Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

DH wont let me get a puppy, He says it isnt fair that the dog would be home alone all day. I work a regular 8 hr day, and I can go home on lunch to let the dog out.

Anyone have any info or tips on how you manage to work and raise a puppy?

Thanks,
Denise

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

Oh, boy, we felt the same way.

A dog supposedly doesn't understand time, a minute is an hour for them, they have no concept of length of time, so the alone time is not a big deal, they sleep mostly anyway.

If you can let him out at lunch and spend quality time when you get home, you should be okay.

I got DH a puppy for Christmas, he's off on furlow from work for a few months, so he had time to train him, but our puppy has BIG TIME separation anxiety. It takes a long time to break, and he hasn't been left for a whole workday yet, but we are trying to go out and leave him alone so he gets used to it.

I've had dogs my whole life, they adapt very well.....

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

my mom works 8 hour days and comes home for lunch - her dog now has the perfect schedule

in the morning the dog wakes her up for a walk - about 30-45 minutes every day

then the dog is fed and plays outsde while she gets ready

then she leaves for work the dog goes into a dog run on the side of the house and sleeps

she comes home for lunch - my mom will play with the dog for awhile while she eats lunch

then the dog sleeps
and has energy when my mom comes home and then dies down

the key is to figure out breeds that do not need a lot of attention or very hyperactive
hyperactive dogs - are for example
dalmations, work dogs such as border collies, shetland sheep dogs, and so forth

Also watch out for smart breeds -like jack russells they can be spiteful if left alone too much

my mom does this with aGolden - he is only 3 years of age and he loves his schedule

labs and goldens are low key

you just can't slack walking the dog on rainy days

also one of my friends sends her dog to doggy day care twice a week to break the week up - but she doesn't live on LI so i don't know of anything like that on LI

hope this helps
I want a dog so bad - but need to find a pet friendly place first

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

Thank you both for your detailed replies-I really appreciate it.

I think the general consensus is to come home on lunch...which isnt a problem. I have had dogs all my life (German Shepherds) and now we are looking at smaller breeds.....we also live in a pet-friendly co-op with a designated dog walking area....

Thanks again!

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

Hi Denise! We had the same concerns, but Ginny is one happy little pup! We can't even get home at lunch, but it's alright. For awhile we kept her in the kitchen behind a baby gate with a training pad. In recent months we've been crating her, which she prefers. And when we get home she's so happy to see us, so we take her for a walk. It's a great relationship.

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

we have a yorkie who is almost a year old. we kept him in a toddler gated pen thing (pretty big for him) for the first 7 months or so while we were at work.

now, he stays in our living room and sleeps on the couch all day long,.....he is a fireball by the time we get home and ready to play play play, but we love him sooooo much and I couldn't imagine life without him.

seriously - he just sleeps the entire time we are gone.....i think for small breeds it is fine to leave them home for long periods of time, but larger breeds need much more exercise.

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

We have 2 dogs, both are rescues and we adopted them as housetrained adults, so I can't help you with the housetraining issue.

Neither of us can go home at lunch, so we have a dogwalker that comes everyday and takes them out. It breaks up their day, gives them some exercise, lets them go potty, etc.

Without the dogwalker, I would freak if I was stuck late at work. It also makes a big difference in their energy level when we get home - they are less "needy" and crazed if they have been out for a nice long walk midday.

IMHO, it is not fair to leave a dog all day without at least a potty break.

We live in Seattle, but I used to live in Queens and I had a great dogwalker there. They are pretty easy to find in NYC, and they are actually cheaper in NY than in Seattle because there is so much competition for business. I used dogwalkers4rainforests in NY - I think they have a website.

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

oh, i forgot to mention that our yorkie uses wee wee pads in our apartment in the city...so he goes when we wants.

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

I work and I got my little guy back in October. At first I felt horrible leaving him alone...I would go home midday...people told me to stop or it would make him NOT be able to hold it in the future. I stopped...I miss him so much..I think there is something wrong with me. BUT he gets to play and have so much love and attention when we are home ..he seems fine to me! : O ) he is a happy baby

ETA- it is a tiny dog- a shitzu and he sleeps a lot of the time too

Message edited 2/14/2006 6:39:43 PM.

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

I have a lab that is just over a year old now. I agree that the key is making sure they get exercise.....Im outside with my dog atleast 20-30 minutes in the morning and he sleeps most of the day....at night he gets his walk and outside time as well. Some of the breeders I spoke to are weary about selliing to people who are gone all day, but if you are able to get home to take him out when hes a puppy and are willing to put the time in when you are home, dogs can be such a great thing! good luck!

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

Would you want to adopt or rescue a young adult or adult dog??

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

I have a yorkiepoo - i was able to come home during my lunch hour to feed and play with him to train him.

I live with my mom, and she's a restaurant manager, so her schedule is weird - so it only happens like once every two weeks or so we both work 9-5 - but she works closer to the house than I do so she will go home to check on him.

FM if you need training info - there is a great training place I belong to and they have doggie daycare .

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

Everyone works, so I don't see any reason not to get a dog. But you need to be smart about it, unlike me who bought a miniature pinscher about 7 years ago when me and my ex were both working 10 hour days. Min-pin's are very energetic and we couldn't give him the attention he needed. Look for a breed that is more low-key and not as active. My parents have large dogs that sleep all day. That's what you need.

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

my FH and I got a puppy when we bought our condo and picked her up the day we moved in... When we first got her, I went home every day at lunch to walk her. I did this prob for about 3-4 months and then I stopped (things started getting crazy at work and I wasn't able to take off at lunch anymore). She was absolutely fine! No accidents, no problems.

We crate her when we aren't home and up until about 3 months ago (whihc was about a year and a half after we got her) we crated her at night, as well. She actually doens't midn ebing in the crate and it saves me a ton fo anxiety b/c I am so scared she woudl eat something or hurt herself if left to her own devices in the partment all day...

She is a very happy puppy, going to be 2 next month, and spend Mon-Fri alone for atleats 8 hours a day....She is def very excited when we coem home and we take her everywhere with us on teh weekends so she gets QT in...

BTW, she is a boggle (beagle boston terrier mix) and is about 20 lbs.

I think it is so do-able.....and I love coming hoem to her!

Sorry for the very long repsonse :)

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

I adopted a lil yorkie and he is just sooo cute, I work with my dh at his office and he lets me bring the dog to the office everyday. If i ever got another job where i couldnt be with him, i dont know what i would do. I definately agree its not fair to get a dog then have him sit alone all day especially if its a puppy. If you get an older dog, mine is around 7-10 since they dont know the history but hes a lil yorkie and so darn cute...an older dog doesnt need training and may be house broken so going home at lunch can be a big help...i also reccomend working with ur signifcant other if you can, its just the most rewarding experience.

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

Not only did we work when we got our shih tzu, but we were living in a condo with a no pet policy, so I couldn't take him out for a walk whenever he needed to go. I really wanted a dog, so I trained him to use a litter box like a cat. He is 5 years old now and still uses a litter box inside of being walked. But, where we are now allows pets so its not a problem, but during the day if he can't hold it, he still uses his box.

Re: Repost from LIF: PUPPY/DOG owners who work

For you guys who crate their dogs, do you crate them all day while you're out? My DH is going back to work soon (thank goodness) and I was wondering if we should crate him all day. He's a lab, is that too much to leave him all day in his crate?