Can we buy a labrador puppy if we work full time?

Question

Myself and my partner work full time, but we would really like to get a labrador puppy.
I would be going to work at 8, home for lunch (for 45 min, only work 5min away) and back at 5 from work.
My partner works shift, either 6am-2pm or 10am-6pm.
He would also be home at 1:30 (for lunch) if he was on a late shift.
Would it be fair to get a puppy, I have half the people I speak to say it would be ok, need to spend lots of time training, other people say no way!! We would be inclined to use a crate, as I am told it is a very usful tool (for both puppy and furniture) if used correctly.
Im a little confused??!!
Thanks

Answer 1

Care of a puppy, both physical and mental, is very comparable to the care of a toddler. It would work if you took the puppy to day care. Labradors, especially need close human contact, or they become very traumatized, leading to disobedience and destructiveness,. It would be so much better to get an older pup.
Check out these older pups here: http://search.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi?pet.Animal=Dog&pet.Breed=labrador&pet.Age=young&pet.Size=&pet.Sex=&location=05342
Just enter your own zip code , or if in Canada, your city/province.

Answer 2

Puppies need a lot of training at the beginning although training never really has a finish point really. It would be unfair to get a puppy and then leave it for very long periods of time even though you'd be home for lunch. If you want a dog that badly you could try the RSPCA or The Dogs Trust but most rescue centres prefer someone to be at home most of the day before they approve you for one of their dogs. The advantage of getting something older than a puppy is that the housetraining has usually been taken care of but the downside is that most rescue dogs have no background history and can be tempremental/have ingrained bad habits/be ill eg diabetic, heart condition so you have to be certain of what your doing. We have a dog from the Dogs Trust, a female Cocker Spaniel who was picked up by the Dog Warden. She'd been dumped in a village and had been loose for a few days before being picked up. She has some minor health issues and she was very overweight when we got her. 17 months down the line we have only just got her out of some weird little habits that she had. The reason for telling you this is that even rescue dogs that aren't puppies take a lot of time and attention. And to say that you would use a crate upset us because you'd be expecting an untrained puppy to hold its wee wee and poo until you came home and that would be cruel. That would be like expecting a human baby to hold its poo and wee wee for hours at a time! No, we're very sorry but a puppy would not be the ideal pet for you. A cat on the otherhand may be but you would be better with an adult cat, again you could go to a rescue centre or look for one in your local paper. Sometimes people have to rehome adult cats due to emigrating. A cat flap in your backdoor would solve its toilet needs. Please reconsider.

Answer 3

Look on Kennel Club website under find a puppy. You can choose your area and see if there are any near you. Be prepared to pay between £500-£700 for a pup. I have 3 labradors and they are all female and I have owned a male in the past and there was no difference in temperment. The only thing was that the male grew a bit bigger than the females and he was a lot stronger. Females will need to be spayed and males neutered. Some will be advertised as working or field bred labradors and you really dont want one of those unless you are planning to work him in the field and shoot with it. Go for a show bred lab as they tend to be a lot less highly strung and need less exercise. Dont be fooled though a lab (when it reaches 12 months old) will need a considerable amount of exercise. Too many people think they are a lazy breed. They certainly are not! They are very chewy as pups and will get into a ton of mischeif if left to their own devices. They are easy to housetrain with patience and they can be trained to do almost anything.

Answer 4

Can you? Sure. Should you? No, absolutely not.
A labrador puppy needs to be let out just about every hour in order to get house trained. Anything less is cruel. And leaving a puppy in a crate for hours, when it needs to move about in order to develop muscles... is unforgiveable. A puppy also needs feelding several times a day. And not only that, even if you decide to have the puppy in a kennel, it still needs human/canine contact. Don't forget that the dog is a pack animal, it is not an animal that prefers solitude.
Think also about how you want the bond to be between you and your dog once it grows up. It takes a lot for it to shape up properly, and more than anything it is the contact, the cuddles, the recognising of the voice of the master.

Can you? Sure. Should you? Absolutely not.

