Hi

I have had a enquiry from a very nice sounding couple about a puppy. My problem is they work full time. The wife works near her home so can come home every lunch time.

I havent got back to them yet. But my instincs say to say no to them. I just wanted to check first with others that have sold pups to working couples if it does work.

I am worried about how long the puppy will be left. I havent gone into any details about it with them so I dont know exactly how long in the morning or afternoon but I am assuming they will be working a nine to five job. So the pup would be left for about 4 hours at a time. It is ok saying they will come home during the day but the pup needs someone there all day to help with toilet training and socialisation especailly in the beggining. I also feel sorry for any pup to be left. My pups will be coming from a busy house hold to total silence and I cant help feeling it will be deremental to  it. I appreciate people have to work and there are ways around most things so am I just being over cautious? I think you have probably guessed what I am going to say to them but first would like some opinions in case I am letting my heart rule my head.

Look forward to some thoughts

Wendy

I have never bred a litter, but I am a dog owner who works full-time, altho I do shift work so its slightly different as the dogs are never left too long. I still took 2 weeks off work to settle libby in, when we first got her.
I would explain your concerns to the prospective owners, and see what plans they have to look after a new pup. However there is also a lot to be said for following your instincts.

Libs I am with you on this and I have also bred a litter and all my pups went to good homes one of which was to a woman who worked fulltime. A long story surrounding the circumstances but my gut feeling was and proved to be ok :)

I suppose as we all say follow your instincts but the likes of you and me that are 100% GOOD owners then there is something to consider when looking at prospective homes, look outside the box ;) :)

I'd say trust your instincts. I've sold pups to people who work fulltime, but not both out all day, every day. Shift workers where the shifts don't coincide, people who work from home, people who can take their dogs to work - all fine. But I wouldn't want a pup left for long periods 5 days a week.

Hi lumphy
Your baby deserves better than being left alone all day, albeit with a short visit at lunchtime.  I would tell the people no I'm afraid.  I expect someone will sell them a pup, but it wouldn't be me!

hi as a prospective working dog owner, i decided against getting a dog in particular a puppy as for me, popping home to feed at lunch time is not enough time to spend with a puppy. The puupy cannot be crated for really long periods of time imho, so you run the risk of the puppy hurting itself ect.

most of the breeders i spoke to were not happy at letting full time owners have their dogs.

I'm afraid I would never sell one of my puppies to someone who works all day - whether they come back at lunchtime or not.  Come to that, I'd never let them have an adult dog either.  I know there are people who have a dog, work full time and make arrangements etc, but this is my personal preference.

Debs

Hi

Have to agree with you all.

I get very attached to my pups and want the best for them.

Will wait and see if they get back to me.

I do have a waiting list so it may be there isnt a puppy for them after all

Wendy

My boy's breeder almost said no because we both work all day, but when she heard I was getting another puppy to keep him company and that I would be home every lunchtime, she said ok. When I got my third dog I took a couple of afternoons off work so that she would only be alone (with the other two dogs) for a morning at a time. If they can take some time off so your puppy is only alone for 4 hours a day for the first couple of weeks it might be ok, or if they have another dog already to keep him company?

Another dog is not going to socialise the puppy to everything it might encounter in the outside world....

I work full time and my boys are both very socialised and were house trained within a week.  As long as you take some time off for the first couple of weeks then dedicate all your spare time to your dog it can work :)

Well there's an awful lot of you who would never sell a dog to me then :( :( :( ...unfortunately for those that live on their own and want a house & car - a mortgage is something we need to have so we have to work full time to pay for this.   Everyone's circumstances are different and I would weigh up how much I liked the prospective owner before saying no.   I think it's cruel to be at home all day and all the dog gets is access to it's garden, where's the social interaction in that?

My dogs get 4 walks a day, they get to run through woods, swim, get muddy, meet other dogs etc.

>I think it's cruel to be at home all day and all the dog gets is access to it's garden, where's the social interaction in that?

Very true but I would not sell a puppy to someone who didn't obviously enjoy getting their walking boots on either.

Yes but then I have a breed that the couch potato wouldn't be attracted too anyway!

If only it worked like that :) Unfortunately couch potatoes are attracted to many breeds they should not be considering and equally unfortunately some breeders accomodate them.

I'm not going to off shoot this thread on the pro's & con's of Large Munsterlanders but it isn't a breed which immediately springs to mind as a family pet.  There are only a few breeders & we all tend to know who has pups etc.   You either like them or you think they look like several other breeds amalgamated and aren't attracted to them.    We all tend to start with the negatives of the breed when the potential owners come along and thankfully there are some very good websites out there explaining the breed & it's traits.

No don't :) because I think you are missing my point which was that just because some of us hold a hard line about not letting pups go to full time working homes doesn't mean that we let them go willy nilly to non full time working homes, we are just as picky about them and in my case it is not likely to be the sort of person that would restrict them to the garden.

