Where I worked got bought by another betting shop firm and this meant we had to change our contracts I had been offered the position of shop manager in the past but had not taken it as my dogs have always been my first priority.  My working hours use to be one long day in the week and a long day on Saturday and I was happy to work six days to get my hours in as this would mean I didn't start till lunch so the time my dogs were alone was minimal.  Now my new contract means I work only five days but I have to leave the house by nine and get back around seven my OH can get home by five but even if I have my 2 days off in the week and my OH is off at the weekend that is 3 days not 1 my dogs spend 8 hours without me and it really depresses me.  In the summer when night racing comes i would happily do my hours later in the day closing the shop at ten o'clock if I can have the mornings with my dogs but I was wondering how long other people leave there dogs for and any tips on how to keep the dogs happy.  My OH and I are hopping to buy a house closer to where I work which will mean I won't have to leave home till after half nine in the mornings and I can come home for an hour at lunch time to check on and cuddle my dogs so hopefully we can make the situation better.

My dog is left for 6 hours when school is on but he does have a dog flap and can get into the garden.  I give him a good run over the woods before I go to work - I did leave him bones, kongs etc but he just buries them all never to be found again so I have given up on that.  I now just put the radio on and give him his chicken wings and off I go.  I also had somebody to come in half way through the day first of all but he didnt want to know was quite happy to chill out - I think I'm quite lucky.  He is good for me like this just doesnt like visitors coming in....  they cant be perfect can they.  having said that my breed quidelines do say 60-80 minutes exercise per day including free running int he garden.

Maxine

No longer than 3 hours and then if they are likely to be alone longer then I have a dog walker come in.
It may pay you to advertise in your local shop for one.  I did and got loads of replies and chose a lovely lady who gives them a walk and then spends time playing with them.  She only charges me £5

I have considered a dog walker but Cindyloo is not good with people she can be a little nervouse and is not to fond of going for walks long term my plan is to get my own shop by where my Mother lives then Cindy can go there on the days Milo is going out with the dog walker I have already spoken to who walks the dogs on her own land so they can't go anywhere near main roads plus Milo will be able to mix with other dogs so he will be in his element but that would be to much for Cindy

I think 8 hours is too long and I think you will have to have someone come in.  If Cindyloos nature is to be nervous you will obviously need to look for someone experienced and introduce them carefully. I really think you will end up having to do it so best not to let it happen in a rush at crisis point but rather planned out.

One of mine has a medical condition that means he must be taken out to wee after no more than 3 hours during the day.

As a general rule no dog should be left unattended for longer than you can last without needing to go to the loo. If you can last 8 hours without a wee then your dog might. If not, then no.

mine are left for 5 and half to 6 hours a day depending on if i finish work on time. On a monday, thursday and friday though, my friend comes over in the morning and takes them over to her house for a good hour, so really its only tuesday and wednesday they're left this long. As far as i know, they just sleep! I don't like to leave them any longer, but luckily i have my friend next door, so if i run late, she'll come over and either open the back door to they can get outside, or will take them to hers / bring her dog over to ours. I wouldn't have a dog walker, but only because my two are complete opposites to walk. One can be a bit unpredictable with other dogs whereas the other's as good as gold, one barks at just about anything out of the ordinary or strange people-the other one's fine, one hates bikes, one doesn't...... I think they are a great idea if you can find one you trust, and that your dog trusts, though.

I don't leave mine for any longer than three hours.  I won't sell a puppy to anyone who's away from home for more than three hours a day either. Dog walkers/minders are fine for adult dogs but when you have a puppy to train the owner needs to be there in person IMO.  I know I'm probably going to upset some people when I say this, but sometimes it's better not to have a dog at all if peoples' lifestyles don't suit it. 

Debs

Sort  of agree with you Debs but as this situation will only last till the end of March I feel it would be a bit of a knee jerk reaction to rehome my dogs and as they both have problems it is possible that they would not last in homes they are rehomed to Milos vocalisation makes us his fourth home already and I do think that is definatley to many plus I love them which is selfish I know but the best incentive I know to find a way to make this work.
On a happier note I spoke to my Mum this morning and she said if I am prepared to move closer to work she will try and move closer to me which will mean the dogs will have frequent visits from Nanny and her looney west highland terrier

Firstly I commend you for acknowledging the need to sort something out to try and minimise the time your dogs are left. I am in the fortunate position of having someone at home all day but I know from previous experience that it isn't easy balancing work hours with dog ownership.
Personally I wouldn't base the time I left my dogs solely on how long they can last without needing a wee.  Most dogs love human company and just don't like being apart from their owners for long periods :)

As it is not going to be a permanent situation I personally would view it as being the same sort of situation as if you had to put them into boarding kennels for a longish stay - they would not get huge amounts of interaction with humans there either. I agree that rehoming would be rather drastic action for your situation.

