can it work!?

Im so desperate for a puppy, but i work 9-5 mon to friday.
im not sure if i could get back during the day, but i could get ex OH to build somekind of doggy playground, to keep dog happy during day.

best wishes Annie

Hi Annie
a doggy palyground would still require supervision ( its just like leaving a baby alone with toys really ) :rolleyes:
Not to be recommended
and besides a playground wouldnt be able to housetrain puppy would it or keep it company :(
Pups do need company and human interaction
Would you have any family/neighbours/pet sitters who could be there during the day - it would need to be a permanent arrangement though and not just last until the novelty wore off

Hi Annie

I have a full time job, and a (now) 11½ months old labrador girl. I have no problems, I just make sure, that when I'm home Luna is always with me! And she is never alone in the weekends. I take her with me everywhere!

When I got her, I took 3 weeks vacation, so I had time to houstrain and "be home alone".

Why don't you join, so we can talk some more.

Jeanette

Leaving a pup or even an adult all day is far from ideal and IMO should not be something you plan to do. It sometimes happens that after acquiring a pup, circumstances change and you have no choice, if this happens then most people manage to get someone to call in for a couple of hours during the day to exercise and play with the dog.

It does sometimes work out OK but to leave a dog for 7 to 8 hours a day is asking for trouble, they may manage as pups but then become destructive, noisy or dirty sometimes all 3, so as you asked I would say do not even think about it unless you can take the dog to work with you for at least half the day.

I wouldnt reccomend it,a pup in itself is a fulltime job ;) Its not fair on the pup if it's left alone for the whole day!!
I wouldnt advise it unless you can find a fulltime baby/dog sitter,a puppy cannot occupy itself for 8 hours per day,nor can it toilet train itself,and dont even think about crating the little mite all day,that equates to neglect/abuse in my book!I would never use a crate anyway,i detest the things,especially when they are used as babysitters,or by lazy peple who couldnt be bothered watching their dogs,so they toss them in a crate!!

christine

christine

you make cages seem like a bad thing!  I have two dogs who sleep in a cage (ok so its a big one with space for another two of them!) And when you tell them "bed time" they go running into their cage and its locked!  While we are at home the cage is normally accessible for them and they have learnt how to pull the cage door open from the outside and are more then hapy to be there when we are home!

Rox

Well I do agree that a pup should not go to a home when there is no one in all day, but not your opinion of people who use cages. Guess if you never do any housework, don't go shopping or do the school run, don't sleep or take a bath them you may manage to keep your eye on the pup 100% of the time, but if you are a normal human being then I guess you need somewhere safe to pop the pup for a short while out of harms way. I know some people bring their pups up on the hope and pray system but I would rather use a cage and I do not consider myself lazy just prudent

I can't see it as right for a puppy,whose owners work full-time,they need company,training,ongoing care and attention,so someone needs to be with them.

Both my husband and I work,myself only part-time 3days,so on the days I work he takes her to work with him.I know not everyone is as lucky as us,in being able to take a dog to work,but I wouldn't have considered a dog if we couldn't do this,in fact I was prepared to give up work to have another dog if that was what it took!

On the more practical side I can't see any breeder letting a puppy go into a home where the owners work! Puppies need socialisation,feeding 4times daily in the early months,toilet training,it really is a full-time job as ozzie says.

Jacqueline.

Oh yes, the four feeds a day!  How can you feed it from work :-(

I'm lucky enough to work from home, and although I am occupied sometimes during the day, and since having the puppy I have been working a lot more, I am still here with her, and if Millie needs something or just wants to play or something, then I stop what i am doing to give her attention, take her for a quick walk, or take her out to the toilet etc. She seems happy enough to sleep by the side of me for most of the day while I work, or play on the floor nearby.  Some days I may only work for half an hour a day, some days it might be six hours, and even though I am at home I still feel incredibly guilty, but the dog just sleeps, she's just happy knowing I am here with her and that if she wants/needs something I will deal with it.  But I couldn't contemplate leaving her all day.  I feel guilty if I go to the shops for an hour.  As it is, I virtually don't go out unless she is with me/us.  I probably go into town about once a month, and tomorrow I have to go to the dentists and that's about it - I now have to refuse all invitations because I can't leave her for more than an hour in her cage (if she would learn to use the catflap, I could leave her in the kitchen and I might have a little more free time but c'est la vie!)

