Calling all dog owners!

We have a yorkshire Terrier who is 3 1/2 yrs old. When we were looking to get a dog (which we had never had before, we just had cats) we researched which ones were suitable for us.ie moulting, grooming, health issues, size.

We picked a yorkie because they are funny, don't smell like a dog, small breed (although ours is bigger than average), not too many health issues.etc

I would say have a look at some dog images, see which ones you like the look of then research these. Some dogs dont mind being left whilst others fret and get lonely.

The dog for you is out there, I promise.

I wouldnt be without Scooby now and they change your life for the better

I've got 2 dogs.... well puppies really. One is 9 months old and the other is 6 months old. Both me and my partner work full time, however I work from home. But there are times when I have appointments outside the home and the dogs have to be left alone for a few hours at a time and they are fine. I make sure they get their walk before I go out, leave them with plenty of food and water and lots of chew toys. I also leave the radio on in the back ground for them, so to them, it's like someone is still in the house.

How often would you be leaving your dog on it's own? If it was going to be everyday, my opinion would be not to get one. But if it's only going to be now and again, I don't think that would be a problem at all.

Hi.

So first I must say I am glad that you have sat down and thought this through. May I suggest adopting a puppy from a shelter. Shelter dogs are the best. Anyway. My ex and I adopted a dog in March of 07. Both he and I worked full time jobs and I went to school. Most of the time with my rotating schedules someone was home with him, and he was able to be left at home for quite a while without us being home. He is an inside dog. When I began student teaching while my ex was working or when he had to be left alone all day, if I could find someone to let him out I would, however most of the time he just slept all day and was good. Of course once we got home we had to play with him for a while. But he was always happy. In June of last year my ex broke up with me, after refusing to work it out with me I took the dog and left. He no longer sees the dog, thank God....sorry, a bit off topic. But needless to say I had to now figure out how to work 10 hours a day and add in an hour communte both ways and still care for the dog. Because it is 12 hours and travel concerns when there is weather, I have a dog sitter. On my way to work he gets dropped off, and when I get off he comes home with me.

My situation is a bit extreme, with hours, and being the only care taker, but. between my parents and sister and her husband who have 8 dogs between them, all 4 of them are gone for about 8-9 hours a day, their dogs are left in the house from the time they leave til they get home. All the dogs do well and are very content.

So it can work, the problem with a puppy is they won't be able to hold it all day, that is somethng like children, has to be built up over time. Most people kennel train their dogs, but still it takes time to build up that kind of bladder control. In a kennel they will learn, as dogs don't like to foul up their sleeping area. With all my time around dogs, we have kennel trained our puppies, however once they get old enough we stop using the kennel and let them stay loose indoors while we are gone.

i hope this helps and good luck

Bump for later! We are also considering a dog so I'd be interested in hearing the opinions out there.

Our issue is that we love taking holidays abroad and I'd feel guilty putting a dog in a kennel twice a year. :frown:

I go on vacation about once a year and I have my dog kenneled and he absolutely loves it! They walk him, and play with him, and he has other dogs to play with. Just make sure it's a good facility that will treat your dog well.

Why don't you adopt a dog from the shelters. I adopted my dogs from the local shelter and they are just awesome.
They can be left at home while you are working.
You should at least check them out.