Agreed but then there are some who have stated on this thread that they won'tsell to those who worked full-time.   They could be missing out on some genuinely great owners because of the stance they are taking.    I really don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this because there are the lazy individuals who are at home all day who don't do anything with their dogs or the dog is confined to a kennel, to those like me who have owned dogs a number of years and look after them fantastically but because of circumstances I have to f/twork if I want to afford a house and car.

>but then there are some who have stated on this thread that they won'tsell to those who worked full-time.

Yes that's me too! :)  Sorry, I should have made that clearer, I thought it was commonly known from previous threads.  I understand what you are saying, I'm sure you are a great dog owner too :) but unfortunately it is also the case that others set out with good intentions to manage it all and unfortunately it proves too much, many dogs end up in rescue this way and it won't do for mine :)  I don't think I want to let them go to full time working homes just because there are a few lazy non working individuals that don't look after their dogs properly, I will just continue to weed them out also. 

So Isabel, if there was someone you knew in your breed who already had successfully raised other dogs but worked fulltime would you change your stand ?

Probably not :)  I appreciate this is just my opinion but even when the owner is very dedicated to giving the dog all their spare time the fact remains they haven't got as many hours to give as I would like for my pups.

Seems it must be sheer luck that of the 3 dogs that I have, two are RCC winners, the other a Sh.Ch. and I bred all 3 (So I must be doing something right in caring & raising them????) but Isabel you probably wouldn't sell me a pup?????  Oh well....................... :rolleyes:

Thank the Gods for personal opinions! :D Without them we'd all end up thinking the same like little zombies! LOL. 
Christine no-one is saying you're not doing right by your dogs - you have chosen to have dogs and work full time - I (along with Isabel it seems) have chosen not to sell puppies to someone who works full time.  Personal choice.
I had an enquiry from someone in my breed years ago for one of my puppies.  This person has bred and owned several champions and awards CCs, etc, etc.  I wouldn't let them have one because they work full time and live on their own.  Simple as that.  They didn't get offended, merely understood that this was my stance :)
Debs

Hi ChristineW
I don't mean to be offensive, but show wins are irrelevant to this discussion, as far as I can see.
There are successful show breeders in my breed who work full time, it can be done, but they wouldn't have a pup from me.

But show dogs need to be kept in good condition or they don't win including muscletone from exercise etc.

I do know that, Christine.  At one point, I had no choice but to work full-time - it was my most successful year in the ring - top winning dog in the breed, etc.  My dogs came first, home every day at lunchtime, a walk after work every day, whatever the weather, never going out in the week, etc, etc.  It can be done, but I would not have sold a dog to someone who worked the hours that I had to.  However, I did not rear a litter or bring a puppy in at that time.

You are taking this far too personal Christine :)  I don't doubt at all that you are an excellent owner who puts their dogs needs first, which I think is probably essential when you work fulltime, but my point is not everybody is like you and I personally know people, with very good intentions that have tried and failed so I just choose not to take that risk.

Hi Isabel :-).  Just how do you 100% prove or know someone isn't working full time??

I don't suppose you can be 100% but you can engage people in general chit chat about what they do with their time that sort of thing.  I think I am a pretty good judge of character and I think you can usually tell if they seem at all ill at ease with the subject.  You can also pick random times of day to call them at home, of course they will be genuinely out sometimes but if they always call you back 5.30ish you would get a bit suspicious :) 

Yip Isabel, That is probably what most do but I think we have to agree this isn't really proof. 

I to always think or used to think I was a good judge of character till I was taken in a few years ago by a really " lovely" woman who wanted to start showing, she even sat next to me for several hours  trying to make up a affix for her soon to be show kennel. Turned out she had an affix for years and a number of dogs.  Still to this day can't get my head around it or such a unnessesary tale telling exercise. She honestly seems such a nice person.

People have phone diverts now etc etc so can fool anyone.

If you call me on one number it will follow me around to my office, home or mobile.

Well I'm sure someone could go to the trouble to fool me but I don't think many people are that bothered they just go elsewhere.  There is also the risk of puppy dealers trying to get hold of your stock and I think they are far more likely to behave in a devious manner.  So what should you do, just abandon your principles because the off chance that someone might fool you?

work full time,& i work had to make sure my dogs "needs" are all met, & our time together is quality time. also i always take holiday when i get a new pup ao i can settle it in.
totally depends on the people

Wendy - I think really you have made up your mind but are feeling a little guilty knowing that in many cases working full time and having a dog does work out. I have sold pups to a couple of homes where there are full time workers, but only when I am 100% sure that the puppy is not actually left all day apart from someone "popping back" for no more than an hour, as I do not think this is fair to a dog, and certainly to have another pup for company is no answer. Go with what you feel is right for the puppy - he is your main priority.

Hi,

I do agree with you, I have just sold one of my litter to a couple who one works part-time and one full-time.  Do they have any children who come home early say at 3pm?, as this is not such a long day if the wife pops in a lunch time and the children come home at 3, the pup will not be left as long. 

