What do you do with your dog while you work??

happy_jax

I was typing out an epic long post here...but then I thought "Geez, I am even boring myself!!" so I'll condense and re-start....

We have wanted a dog since forever...we've been thinking about it for over a year! (I know, a crazy long time - but a dog is for life you can't rush it!!) But we are worried about what we would do when we're at work.

Both me and my partner can work from home quite often, but inevitably there are going to be days when the dog would be "home alone." (I would say 1 or 2 days a week for 8 hours).

There are no dog walkers/pet sitters that cover my area and we have no friends or family that do not work full time either.

Does anyone have a "magic solution" that they currently use? Or is your pooch quite happy alone for this time, so long as he gets all the love and walkies in the world before and after work?

MrsSpinks

Get 2!!!

We were very lucky when we got our first dog, we were on opposite shifts so the longest he was on his own was about 4 hours - any longer than that and he would go to my mum's! Eventually our shift patterns changed to the same hours and he was too big for my mum to handle every day, so we got him a friend! They are both large dogs and as long as they got good walks before and after work, they were fine (I'm currently on maternity leave so they have the joy of my company all the time now!) Obviously I know not everyone is in the position to have 2 dogs, so if you do get one, my advice would be to ensure they get a ton of exercise (as they will literally sleep all the time between walks) and go home at lunch times if you can!

bluegirl10

You could get two, if that works for you guys. Do you have a yard that is fenced that the dog could stay in when you are not home? Just make sure the dogs get a lot of exercise so that when they are left alone they won't have a ton of energy and then get into trouble... I have three dogs who all stay outside when we are not home.. We have an acre and it's fence and they also have access to the garage where they can go to get out of the cold and/or rain or whatevers. If at all possible look into adpoting too! Good Luck!

MrsSpinks

And leave them interesting things to chew!!!! Ours went through a chewing things phase, so we would leave them 'people' things to chew (old shoes etc) to stop them taking things from the sides (they ate both our passports once!) and when they are old enough (well their teeth) real marrow bones from the butcher are great! They would keep ours busy for hours!

Wuggums

We take our dog to doggie daycare three days a week. It solves the "do we leave her alone" dilemma, gets her socialized with all types of other dogs, and - best of all - tires her out! On the rare occasion when she absolutely must be home alone, she usually snoozes all day because we usually go on two or three 2+ mile walks every day. Exercise is key to a calm dog - but if you have a doggie daycare in your area, I'd highly recommend it!

_SusieQ_

When we got our current dog we crated him in the beginning. As long as you get one already potty trained, this shouldn't be an issue for 8 hours. After a few months we stopped crating him, but still confine him to a utility room via a baby gate. The room is probably 8x8 in size, so plenty of room for him to mill around in. We leave toys and treats for him. About once a week he goes to doggy daycare for play time. Also my husband walks him most mornings before work.

tam120

Ours goes to Doggie Daycare 1 to 3 days a week (depending on the $ situation). When she goes 3 days a week she sleeps most of the day the other 2 days she's home alone. She's gated in the back of the house so she can't attack the front window when the mail carrier comes. Our other dog has taught her that bad habit (our fault for thinking it was cute for an 8 lb poodle to attack the mail 10 years ago, now it's basically impossible to stop cause we're not there when the carrier comes. And it's not cute for a 60 lb rott/shep to jump at the picture window).

Exercise, exercise, exercise... I agree whole-heartedly, a tired dog is a good dog!

I agree with giving the dog a lot of things to chew on but I disagree with the old shoes, a dog doesn't know the difference between an old shoe and a new shoe, if you give the dog shoes you're asking for trouble. You can't discipline a dog for chewing up your best pair of shoes if you've allowed it to chew on an old pair, that's just not fair. Our dog likes a Kong filled with peanut butter, busy bones, busy chewnolas and plastic-type chew bones and rawhides.

