NWR: Dogs

LyssaBella · November 2009

Hey ladiesFI and I really really want a dog (Chocolate Lab to be precise) but we are struggling with the fact that the dog would be left alone for about 10 hours a day...I know some of you have dogs so I was wondering if you could share with me what it is you do with your dog during the week while you are at work. Thanks a bunch!

hbyrne31 · November 2009

I'm not sure where you work in proximity to your house, but I go home for lunch to let my dogs out. I only work 10 minutes away so it's easy. It all depends on what age of a dog you get. Potty training will be a little harder if you are away from your home all day, but if you get an older dog (even six months- a year because they can hold it longer) then you can walk them in the morning before work and after work. Good Luck!

LyssaBella · November 2009

I work in Boston, FI works in Watertown, we live in North Reading so going home at lunch isnt an option

I def know I couldnt get a puppy with being gone that long. Doggy Day-Care is sooooo expensive as well. So maybe we can look into an older dog as you suggested.

evseidl · November 2009

Hi Hun-- I struggled with this ALOT this year. I was able to work from home with IBM, but when I got layed off in February and back to work with another company in March, I needed to throw on my big girl panties and be away from the boys (Atticus and Tucker) for at LEAST 10 hours. We were able to get buddy buddy with the neighbors, and at first, their kids would just let the boys out the back. Of course, that meant we needed to fence the backyard-- no biggie in the long scheme of things, though. As time progressed, I was out later and later with work- as was my husband. We eventually ended up paying our next door neighbor (a stay at home caretaker to his brother who is mentally and physically challenged) to let the boys out 2 and 3 times a day. $5/day. Do you know of any neighbors that may be able to help?

coreywalk · November 2009

We do the same thing, FI goes home to let her out quickly during lunch. Sorry that doesn't help much!

hbyrne31 · November 2009

If you do get an older dog they should be fine for 10 hours. My brother's dog is 4yrs old and she stays by herself all day and I think she likes it, it's her time. As long as you make time for the dog when you are around you should be okay. An older dog especially the size of a lab can hold their bladder for a good 10 hours. I have two dogs and my border collie needs to go out at lunch but my black lab doesn't, she usually doesn't go out until I come back home. I think the dog will only act up for attention and if you give the dog the attention when you are around then they should be fine sleeping during the day.

cattiebsc · November 2009

I don't have a dog, but have been begging FI to let me get one since we are now home owners....We would have a similar situation and would be away for about 8 hours a day...I found lots of peole in my area listed on sittercity.com (they have a section specific for pet sitters), and people can swing by take the dogs for a walk etc I think if we do get one I will probably need someone to walk them at lunchtime and will probably go that route! GL

bettybeantown · November 2009

FI and I have a 6 year old boston terrier and we walk him before and after work to get most of his energy out. He's OK for 10 hrs a day, but I feel guilty leaving him home for that long, so when he can, FI swings by around lunch (he works 10 min away, but is often traveling) to let him out for a few minutes. We looked into doggy daycare too, but it is way too expensive. Some of the ones near us also offer dog walking for like 13-15/walk so we use that here and there too. Finding someone on craigslist or a nearby college would be less expensive, but I was a little hesitant to hand over housekeys to a stranger.

valpag · November 2009

I work from Home so I get to be with my pup all day. I could not imagine leaving her for 10 hrs a day. Sometimes I will be out on appointments for 4-5 hours and I feel so guilty leaving her, I usually have my mom or sisiter come by and take her out. I would look into a dog walker, maybe do a play group a few times a week so that they do not get bored/lonely all week. But training will be a difficult if there is nobody to take the dog out.

jonnysbride2010 · November 2009

I bought my dog in the summer so that I could potty train her etc. while I was home. (I'm a teacher.) I started by leaving her for an hour or so at a time in her crate and gradually left her for a few hours in her crate. Then when she was 6 months - 1 year I left her in the kitchen with a baby gate up. Now that she is older, I leave her free around the apartment while I am at school. I leave the house at 6:30am and arrive back around 5:00pm. I leave her plenty of food, water and toys. She is only a little dog (20lbs) but she is used to it now. It stinks to leave her home alone for that long but once I'm home I am all hers!