If it was a permanent situation then that would be a different story and I would then look at finding someone who could come in and see them each day so they are not alone for hours on end. It is surprising how what may seem an insurmountable problem can often be worked out to everyone's satisfaction when push becomes shove. :)

Even in the short term a dog could get very stressed alone for so long.  I think they actually get quite a lot of regular interaction with humans in kennels with the contant round of cleaning, exercising, feeding, incomers, outgoers etc so I am not sure it is comparable with an empty house.

I agree with Harley on this, it is a short term problem that I'm sure can be worked out.
I can understand the similarity to putting them in a boarding kennel, but I'm sure most dogs would prefer to be in their own home with familiar smells and surroundings :)

Might be worth having a look at your vets noticeboard to see if there is anyone advertising 'dog walking or sitting' on there!

If i go down the dog walker road is there any certificates or licenses I should try and see? the one i like was recomended by a friend is word of mouth the best way to find a dog walker?

Yes, I would say that word of mouth is definitely the best recommendation. One of my friends is a dog walker - she's got nothing on paper to prove her credentials but her clients know they wouldn't find anyone better, anywhere :)

My daughter runs her own dog walking/ sitting business. She has been police checked and has insurance. She never walks more than 2 dogs at a time and they are usually from the same family. She always likes to meet the dog and its owner before agreeing to anything just to see if they all get on etc.
Just thought I would give you a few pointers if you do decide to employ someone. Good luck!

Longer than I like, but that's just because I miss her so much when I'm away from her - for however long.

Both my husband and I work full time hours but not 9-5. My husband has a lieu day in the week (works a day at the weekend) so 3 days a week she has us all day, and for the remainder of the week my husband works staggered shifts to my own - i.e. she's on her own in the afternoon etc. My work hours are very flexible and I can log on and work from home when I want really. We're also very lucky in that we live a quick 15 minute bike ride away, so if 's any longer than 4-5 hours we can get home to take her out and get some fur-fuss.

Since we've got her I've been scheming how I can have a job that would allow me to stay at home with her but this isn't financially possible just now. Maybe a few years down the line where I can look into a change of career.

Until then, it's our responsibility to make sure that she's mentally and physically tired, fullfilled and happy when we leave her and we -without fail - leave her with indestructable activity toys and hide things for her to find, give her things to shred, leave the radio on etc.

She doesn't bark when we leave, or when we're out (asked neighbours for feedback and when we pop out for 10 minutes there's always silence) and 9/10 times we wake her up when we come in. We've never ever had a problem with chewing.

My last cav sounds like your dog he was happier being left at home when we were at work than being taken to my Mums for the day as my Mums westie was quite full on and Charlie could only do an hour with her before he wanted a break but Milo is very vocal at the moment we have a wonderful nieghbour who lies to me and says she has never heard him bark but I have been in her house and I can hear him.  My longterm plan is that my Husband and I are trying for a baby so when this happens after I go back to work my Mum wants to look after her grandchild so that is why she is trying to move closer to us so she has agreed to look after the baby in our house so all its things are at hand the other option would be to quit work and go into childcare as a friend has done then I will be at home all day with baby and dogs.

I leave Molly from 6.30am until 2pm. Molly does have access to the garden all day & can go to her bed in the untility room. I think she has a great time during the day, her digging pit has always been well used, she has a tree trunk thats getting smaller by the day & the wooden bench in the garden now has one arm! I think she has a better time alone than with me! When I'm home she just lays on the sofa & sleeps!

Cindyloosmum...is it possible to install a dog flap? I know everyone hasn't a door that accomadates dog flaps.

That's fine having a dog flap, but my question would be 'is your dog barking all day in the garden & annoying any neighbours'? I know it's not, but I have a dog 2 doors away called Molly (springer spaniel) who barks her head off all day. Various neighbours have complained, it really drives me mad. Her owners tell her off if they are in, but STILL leave her in the garden to bark all day. I sat in my conservatory & actually counted 60 barks in 1 minute. Please you dog owners with dog flaps, give your neighbours a bit of consideration!

