Leaving a dog at home during the day

[quidamaz]

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.

She's not leaving a puppy. She's getting the puppy now. She may need to move to what she said in her OP in September.

Our dog (9yo springer spaniel) has an outdoor run and kennel - part grass and part concrete - and on the days when she can't go to work with my DH (farmer) she goes in there to keep her out of mischief.

She's used it since she was tiny and she loves it, she sunbathes or watches birds and then she gets a good walk of an evening.

It always takes away the issue of toileting as well as she can go when she needs to.

She's not leaving a puppy. She's getting the puppy now. She may need to move to what she said in her OP in September.

A 7mo is still a puppy!

She's not leaving a puppy. She's getting the puppy now. She may need to move to what she said in her OP in September.

🙄 Because by September it will be find to be left for hours, be totally toilet trained etc. It will still be a puppy as PP stated.

fine

Sorry just going on my personal experience. Mine was trained by 7 months. That's all.

Sorry just going on my personal experience. Mine was trained by 7 months. That's all.

Great. But many are not. And at 7 months they are definitely still puppies and most do not like being left for long periods.

@NathanNathan

Of course a 7 month old dog is still a puppy. My dog was toilet trained in 3 days that didn't stop him being a puppy though!

Your dog was trained just how by 7 months? Toilet trained? Walking on a lead trained? Walking to heel trained? Recall trained? What about meals? As I said, a puppy needs quite a few meals a day.

I don't personally think an adult dog should be left that length of time 5 days a week but no way should a puppy.

Someone said they left their dog in the garden when they went out.

Please, don’t do that. Two doors down, youngish Springer left in the garden from 7.30am to 4 pm on sunny days. Used to howl all day. It was mournful and quite distressing to listen to. Our next door neighbour was too timid to say anything but I couldn’t stand it after a week, it was upsetting. Brought it to the owners’ attention, they had no idea (of course, because they weren’t there!) and had thought their dog was perfectly happy.