May 2012 Weddings
DianaL616
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question for dog owners!
What do you do with your pets while you are at work?
H and I really want to get a dog but we are worried about what do to while we are at work. I'm out of the house for 10 hours a day and H is gone even longer.
Any advice would be helpful.
Re: question for dog owners!
I think it would be hard to have a puppy if you're away that long. My understanding is that puppys just aren't built to 'hold it' for that long. I think adopting an older dog would probably work better, but obviously that comes with other things to think about.
It mostly depends on the dog. We've had dogs that pretty much have to be crated (anxiety issues, etc) and dogs that are fine on their own. My brother's dog is fine being left out now that he has two other canine companions, but when it was just him, he had to be crated- he loved his crate, and still does.
Our dog is mostly left out to do as he pleases, but we do have a play care place that we have brought him to for the day if it's going to be a long one.
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I agree with Zamboni.
Puppies need to go outside a bunch of times per day especially in the first few months because they don't have the ability to hold it in. You'd have to look into a puppy day care type of place to send him/her to for the entire day which could get expensive.
If you adopted an older, house trained dog, it would be better but 10 hours is still a long time to go without being let outside. You'd probably need a dog walker or someone to come to your house every day to let the dog out to pee.
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My dogs are crated when we are gone to work. It's mainly for their safety, what if they got into something while we were away?
I would not suggest getting a puppy at this point in your life. Puppies are a lot of work and they require a lot of attention. Not to mention expecting a puppy to hold going potty (or they will just potty in their crate and that is a whole other issue to deal with) can lead to serious bladder issues. How much time do you really have to devote to a dog? If both you and your H are out of the house that much during the week, it doesn't really seem fair to the dog to have to be crated so much (not crating a puppy would be crazy to me). Getting an older dog can come with other issues that may not be present at first but is it really fair to expect him to be crated for so long, all alone, all day. I would honestly wait until you have more time to focus on training a puppy. The last thing you want is to be overwhelmed by this puppy when you come home from work and not be able to handle having him in the house, it's not fair to you or to the dog.
We adopted an older dog and he is the best thing that ever happen to us. We have very busy lives but he just goes with the flow. He came housetrained and came from a house that his humans worked too so he was used to having long days. We are very lucky that my inlaws love him like a grandchild so we are able to drop them off if we know its going to be a really long day.
My friends have a pitbull puppy and they work crazy hours but they have neighborhoods they trust to walk him during the day. So, its something to consider. If you have someone you can trust or even money for doggie day care? My co-worker does that.
Basically, pets are like kids so just make sure you ready for the responsibility but they are the best things in our lives so Im all for it, if you can make it work!
I would definitely look into a local dog walker or doggy day care center, as 10 hours is a long time. Our pup is 2 1/2 and we try not to leave him alone for longer than 8. Sometimes you can find an independant dog walker, especially if they're already working in your neighborhood, for relatively inexpensive. I would talk to a vet or other dog owners in the area for recommendations.
Also consider how much you travel and where the pup will go when you're away. Whether or not you can take the dog with you or where you'll board him and that extra expense.
I agree, at the beginning 10 hours is a lot to ask for a puppy to hold their pee. Mya is 6 months old and can hold it about 6-7 hours.
One tip I have, if you have your own house, is set up a kennel run and house for it outside. We are just finishing up Mya's house, and she loves it. The crate inside was small, and she was acting out in it. Now, when were gone she can run and play but still have a warm house to go inside if it rains.
We bring her inside when were home, and she really seems to be behaving a lot better, since she doesn't have all that pent up energy. That could be an option for you!
I agree with what everyone else is saying. 10 hours is quite a bit. My dog would likely be fine.. but i have a lazy basset hound lol
I live in a small enough town that I go home for lunch, so he's usually only alone for 4 hours at a time. Though he is perfectly fine for around 8 if it's the whole work day. When I got him as a puppy we kennel trained him and he loved his kennel. We've tried leaving him out to roam, but as someone befor me said, dog's can have anxiety issues, and my dog is definitely one of those. If he has the run of the house, he gets really anxious and poops EVERYWHERE. like seriously.. in every room he has access too.. and then he goes and lays in his kennel.
While we don't use his kennel anymore, we just finished putting an addition on our house, kind of a mud room/porch and he's blocked off in there and he's happy as a clam. We had his kennel in there for him when we started putting him in there (he doesn't like change) but took the door off of it, and also put a pillow on the floor. He started just laying on the pillow and ignoring the kennel, and hadn't gone in his kennel in about 6 months so we took the kennel out.
I agree with the dog walker idea if he's going to be alone for that long. I can't remember where you live, but if a dog run outside is something you'd consider if it's warm enough, and you give him/her a house to have shelter as well that could work as long as the dog is okay with it. Some are, some aren't.
Lots of things to consider!
