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Original poster

Leaving a dog at home during the day

134 replies

quidamaz · 25/04/2020 16:55

Hi MNers.

Do any of you leave your dog at home during the day while you're at work? How do you make it work? Does your pup cope ok?

We've just got a new puppy (much loved, much wanted, but bad timing) but from September when I'm back at work he'll be alone from 730-430 every day with a dog walker at lunchtimes.

(PLEASE don't jump on me and tell me a hundred times why I shouldn't do this. I KNOW people do this! There's no way people don't leave their dogs surely? We had originally budgeted for doggy daycare but at £25 a day we can no longer afford it now DH has lost the business thanks to Corona. It's going to take us at least 18 months to get back on our feet financially at the very least.)

Thanks for any advice.

OP posts:
copycopypaste · 28/04/2020 14:47

If ever I have to leave mine, I leave him in the back garden, he also has access to the garage where his bed, food and water is there for him. We secured the garden so we could do this with him rather than leaving him cooped up in the house.

StoppinBy · 28/04/2020 14:59

We always had dogs and my parents worked full time, same with my friends and the same as I did once I was an adult. All our dogs were fine. The pup we have at the moment is a bit more high demand/energy so we have bought her toys like the hollee roller, kongs etc and she regularly gets dry dog biscuits to fish out of her hollee roller along with pigs ears and trotters. We are home all the time but she still spends a lot of time outside as in the future she will need to be able to cope with that. We also regularly separate our two dogs and take them on separate walks etc as our older dog is 12 so we know he won't be around for ever and we don't plan on getting another dog when he does go. I firmly believe that when it comes to dogs you should start as you intend to go so if you will be going back to full time work then don't teach them to expect to be indoors all day or they will struggle when you return to work. By the way all our dogs have been housetrained as is our 5mnth old pup, you do not need to be home all day to achieve that. All our dogs sleep inside, puppies in crates and housetrained dogs have a bed in the lounge. We are in Aus so if you are England I guess it is colder but I am sure there are lots of people who have dogs and work. A good idea is to train your pup to wear a dog jacket too, start under supervision on walls so they are distracted and don't immediately chew it.

Sammy867 · 28/04/2020 15:00

It also depends on schedules.
My schedule is fixed 10-5 monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (term time only) but my husband is shift work. He is on a 16 week rota. Of those 16 weeks there’s around 4 days where he is on 7-5 and I am on 10-5 so the dog is left 9-5 with a walk at lunch. She copes fine and we are happy doing this as it’s not all the time. Usually he’s nights (so in anyway) or back shift which is 2-midnight so she’s only alone around 3 hours some days and all school holidays I’m off anyway.

If it was 9-5 everyday I think this would be really unfair on the dog. We also have a cat and we have a doggy cam for when we are out and she is usually just in her bed with the cat, but I know she doesn’t like being alone. Occasionally my mum or dad will come and take her on those days and drop her back after work and sometimes my in-laws have her instead.

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Dogs
StoppinBy · 28/04/2020 15:00

On walks sorry, not walls...

gatsbylove · 28/04/2020 15:01

A good idea is to train your pup to wear a dog jacket too

Why please? Genuine question.

StoppinBy · 28/04/2020 15:11

@gatsbylove, because when it's cold out you can give them a few extra insulating layers to wear. If you start as a puppy with short periods of wearing one while they are distracted they are less likely to shred it to pieces on you when it would benefit them to wear one. All our dogs except the few who wouldn't wear one have had lovely thick waterproof dog jackets to wear on cold days.

comatosemuvva · 28/04/2020 15:15

My dog is at home 8 till 3 4 days a week, and she genuinely doesn't even notice we're not here 🤣 she lays and sunbathes on the bed most of the day! We make sure we spend lots of time with her when we are home, and to be honest, the days where I'm not at work she takes herself off upstairs to sleep anyway so I barely see her during the day even if I am here!

lynsey91 · 28/04/2020 15:22

I did read the OP and yes I understand their situation has changed. It's sad but mainly sad for the poor dog.

They should really give the puppy back to the breeder but if they are determined not to do that then they have to find a way that the dog is not left all day 5 days a week.

I have asked if there are any friends, relatives, neighbours that would be happy to help but the OP didn't really answer. I also suggested "borrowmydoggy" as I know that works for a lot of people.

We got a dog when I was home all day but our circumstances changed and I had to get a part time job. I was only out of the house for 5 hours but we had a dog walker come for an hour and a half 3 days a week and walk him and play indoors with him. I was earning £7 an hour and we were paying the dog walker £12 an hour!

The other 2 days either one of our nieces would walk him/play with him or a neighbour would pop in and play with him and keep him company.

I have 2 dogs now (I don't work) and they are coming up for 7 and 8 and they don't sleep for hours on end. They sleep for around 8 hours over night but during the day they don't sleep that much. They get walked normally for around 3 hours a day (usually 2 walks sometimes 3) and I play with them a lot.

At the moment they are not being walked as me and DH are not going out unless we have to and they are bored and sleeping more so, as I thought, dogs sleep out of boredom

gatsbylove · 28/04/2020 15:24

Ah, I see @StoppinBy

I've only ever had hairy dogs whose problem has been getting too warm, not too cold. It's never been something I've had to think about Grin

Medievalist · 28/04/2020 15:28

(PLEASE don't jump on me and tell me a hundred times why I shouldn't do this. I KNOW people do this

The fact that lots of people do something does not make it okay FGS. AngryAngryAngry

Stompythedinosaur · 28/04/2020 15:39

The fact that a lot of people leave their dogs at home alone every day doesn't mean it is a good idea or that it doesn't distress the dog.