I know how you want to have a puppy even though you work - I've been there.  We've had our house four years nearly, and the one thing we both wanted when we bought it was our own dog.  But we both worked and it just wasn't possible, even though it broke my heart when other people talked about getting dogs when I couldn't have one because of work.   By fluke last June, I left my job and found this job working from home, and only then could I even contemplate having a dog,  And even once I had this job, I still waited six months to find the right dog, and to make sure I was going to stick at this job and be here for her and could afford her etc etc.

Please don't get the dog without arranging something for the dog to have company during the day.  My sister's dog, due to a change in circumstances, is now on his own from 8am-4pm and although he is fine, he just sleeps all day, he is an older dog that just wants to sleep all day anyway.  And consequently, my sister spends every other minute with him, she doesn't go anywhere at weekends or evenings ever, because of the guilt of leaving him during the week.  A puppy, full of energy, is a different story, and like me you probably had no idea that puppies have to be fed four times a day.  I felt like I was cracking up in the first few weeks, feeding every four hours, toileting every hour, playtime, training time, socialisation time, I thought having a dog would be easier than having kids but trust me its nothing like I thought it would be.

And don't think getting an older dog would be the perfect solution, an older dog is going to have 'issues' if its being rehomed with you and the abandonment feeling is already there before you start leaving it alone all day long!

I'm new to dog ownership unlike some of the people who have already replied, but already I feel I am qualified to talk on this subject!

Well I work full time and it can work, but it does require a huge amount of dedication .

I have a dog walker who visits every day and the dogs are walked every morning and evening in addition to this.  I will not go out in the week after work and leave the dogs and they have my attention every evening.  They also go everwhere with me at the weekend, and to dog training once a week!

At the start I took holiday and the dog walker visited twice a day, which was expensive!

It is a massive commitment and you should seriously consider whether you are willing to give the necessary attention to the dog before and after work.

A lot of people on here do need to get real.  People do work full time and as long as the dog is well stimulated etc.. it can work.  My dogs are well socialised and have a full and active life.  You cannot live with a dog 24/7 and treat it as a baby!  These people that will never leave their dog and think it needs constant attention concern me!  After a good run/play in the morning my dogs sleep until the dog walker visits!

Tim
no one has said you have to be there 24/7 ( I certainly didnt).
But I do think a young pup needs someone there and thats why I suggested someone who could call in on pup during the day. You obviously do too as you made arrangments for someone else to be there when you couldnt be :)

To the original poster -
you say you work 9-5 ? dont forget to add travelling time onto this for the full amount of time you would be away from pup

I agree, and I did make arrangements and it is a bloody tie at times!

I know people just want the best for dogs but I strongly feel that it can work if the level of commitment is there.

It's just people tend to think the worst and put people off.

So , to summarise, go for it if you are prepared for your life outside of work to revolve around dogs!!!

I think everyone would agree its quality time and not purely quantitiy of time :)

some people do stay home all dog and the dog is outside on his own
some people work and their dogs still have plenty of exercise and love :)

Yeah but to be fair Tim, Annie has no plans to have a dog walker in or anybody visiting, she just wants to get a puppy and build it a playground for entertainment.  I know full well I am too tied down by my dog at the moment, but only until she finally figures out the catflap, and my post asked her not to get a puppy until she had someone to come in for company.  I think you'll find that the people (inc me) who were being negative were being so because she had no plans for someone to visit, but literally leave the new puppy on its own for at least eight hours a day, and you can't ignore the fact the dog needs feeding and toileting!