No, my dog does not bark all day annoying the neighbours, because I ask them on many occassions. My adjoining neighbour, says Molly has a couple of woofs when the dustmen comes, that's once a week. My neighbour says  Molly amuses herself during the day & my neighbour chats to her over the fence when she, herself is in the garden.  My dog didn't start barking until she was a year old & is not a very vocal dog, not even when the door bell goes.
If I knew for one minuet that Molly was annoying the neighbours I would not allow her the freedom she has at the moment.

what if someone comes into garden? i wouldnt want risking my dog getting stolen, also- with the chewing- i couldnt let flo out all day to come and go, what if she chewed something and choked? i dunno- too much freedom i think..

my dog is left 9 to 4, gets a walk at 7.45/8am ish, with oh popping in at lunch, she sleeps and plays with the toys, when i get home she has a good walk at 5.30 ish, then comes home to play/train and chill the rest of day.

all i can say is- she is healthy, happy and content, end of story.

Too much freedom...too little freedom..what are we supposed to do? My garden has high fences, a high brick wall at the end & a high locked gate at the side of the house. The garden is fully paved, with a digging pit for Molly. There is nothing to choke on in the garden & the wood that she nibbles on is not eaten but spat out, I have seen her at work on her tree trunk . Her bed is well slept in during the day because her bedding is always well 'nested' by the time I get home & her dinner eaten. If I felt that Molly was in any kind of danger I would no allow her to be alone like this. Molly is the best thing I have in my life & I would never compromise her health & safety.

i wasnt saying you are knowingly risking her health- course you love her!

just i heard dog thefts are up 75%, more staffies than any other breed but still its worrying.., i suppose i may be over cautious- but i once had a dog that my mum owned that chewed a stick and it got lodged in the back of its jaw- the fact you say she chews just reminded me of that..x

Just a point being a dog owner with a dog flap - I have asked my neighbours and they have no complaints.  We do however live on a very busy main road so the noise of lorries, buses and sirens are constant so maybe his occasional barks pale in comparision :)

My 2 dogs are left 6-7 hours a day with no problems. They have the run of the house and rarely make an accident - infact I think they are happy when I return to work after a week's leave!

I walk them for around 1 hour before I go to work which tires them out. When they were pups, I used to come home at lunch time to let them out but most of the time I just disturbed them from sleep, and by 6 months I decided to leave it all day - after all, they manage overnight from 10.30 - 7.00 (I need my sleep!), and in the mornings I have to force them out of bed:rolleyes:

Glad to hear I am not the only person who has to kick the dogs out of bed in the morning.  Milo unfortunatley is very vocal so can't have free access to the garden and I think due to Cindys not so great start she hates being in the garden without me watching over her by the door.  Nothing seems simple in my house I would love to give them free run of the garden.
To be honest part of me expected to be told in no uncertain terms that I should rehome both dogs but everybody has been great so maybe it can work out I really don't know if I could rehome Milo as it would break my heart to think he was just going from home to home because of his vocalisation but even if I could find him a family that didn't mind his noise other peoples neighbours may not be as accepting as ours we cannot go out in the evenings because of his noise but that is ok as I am an antisocial person at the best of times and if I go to my Mums he comes too.:rolleyes:

Poj is left along four days a week for about 5 hours at a time - someone comes and walks her at lunchtime and then I come home four hours later.  She is fine with this and my neighbour who walks her says she's asleep every time she comes round to get her.  On the very rare occasion that my neighbour can't come round Poj is left from 8am until 4pm.  It's a very long time and I feel bad about it, but she seems fine.  I make sure she has a long walk in the morning and one again as soon as I get home.  She's never had an accident in the house.

errr Henry is left for one hour every Thursday morning whilst we do the shopping at Tesco!

Other than that...err no hours! :-D

Em

mine are never left alone,
but when we first got them and i was working they were left for 8 hours but as i worked at the end of our road i was able to come home at lunch and tea breaks

My Girls are left alone for about 3/4 hours at most, on the days I work or if I have to go out somewhere. They cope fine and according to my friend next door who can just see over the fence into the conservatory they sleep most of the time, they have the run of the house and are very good.. not chewers or messy. On the odd occasion whene I have to be out longer either OH comes home a couple of times during the day or my friend comes in to sit. I find they don't need walking but love a bit of human company and her sitting with them is all that is required. If you are worried about someone taking them walking is it possible to get someone to come in for a couple of hours a day just to let them into the garden and just be Company for a while?
I think the fact that there are three of them is company enough for short spells, they have never got stressed about being left and we take them out lots of times with us, They seem to know if we a re taking them before we even go and get excited then but if they know we are leaving them they just sit by the goodie cupboard and wait for thier treats??

Ours don't get left much these days as OH is home full-time. They used to be left for a few hours a day, several days a week while I was at work without any problem. This wasn't 52 weeks a year as one or other of my two children would be home a lot during school/uni holidays. IMHO (for adult dogs) there is no problem leaving dogs during a normal working day as long as they have had a good run before work, lunchtime and after work. I would not leave mine on a regular basis and for longer than about 4 hours at a time, unless I could do this :)

Daisy