Answer 5

An emphatic NO. First u must realize that until a puppy is about 4 months old, they haven`t developed enough muscle control to hold their pee and poo for long stretches and must be taken outdoors immediately after eating and about every one to two hrs. in between. Unless u can afford a good puppy daycare placement, don`t even think of getting a puppy. If u must have a dog, get an older housebroken couch potato. Greyhound rescue would be the place to start looking. I know Lab puppies r adorable, but when grown, they require lots of attention and activity, with both of u working, would u have the stamina to jog it around the block several times? On the other hand Greyhounds rescued from racing r low key and perfectly happy just lounging around. Check it out, here`s one site...www.greyrescue.org

Answer 6

It's doable, but, you have to realize that labs are hunting dogs and require lots and lots of exercise, or they will get very bored, and very destructive. There are a lot of people who employ dog walkers who will come and walk your dog a couple of times a day. If you go to work at 8, and your partner comes home at 2, that's not too bad. So, 6 hours a day max. If you got a dog walker, they could come in so, the max time the dog is a alone is about 2-3 hours. Puppies can be expected to "hold it" for as many hours as they are months old, so, a 3 month old puppy can hold it for 3 hours.....and so on. As long as you are committed to giving the dog tons of exercise when you get home. I'm not talking a walk around the block, I'm talking about an hour of two of leash free runnning.

So, you can do it.....please make sure you're prepared for the time you'll need to spend with the dog. Good Luck.

Answer 7

Hi there! Looking at yours and your partners working times, the pup wouldn't spend too much time on its own but puppies are very hard work and really need full time care until they are older and trained enough to stay on their own for a few hours a day. It isn't a good idea to leave a puppy alone when it first comes home because it will be pining anyway for its mum and siblings and for you to disappear for a couple of hours will only add to its misery. Labs are notorious for their destructive ways and a pup will demolish your home in hours if not trained properly! Please don't crate a baby, its really not fair - its come from its mum to be locked in a cage all day??? Not fair. Why don't you and your partner discuss adopting an older lab? One thats been trained and that doesn't mind a few hours on its own? Its worth thinking about if you really, really want one eh? Whatever you decide, i wish you luck, i'm sure any dog you have will have a lovong home with you.

Answer 8

NO.

I have a dog and I work from 8 to 5. My dog goes into kennels every day so he is not alone. The most he ever gets left is 2-3 hours when I go shopping. He is eight years old. Puppies NEED company otherwise they become unsocial and cannot get on with people or other dogs. They have a rescue in kennels that does not associate with people or dogs and it was left for hours at a time as a young dog.

If you insist on a dog get an older one and get some day care.

Answer 9

So seriously and honestly PLEASE dont do it.

First, dogs - especially labs are sociable creatures and become depressed if they lack company - crate or no crate you're furniture and doors will get chewed to bits.

Second, you couldnt toilet train or obedience train your pup with you both on a schedule like this.

Third if you did use a crate it would be grossly cruel to leave a pup in a small area for a long period of time. Those carates are designed for travel or if you need to leave the house for an hour or so.

Just wait till the time is right. I made this mistake and had to rehome my lab after six months with us because of my job. It was just heartbreaking. If you can offer a loving home to a pup, then the wait will be worth it.

Good luck!


Edit -

I'm noticing you have a lot of responses that say go ahead its fine. Can I promise you hand on heart that its really not.
If you go ahead with it then ask your vet or advice.

I'm sure you'll priovide a great home for your dog one day.

In the meantime , try reading a book called Marley and Me. Its in the best sellers list. It might show you what to expect and you will love it I promise.

Answer 10

if it's a full blooded lab it will get big. do you have a fence? they are VERY smart dogs so training won't be difficult at all or take very long. if you get it when it's a pup it will need to go outside more often than your lunch break for a few weeks. maybe try puppy pads and this spray that you can spray on it that make them feel the need to go on that pad. there are many sprays like that at just about any pet store.
if you have someone that wouldn't mind to come by once for a few weeks just to let the dog out then that would help too. As far as it being fair to the dog i don't think it will be a problem as long as you give him lots of love while you are home.

Answer 11

Puppies take a lot of time and patience to train. I personally think it is unfair for people to get dogs, when they will be away all day. How would you like to be stuck in a crate all day?

May I suggest a cat instead? Cats can have a litter box inside, so they don't have to be let out. They are also smaller, so there's no risk of any furniture being toppled over. A cat could be free to roam the house, giving them the ability to entertain themselves.