But other than that, I think trust your instincts.  Sometimes potential owners do not understand that their working arrangements will not suit a puppy.   A bored puppy is very destructive.  You dont want it to be coming back, as it will have got into a chewing habit and you will be left with the problem.

Wendy - I would say, in this case, it's better that your heart rules your head.  I know it's possible to work and own dogs and a lot of people make real efforts to make things work but there are others who don't fully appreciate the needs of a young puppy. 
I always think that, if you're working full-time, you have to sacrifice a lot of your leisure time (evenings out etc) to make up for when you're not there.  Not everyone is willing to do this, unfortunately.

I am not speaking from the point of a breeder, but as a person who has recently gone through the new puppy housetraining process (my Dobe is 5 months old now).

I am a stay at home mother and so I am available to our puppy all the time, but still at times it was overwhelming to me, the housetraining is a very time consuming process and there is no way to cut corners. Also, if the new owner has to get up twice a night to let the pup out to toilet, they are going to be shattered come morning, and it will affect their work performance, that's something to think about.

I could nap during the day with my puppy, but if I worked full time, I would be a mess.

Now my pup sleeps through the night, but it took some time and of course, I have an energetic breed, so if I left her alone for better part of the day, she would be miserable.

Katie

Not only would the lack of sleep affect the owner's work performance it could also affect their ability to drive to and from work safely. :(

so what about working mothers ?? they have to get up through the night and then go to work the next day :rolleyes:

I've often worried about how they're affected by this. :(

I have friends who have little ones who have to work too, it must be a nightmare.  With my puppies they only woke me up in the night for the first two weeks, with my friends kids its more like the first 2 years - and they wonder why I wanted dogs :rolleyes:

Most people go back to work after the baby is 6 months old and by then they are normally sleeping through the night :)

They definitely get my admiration, it must be incredibly tough!

I am just about to get my first puppy and there will be the odd day a week when both myself and my husband will be out working for a full day, so on these days, i have arranged for a neighbour (who owns a dog) to come round occasianlly during the day to llet her out for the toilet and take her for walks. Is there anyone you could ask?

At least the people have been honest about working full time, they could have lied. 

I think it depends on the provisions these people have made for the puppy.  Obviously you wouldn't want to leave a puppy all day on its own, but in the real world a lot of us have to work but still want to enjoy having a dog.

Until recently I have always had to work full time, some jobs the dogs have come to work with me, sometimes my working circumstances have had to change and they haven't been able to.  A puppy sold to a home today with someone not working, could soon become a puppy in a full time working home if circumstances change. 
 
If they are prepared to take a couple of weeks off work to settle and house train the puppy, they have made arrangements for the puppy to be let out during the day and you feel they really want a dog and will put in the quality time with it when at home, then personally I feel that puppy could have a better life then many that go to homes that have someone around all day.

As long as they take a couple of weeks off to teach their puppy and let him settle in slowly, there's nothing wrong. Everybody works nowadays (at least they do where I live), so if working people couldn't have dogs, than I'm afraid you'll only be able to sell it to retired old grannies or people "between jobs". A friend of mine just had a litter and all 8 went to working homes. If she was strict about that she'd be sharing her home with 10 crazy Labradors right now :rolleyes:...... they all went to lovely, loving homes and she's very happy.

Everybody works nowadays (at least they do where I live), so if working people couldn't have dogs, than I'm afraid you'll only be able to sell it to retired old grannies or people "between jobs".

:rolleyes: Sorry but that's a load of rubbish! In fact I don't think I have one single friend who works full time -but a few who works part time. I've only bred 2 litters but have never even had to contemplate selling to somebody who works full time, never even been approached by somebody like that.

I agree saying 'everybody' is a sweeping generalisation, But in fairness I have to say that my personal experience of my peers/friends/colleagues of the same age,and my younger sister....What with the property prices in the South East and our area of 'Commuters  ville' to London...its extremely rare for my friends to be able to afford living on part time wages and at our time of life 'get onto the property ladder'.Within my range of experience there are only a very small few of us who have the luxury of working from home (thankfully tho' it seems more workplaces are cottoning on to the benefits of this) or have the financial ability to work part time.

I am lucky enough to have found a job where I can work from home for half of the week :)

We couldn't afford for me to not work. Sorry I will re phrase that, we couldn't afford for me to not work if we want to keep up our current lifestyle :) We work hard but we also make sure we play hard and have as much us time as we can with the family and just us together :) The dogs are as happy as larry as they have each other during the day if they are home alone :)

They have a super life and are happy dogs who get lots of excercise, lots of attention and love :)

>retired old grannies

Or people who've taken early retirement ... or those who work from home ... or part-time workers ... or those who can take their dog to work ... or ...

>they all went to lovely, loving homes and she's very happy

How are the dogs?

Or quite simply all those that are married and where one partner only works..........