Looking for some sensible advice really. I am yearning for a Golden Retriever puppy ( or two). We have a big garden and reasonable sized house but big problem ....both have full time jobs. We were looking to get in a pet minder for one to two hours a day.
Just wanted some opinions on whether this would be fair on the dog( s) or whether it would be better to get two dogs ( both males) to keep each other company. The dogs would have our undivided attention in the evening and weekends.
Thanks

If you value your home, sanity, and friendship with the neighbours, don't on any account get two puppies at the same time, even if someone was home fulltime. You've heard 'two's company, three's a crowd'? Well, the two of them will be the company, and you'll be the unwanted third who can take a running jump.

I assume you're expecting the pet-sitter to housetrain etc the pups in that hour or two during the day? Because it won't happen by magic. The rest of the time they'll be creating havoc.

Edit: Remember, puppies need as much attention (if they're to become tolerable as soon as possible) as toddlers. Otherwise they run wild and become very much harder to train.

My own personal feelings are that if you are not going to be there with a puppy then you are in big trouble. It may work, in fact I've no doubt you will gets on here from people who have made it work, but I think there have been far more people where it has finished with the poor puppy in rescue. A puppy needs to go spend a penny when it needs to, not when the "Puppy minder" is there. Are you prepared for coming home from work to a house flooded in urine? Without someone around to teach a puppy that there are places to do it and places not to do it house training could easily still be going on in a year's time. It's no use whispering into the puppy's ear that it is not acceptable, dogs are not children and do not understand the language.

I would dearly have loved another puppy three years ago when Lucy died but have postponed it all this time until I'm in a position to do it justice.

Regards, John

Im no authority on the subject but I wouldn't get a dog if both my partner and I worked full time..

By the time you get home from work in all honesty theres usually a hundred and one things to do besdides look after a dog...what happens if you have to work late or are both going out straight after work???

Dogs need care, love and most of all ATTENTION!

I wouldnt take on a puppy and work full time myself. When i had my last puppy i left my job. I then spent 6 months with my new pup, training and socialising them and then at the 6 month point (puppy is 8 months) i went back to work full time. But then i see buying a puppy in the same light as i see having a baby, they need a certain amount of time to bond with you before you clear off to work and leave them to it, be it with a dog sitter or whatever.
I do know people who have managed to train a new pup and continue working full time, only taking 2 weeks off when the pup forst arrived home. But i, personally, wouldnt like to do that to a puppy.
There are ways round it if you insist on buying a puppy and continuing to work, leaving them alone for up to 12 hours a day if you take into account travel, nipping to the shops etc etc.

Its up to you, but, you must take into account the dogs quality of life. Would it be fair? Could you live with your house a chewed up mess through the puppy being bored stiff? Are you prepared for all of the cleaning up since there will be no-one there to take the puppy outside every 20 minutes?

I know which i would choose, but i am not you.
I hope you make the right decision. And good luck if you do get a puppy!

Hi Emma.

Could you not consider taking on a slightly older GR?  I'm not entirely sure if breed rescue may be able to help as not all approve of rehoming dogs to owners who are all in full-time work but they or the Breed Clubs may know of a local breeder who has had a *youngish* dog returned that deserves a second chance.
I only suggest this because as JG and John have already pointed a puppy (and never 2 ) needs vital training - not just house training but socialising with all the normal everyday outdoor sights and sounds, traffic, people, other dogs (indoor household noises too for that matter) and in full-time work that's a very tall order, despite a pet-minder's help.

Regards, Teri :)

ps. just seen Blondiflops post - yes, very true - dogs definitely NEED human company :(  

In your position with someone coming in during the day I would advise going for a less demanding adult rescue.  One that is already used and happy with a patern of working owners (and is up for adoption because of other reasons such as marriage bredkup rather than any issues of behaviour).

Once you are an experienced owner and fidn teh commitment of getting up earlym before work to take the dog out and seeing to it's needs first on returning home (as well as the helper coming in in the day) then you may find that you could add a puppy at a later date.  the pusp would have the other dog for company and as a good example re behaviour (though you would have to expect some damage, longer housetraining and more work).

Friends of mine when they worked full time took the dogs out at 5am every morning all weathers, and if they were working late of the rare occasions they went out then they would get someone in (me or another doggy friend) to dog dit so that the dogs wouldn't spend an evening alone on top of the working day. they still had to accept a lot of damage to the house when the dogs were around 9 months, and just accepted that pups will wreck things when not supervised.

Hiya,
I know that a lot of people won't agree here, but I was in the same position as you a few months ago. I am a PhD student so have reasonably flexible hours but still work 30 hours a week. My partner works full time. We got our lab puppy after much agonising, a month ago and I have to say that so far everything is working fine. The one thing I would say is that we took time off work for the first week to start him off on his house training. Be warned though its VERY hard work becaue we have to get up an hour ealier to make sure he has had a play, food and has settled down a bit, then my partner comes home at dinnertime to do the same and then when you're exhausted and come home from work you have to put in 110% effort to make sure the housetraining continues and you are giving the pup enough play time, training and attention. I also think choice of dog is fairly important, some breeds are more likely to cope with spending time alone than others.

