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AIBU?

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Original poster

Is it possible to get a dog when everyone works full time?

166 replies

DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 08/03/2020 14:36

We would get a dog walker, but is it possible especially in the first few weeks when the puppy or rescue dog settles in.

How do people do it?

Or do people tend not to unless they do short days etc?

OP posts:
Beautiful3 · 08/03/2020 15:19

You cant leave a puppy alone all day. They need alot of attention. It took 6 months to toilet train my puppy! He used to wee and poo anywhere in the house. He was waking up 2-3 times a night, which made me tired in the day. I personally doubt think anyone should get a dog unless someones at home or you're working from home/part time. Its unfair on the dog otherwise

3teens2cats · 08/03/2020 15:30

Everyone out of the house all day every day is a no really. We both work and have 2 teenagers still living at home. We are a team and work together to make sure our dog is never left for too long. We do this with a combination of me working only mornings some days and dh working from home other days and most afternoons. 17 yr old has one day a week where he has a run of free periods so will come home for a few hours. We also have a fantastic dog walker who is utterly adored by our dog. She takes him for a couple of hours in the middle of the day once or twice a week too. We have to be organised and everyone makes the commitment to do their bit. He is our second dog. I was sahm with little ones when we got her so life was very different. We left her more and i went back to work as she ( and the dc) got older. This time around wirh current dog he actually gets more attention as i can put him first while the dc are more independent.

iolaus · 08/03/2020 15:30

Depends what you mean by everyone works full time.

When my kids were young both of us worked full time but there was always someone home (he was a postman so would be out 4-12, then I would work afternoon shifts), and I've known other couples where both work in hospitals who would work opposite shifts to each other - in those cases yes you can do it - if you are both out at the same time then I don't think its fair on the dog

GreyGardens88 · 08/03/2020 15:38

I would love a dog but no, it will have to wait until (if) I retire

Waveysnail · 08/03/2020 15:39

Unless your popping into doggy daycare during the day then no I dont think it's fair leave a dog home alone 9-5 every day

longearedbat · 08/03/2020 15:44

Apart from the problem of leaving a dog alone all day if you are working (which is enough of a problem in itself), it is easy to forget all the other times you may need to be/want to be out. So shopping (food or fun), cinema and theatre, restaurants, visiting non dog loving friends, days out - the list is endless. Even just having to do overtime could send you into a panic of 'What about my dog?' The poor beast doesn't understand that you've just come in, but now you are going out again socialising for the evening. And then of course there are your holidays, where you will generally need to make care arrangements for your dog (although this is the same for cats tbh).
Really, unless you can say for certain that the dog will have company more often than not, full time employment and dogs don't mix.

Somanysocks · 08/03/2020 15:52

So you think it's fine to sentence a poor dog to a life of loneliness and boredom with the occasional visit during the day.

I too would love another dog but know that until I retire or can be around more it is very unfair.

Expect behavioural problems and an unhappy dog, or get a cat.

sophiasnail · 08/03/2020 16:00

Our poodle goes to daycare two days per week when we are both at work all day. It is as big a commitment as getting a child to nursery before work and leaving work with enough time to collect them, but he loves going (and comes back tired.... bonus!!!)

Muminabun · 08/03/2020 16:07

Don’t do it op. It is so so hard and you feel guilty all the time. Every single day you need to walk the dog in the morning and pressure is on then to leave work as early as possible to walk them again. Good dog walkers take time to find and are expensive. The good ones have waiting lists. We had to do this for a few years with two bonded dogs who were older and low energy, they were fine to be left but it was still really hard and crap in the best of circumstances and we only did it for that time as we didn’t want to rehome them. A dog might tolerate it but they won’t enjoy it imho.

Lazypuppy · 08/03/2020 16:13

Yes it can. Depends a lot on breed.

We got a puppy, and took 2 weeks off work to settle and toilet train. Abd start building up periods of time left on own up to about 2. Then went back to work. Soi left at 7am, dog walker at 9am, i went home for lunch at 12, and partner home by 2. So lots of little 2 hour blocks.

Keep building them up to longer, so after about 6 months i stopped going home for lunch.

Now he does 7-10, then big walk, then 12-4 each weekday. He just sleeps.