I am getting a pup in about 3-4 weeks, I have had good contact with the breeder since before the litter was born and am really looking forward to bringing her hone ! I have choosen a smaller breed as they tend not to be hyper and are more content to stay at home and sleep during the day. I am going to gate off the kitchen so that's her daytime area (while I work) and try to crate train at night (to housebreak). I had the same questions when I decided to start looking for a puppy, but decided that as I live about 5 mins (by car) away from where I work it wouldnt be a problem to take my lunch hour at home and this breaks up the time away into managable 4 hour chunks (or even 2 x 30 min breaks with 2.5 hours between - we'll see how it goes). Lots of people say its cruel to have a dog a work, but this means that basically you have to be a stay at home mum, or retired to have this type of pet and I know plenty of peeps who work longer hours than me and manage it. So long as you can ensure that during your evenings and weekends you spend all your time with the pup / dog then I can't see how it cruel. If you intend to work all day, party all night and keep your dog in a crate during that time then don't bother, but if you can make suitable arrangements during the day time so that it has a good area to stay in - possibly even leave the radio on to keep it company with plenty of toys to stimulate it, then I say go for it! There are worse situations for a dog to live in, i.e. puppy farms, dog pounds etc. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I Have a west highland terrier (westie) she's 3 and due to my shifts sometime she's at home all day. It's not a problem and just means she's very happy to see me when I get in! I think it's good to research the bread as some require less exercise etc. I also have 3 cats so it's entertaining to say the least!

I have a 2 year old chiweenie. He's home at least 5 days a week alone (well him and the cat but she doesn't hang around him). He's really very good about being left alone. He doesn't get into the garbage or chew the furniture. We've bought him lots of toys to play with and leave him some raw hides to chew on, and of course his bowl of kibbles and water. Although his back story is a little different. We got him at about 8 months old. He was taken from an abusive home by a friend of ours but she couldn't keep him in her apartment. Like you, I thought long and hard about it but when I seen this little guy my heart broke and I immediately fell in love with him. At the time I worked 3 weeks on and weeks off. So for a full 3 weeks there was someone with him all the time to love him and teach him. It didn't take him long to realize he wasn't in that bad situation anymore. Now, he's the best little thing I think I ever did

No dogs. Love dogs, but our lifestyle doesn't permit it. We like to travel, sometimes on very short notice. Plus, I spend a lot of time and money on my backyard and don't like to step in dog *kitten*. Haven't had a dog in 20 years. Got a cat, but with a cat, you can load up a food dispenser and water dispenser and leave for a week or more. No problem. Do that with a dog and the dog will gorge and eat all the food the first day, *kitten* all over the house and then starve to death.

Gah!! :noway: OK - one time, long ago, the notion that shelter/rescue dogs come with baggage and behavioral issues may have been true - but not now!! Shelters and rescues across the country are literally busting at the seams with incredible, adoptable, perfect animals, abandoned through no fault of their own due to (hello!) the economy.

It hit hard, and breed-specific rescues everywhere are overflowing with exquisite pure bred animals. I have been in rescue for 20 years and can tell you I am floored, shocked, jaw to the floor almost daily at most of the dogs and cats I see waiting behind kennel bars.

PLEASE. While SO many pets are dying in shelters due to lack of space, do NOT buy a pet - please consider rescuing a pet in need. I work mostly with German Shepherds and Dobermans now, and can tell you (just as an example), if you want to blow your mind? Look at the site of a group called "Westside German Shepherd Rescue". They have nearly 100 PUREBRED gorgeous stunning incredible GSheps at any given time - from 8 week old puppies to teenagers to young adults and senior dogs, they have them all. It will completely amaze you. Each is more gorgeous than the next, and the behavior and temperament of the dogs? Impeccable. With everything from "ball dogs" to SNR capable, to couch potatoes and those who end up in service or therapy work. Even if you don't like GSheps, you'll see what I mean about the quality of dogs in rescue right now.

My Gshep, Arlo, was left tied up and abandoned at a train station when he was a year old - I picked him up from the rescue three days later and he has been, since day one, the MOST even keeled, calm, gentle, well mannered, sweet dog I have ever known. He is CGC titled, works as a therapy dog (excels with children and seniors, special needs especially), and is in training to be a Service Dog. I use him for all my temperament evaluations on shelter dogs, we work together helping "socially challenged" Gsheps to come out of their shell, and he does community service as a Goose Herder! He is an amazing ambassador for the GShep Breed and Shelter Dogs.

He is living the life any dog should: always in dog school continuing his education, gets a few hikes (3-6 miles) weekly, daily hour long walks, runs in open spaces with other GSheps once a week, his goose herding gigs, and he comes to work with me every day. He pretty much goes everywhere.