maxmom · November 2009

We have a dog, and he's home from about 7:30a to 6:30p, M-F. We refuse to leave him alone all day - it's too long for him to not go to the bathroom, and it's probably a really boring/lonely existence. We hired a dog walker who walks him 2 days a week, and takes him (with several other dogs) on 3 hour excursions 3 days a week. It's definitely not cheap (about $400/month), but it's well worth it for our peace of mind. Something else to think about - altho it's great, having a dog changes your options in terms of after work and weekend plans a bit....one of us has to be home after work to walk him, and we have to get kennels etc if we want to take vacation or go away for the weekend.

LucyD1029 · November 2009

I personally would not feel comfortable leaving a dog home alone for 10 hours a day on a regular basis. You should really get a dog walker, especially with a puppy. Labs require a ton of exercise and it's not fair to keep them, or any dog, cooped up for that long.

KBackus12 · November 2009

We have 2 dogs (2 years and 6 months) and about 2 days a week they are home for 10 hours a day. We just give them lots of toys and food and water and they are fine. The FI is a firefighter so even days when he's home he didn't sleep the night before so he just goes to bed and if I let the dogs out in the morning they are fine until he gets up or I get home. The 2 year old one Spartacus is perfectly fine holding it 10 hours. Our little one, Bailey, well she's hasn't completely grasped housetraining yet so sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't. Since we are housetraining Bailey if she goes in the house when we're home she goes in time out (aka the bathroom) for 5 minutes but if we're not home we don't punish her. For the first few months we gated her in the kitchen until she figured out how to jump the gate. When we first got Bailey we tried to stagger our schedule so if FI went in at 7, I didn't go in until 9. Can you try that?

cocoa521 · November 2009

LyssaBella, Keep in mind this is coming from a crazy cat lady

- but have you ever considered adopting 2 cats? My FI and I are away for 8-10 hours every day but we know our girls keep each other company and spend the majority of the day napping! They also have a lot of characteristics associated with dogs - they greet us every day when we come home, they are cuddle bugs, and they love to play! Just a thought!

lnarey · November 2009

I have a pup that is about 17 months old. I try to never leave him more then 4 hours. We are REALLY lucky though- My mom lives near by and doesn't work. She comes over every day (while we are at work) and lets him run around the yard/plays with him for an hour. I personally would have a hard time leaving him for that long.... I also have issues with this because I used to live with a crazy girl that was the worst dog owner on the planet. She would literally leave the dog for 24 hours without going out or food. OBVIOUSLY if I were home, I would take care of him, but we weren't friends so I don't think she assumed I would... she just didn't care. WOW totally off topic.

Pinker26 · November 2009

I have a one year old shih tzu that goes to doggie daycare. My fiance and I both work 10-12 hour days. Doggie daycare comes to our house, picks her up, lets her play with a group of other small dogs for about five hours and then drops her back off. I never thought I would be spending this much money on a dog, but the piece of mind it gives me is totally worth it.

LyssaBella · November 2009

WOW thanks for all this info everyone! Cocoa521 I am EXTREMELY allergic to cats so thats out of the question (however I do like them) I think we are going to wait a little longer, I have alot of the same concerns as do all of you. I dont feel right leaving the dog alone all day as well as I dont feel comfortable giving a stranger keys to my house to walk the dog. I appreciate all of your feedback its has really been helpful as always

Karen's MOH · November 2009

I have to agree with a previous post that an adult dog is the way to go. I got my dog (border collie/corgi mix) when he was about a year old, and shockingly, house trained, even though we were told he wasn't. The first couple of weeks we tried to really limit the time to no more than 6 hours at a time, but now the routine is walk at 8 and walk at 6:30. I do feel a little bad leaving him alone all day, but even when I am home all day, he just sleeps in his bed. They get used to it. That said, some dogs don't. I had a roommate who had a yorkie who 1) couldn't hold it that long, and 2) went crazy because he had so much energy and was in a crate all day. Another benefit of an adult is you can see their personality. It's a lot of work having a dog, but it is so, so worth it to me. (BTW, his 7th birthday was yesterday!)