We also started with him just having the kitchen, so enough space but not too much, then as he got bigger he then had the lounge as well, and now he has the run of the house during the day

Rosehip10 · 08/03/2020 16:17

No

Sypha · 08/03/2020 16:20

It's possible but iut's very unkind,

GreaseRizzo · 08/03/2020 16:23

100% not fair on the dog. Why on earth would this be a good idea op? It’s neglect.

GreaseRizzo · 08/03/2020 16:25

RSPCA could also well take it off you. Happened to neighbours of ours. Poor thing ended up barking all day long as he had no stimulation from anything. and I mean ALL. DAY. LONG. Not fair on people that work from home etc

amijustparanoidorjuststoned · 08/03/2020 16:27

I mean it's possible, but it would be extremely unfair and you would be very unreasonable to do so. And selfish.

Rosebel · 08/03/2020 16:28

Dogs need company and I think that's true even for an older dog. It's one reason we will not get a dog.
Maybe it's possible for an older dog who's used to being alone but I still think it's cruel. My brother and SIL got a dog and it's not trained at all because they don't have the time. Very unfair on the poor dog.

Sheepareawesome · 08/03/2020 16:30

I know 2 people who did. 1 couple worked shifts so they overlapped and both went home for lunch. They had 2 older dogs and she didn't work but their circumstances changed so she had to work again. They made it work so they were never left for more than 2 hours.

Other couple both worked similar hours although some homeworking at times. Paid for a combination of doggy daycare and dog walkers.

I would love a dog but not yet as we are all out most of the day for 4 days a week. When dh can work from home, hopefully in the next few years, we plan to get a whippet.

Lolwhat · 08/03/2020 16:51

You will need to take at least 3 weeks off of work if you are getting a puppy, it takes 3 months for them to fully settle in, it is hard work and getting up every 30 minutes to take them out, they need constant love and attention, they’ll have to sleep in your room to begin with, it’s a lot of work, worth it though

adaline · 08/03/2020 16:52

Also, the people who do it will tell you "it's fine, the dog just sleeps", whilst conveniently ignoring the fact that a huge number of dogs sleep out of boredom.

If they're stuck home alone for 7+ hours a day, what else are they supposed to do?!

Lolwhat · 08/03/2020 16:52

I stay at home all day everyday and sometimes I can struggle, mine is 8 months old now and we have had him for 4 of those, still sleeps in a cage in my room and gets up in the night, I love him but he is hard work

Itwasntme1 · 08/03/2020 17:02

Please don’t.

Rubyupbeat · 08/03/2020 17:09

No...its total cruelty. Dogs need company and suffer greatly from loneliness.
Even if you got a dog Walker, the rest of the time the poor dog would be alone.
As for even considering a puppy, that's ridiculous. They need so much training, not just potty training.

Wait until someone is at home the majority of the time, before you consider a dog as a pet.

MortyFide · 08/03/2020 17:10

Our dog died last year - she was originally a working dog, but she had an accident AND our circumstances changed, so she ended up being left home alone all day up to 3 times a week, which she coped fine with until we lost her aged 12. We had a dog flap that she never used, she just slept and never peed!

I was against getting another dog, especially a puppy, for all the reasons given above, but DH talked me into getting a puppy which we collect next week. We have each juggled time off, holiday and WFH until he is 16 weeks old for toilet training, socialisation, acclimatising to time alone etc. After that, I am usually at home 2-3 working days out of 5, and DH is home at least one day - on days when we are both out all day, the dog will either go to MIL, or go to work with DH (it won't be much fun but he'll have company all day).

We'll make it work, we won't leave him all day. We have a dog flap and once he is older, we may start introducing the odd day at home with a dog walker calling in. We'll see how he gets on though.

Winterwoollies · 08/03/2020 17:21

Please don’t get a puppy or a rescue dog and then leave them crated or alone all day, just to satisfy your craving for a dog. Please. Even with a dog walker visiting.

Wait until your circumstances change.

Meadowland · 08/03/2020 17:27

@DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou
I work in an animal shelter. The dogs there are alone in concrete cells 23 out of 24 hours 7 days a week.
A cosy home like yours where people are with them when they wake up, in the evenings, and at weekends, is infinitely preferable.