Yes, there are still pets landing in rescue for having issues, but that is the exception and not the norm right now. The benefit of going through a rescue or shelter is they are not trying to "sell you something", and are truly interested in matching you with the best pet for you, based on breed, temperament, energy level, etc. Please consider it. Even if you have your heart set on a specific breed, find a breed-specific rescue and if they aren't local, work with them and the numerous Rescue Railroads out there to get the dog to you.

For the record, no large breed dog should be left alone for 8 hours a day without interruption!! Even couch potatoes.
And certainly no puppy should ever be left alone that long. Having a dog is a huge commitment, be sure you do a lot of research on the breed - find out what it was created for, what job it was intended to do.

Best of luck to you.

I just wanted to chime in and say I think it's great that you are really thinking this through and encourage you to adopt

My husband and I have one dog ( the most adorable mutt ever ). He was left in a makeshift box at the mailbox as a puppy. We took him in and "adopted" him. Our county is very strict on dogs running loose and he would have surely ended up in a pound.
His name is Bowzer and he is our outside dog. We tried to keep him indoors and he wasn't having it! He just loves being outside in the open though

We just adopted two more (pups) from an owner who was going to have to take them to the pound and are currently waiting to pick them up! Their names are Caesar and Atlas

Good luck to you!

I have a thirteen year old Border Collie mix. He's the best dog anyone could ask for. He's really gentle around babies. He lets them pull on his fur, just don't pull on his back legs. (He's got a lot of pain in his back legs) My advice to you is NOT to get a puppy. They are much harder to take care of and they're not so good around children. I got my dog when he was 7 and he was housebroken and could do simple tricks. I love Buddy to death.

I'm not going to say my rescue dog doesn't have behavioral issues, but I do disagree that all rescue dogs do.

My Pekingese, Beavis, was found stray with one of his eyes popped out of the socket. The rescue group had to have his eye surgically removed, and he was in foster care for about two months while he recovered. I knew adopting him that he'd have issues related to that, and was prepared for them. But he's great with the cats.

Personally, I think adopting an adult or young adult from a rescue is the way to go. My heart breaks for shelter dogs, but rescues typically live in foster homes for weeks or months before adoption. Their foster parents know the dog's quirks and issues. They have a chance to start basic training, from housebreaking to leash training to the old sit, stay & come.

I've worked at a shelter. Not for terribly long, but long enough to know that dogs with major behavioral issues aren't very likely to make it to the adoption area. Dogs that show any sign of aggression are thoroughly screened and tested. I worked the "incoming" section, and was amazed at how sweet most of the dogs were, even under such stressful situations.

I worked at a vet for years and years. We saw a LOT of dogs from all sorts of sources. The shelter and rescue dogs had no more behavioral issues than the dogs from breeders or (booo! hiss!!!) pet stores. In fact, the pet store pups tended to be the hardest to housetrain since they'd been forced to poop and pee in their "den" when in the store kennels. Poor little things.

One of my coworkers fostered dogs for an Aussie rescue. I met all her fosters. Every one of them were delightful dogs. By the time they were adopted, they were completely housebroken, crate trained, and had gone through a full obedience course.

On the other hand, one particularly heartbreaking story that stands out to me was a client at the vet who had a young lab. Had him since he was a puppy, and already had another dog and a couple cats. When the pup was maybe 10 months old, they had a kitten who got too close to the pup's food dish. The dog grabbed the cat, shook him and broke the kitten's back. The poor little thing didn't die, but had to be euthanized when the extent of his injuries were known. We were all devastated. :sad:

There's no guarantee that any dog will never be aggressive. It's always up to the owner to minimize any risk. Giving the cats a safe place. Feeding the dog in a separate room or, even better, in his crate. Make sure the dog is well trained, and especially knows the "leave it" command. Making sure the dog knows the cat ranks higher on the totem pole... even if you like the dog more, you have to let him think the cats mean more to you.