futuremrstoddo · November 2009

We have a chocolate lab who is 7, and he really needs to go out 3 times a day. There was a time when he could make it through the whole day without having to go out until we get home, but even then we had a dog walker who came a few times a week during the day. they definitely need a lot of exercise. Also, don't forget to budget for extra Swiffers if you get a chocolate...holy shedding!That said, he brings a lot of love to our life. It's great.

jesibel14 · November 2009

We have a golden retreiver-black lab mix who is 14 months old and I couldn't imagine leaving him home 10 hours a day. I know that he could probably hold it if necessary, but I'm sure that he would be very depressed and lonely

we bring him to daycare 3 days a week and I work from home two days a week. Its about 240 a month but like others said, it's a peace of mind knowing he isn't stuck in the house...with the cat who I can't imagine is that entertaining for him

. Plus, he loves it-plays with his buds all day! I think that dog walking is another great way to go. When I was looking I saw some for 12-15 a day. Either way, it sounds like you are waiting for now. When you do get one, I can assure you he'll bring you so much joy it's crazy!

Ainslie325 · November 2009

Our dog (2 1/2 year old black lab) is able to stay at home easily for ten hours without a potty break. That said, I do sometimes feel sorry for her because she's alone as much as she is. She loves it when we get home, though. A puppy couldn't do it, but most adult dogs could. For longer days or overnights, I do have a go-to doggie daycare in the burbs near where I work. Neither FI nor I are able to go home for lunch. Finding a responsible college student to walk the pup might be a possibility, or you could shop around for an establised (licensed, bonded, insured) dog walking agency. More money, but perhaps worth it for the reliability and peace of mind.

2dBride · November 2009

A Chocolate Lab may not be the best dog for the situation you're talking about. Labs in general tend to chew if they are left alone and unable to run for long periods. You may want to consider a smaller and less athletic dog.

jquirke9881 · November 2009

I have a black lab, we rescued him when he was 11 months old. He is home alone from 7:30am-5pm. He has never had an accident in the house but I realize that is not normal (he somehow came from his doggie foster home fully potty trained). I have been interested in doggie daycare for a day or two a week just to give him something to do. But for the 2 years we have had him he has been fine alone all day. I think he sleeps all day because on the weekends he looks annoyed that we are keeping him awake while we are home.

BETHLUISE · November 2009

Hey Lyssa,FI and I have a chocolate lab and he is just 1.5 years old. When he was 8 weeks to 7 months we did have our neighbor come over mid day for about 30 min to take him out and play. Some days he was alone for 10 hours as FI and I are on off schedules but if he has a side job it can be 10 hours easy. He does fine and has since he was little, I would say 5-6months there were a few instances where our neighbor could not come over and he was fine. That being said, all dogs are different. In regards to the pp about a lab not being for you, it all depends on the training that you put into it (IMO). If you are consistent and start right away (8weeks) then hopefully you will be fine with a lab. Our guy can be left home alone in the house all day w/o being bad (prob jinxed myself!!!) HTH and GL!!!

LyssaBella · November 2009

Again everyone thank you so much for all of this information! It is very helpful. If we could find an affordable Doggy Day care in our area we would look into that. Right now the few near us are VERY pricey. So it's something we are going to put on the back burner a little while longer. Thanks again ladies as usual you all give great advice!

tiffspff · November 2009

A little late on this thread... but my DH and I got a puppy about 3 weeks ago. We got a cockapoo, and we're in the process of training right now. DH goes in to work later than I do, and I get home earlier than him, so our puppy doesnt spend as much time in his crate as he would if we had the same schedule. I do feel bad keeping him in, but he likes it for the most part. Young puppies do spend most of their time sleeping. And once he's better trained, I'll probably put up a gate to keep him in the kitchen or something instead of the crate.

NWR: Dogs

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