What to do with a dog when at work?

carly_86

I have her since she was a pup she got fed twice a day. She was always left outside since she was a pup

ShaShaBear

I'm going to refrain from posting further, because the idea of a puppy going hungry without any socialising for 11 hours really irks me.

carly_86

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I'm going to refrain from posting further, because the idea of a puppy going hungry without any socialising for 11 hours really irks me.

She is over a year now and never went hungry. She had 2 big feeds a day

The Sweeper

locum-motion wrote: »

Hungarian vizsla.

Oh man - take all the reasons you couldn't have a dog if it was to be alone for hours and multiply tenfold.

Vizslas are a hunting and house dog - intelligent, working dog drive (not too high though) but also innate sociability and an intense need to belong. Putting one in a run outside for hours daily would be tantamount to cruelty. Plus your neighbours would hate you - vizslas are whiners when they're unhappy, so that'd be up to 11 hours of whinging in its run...

Also they have short coats that offer little protection from cold weather. This is a dog breed that will specifically thrive by your side and wither when left in isolation.

boomerang

carly_86 wrote: »

I work 10 hours a day I have a jack russell and she is outside for the best part of 11 hours a day. She gets walked in the morning. She has her house outside if it rains and I give her plenty of toys so she wont get bored I see nothing wrong with leaving your dog out all day

What good is a ball if there's no one there to throw it?

What good is a tuggy, if there's no one there to pull it?

Chinasea

As said it is great for the OP not to go into this blind and try and map out a suitable plan in advance before taking on such a HUGE commitment.

When it says that this is the 'first litter' I worry. There are so many unwanted, abandoned, dogs stuffed into every corner of every shelter of the country I just wish we got this under control before we start breeding.

mentalist101

Chinasea wrote: »

As said it is great for the OP not to go into this blind and try and map out a suitable plan in advance before taking on such a HUGE commitment.

When it says that this is the 'first litter' I worry. There are so many unwanted, abandoned, dogs stuffed into every corner of every shelter of the country I just wish we got this under control before we start breeding.

Would love to adopt from a rescue centre but they are prejudiced against people renting even though I have a letter from my landlord saying he allows pets. Have no choice but to purchase one:(

ShaShaBear

mentalist101 wrote: »

Would love to adopt from a rescue centre but they are prejudiced against people renting even though I have a letter from my landlord saying he allows pets. Have no choice but to purchase one:(

You need to look at some more rescues then. By all means they are not all like that, not by a long shot. And there are plenty of people posting here on boards and on rescue pages on Facebook looking to find a good home for their pet due to unavoidable circumstances, so you likely would be preventing them from going into the pound. Always a way around it if you are really interested.

carly_86

boomerang wrote: »

What good is a ball if there's no one there to throw it?

What good is a tuggy, if there's no one there to pull it?

My dog is happy and well looked after

muddypaws

mentalist101 wrote: »

Would love to adopt from a rescue centre but they are prejudiced against people renting even though I have a letter from my landlord saying he allows pets. Have no choice but to purchase one:(

Really? I can certainly recommend a few rescues that will accept that letter no problem at all.

toadfly

mentalist101 wrote: »

Would love to adopt from a rescue centre but they are prejudiced against people renting even though I have a letter from my landlord saying he allows pets. Have no choice but to purchase one:(

I've never heard of that rule?

ShaShaBear

TillyGirl wrote: »

I've never heard of that rule?

I do know there are a few rescues who would be overly strict on who they rehome to. With renting it can be understandable, as anything can happen, the house is never permanent, and who is to say what will happen the dog when you have to move and cant find anywhere that accepts pets. However, if you know you will be somewhere for a while (eg long term lease) or have a back-up plan (eg a family member willing to foster) then there really is no reason not to adopt. Hard and fast rules like that are crippling rehoming numbers

DBB

TillyGirl wrote: »

I've never heard of that rule?

I've never come across a rescue that has this rule either. We'd ask to have a chat with or see a letter from the landlord alright, most rescues I know do, but to pass up a good home just because they're renting? A bit overly strict.

mentalist101

ShaShaBear wrote: »

You need to look at some more rescues then. By all means they are not all like that, not by a long shot. And there are plenty of people posting here on boards and on rescue pages on Facebook looking to find a good home for their pet due to unavoidable circumstances, so you likely would be preventing them from going into the pound. Always a way around it if you are really interested.

I am looking into re-homing a dog from people who can't keep them. Decided against buying seeing as It wasn't a puppy so I will keep looking into that.

