazy

gammon_steak

In my opinion, two puppies would be much better off with you then sitting in a cage in an animal shelter. They would get lots of attention every evening and have freedom to run about and play every day (if you've a secure back yard). All the better if someone can come check on them during the day.

If you're going to do it then I say, rescue two pups/dogs and give them a good home. In fact there are some adult dogs in shelters who may be suited to being alone and may not require company ALL day.

Zapperzy

While it's not an ideal situation for an adult dog it's probably doable with the right dog/s. Not sure if two dogs would be the way to go as you could end up with two lifelong friends who keep each other entertained or you could end up with double ye boredom and destruction.

But I would echo that a pup or even two pups is definitely not an option, housetraining would be next to impossible as it/they would have to go inside the house because pups aren't able to hold it for very long, and it wouldn't be fair to leave it/them outside while your gone especially this time of year with the weather, not to mention the increase in dog theft and the damage to your garden a bored pup will do.

A calm adult dog (such as a greyhound) could be an option if you had someone to drop in halfway through the day for a quick walk (greyhounds don't need huge amounts of exercise) and a piddle! Maybe someone with more knowledge of greyhounds could advice better if this home could suit one?

borderlinemeath

For me the issue would be that it would be a pup. They learn so much in their first few months at home with new owners - to be put straight into a routine of boredom and no human interaction even with a walker coming in to break the monotony during the day would be the problem for me.

An older dog may work, with daycare or walkers would be the best option if you were determined to go ahead.

Dirk Gently

Bebo stunnah wrote: »

Dont know what kind of skirting boards you have. All of mine are nailed down...

wooden ones, fixed with screws and decorated with deep scratch marks from where I left a pup unattended for a couple of hours. read my previous post again, see if you can spot your error.

portgirl123

if a young pup is left on its own all day, even if a dog walker comes in for a hr mid day. how will it ever get toilet trained. a pup needs to be let out reg to learn how to toilet outside, how would this then happen

Cherry Blossom

OP -

What will happen if you end up with a dog that barks non-stop when you are out? In real terms, how much would you be willing to spend every week on an ongoing basis to rectify this problem should it arise?

Where will the dog sleep? If it isn't going to sleep in your room with you we aren't talking about a dog being left alone for 11 hours a day, we are talking about 19 hours a day, assuming that one of you is going to be in constant contact with dog at all times outside of work and sleep time. If you are a social person with hobbies that you may not want to give up - where does this time fit in?

My dog is on her own (in her run, with people in the house all day) 4 hours max. I know she would be unhappy if left much than that. With that said I don't think many people include night-time in the amount of time they recommend a dog should be left alone. You being in the same room is enough for an older dog - but not for a puppy, so there may be a suitable dog out there for you somewhere if you are (both) willing to have it sleep in a crate or bed in your bedroom with you and have someone take the dog out for a walk in the middle of the day. You would need to be 100% sure any dog you might take on would be happy enough with this arrangement though and you would find it extremely difficult (impossible?) to find a rescue that would let you adopt in your circumstances.

The other option is choose your breed very carefully (you want a breed known for it's independence and possibly not so loyal to it's family - this may mean a dog that is difficult to train to come when called). The breed clubs will sometimes know of older dogs needing a home if you explain your circumstances accurately. You may have to wait a very long time to find a suitable dog though!

I waited until my circumstances were more appropriate before getting my current dog, so there is no harm in researching what you might want now with a view to waiting until a more appropriate time.

JustAThought

Agree totally unfortunate ( for you, but good for the virtual pet!) plus a pup cannot be walked typically for long periods as it's bones are still grownig, so it will only bs getting max 20 mins or so " walk" . It would be totally cruel to get one . Sorry about that.

You could get a fishtank !!! They don't mind & can be quite entertaining & you have your partner to cuddle already!!!! : )
Best of luck - no dog thou!