Dog, work, future potential plans - am I being realistic?

[Homebirdy]

I would LOVE a dog. I’ve been thinking about it for years. I would love the kids to grow up with a family dog. My brother has a dog and a puppy right now and the kids adore them. My brother has always set pretty clear boundaries for the kids on not fussing the dogs too much and when to leave them alone and tbf the kids are great with them. They’re both primary school age.

I work 10 hours a week, roughly 2 hours each afternoon and only in term time. DH works full time. I would love a dog for more companionship at home whilst everyone else is out, and also to get me out in the fresh air more and on more walks (I know it’s entirely possible to go for a walk without a dog.. it just feels lonely 🤣)

We don’t really go abroad, other than maybe a Disney trip once every few years for 4 days or so. We do like to do a UK camping holiday each year (would love to include a dog in our camping trips!)

What I need is someone to tell me if I’m being realistic here:

• I would like a puppy/young dog - as much as I would love to rescue an adult dog, I just don’t trust not having ‘brought up’ that dog in our family home around my children. That’s just my opinion and my own comfort zone type of issue.

• There may come a day when I consider working more hours. I don’t have to, we’re ok financially so that I don’t have to do more than I do now, but I love what I do and you can never go wrong with more income, right? This likely isn’t going to even be considered for 18-34 months. However if this did come about, I’d be out of the house for 6 hours a day term-time. Would a dog walker for 1hr plus drop in visit each day during term time be ok? Obviously before work I would take the dog out on a good walk, leave them with some mentally stimulating toys. The breed I would like is well known for being a lazy bugger that wants to sleep all day if that makes any difference. - or would I be best to set aside my consideration of more hours and stick to my part time position.. forever (essentially?)

I know it’s pretty forward planning, but I just want to know what my future goals look realistically look like with/without a dog, I want to weigh up whether my want for a dog outweighs my future goal to put more hours into my work, if that makes sense.

Honestly OP you work 2 afternoons a week in term time, you have more than enough time to have a dog. Dogs aren’t kids, they can go out with walkers and be left with pet sitters. Just get the dog

I’d get the dog. They bring so much love to everyone. Kids will benefit hugely.

PS you’ll probably want a stretch of time at home to settle them in. So aim to bring puppy home in school hols

You couldn't be better positioned to have a dog. You don't work many hours but are out sometimes which is good as they might develop separation anxiety otherwise.

You'll just need to ensure you have the time to build the puppy up to the 2 hours being left (and later a little more).

Once you go to 6 hours, a dog walker in the middle will be fine.

Most adult dogs can be left up to 4 hours without it being ab issue. Just build up leaving them from a few days into coming home. Start at 30 seconds, then 1 minute, then double it etc.

Thanks all! I feel reassured that it’s the right thing for us, and for the dog now 🥰

Yea the plan would be to get a dog in the 6 weeks holidays, and try to go out for for a little bit each day and build up to leaving them for a couple/few hours at a time, I also read that not being too high pitch/fussy when coming in and being a bit more nonchalant can help them not develop separation anxiety too.

Yes! No dramatic good-byes, no excitable "so happy to see you" nonsense when you get back home. Join puppy classes if you can. I was not very clued up with my first puppy, but luckily she was a lab so very very easily trained. I have been so blessed with my dogs. Although I'm still deeply grieving my last one three months after she died, and won't get another until I feel recovered, I don't regret any of my lovely doggies. Enjoy!

Oh and we'll need lots of puppy photos when the time comes!

I would definitely probably not aim to get a puppy during the school holidays. That’s a long 6 weeks stuck at home probably not being able to play with the puppy much. Puppies tired easily. They are like newborn babies. An hour of training and a short walk and they need to put to bed or they get overexcited and pushed to their limit.

We have a working breed and she needed to pretty much stay separate from our dc unless out on a walk for about the first 2 years. If she was out in the kitchen, she could easily get too excitable as a puppy or young dog, knock them over, mouth them, etc. If out on a walk or training, fine. But in the house, if dc were around and we weren’t actively training, she was put to bed in her crate. It was A LOT managing young children and a young dog. After about 2 years, it was much easier. She is literally the best behaved dog (she’s 5 now). We get compliments whenever we’re out about how good she is. But it definitely wasn’t us and the kids and dogs frolicking through fields like in films. It was a lot of keeping everyone separated, shouting at the kids to leave the dog alone, going on walks while Dh kept the kids entertained.

Don’t estimate how tricky even UK holidays can be. Yes, you can get the dog there (assuming yours doesn’t vomit and shit itself everywhere on long car journeys! 😂 That took a few years of work too). But then you’re limited in what you can do. No soft play on rainy days. No children’s farms. No amusement parks. NT one of us stays outside with the dog. No crazy golf. No museums. Can’t go to most beaches in the summer so summer beach holidays are tricky. We actually take about 50% of our holidays separately. One of us stays home with the dog. Because then we can go do all the stuff we’d otherwise miss out on. I love a European city break, but I go alone and Dh stays home with the dog!

That said, ours is very secure in her own company. We didn’t baby her. She learned to be left by herself from day 1. We can absolutely leave her 6-8 hours if we must, as long as she’s had plenty of exercise in the morning. She literally doesn’t move all day anyway unless we force her out of bed again at midday. One of us is nearly always home because that’s the nature of our life, but we can totally go out for the day occasionally too. I think it’s important to start that from early on.