Tell the truth.. do you leave your dog home alone?

[Be1atrix]

Just that really. As a family we're all desperate for a dog but work full time. We would pay for a dog walker to come in at lunchtime.

In The Doghouse section people who leave their dogs at home get shot down. But surely there's people who work full time who have them? How do they manage?

We leave ours from around 0845 - 1510. She's a small and independent breed which is helpful. When she first came home I was home for 8 weeks to settle her in then gradually started leaving her for periods.

Our routine is about:

5am husband up and takes her out for 45-90 min walk. Then he goes to work. She comes up to bed with me and I spend some time fussing.

0830-45 I leave for work

1510 son gets home takes her for hour or so walk with his friends

I'm home by 1730 ish, husband 1830

She seems content, we have no telltale signs she is lonely or discontent- no chewing of things, bad toileting etc etc.

She has toys, free access to food and free access to our secure garden (dog flap) which helps and plenty of space to roam in. When son gets in he reports she's largely asleep on his bed (not a good guard dog). She has two cats to annoy too.

It is a long time to leave a dog. We aren't that chuffed about it but also we don't have many options. When we took her on we had more support and different working hours than we do now.

Think incredibly carefully about the breed you are getting. We couldn't have a spaniel for instance as they need much more attention and walking than we would ever have the time or energy for. I love spaniels but they are just not practical for us.

I'm more worried now about introducing a baby into the mix!

I've 2 dogs. They are home 8am to 5pm most days on their own.
Outside of this they come Every Where with me and sleep with me. They're spoiled rotten and have the run of the house.
So to any one saying I'm cruel or wrong ... bite me

Yup. Always have. Not in the house though. We have always had kennels with outside access. And always had multiple dogs. It's literally never been an issue.

Outside of this they come Every Where with me and sleep with me. They're spoiled rotten and have the run of the house. There's not really much 'all the time' left after this though is there , they're not spoiled rotten with company or stimulation for most of the time, just not on imo.

Ours are on their own 7:30- 1 and 2ish to 4:30. I have a rota of dog walker / parents / sister who come and do a short walk and keep them company for an hour then DH gets home from work at 4:30.
I wouldn't leave them longer as DDog1 cannot hold her bladder for much longer than that.

This only works now because they're older and have slowed right down. We have a nanny cam to keep an eye on them and they genuinely sleep, drink, wander every hour or so and sleep more.
Our Dog walker herself actually said she felt it was cruel to continue with the walks they used to have (a good hour) as DDog1 in particular was struggling (they are now 15 and 12, were 13 and 10 when we changed their routine).

When they were younger we had them because I worked nights and DH worked days so they were rarely on their own and they were walked twice per day for at least an hour. They're terriers and they needed it - I wouldn't get a new or young dog when working full time without doggy daycare to be honest.

Inthenewsagain .... well yes there is lots of time left actually! There's the full evening. There's the full night sleeping with me. Time in the morning. The full weekend. Days out. Trips away. Visiting country pubs. Camping holidays. Beach trips. Forest walks.

They are 100% spoiled with stimulation and company most of the time. Just not during working hours and they are very happy with that.

That ok for you? Or should I rehome them, or leave my job, .
Back in the real world most of us have to work and our dogs are perfectly fine

And for your info I didn't ask for your opinion of whether it's on or not

Really interesting mix of answers- thank you. We'd be out 730-430. Doggy daycare all day is way too expensive but an hours walk a day is affordable.

We're looking at labs/golden retrievers if that makes a difference.

@Be1atrix as long as there getting a nice wall before you leave at 730 and when you get home including the time with the dog walker i think they will be fine. dogs just want to be loved, fed, walked and cuddled. we are there life.

Doggy daycare is "too expensive." So you're willing to economise and let your dog take the impact of that, and spend eight hours alone each day? Great.

"Is it a uk thing?" I'm also down under. The dog owners I know are conscientious and don't leave their dogs alone all day. Doggy daycare is a thing where I am.

We waited until I was on maternity leave to get a dog so that I could be home all day to help her settle in and train her. I rarely go out for more than 4 or 5 hours at a time but if I do, I make sure she has a long walk before we leave and then I give her a bone (special treat) to keep her busy. I won't be going back to work full time until my youngest is in school, but by then hopefully we will have a cat or another dog so that they can at least keep each other company during the day.

I think if you commit to walking the dog before and after work every day, it's not totally awful for them to just spend the day sleeping. But you will have to make sure they are well trained and have plenty to keep them occupied as a bored dog can wreak havoc in your house or yard.

Really interesting mix of answers- thank you. We'd be out 730-430. Doggy daycare all day is way too expensive but an hours walk a day is affordable.