I also agree with the crate, we got the rott/shep mix when she was 9 weeks old and she was crated from the beginning. Eventually, when she was used to staying home alone all day we removed the crate.

kimclaws

my dogs get to come to work with me three days a week, the other two days they stay in the house alone, if it is a nice day they will stay in the yard, they don't seem to mind. there are three of them so they don't get too bored.

dmpizza

You should get two small Teacup Yorkies, they can be house trained like cats. They only weigh about 4 pounds each and they will keep each other company.
We have a Westie and thought he would be lonely so we got a Cairn(two males). When the Cairn grew they started fighting.
We got the Yorkie(female) and she keeps the peace.

stephanie8625

As you can see in my photo - -I have 2 - and I recommend getting 2 so they can keep each other company !!! But the important thing is also to have them spade/neutered !! Because if not, they will fight each other when they get older !!

I have had my 2 since they were 8 weeks old, and when we first got them, they were crate trained -- puppies need that !! Especially if you will be gone 8 hours -- and be mindful you will come home to a mess - and will probably have to bath them !!
They are 2 years of age now, and I just "graduated" them to the kitchen space, with baby gates so they cannot roam around the house, I still have the crate in the kitchen with them, with the door open and that is where they sleep -- I also leave toys for them to chew on, but nothing that they can rip apart and choke on when we are not there !!

I recommend to give a lot of thought into it, they are a huge responsiblity and you will have life changes because of a pet, but it is well worth it !! The unconditional love and companionship that they give you is wonderful !!

[/url

libland

I got mine when she was about a year old. I crated her for almost 2 years while I was at work. When I first got her, I made sure I came home for lunch. My schedule was flexible enough that I could schedule lunch a little later every day to get her used to staying alone longer. According to the dog obedience trainer, all dogs should be crated / confined for the first two years - she likened leaving the dog home along to leaving a toddler home alone without a diaper. Molly is six now and can stay home for up to 10 hours... of course if it is raining when I get home, she wan go for another 2 to 4 hours ;-) Exercise is important.... a tired dog is a happy well behaved dog.

Sandytoes71

I got mine when she was about a year old. I crated her for almost 2 years while I was at work. When I first got her, I made sure I came home for lunch. My schedule was flexible enough that I could schedule lunch a little later every day to get her used to staying alone longer. According to the dog obedience trainer, all dogs should be crated / confined for the first two years - she likened leaving the dog home along to leaving a toddler home alone without a diaper. Molly is six now and can stay home for up to 10 hours... of course if it is raining when I get home, she wan go for another 2 to 4 hours ;-) Exercise is important.... a tired dog is a happy well behaved dog.

Sandytoes71

I got mine when she was about a year old. I crated her for almost 2 years while I was at work. When I first got her, I made sure I came home for lunch. My schedule was flexible enough that I could schedule lunch a little later every day to get her used to staying alone longer. According to the dog obedience trainer, all dogs should be crated / confined for the first two years - she likened leaving the dog home along to leaving a toddler home alone without a diaper. Molly is six now and can stay home for up to 10 hours... of course if it is raining when I get home, she wan go for another 2 to 4 hours ;-) Exercise is important.... a tired dog is a happy well behaved dog.

Sandytoes71

Hahaha...sorry peeps for posting that quote so many times. I am trying to figure out how to reply to things, lol. I just wanted to say that I was afraid to read ya'lls answers because I crate my dogs and I thought someone would make me feel guilty. I've always crated my dogs in good sized crates. I have to have dogs in my life and crating is and has been my only option. I have always felt alittle guilty tho. But like I said, I love dogs too much and I can't be without one ever, so crating was the only thing I could do. And please don't think me selfish. My dogs are treated with much much love ) Thx Libland for making me feel better about this.

jesscaponigro

We crate trained ours. He can now go 9 hours or so without an accident. Luckily for us my husband works close to home so he let's him out at lunch. But when we aren't home he is still in the crate, we have a chewer (English Bulldog) and he is 1.5 years old.

grrrlface

Mine goes to a family members house. He suffers with seperation anxiety so it's no option to leave him alone, it's very tricky for me to train him as my family do not enforce my hard work...
We used to put him in a doggy cage because our cat would stay with him.
I personally would not get a dog if I had a job with long hours because they get very lonely, they're a pack animal.
Like others have said, another dog would be a good idea and plenty of toys. :-) :-)

onerottndog

I'm very lucky....I moved my business to my home 4 years ago, so I'm with the dogs all the time. I have a HUGE 14'X28' kennel out back with a cement floor, small swimming pool in the summer, dog houses and toys. Most of the time Brenin is with me and my clients at work and Maddie stays in the kennel.

stylistchik

We crate ours. When we had 1 I felt bad that he was alone all day but we had roommates that were really good about helping us out when he was a puppy. When he was about 6 months my husband (then fiance) and I got our own place and the puppy was crated when I was at work for 8 hours and my hubby was deployed. It sucked and I know he was lonely, he was a disaster at night after being locked up all day and I was exhausted from working all day and staying up at night with him. It was like having a child.