StoppinBy · 29/04/2020 00:01

@gatsbylove lol, whippets and short coat working breeds here who love their jackets and often do the happy dance when they see them lol.

SnowsInWater · 29/04/2020 00:30

Can you get another dog to keep him company? Our first was 2 1/2 when family patterns changed and she would have been alone for up to eight hours 1-3 times a week. She hated dog parks which was the only dog walker option so that wasn't going to work. With a dog flap she had access to a huge garden and all of the house but I didn't want her to be lonely. It worked really well - we did have a few months though to make sure they actually got on with each other before it happened and luckily neither dog was a barker.

Loveablers · 29/04/2020 00:41

I’m not sorry but I think you’re utterly selfish and don’t deserve a dog

Just because you wanted one, doesn’t mean you should’ve gotten one! You can’t offer it a decent lifestyle. End of.

I don’t know ANYBODY that leaves their dog for that long on a regular bases. Genuinely, I don’t. If I did I’d tell them what I thought.

Dogs are social animals. How would you feel being on your own just laying on your bed all day every day? No phone, no book, just dozing and looking at the ceiling?
You probably won’t care about any of these replies. You’ll probably continue with your plan on leaving the puppy and I think you’re really cruel. Your dog only gets 1 life and you want to leave it all by itself for 75% of it?

Poor, poor dog

whynotchange · 29/04/2020 00:55

I'm surprised the breeder let you take the pup? The first question you have to answer is about leaving them all day, so what did you answer?

What's the actual point of owning a dog if you only see the poor thing at the end of a lead once a day?

Sorry I know you've had a mixed bag of answers but it's no way for a dog to live. So sad.

Easilyanxious · 29/04/2020 01:16

All react differently , ours was fine being left from about 8:30 until 3 ish when kids came home sometimes late
if after school clubs etc
But we built it up gradually with him from a young pup leaving him for short periods and building up
He has run of house whilst we are out and is always fine doesn't bark or cry ( checked with neighbours )
Having dog walker come in is great idea and we were just about to employ one before all this couple time's a week to help break up his days

Easilyanxious · 29/04/2020 01:32

My dog does sleep
A lot in the day even now we are all
Home he's sleeping and takes himself off if too much noise of tv etc , really feels like we are invading his quiet time .

Easilyanxious · 29/04/2020 01:34

We are still walking him everyday during lockdown as it's allowed and unless we were ill or shielding I don't think it would be fair not to take him
Out , we just go at quieter times so he can be let off lead

dogcrazy · 29/04/2020 01:45

I’d honestly rehome my dogs before I left them for 45 hours a week. Give the puppy back to the breeder.

Fishfingersandwichplease · 29/04/2020 08:53

Not RTFT so apologies if this has already been suggested. What about going on walkmydoggy.com - they pair people up with people who don't want the commitment of a dog but just enjoy walking them for people who can't? My friend signed up to this when his wife died and a lady round the corner took his dog out regularly.

lynsey91 · 29/04/2020 09:37

What a surprise that OP has not been back. One selfish person

Elieza · 29/04/2020 09:58

The OP only cares about herself and her/her kids happiness. That’s why she’s bolted as she doesn’t want to hear anything but views similar to her own.

She doesn’t care about the dog. It’s just a possession. It’s feelings are not important.
It can sit in the house all fucking day alone waiting for the three hours of an evening it gets to see the family.

Yeah it’s sad her man lost his job but where is he that he’s not home and can’t take over doggy day care while he searches for another job?
Very weird. Perhaps the OP hasn’t got a very good relationship and theyve actually split up and she’s bought the dog as she’s sad to cheer her and her children up. ‘As you do’.

Doesn’t matter how sad it is for 18 hours a day they are either asleep or out and it’s in a room alone.....

NathanNathan · 29/04/2020 10:16

Absolutely baffled by some people's views on these threads. You'd think you were suggesting leaving a child weighted down in the middle of a busy road.

OP - your plan sounds perfectly reasonable. You sound like and intelligent thoughtful human, I'm sure you'll deal with any of the nightmare scenarios people are dreaming up well if they happen for some reason.

mencken · 29/04/2020 11:14

after being on the receiving end of two bastard dog owners (one attack, one nuisance) I give zero fucks about dogs. But I do care about the OP's neighbours if they are in earshot.

classic case of 'didn't get the answer I wanted. Waah!'

lynsey91 · 29/04/2020 14:31

@NathanNathan NO the OP's plan DOES NOT sound perfectly reasonable. Well at least to anyone who truly is concerned about a dog's welfare.

No one with any sense or who is concerned about their pet would think leaving a young puppy alone for NINE hours with just a walk half way through is in any way okay.

As I asked, but of course OP did not answer, what is going to happen about training the puppy. What is going to happen about feeding the puppy. Puppies need feeding 4 or 5 times a day possibly more. How can that happen when it's alone?

Also a puppy should not be walked for an hour and a half but, again, no answer from the OP on that.

I also asked how she intended to make sure the dog didn't destroy things unless, of course, it was going to be crated all those hours which surely even you don't think is reasonable? Again no answer.

You're baffled by some of the answers on here. I am more baffled that you and a few others think it is okay to treat a living, feeling animal in this way

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