We're looking at labs/golden retrievers if that makes a difference.

If you're going for an older rescue lab it may be ok assuming you or your dh plan to take some time off to make sure it settles in properly and then to build up time left alone a little to make sure it's not getting stressed and anxious. You may find many shelters wouldn't let you adopt if they know how long you plan to leave the dog alone daily.

If you're getting a puppy, I think you may be underestimating how much time it can take to toilet train and then build up to leaving it alone. My lab was very quick and basically toilet trained herself, she's two and a half and has never pissed or shit inside but that's also been helped by someone being around and watching for the signs to take her outside.

Puppies, esp labs can be very demanding of attention.

An older lab may be able to cope with being alone that long, a puppy? I doubt it. Even if you took a few weeks maybe months off between you and your husband for toilet training and building up time the pup is left alone, I'd be suprised if you don't have problems.

If you can't afford daycare are you going to be able to afford vets bills? Even with insurance, it's not always worth claiming for general illness stuff, If I checked me receipts I've probably pulled out at least a grand on various vets trips, and if you're buying a puppy they're also several hundred pounds if you're going to source an ethical breeder and not a backyard one.

NDN's do this. The damn thing whines and barks for 2 hours solid (timed it!)

Have you thought of getting two so they are company for each other?

I don’t have a dog but most people I know who do have a dog, work full time. I guess some have walkers/relatives come in, but never heard them mention it. I think mumsnet being very upper middle class will probably colour the answers.

Mine is routinely outside from 8ish to 3ish and is a very well adjusted and chilled out animal.

She's a guarding breed so has a 'job' to protect the home while we're not there, maybe that helps.

I'm also in Australia and agree with pp that it's not at all unusual or frowned upon for full time workers to have dogs at home all day. Conversely, it's far less acceptable to have cats roaming than it seems to be in the UK.

Of course most people leave their dogs - I've lived next to two, on separate occasions, who do and they would tell you they're fine because they're not actually howling as the owner walks in the door. But ime they howl and bark for extended periods when left alone and I know because I was on the other side of the wall both times. But hey, they had a doggie, and it was part of the family, and they loved it, so that's all that counts, right?

I think mumsnet being very upper middle class will probably colour the answers.

I'm working class, grew up without a pot to piss in on a council estate.

You don't need to be upper middle class to not leave a dog alone all day..

I don't think it's a class thing either. I don't know what it is but it's a cultural shift though. Going back two generations or even one generation, in my family the country folk had dogs but they were outdoor dogs albeit around people all day because people were around all day. The urban folk wouldn't have dreamed of having one because that's not what you do in that setting because you're off at work.

Now it seems every fucker has a dog, regardless of how dogs operate and what makes them happy, just because it's nice to have a dog. It's crackers. There are more dogs in the UK now than there were 100 years ago, vastly more dogs, despite there being fewer and fewer people who have a lifestyle that is compatible with dog ownership.

Up until fairly recently I worked full time and ddog was left home alone for up to 9hrs. She was perfectly happy. She would have a decent length walk and outside time (I have horses so she mills about up the fields with me for a few hours a day as well). When I'd leave for work or to go out she jumps up onto 'her sofa' and only moves to shift position. She knows the routines and settles quickly. I leave the tv or radio on for her and a light if needs be. I check in on her frequently via a camera and can talk to her if I want to. She is perfectly happy and healthy

We leave our spaniel for 4hrs alone max (as he's very needy!) but leave our schnauzer home for 6hrs plus during working day and someone comes to take him out at lunch.

Doggy daycare all day is way too expensive but an hours walk a day is affordable.

This would worry me. The fact that I work FT means I can afford to outsource all care if needed as well as the usual vet/insurance/training/food expenses etc.

If you get a dog (puppy or rescue) and find it cannot cope being left with just one walk a day you are then stuck.

If I couldn't have easily afforded daycare I wouldn't have got my dog working full time.

Yes I do. It's not ideal I know. We took her in after her owner died. She is small and I fitted a cat flap in the back foot so she can go in and out if the back garden when I'm at work.

We're looking at labs/golden retrievers if that makes a difference.

I'm not sure about Labs as never had one or had contact with any that weren't working dogs but retrievers would struggle with an 8 hour day with no outside time. An hours walk is no where near enough and especially if you're looking at a puppy, be prepared for a chewed up house.

Where I live a dog walker charges around £12 and the doggy daycare is £20 so not that much more for a full day's care.

We do leave her for a few hours (not more than 4) but not for a full day or regularly. She goes to work with dp. We didn't get a dog until we had a plan about how to care for her.

Cats are great pets who don't mind being left alone if they have cat company.