I would love to get a dog but work full time?

Question

I leave the house at 8.45 and am home at 6.00pm i would love to get a dog but think it might be unfair. We have a house with a garden. Which dogs, if any, would be happy staying in for that period with no company.

Answer 1

Hi there.

A puppy will not work for anyone who works full time so your choice is pretty much limited to an adult dog. Although that said, even an adult dog will be bored and miserable being left from 9:00-6:00pm without company. The only way I think you could make it work would be for a dog walker to come in once to take him/her for good one hour walk in the middle of the day to break it up.

You have to ask yourself whether you have the time an energy to deal with a dog after a long day at work. Your life will change in many ways when you bring a dog into your home. Only you can make that decision.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Most dogs adapt very well to being part of a working household. Your work day sounds similar to mine and my dogs do just fine. Just about everyone I work with has a dog too and they all adjust to our schedules. You might want to consider an older puppy or a rescue but keep in mind that rescues can come with a whole lot of baggage and an older puppy may be teething. You will have to decide what's best for you and your family.

You will need a safe place to keep your new dog or puppy during the day. Many of us use an x-pen or even two x-pens linked together so the puppy has one end for food and water and the other end for papers or wee wee pads. If you have a large enough bathroom or kitchen that can be closed off, that would work well too. Never leave a puppy loose in the house or you will have not only a mess to clean up but teaching it to go anywhere it chooses. It also leaves the puppy vulnerable to serious injuries from electrical cords, etc.

Never leave any dog in dark, silent house. Always keep a small light on and a radio going. Mine watch TV. :-) This helps to lessen any separation anxiety. I know some people leave their dogs out during the day but that means they are able to bother the neighbors and make a general nuisance of themselves. Would you like to be left out alone all the time? Keeping a dog in the house or a kennel if you have one, is being a good dog neighbor - and by keeping the dog in the house, you have a loving, built-in burgular alarm. Thieves often think twice before breaking into a home with dog.

Answer 3

All dogs are pack animals and you are their pack. Leaving any dog alone for 4 hours or more causes them anxiety and distress, which is why so many dogs destroy the house when you go out. Please don't get a dog unless you can ensure that another person can be with your dog for at least 2 hours during the time you are away. If you leave it alone that much it will just be an unhappy destructive dog that can't be tamed properly.

I also would love to have a dog and I know I will have to wait many years before I stop work and can have one. I am really looking forward to it!

Answer 4

I have 7 personal dogs and have had many fosters over the years. I've always worked full time so my dogs have always had to spend long periods alone.I have had toy poodles, MinPins, chihuahuas, dachshunds, Gsds, Dobes, Rotties, Aussies and 1 Lab. None seemed to care about my leaving and soon go into the routine where as I got ready to leave they settled down and went to sleep. The youngest pups I had were my 2 Rotties at 4 mos old(at diff times, not both together). I prefer young adults as they are able to go longer w/o pottying. I have always had a big fenced yard, walked the dogs and now take my 2 big dogs to the dog park or dog beach several times a week. All my dogs were obed trained, most up to my 7 current rescues were titled show dogs or ones being shown so all had or have great temperaments. None were noise shy so storms did not bother them. I give my dogs chewies when I leave, the TV or radio stays on from 30 mins to all day, depending on my mood..lol..the time of day and what is going on in the neighborhood. I spend almost all of my off time with my dogs so they do not lack for anything. They are all asleep when I get home, the MinPins are crated as is my young Dobe at the moment. All of the MinPins zoom into their crates and go right to chewing their chewies then under the blankies. The Dobe is much younger than the MinPins so he gets a few toys to chew on or play with. I play hide and seek with my Lab's snacks and chewies so he is still sniffing out things when I leave. Any dog seems to be fine but obviously if you get a bigger or very active breed your spare time is spent exercising him. My Lab and Dobe run at the park an hour to two hours and play in my yard twice a day for an hour at a time. My MinPins are mostly older so their running around the yard 4 times a day tires them out. I do play fetching games with all the dogs in the yard too.Check out your local shelter for an adult dog that is used to being home alone and is not either a seperation chewer or afraid of thunder. There are many toys on the market you can use, I have a snack ball that you fill with small treats and as the dog rolls it around it despenses treats. I use it for part of their meal and I've watched the dogs push it around for over 30 mins to get the food out. A dog with a stable temperament is fine by himself as long as he gets enough stimulation when you are home. There are also doggy daycares in lots of places he could go to once or twice a week depending on $$. Two loose dogs are great as long as neither has had a tendency to destroy a house as both will join in. Mine exercise an hour b4 I leave so are tired and willing to be crated and snooze. When you leave and when you get home DO NOT make a big deal as it will train the dog to have seperation anxiety and the dog will chew and potty while you are gone. I say something like C Ya or watch the house and when I come home I just say Hi and put my stuff away while the dogs settle down. They realize if they bark I do not pay attention and only when they are calm do they get to go outside and get a hug.

Answer 5

I live in Texas and I work full time also. I adopted a Golden Retriever puppy from a Rescue organization, and I let my Golden sleep outside while I'm at work. He has plenty of water and plenty of shade, plus he can sleep i the sun when he wants.

When he was a pup, I gave him Kongs and Buster Cubes to entertain himself. Now he is 7 and he sleeps about 18 hours a day.

But when he was a pup, I jogged with him 30 min in the morning and 30 min in the evening. I also house-trained him, and let him follow me in the house in the evening.

In addition, I worked very hard to socialize him with people and other dogs, and I spend more time with him during the weekends.

On those days that I take vacation, he likes the time in the early morning ... but he wants me to leave him alone (he will moan or yawn at me) in mid-morning to afternoon, so he can get his beauty rest....

Answer 6

I have and raise small dogs, Poms, and Maltese, and breed the mix. Most all of them use litter pans. so i dont have to worry about getting them out side, or leaving them for many hrs. Crate training is best, and not cruel, it becomes there home. I have a litter of pups right now that began using the litter pan at 5 weeks, they are in a playpen right now with litter pan at one end, and use it very well. I am not promoting the litter, i just use it and know it works for me and my dogs.

Answer 7

My puppy is fine on her own for up to 9 hours. I know that because the neighbours (who work odd hours and are often home in the middle of the day) can see that she is keeping herself occupied and isn't unhappy. She certainly isn't destructive and never barks or gets upset. But I'm very lucky. Not every dog is like that and I'd agree that getting two would be best, if you can afford to keep them. And I'd also agree that you really should adopt from the shelter, not buy from a petshop or private ad.

It is absolutely not true, by the way, that you can't leave a puppy. Try telling that to mine! I've had her (from the RSPCA) since she was 8 weeks old. She is a healthy, beautiful dog with a lovely nature and very attached to me and the kids.

Answer 8

I was in the same situation you are in now ,and decided against a dog and got 2 cats instead . Cats you can leave home alone with a companion and don't have to feel bad of leaving a dog home alone.

Answer 9

I work long hours. We have a pug mix, who loved to be with people. We put a doggie door out the garage back door and put up a small fence so she can be inside if the weather is bad or outside if it is nice. She seems to do just fine. I make sure that when we are home she is with us.

Answer 10

Do not get a puppy. Check with your local animal shelter for older, previously trained dogs, they will be able to adjust better to your schedule than a puppy will. Also, if you are going to get a dog, invest in a doggie door to make things (clean-up!) easier for you. As long as you can spend some time with the dog when you first get it home so that it feels secure and safe around you and your home, things should be okay. You might want to limit the amount of freedom the dog has when you aren't around in order to protect your belongings, but this will also give the pet a sense of security, not having "all this big space to roam around in!".

Best of luck to you!