Just bear in mind that ALL your free time is taken up by pup and that it is very very hard work, but I think it is so worth it.

Sarah

When we got our first puppy many years ago we both worked full time and I used to go home every lunchtime to give him some quality playtime/walks.  But in reality there was so much cleaning up to do that there was little time for anything else.  Although I was a lot younger then all I can recall of those first six months was the sheer exhaustion. I would never do it again.

However, having said that, the pup himself grew up to be the most obedient, good natured and loyal dog we ever had.  I just regret not being able to be with him as much as he deserved in those first few years.

I have to say, my partner works full time and i work 2 and half days a week, on the 2 days we are both at work our dog is perfectly happy, we both pop home at lunch time and then a few hours later we are back home again no problems, however when we got Tyler he was 5 months old and 'toilet' trained, i couldn't imagine how it would work with a puppy i suppose you would have to take a significant amount of time of work.

I would also like to point out that you ahve the worst to come yet wity your pup.  Adolescence is usually the hardest and when destruction is most likely.  Growing pups need to sleep far more than a young adult dog, so in some ways they are less trouble, other than the housetraining.

We made the mistake of getting two pups a month apart and believe you me, they were HARD WORK!!!!

I work full time and my partner two mornings a week so he did the majority of the work, he was a nervous wreck and it really caused a strain.

They are now 8 and 9mths and I wouldnt change them for the world i love them too bits but the first few months were a nightmare.

When we took Abby to puppy class there was a woman who had a puppy that went day boarding with our dog trainer that way she spent the day with the trainer and all the rest of the time at home. Im glad I waited to get Abby until I was working part time(2 1/2 hrs) I think I would have had a breakdown by now if not the first month I spent most of my time cleaning up wee and poo. Why not get an older dog and get a dog walker to come in a couple of times a day to take it out.
Good luck
Mary

Callia (10 weeks old) is my full time job As I want her to be as obedient, people/dog friendly, sociable as possible, I consider this my obligation in life and will be for the next 2 yrs at least. ;)

I'm run off my feet trying to give the other 2 the attention and excercise that they need and deserve, especially considering Monsterman has regressed into a 2 month, instead of years, thug again :D

This is definitely my last pup for a very long time :rolleyes:

In your shoes, I would seriously consider an older dog as people on here have said :)

Personal opinion I certainly wouldn't consider have two pups, one's enough for anyone, just done 19 months (19 months today ) so its all fresh, as I said personal opinion.  What I'd say is ask yourself this - If you were a pup or even an older dog, would want to be left alone all day :( they thrive on company, and I appreciate that you have thoughts of getting in a minder, which of course is a help but its just not enough to have happy, well balanced/socialised, well behaved dog (please don't shoot me down) in my opinion.

I have a minimum of 18 months between all my dogs (on average, i often get too carried away and have a litter then have to keep this one coz it sooooo cute etc etc) and that seems to be a nice gap. When i have had them less than a year apart i have had much more stress, more training, more training classes to attend, more mess and so on. It is worth the hassle in the end, but looking like you have mange with all your missing hair doesnt look good at all.

Lol @ thedark :D To use your terminology, I have a severe case of mange at the moment, just hope I don't pass it onto the dogs :P

I only used that coz i cant spell alleopecia.
see lol

"Hair tearing" is the phrase that we are looking for I think :D :D

It really can be a nightmare tho, if people only knew what they were letting themselves in for lol.

If the dogs sometimes knew what they were letting themselves in for, they would choose to go wild, instead of letting human beings near them  :D

Mine have me very well trained, I am quite obedient when I get well "praised" and I know to supply on demand lots of love, food, walks and I am quite used to being used as a puller :P

Getting a puppy maybe a bit much for you and not very fair on the pup if you are both out 10 hours a day, as I said my hours are very flexible so I just make sure that me and my partner aren't out for very long periods of time. But owning a dog should be for the benefit of the dog and the owner, you can't give up work to raise a dog but you should be willing to make sacrifices in order to enjoy having a dog. What I would point out is that thousands and thousands of people in this country have dogs and work full time, not everyone has the luxury of being able to work part time or from home. I know of lots of people who manage owning a dog and work, and the dogs are well balanced, happy and secure. On the other hand I know dogs that live with families who always have someone at home and are totally neglected. I think the point is that most people don't realise how many changes and sacrifices they are going to have to make in order to raise a happy dog and work at the same time.

Sarah

I did actually leave a job in order to own a puppy. Its a case of prioritising for your new family member.

I would dearly love to leave my job and spend more time with all my family members! You're very lucky being able to do so. What dog did you get?