When he was around 1 I didn't have to crate him anymore and he was fine in the house with toys and I'd leave the TV on for him. Last year we got another puppy and it helped a lot. She still gets crated during the day because she pees whenever she feels the need if no one lets her out but the older one keeps her company. Our schedules are better now too and I can come home and let them out in the middle of the day usually.

I'd recommend getting a dog instead of a puppy unless you have the flexible schedule for a puppy. It also helps if they get regular exercise. I take our dogs running 3-4 times a week and they behave much better inside and it forces me to get my exercise in. They are a lot of work but definitely worth it.

kkzmom11

my suggestion is if you can only get 1 dog, get an adult at least 3 years old and out of puppy stages. that way, he/she is likely already used to being alone. you want to make sure to walk the dog before and after you are home from work, spend time with the dog. when the dog is home alone, give him/her a Kong with frozen peanut butter in it to keep him/her busy.
if you can afford it, get 2 dogs. they don't have to be the same size or breed, they just need to get along with each other and play with each other. that way, since dogs are pack animals, when you and the spouse are gone at work, they have ach other for company.
one of my dogs has to be in a crate when DH and i are gone since she can be destructive. however, she and our other dog have each other for company and i don't feel as guilty leaving them for a work day.
others have said many good things.
DH and i adopted Ziggy when she was 18 months and still in puppy stages. we adopted Kirby when he was 2 years old and was a VERY well behaved boy. we don't have children, so these 2 are my furbabies. i spoil them, but i also make sure they understand, in a mostly calm voice and never hit them, what the boundaries are.
i HIGHLY recommend 2 dogs or a dog and cat that are fixed so there are no more unwanted fur babies in the world. i would also do lots of research on the breed personalities that you want.
that being said about the breeds, please understand that each dog is an individual and not necessarily going to show any of the breed specific traits.
I have 2 mixed breed dogs. a beagle mix and a boxer mix. they don't display the typical behaviors for their breeds. so, go to an animal rescue or breed specific rescue in your area. or go to petfinder.com.
I will stop here, since i could go on for days about the wonderful things regarding adopting adult dogs/cats. LOL

KathieElisa

I have 2 chihuahuas and i just closed off a part of my room with a gate to leave them in. I leave toys, food, bones, wee wee pads, so they have everything they need until i get home.

PlanetVelma

I have 3 dogs, and they're home alone a couple days out of the week for 4-5 hours. Our oldest, Ashley, (Staffordshire Terrier mix) doesn't even like being outside, she is one of those dogs that would prefer to use a litter box and only step outside to potty and go for her walks. LOL

The other two cannot be trusted! So they are kenneled when nobody is home. I do leave all of my puppies Kongs filled with a variety of things...carrots, celery sticks, peanut butter, dog biscuits...just whatever I have for them on hand. I do keep a separate jar of peanut butter JUST FOR THEM. I even have their peanut butter jar marked (in marker) DOGS. LOL

I hide the Kongs from Ashley in our living room and by the time my son gets home she's found them all and they are all empty.

My other two have the kennel water bottles, toys, kongs, etc.... to keep them occupied. Otherwise, between my schedule and my husband the poochies get the run of the house most days.

We also walk them at least every day, sometimes twice a day. Our Boston is REALLY high energy so those walks go a long way and by the time he's done, eats, drinks, does his "business", he's darting into his kennel ready for a nap.

My dogs are so schedule oriented my son says they start whining at the door about 20 minutes before I get home. LOL Once they see me, I HAVE to ignore them or they go ballastic (barking, whining, etc..). If they're outside they'll even go as far to follow me from window to window until I go out and give them love.