Question for the dog owners who work all day

[atgcpaul]

My wife REALLY wants a dog. The thing is, she has a long commute and is
away from the house 12 hours a day. I'm probably away from the house 9
hours a day so guess who's responsibility it will be to do most of the walking?
I had a dog growing up, and I hated that he'd be holding it in all day while I
was at school. It must have been torture.

I said kid before dog (because then the kid can do the walking like I did).

I can't afford a dog walking service and I'm not about to come home in the
middle of the day to walk the pooch. So how many of you leave your dogs
at home while you're away 9+ hours a day? Do you put them in a cage or
do they have free reign of the house?

We're planning on a getting something that's less than 40lbs if that matters.

Thanks,
Paul

[dbhost]

Maybe not relevant to your situation, but when LOML and I were both working, the dog stayed outside during decent enough weather, and I came home at lunch to let him out during lousy weather.

[Ed62]

I personally feel that leaving a dog by himself (indoors) over 9 hours every day, is cruelty. Not only do they need to go out, they need companionship and exercise.

Ed

[gerti]

Forget it. It'd be very cruel to the dog. If she really loves dogs she'd know that. Don't mean to be blunt, but that is why so many millions of dogs are destroyed every year: People really want it, think the dog will adjust somehow against nature. Dog goes crazy, owners get rid of it.

Don't do it until you have a better plan.

[TheChief]

We've got a small dog (3/4 Chihuahua, 1/4 Dachshund) and there are days both kids are in school and LOML and I work all day. We both work less than five miles from home, though, so one of us always comes home from work at lunch to give her a potty break and play a little.

When the puppy is home alone she's kenneled because apparently our carpet is a very inviting potty spot. Outside really isn't an option, unsupervised. Even with our privacy fence there's plenty of places for her to get out.

Personally I was a bit iffy on getting a dog even on that schedule. I dislike the fact that she's kenneled and alone even four to five hours straight. She has acclimated to it by spending the time napping, with the down side being she is full of pent-up energy and spends the whole evening semi-hyper.

I must say, if we were in a position where the dog would be alone for at least nine hours each day... it just doesn't seem like the kind of environment a dog needs to stay healthy and happy. Sounds like the perfect set-up for behavior problems and an "It's Me or the Dog" episode.

All that said, I'm really more of a cat person anyway. But our dog is sort of cat-sized, so... just need to teach her to purr and use a litter box and we'd be good.

[stormdog74]

I agree with the other comments - it is cruel to leave a dog alone for so long. They are pack animals and need people.

I would love to have a dog again - haven't had one since I was a kid - but that will have to wait until I retire since I work really long hours for a lot of the year. Right now we have cats and they sleep most of the day anyway and perk up at night when we are home. Plus they clean themselves and play with each other. Basically we are just here to feed them and give them a lap to sleep on!

[cabinetman]

I agree that time alone isn't good for a dog. Since cats are so self sufficient, find one that acts like a dog...maybe even looks like one. Sure, it may look and act a little strange, but problem solved!! No one has to know. It will be our secret. At least neighbors won't be complaining about too much barking.
.

[Uncle Cracker]

Two words... doggie door...

[RayintheUK]

Two words... doggie door...

Two more - burglars' paradise!

Ray

[Daryl]

Our dog gets left for 6-8 hours for maybe three days a week, He does ok, gets up in the chair by the window and sleeps and dreams of the day he catches the mail man and plans our walk in the evening.

[cabinetman]

Our dog gets left for 6-8 hours for maybe three days a week, He does ok, gets up in the chair by the window and sleeps and dreams of the day he catches the mail man and plans our walk in the evening.

If we left our German Shepherds alone that long, they wouldn't be just dreaming about nailing the mail man. They would take out a window to do it, and bury his truck in the back yard.
.

[Gator95]

For a grown dog it might be OK to be in the house alone for 8-9 hours, but it depends a lot on the dog. Mine is just fine, but usually she's not home alone that long and some days I work out of the house. I also take her for a walk in the morning before I go to work, and once I get home we get a lot of exercise together.

For a puppy under 9 months, this is NOT going to work. An adult dog has no problems 'holding it' for 8-10 hours. A puppy needs to go more frequently. Housebreaking is dependent on maintaining their taboo on soiling in their crate- which means you have to get them out often enough that they don't get a chance to soil their crate. Once they start going in their crate and loose that instinctive taboo it's much harder to housebreak 'em.

A dog door is a good option if you have a well fenced backyard and the dog isn't a habitual barker. As far as burglers go... well if I'm a burgler I don't think a house with a dog door big enough to squeeze through will be my first choice to rob.

[Uncle Cracker]

Two more - burglars' paradise!

Small dog, small door...

And a burglar who wants in will get in regardless...

[Russianwolf]

Fact, if a burgler hears/sees a dog, they will move on to the next house unless they KNOW there is something they want inside yours. A 40 lb pit bull is not something that a burgler wants to take a chance at finding on the other side of that doggy door. Even if it's a small harmless type dog, the noise they generate may attract unwanted attention, so they will look for easier opportunities. A dog is the best home protection available for these reasons.


As far as the original post. Depends on the dog. I had a 1 year old husky that stayed home 9+ hours a day. I crated him at first, but gave him free reign later so he could earn more trust. Never an accident. If it were me, I'd look at the rescues and find a dog at least 2 years old that is already house trained and crate trained. They will be ready for the environment that you have for them.

And remember, a crate isn't used for punishment. It's a safe place. It's their den (dogs are den animals, that why many dig as much as they do). They will do anything in their power not to go to the bathroom in their den (crate). It's instict. Don't crap where you sleep. We have a crate in our living room that doesn't even have the door on it anymore. The pups will go in to take naps or just to feel secure, and they will go in there when they don't feel good. It's a security blanket.

[crokett]

When I was single I had a Border Collie. Great dog and one of the best frisbee dogs I've had. About 3 months after I got him I started working insane hours/traveling a bit and he was inside for too long. That is when he started chewing on the house. I decided to find a new place for him since it wasn't fair to him. I would not get a dog and leave him alone for that long every day, especially if you don't have a place outside for him. If you are worried about companionship, get two dogs.