Toy poodle?

[HotChocolat]

Really want to get a toy poodle. Have done a lot of research and know people who have them. Me and partner both work full time, is this doable with a toy poodle puppy? It would be walked daily when we returned from work. We both come from dog homes so know all the commitments that come with owning a dog but neither of us have owned a toy!

[Idontdowindows]

Dogs really don't like being alone for that long. If you both work full time, it's quite unfair on the dog.

[beepthemeep]

Only if you're willing to pay for doggie day care or a dog walker twice a day, sorry OP. It's why I don't have one

[Sallystyle]

My next dog will be a toy poodle.

I have a toy poodle X something or other right now.

I wouldn't get one if you work full time though. Not unless you can get people to come in? It might not be so bad if it was an adult, but how are you going to toilet train a puppy if you are out all day?

[MollyWantsACracker]

You can’t get a dog if you’re both out of the house all day. The poor thing.

[Booboostwo]

No you cannot get a puppy if you work full time. Toy or not this is still a puppy. All dogs are social animals and need human company but puppies even more so.

If you can afford doggie day care look into rehoming an older dog that would cope with this set up.

[Jaguarana]

Only if it's a cuddly toy poodle not a real live one.

[abigailsnan]

Walking once a day is just not fair on any dog however small,and what about its toilet facilities ? when it is small it will not know to use a tray when you are at work then you will have the mess to clean when you come home hardly ideal is it. A dog will get mega stressed being on its own as they are sociable creatures as you must know if you have had dogs before.
My Lhasa has never been left on her own she even comes in the car with us when we go out.

[sophiasnail]

Definitely not! Toy poodles are extremely intelligent and would be bored rigid on their own all day. (Toy poodle owner/ servant here!)

[VetOnCall]

You can't get any puppy/dog if you're out at work all day. Well, you can but it is morally wrong/cruel. No good breeder will ever sell a puppy to a home where it will be left alone all day and no good rescue will rehome a dog into this situation either, and for good reason.

Putting aside the ethics, logistically speaking, young puppies can pee every 20-30 minutes and poo multiple times a day, you have to be there to house train them. Puppies need to be fed 4 times a day, how can you do that if you're out at work? They need multiple short walks daily (5 minutes per month of age up to 4 times a day) to protect their growing bones and joints and to socialise them, again, how do you do this if you're not there?

A dog walker coming in for an hour isn't enough - perhaps for a much, much older dog that was accustomed to being left, but even then it's not ideal. No dog should be left alone for more than 4 hours at a time. To get a dog or dogs and leave them alone for 8+ hours 5 days a week is cruelty, plain and simple; you'll always get someone saying they did/do it but that doesn't make it right. Dogs are intelligent, sentient, emotional beings and they need human company and both physical and mental stimulation.

[RachelTeeth]

For anyone about to huffily Type ‘what about all the people who work full time and have dogs though?!’ -don’t worry about them, no ‘decent’ breeder (I find breeders morally repugnant, but the less shite ones at least do genetic screening and grill the fuck out of potential buyers on their waiting list) would sell a puppy to people who are going to leave it alone for 6+hours a day. Even if someone calls in to let puppy out to have some semblance of house training, it’s nowhere near enough.

Dogs are highly intelligent social creatures who need to be with their human as much as possible, you’re not their amusement or hobby, you’re their whole life. And being left alone has to be gradually and carefully built up to, a dog with separation anxiety does NOT become fine by being left alone, it takes a lot more than that, and even then, should not be more than a couple of hours at most. What would you bring to a dogs life? Alone all day=deeply unhappy dog, at best.

[RachelTeeth]

Actual toy-fine

Mini breed of a live, sentient, highly emotional and intelligent mammal-nope.

Try BorrowMyDog or volunteer your time at one of the many, many overflowing rescues or pounds at breaking point across the country, all of which are also desperate for fosterers, too.

[Gide]

Dogs are pack animals. You are their pack. Expecting a puppy to cope alone all day, especially an active breed like a poodle, is frankly stupid. Mine is never left for more than 4 hours. You will need a very good dog walker once it’s grown, but I’d advise taking a lot of holiday (I always do the 6 week summer holiday) to settle/toilet train.

Don’t be selfish: your desire for a dog does not trump the dog’s need for company. :(

[GinIsIn]

I can’t believe anyone who comes from a dog owning home could think this was ok.

[MargotLovedTom1]

You obviously don't know the commitments that come with having a dog. Why don't you get a cat instead?

[SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning]

Poodles need lots of company and stimulation.

[OrlandaFuriosa]

No, no dog should be left for more than four hours and in my view that should be occasional. Some people think that it’s ok if there are two of them as they have each other’s company; I’m still not convinced.

Poodles are great and they are highly, highly, intelligent. This would cause it severe stress, quite possibly behavioural difficulties.

That’s quite separate from the puppy issues.

Sorry. No. Not unless you have doggy day care for every working day,

[abitoflight]

It's not only the day though
It's all very well having a walker but what about shopping, going out for dinner or a film in evening as well as being alone most of the day? They just want to be with you

[NoSquirrels]

A poodle is not a great choice if you are intending to be absent for much of the day.

I bloody love poodles - proper thinking dogs, highly intelligent who need stimulation, exercise and brain training. Mini-toy poodles need absolutely everything a larger dog needs but just in a smaller package.

Poodles really like their human pack. I think getting a poodle KNOWING you’ll be absent the majority of the time (despite daycare, dog walkers etc) would be a bad idea.

Sorry

[PickAChew]

Ty poodles can be lovely or they can be extremely nervous. They are particularly sensitive dogs and will nip or at least piss out verywjere if not completely relaxed.

[ilovesooty]

I can't believe you'd seriously believe this would be responsible dog ownership.

[BettyBooJustDoinTheDoo]

Your clearly have no understanding whatsoever of dog ownership if you have to ask the question is it doable if we work all day? Of course it’s not, it’s completely unacceptable and downright cruel to leave a dog all day, particularly a puppy, stop thinking of yourself and your needs and wants.

[NoSquirrels]

It would be walked daily when we returned from work.

And one walk per day (after having waited all day!) is not enough.

[BiteyShark]

Yes you can have a dog or puppy and work full time with some caveats. I work full time with a mix of office and home.

I took just over 1 month off work and stayed at home to settle the puppy in. Then I payed for day care to have him for half a day so he was only left for a couple of hours either side which I had worked up to on my month at home.

Puppies need to pee and poo regularly. You could be lazy and just put a puppy pad down when at work but expect your dog to never understand it needs to pee and poo outside because you have never trained it. What I am saying is how do you expect to toilet train it if you are not around?

Puppies and dogs get bored on their own. When they get bored they look for things to do, like chewing and destroying stuff. If you don't pay for daycare then expect your house to be chewed. Some older dogs can cope with being left with a dog walker coming in but not a puppy who will wake frequently and want to play.

Puppies and dogs need walking and training. When do you plan to do that? It isn't just about the time outside the house as it's all the time you are doing normal house stuff like showering, cooking, getting prepared for work etc. My DH and I work as a tag team in the morning so the dog still gets the attention he needs BEFORE he goes to daycare where he gets 2x1 hour walks plus company.

Dog daycare costs. I pay £20 per day and it's only for half a day. Money well spent for a happy well exercised dog. Can you afford that?

[FluffyWuffy100]

Lol

This sounds like a total wind up.

Anyone that asks questions as stupid as this is either blatantly trolling or has no business being anywhere near a dog.

[Sparrowlegs248]

Don't get a puppy if you both work full time, it's just not fair.