Be careful with what kind of fencing you have around this type of set-up. I've seen & heard of way too many dogs hanging themselves on chain link fencing. They jump up next to the fencing only to catch their chin on the top of the fencing and most end up hanging themselves because the fencing will puncture their skin and they can't get themselves off of it! Be extra careful when leaving dogs unattended outside!!
I agree with PP who said to be careful leaving the dog outside. Along with the dangers of chain link fences, there are a lot of other unpredictable issues. What if the dog gets stung/bit by something and has an allergic reaction? What if the dog is a digger and gets out of the yard? My neighbours have a dog that they leave outside often - it wanders into our yard and also barks a lot. Very annoying.
We have a two year old lab that is alone for 9 hours - 8:15am to 5:15pm. We adopted her when she was a year and tried to crate train her but she had severe anxiety from her past (she was neglected in a room for days on end) and would hurt herself trying to get out of the cage.
We ended up "den training" her which is kind of like crate training but in a room. The room does not have a door and we block it off with a baby gate - she panics when she is shut in a room, again because of her past.
We have her dog bed, some toys, and a water dish in the room. She does not get into any trouble, and she loves it in there. When she sees us getting ready in the morning she goes in the and lies down happily. It is her safe place. This really works for us.
That being said, ditto PPs who said a dog is a huge responsibility. My parents owned dogs my whole life so I was sure I was ready for it but getting a rescue dog with behavioural and anxiety issues has been very trying at times. We love her and can't imagine life without her now but there were times where I regretted my decision to get a dog.
A puppy cannot be alone for 10 hours. Even for an older dog, that's quite long. A dog walker will help with this. It would be best if you're home for a few weeks when you get a new dog so you can house train and crate train if necessary.
Good luck!
i don't think anyone was lecturing you. You asked for advice from dog owners and that's what you got. And I don't see where anyone implied that you're cruel for wanting a dog.
The truth is, if you're gone for 10 hours per day you will need to figure out a way to let the dog out sometime in the afternoon because 10 hours is a long time for even and adult dog to be alone for. People gave you solid advice, and we only had minimal info from your original post so you got all sorts of advice. All of it coming from dog owners.
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BFP#2-4/23/13 EDD-01/02/14 baby BOY born 12/31/13 Michael Cameron
This exactly. Seriously? You gave us almost zero information and I think we all gave you solid experienced advice.
If anything people said on here made you feel "cruel", I think you're overly defensive about this and deep down have your own reservations about leaving a dog alone for 10 hours a day and you were looking for validation that it was ok.
This exactly....
If we're going to be gone for more than just the work day, we try to take our dog out to my in laws. I feel bad going out on a Friday night and leaving him home by himself again after being alone all day.
10 hours a day is a long time. What are your work hours like? Are you going to have time to take it for a walk and stuff after work to wear off some energy?
No one was intending to lecture, and I don't think anyone meant for it to come off like that. You asked what we do/what we would do. We all told you.
This may just be in my state, but I've heard a lot of stories about people cutting through the fencing on a yard to take the dog or just to be a jerk and set it free when the people aren't home. It's so sad and it irritates me that its even something we all need to be concerned about.
that being said, we also never leave our dog alone more than 8-9 hours. If I know it's going to be longer than that, we'll have my mom or my SIL, who both live really close to us, come over and let him out. Our dog is old too. He turned 10 in February. Even though he's definitely not a puppy anymore, he still has a ton of energy built up at the end of the day that he needs to run off. I usually take him and the baby for a long walk after work.
Thank you for the advice on the outdoor kennel, from a few of you
her kennel is about 8 ft high, so she can't jump and get stuck on anything, and there's a top on it, and we have a locked, fenced in backyard. There are quite a few people in our neighborhood with the same set up for their dogs.
i will ask DH to make extra sure that there is no way she can jump and hurt herself. Thanks for the concerns!
For what it's worth, I don't think 10 hours is "too long". It depends on your dog and your situation.
My dog is 7 years old, MH and I are gone from about 7:30am (if we leave on time) to 5:30pm (if we leave work on time and go straight home). Sometimes I'll swing by the grocery store or run an errand after work and she's still fine. 12 hours is my absolute max that I would leave our dog at home alone. It doesn't happen often, but on the rare occasions that it does she's been perfectly fine.
We leave her out to roam around the house, but we close the bedrooms doors.
I've worked this (or a similar) schedule since she was about 2 years old and I've never had any issues with her acting out. Occassionally she'll get into something, but it's never been anything dangerous. I think she chewed up one pair of shoes, countless panties, a pack of gum... you know, typical things dogs can get into. She's never gotten sick from it. She's too short to reach anything on the table/counters/etc. so that makes it easier.
I think when getting a new dog it's nice to have a little more time with him/her at first, but once you settle into a routine you'll learn your specific dog's needs.
I don't agree with spalko when she said, "if you have to question it, you probably aren't ready just yet"
I think that questioning everything is a good sign you're looking into what's best for your family and potentially your new dog.
I question if I'll be a good mom everyday.... am I not ready for this baby I'm carrying?
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