Sarah

We do both work full time but as I teach I always plan my pups around any holidays then OH would take a couple of weeks off after. I am also able to pop home at lunch time ( I work in the village school) and can get home at the end of the school day @ 3.15 to check before returning to school for meetings etc. The longest mine are left for is 4 hours at a stretch. we kept two pups from our last litter and I have them in our kennels through the day as I'm pretty certain they would cause mayhem and destruction if left unattended for even the shortest time in the house ( 2 are very hard work - particulalry as they have hit the teenage stage together !) The other 4 older dogs are fine in the house until I get home - they have access to the dog yard through a dog flap and are resticted to the Utility and conservatory when I am not here. But I do have a very active breed with a low boredom threshold . I have a friend who has Chows and they are completely the opposite - so some breeds may be better suited.

Yvonne

I'm sorry, but as harsh as this may sound it's not fair on pups to be left alone..........personally I won't sell to homes where people work fulltime, I know in an ideal world we would all love to be at home with our pets and it's not possible for some,  an 8 week old pup needs feeding 4 times a day, needs putting out for housetraining every 40 - 60 minutes, a bored pup turns into a destructive dog!  Leaving toys won't help, they need company and attention, something you can't give if you work fulltime.

Sorry just my opinion and I'm sure others will disagree with me, but this is how I feel!

Oh golly what a horribly hard decision you have to make! I cant be of much help,just wanted to let you know that i sympathise with you :)

You so desperately want a dog,i know that feeling well,you want the pup NOW and thats probaly all your thinking about,probaly racking your brains trying to come up with a solution ??

I know wee pups are cute and you can mould them into what you want them to be,most of the time :D As others have said,what about an older pup,say around 5mths? You'll be saving a life,if it's a rescue and hopefully you wont have to worry about the housetraining etc.

A dog walker coming in a few times a day is also a good idea,but how much would this cost? CAn you afford it?

Good luck and keep us posted :)

I would advise the poster against a rescue pup.  That would be probably worse than getting an 8 week old, as the likely reason pup is in need of rescue is that it isn't housetrained, hates being left or has not been trained socialised enough so is destructive, causing nuisance to neighbours etc.  This is the exact siuytaion we are seeking to avoid with the poster.  Such a pup needs extra training time and socialisation to undo the mistakes made by it's previous situation.

I think what most of must meant by older dog was something mature say about 5 YEARS old, and a laid back independant sort at that :D

Do you not have any dog loving friend or relative that could puppy sit all day whilst you are at work? My daughters dog is ageing and is coming to the end of her life so she has been thinking of getting a pup. She has asked if she could drop off her pup at my house in the mornings and she will pick up after work. I had to go years without a dog when I was in her situation untill my retirement as there is no way I would have a puppy when working full time. I will be more than happy to be Granny.

The only thing I would say about getting a rescue dog is that it depends what type of home it has come from in the first place.  If it has had someone who has been at home all day it would obviously not be a good idea. 

A puppy would adapt more easily as this would have been all it has known.  I have sold two pups on seperate occassions to my best friends who both work all daybut they do have someone go in during the day who sits with them and the lady of the house goes home at lunchtime. 

My other friends had to change jobs and they put their dog in a kind of day nursery for dogs.  He is thoroughly spoilt and does get very well socialised with lots of other dogs. A more stable member of society you could not wish to me hard to believe he is related to mine :)

Personally though I wouldnt recomend it and definately not two together.  I am still counting the cost of keeping a brother and sister together.  Everyone said not to but I thought I knew better. NEVER EVER AGAIN!

I don't agree brainless, dogs in rescue are there for all sorts of reasons, owners dying, owners moving abroad, if the poster finds a suitable dog it could work out great for both parties, when we rehomed our dog he had a few problems but once he learnt to trust us his bahaviour came on in leaps and bounds.

I feel some people molly coddle there dogs a little too much, on the 2 days i am work Tyler is left for 3-4 hours at the most and he has never destroyed anything he has plenty of toys and finds ways of amusing himself with them. If a dog was in rescue i am sure it would spend more time on it's own day in day out.

There's a bit of a difference between 4 hours twice a week and 8+ hours five days a week.

If you read my first post and this one more carefully this is exactly what I said, that they shoudl get a rescue where the owners circumsatances have changed, and not one where the dog had issues.  Unfortunately a pup that is being rehomed at  5 months or so is likely to be because it was an impulse buy  probably from a poor breeder who won't take it back, has developed bad habits because it is in an unsuitable situation, as it is unlikely that owners circumstances would ahve changed that quickly (within and owners  months of having it).

Ok fair enough brainless. I do realise 4 hours is slightly different to an 8 hour day and wouldn't dream of recommending to leave a dog this long, if both parties return at lunchtime at seperate times i don't see the problem. I have known many people who do this and have happy well adjusted dogs. Just my opinion.