What do people who live in apartments and have no yard do with their dogs when they are away at work?

Question

I will be leaving my work from home job and working in an office so I will not be able to let my Pomeranian out during the day. Should I take him to doggy day care, get a dog walker...any other options?

I am leaving my work from home job and will be working in an office so I won't be able to let my Pomeranian out during the day. He's exceptionally well-trained and has no accidents even when I leave him for long periods of time. But I will be gone from 6:30am-6:30pm which is way too long for him to go without any form of exercise or a bathroom break. Should I get a dog walker or leave him at doggy day care? Anyone know of a cheap dog walker in Los Angeles? P.S. I would never leave a dog in a crate the whole day. That's just cruel to me.

Answer 1

I am a professional pet sitter/dog walker. Lots of people hire me to let their dogs out in the middle of their work day...the dogs love it! Check my website, thecrittersitter.ca

Crating a dog for more than a few (3-4) hours a day is cruel, I agree. And gating your dog off where it can have accidents inside the house is a bad idea too. Doggy daycare is a haven for fleas, kennel cough, and bullying of little dogs by larger ones...I don't recommend it. A professional dog walker will be insured and bonded, so you won't have to worry about security.

Answer 2

Doggy Day care in my area runs 20 dollars a day even if you only let your dog stay a couple of hours. Also some dogs find it hard adjusting to being around so many dogs at one time. I took my Shih Tzu to a doggy day camp and she hid behind a mop and bucket the whole time.

What I do is leave my dog in the kitchen if I'm going to be gone for any length of time. I use a baby gate to block off the entrance to the kitchen. Because the kitchen has tile on the floor if she has an accident it's easy to clean. There is food and water and a nice bed for her in there. I make sure she has plenty of toys and my two cats come and visit/taunt her throughout the day. I can't let her have full access to the house because she is not completely house broken yet (we're still working on it).

Answer 3

Do you have neighbors who are home during the day where they can take the dog out a couple of times while you work? You can give them so much a day to do so. Or get a teenager who can take the dog for a walk after school. The dog will be happier at home than in a doggy day care.

Answer 4

I used to take my dog to work with me at the office -- but after a few months of my having to take the dog into meetings with me my boss told me to make alternative arrangements. I decided to test my dog one day by going to the movies and leaving her in my bedroom - 3 hours later I came home to my miniblinds ripped down and my carpet ripped up. Severe seperation anxiety - so I couldn't leave her until I found a resolution - which was this:

a) Crate training - she still flipped out in the crate at first anytime she couldn't see me, but we got past that by leaving her crated both while I was away AND while I was home so she could get used to my comings and goings without panicing. We did that for a couple weeks and she was fine. She crates automatically and on command now.

b) Adopted a doggie friend. Each dog is seperately crated but they are there to keep each other company during the day.

c) I come home most days at lunch to play/walk with them for at least 1/2 hour.

d) I have no commute (work/live in the same city) so they are crated for max 4 hours at a time without a break.

e) Leave the TV/radio on. They just have the voices for company.

It'll be okay, but start with the crate training NOW while you are still home so she doesn't associate the crate with "mom's leaving". Also don't make a big deal when you leave just put her in her crate and walk away. Maybe you want to crate her before you do your hair or makeup so you're in and out of her room a few times before the big exit.

Doggy daycare is expensive and I would never trust strangers to protect my dog in case of a fight. Especially not with a small breed.

All the best!

Answer 5

I have the same issue... all the people I've talked to took their dogs out for awhile in the morning and then put them in the crate for the day. Although if you do this, I suggest only with a dog that isn't a puppy. A puppy can't 'hold it' that long. They'll need lots of excersise to make up for the crate all day and lots of attention too. You could also find an older kid in your appartment building and give them a few bucks to come and walk them once a day. As long as it's a kid you can trust to come into your appartment while you're not home.

Answer 6

A Dog Sitter There Cheap Only Like $20 For A Full Day!

Answer 7

You can get a dog walker. I know my boyfriend's family works during the day and they have someone during the day come give him a walk for 30 minutes. Since he's an older dog they let him roam free around, plus he mostly sleeps.

Dog walkers are costly so you might want to price around. I don't know too much about dog day cares. If you are really worried you can have someone pet sit for a couple of hours @ your place and play with your dog and keep him company. Good Luck.

Answer 8

I have a very active pit bull. I live in the city of Downtown Los Angeles. I have a dog walker and a pet sitter. Depending on how I feel she is feeling, she either goes to doggie day care or on her daily walks.

The last thing you want is a bored pup.

Answer 9

They sometimes have people babysit there pets if they can afford it, or there is doggy day care they can drop there dog off at, usually if you do that though they watch your dog all night and the next day and it itsnt exactly cheap. Other people just leave their dogs at home and leave some food and a place for them to go to the bathroom in, like a litter box or something.

Answer 10

Most people leave their pets in a pet carrier while they are at work. It may take awhile to train your dog with their needing to go potty. Feed your dog before work, and make sure it goes outside to potty before putting it in the carrier. And then most dogs will not "dirty" in the place that they sleep/stay so they will hold it until you come home and let him/her outside.
If your dog does ok by itself without being in a carrier then just let him/her have run of the house while your gone. Put a newspaper or something on a bathroom or laundry room floor just in case.
My dog does just fine and he never has an accident while Im gone. Most of the time he just gets up on the bed and sleeps while Im gone.

So it all actually depends on your dog and his temperment when left alone in the house.