Hi everyone! :happy: Who has a dog? (Sorry it's so off topic, I'd just like opinions!)

I am so torn if to get one or not, my partner really wants one so it's basically down to me...

Financially I think we could cope as my best friend has a big dog and we've sat down and gone through everything, I know we have cats, but we'd get a puppy so it'd grow up around them, we love walking and can most certainly make the two long walks a day commitment (more at weekends), we have a decent sized garden, amazing relationship with our local vets, not phased by doggy-mess (!), and I can make my peace with being a little less house proud if it bites furniture etc when it's growing up AND we have all the love in the world for one... but although we can both work from home fairly frequently - there are inevitably going to be days when neither of us can stay at home and the dog would have 8 hours alone.... That really worries me...does anyone else also have this situation? Can you still have a happy dog?

I have looked into "dog-minders" and that sort of thing, but there doesn't seem to be anyone that could cover my area, so it isn't really an option. We could possibly look at having one of those fancy kennels with a dog run installed in the garrden (if I get super budgeting!) but I'd be worried about it being cold and lonely!!

It's not something I'm rushing into - I adore animals, so it would be a home for life - therefore I need to be super sure that it can work! I'm just interested to hear people's situations and whether you can have a dog still working full time?

Many thanks! :happy:

My boyfriend and I live downtown in a small apartment and we have a Bullmastiff.... Those are ginormous!
He takes quite a lot of space but is such a big baby, so sweet, and so nice. These dogs are big but dont need too much exercise.
Now, ours, does get plenty since he's my running and walking buddy....I take him everywhere. He gets all excited when he sees me putting my running shoes on. Plus, he's an extra help because he pushes me to go faster. Which is awesome.

I live the apartment at 630 and my boyfriend at 7. I'm usually home by 3. Goliath is always fine.
We've let him in as long as 12 hours. Not great but he can definitely hold it.
Now dont give me wrong he sometimes have "accidents" but that's why we have a carpet steamer....

We love our dog and are so happy he lives with us.... He's our little baby

I have a yellow lab who just turned 3 on Feb. 25th- I got him when he was 3 months old and we were only in our house for less than 3 months. Even though i've always had dogs growing up, let me tell you it was (and still is) very challenging since it was the first time doing it on my own (and with my fiance, of course) but without my mom there to do everything.. welcome to the real world haha

Last January, a "friend" of mine had a mixed dog (a little over a year old at the timeand 35 lbs) that she "had" to get rid of for a million and one reasons, My fiance didn't want another one but I begged him and he gave in. 3 months later, my "friend" got a great dane, I'll stay off that sore subject..

So anyways, I work a full time desk job M-F 8:30 am-4:30p, and I'm also a massage therapist.. I work by appt only M-F 5:30p-8p and Saturdays 8a-1p.. My fiance is a union boilermaker, so he goes through periods where he is off work and then (like now) he's working 7 days a week, 10 hour shifts, an hour and a half away from home.

I will admit that we don't have enough time to take our dogs on regular walks but we do the best we can. When it was just the lab (Dallas), he was always in the crate when we weren't home but when we got Scruffy we stopped doing that and now they are always free to roam. We have a cape cod, there's a door for the upstairs so they are secluded to the downstairs only. They stay out of trouble for the most part except, you can't leave anything within reach of Dallas on kitchen counters and we have to keep all garbage cans in the bathroom with the door shut or else we will come home to trash scattered everywhere.

So anyways, yes it is possible to have a full time job and a dog. You just have to keep it on a regular schedule. I do recommend the first 2 or 3 days you should be off work and start figuring out a good schedule on everything according to your work schedule. The first few days will be hard, my lab had seperation anxiety that's why he had to be kept in the crate or he would destroy everything that he could sink his teeth into.

I treat my dogs like my kids and talk about them constantly.. some say i'm obsessed.. oh well, they are 2 of my best friends

Good luck and have fun!