ShaShaBear

mentalist101 wrote: »

I am looking into re-homing a dog from people who can't keep them. Decided against buying seeing as It wasn't a puppy so I will keep looking into that.

Excellent news! I find this is a great way to adopt. You are taking a lot of stress out of the process for both owner and pet

Princess Aries

To original OP. Fairplay looking for advice b4 making such a big decision, many don't and end up with problems 6 months down the line and thats why there are so many poor animals in shelters and I am sure you don't want that for the little guy/girl you are going to take on? so again pat on the back for posting.

I have a 3yr old Shih Tzu, had researched and found this best breed to our life/hse: Small hse dog in 3 bed semi with small garden.

I got him at 11wks of age, he was available from 8wks but I asked breeder to keep him for an extra 3 weeks when I would be in a position to take time from work. It was xmas so took 3 weeks off to get command/potty training underway. Myself and partner worked hard for the 3 weeks. Then I went back to work but we walked/fed puppy in the morning b4 work and had a dog walker call at lunchtime to walk/feed him then we were home by 6pm so he was only alone for 4-5 hours at a time. We would still come home to find wee & poo on the papers in the kitchen and sometimes the paper shredded all over the place!

Then theres the chewing, puppies are like babies/kids and get two sets of teeth so will go through 2 rounds of intense chewing, our lad was first confined to the kitchen then as potty training improved he got the run of hall stairs and landing also. So basically my chairs, table and skirtings all got it even though he had chew toys, and I dont blame the little guy this is all part and parcel of a dogs developement. So that was his first yr in a nutshell a lot of hard work, time & effort.

Now 3 years on even though a small guy & neutered he has bundles of energy and gets 2 sometimes 3 walks a day because he is high energy & gets upset & stressed if this is not drained. Realistically tho I'll put it like this a cons and pros list:

Cons:
Cost of dog, €50 a week for dog walking (a must if left alone), €10 a week for dog food, €200 a year for grooming, €120 min a year for vets fees (booster shots, worming, lungworm tabs). Then €'s for toys, supplies etc.. u are up2 €3,500 a year min can u afford that?

Trying to find people u trust to look after them when away? That will cost too!

Takes up so much of your time, for feeding, walking, playing, grooming etc. have you really got approx 4 hrs a day to give up to give this dog all the time he/she needs?

Your house will not be as it is now: Expect your furniture to be chewed, carpets to weed/poo'd on. If leaving outside (which I don't agree with for long periods) the garden will be dug up, fencing chewed, plants destroyed.

Now in saying all that, if you are willing to put in all of the above to give the dog a good happy life you will reap the rewards:

Pros:
A very loving companion that will be happy to see you no matter what mood you come home in.

Will make you laugh and smile everyday and joy at watching them learn and grow

Keep you fit!

Help you feel protected (my lad is a barker to any bang or knock to the door)

Thats it in a nutshell, we have recently added to our pack another female Shih Tzu so have more work on our hands and money going out of our pockets!! but they are worth it and I would give them everything I have if its whats best for them, because at the end of the day thats what is important what is best for the dog and is going to keep them happy & balanced!

locum-motion

Hi, Guys,

OP here.

Puppies have now been born (3 weeks ago) and they're so cute it's unbelievable. There's 8 in the litter.

Another couple of months and they'll be heading off to new homes. Unfortunately, my home will not be one of them.

Thanks for your input. You all confirmed what I had already suspected.

locum-motion

Chinasea wrote: »

As said it is great for the OP not to go into this blind and try and map out a suitable plan in advance before taking on such a HUGE commitment.

When it says that this is the 'first litter' I worry. There are so many unwanted, abandoned, dogs stuffed into every corner of every shelter of the country I just wish we got this under control before we start breeding.

When a person wants to raise, keep and train a working breed of dog to do the job that it was bred to do, then that person can't really just nip down the local pound and choose a 6-year-old stray mongrel.

My brother's dogs are pedigree, raised from pups, well trained, well kept, well fed, extensively exercised in off-season, worked hard throughout the on-season, much loved companions to parents and kids alike, and they were painstakingly chosen to be prime examples of the breed but not be closely related to each other, and the pups will only be rehomed in homes that can provide the same (hence my decision not to take one).

This may be their "first litter", but it is insulting in the extreme for you to automatically assume that this means that my brother is responsible for the proliferation of "unwanted, abandoned dogs stuffed into every corner".