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

[DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou]

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?

@adaline.
Please explain how you think 8 hours alone in a house 5 days a week(with walks included) is as bad as 23 hours alone in a concrete cell 7 days a week.
And a bit unkind to imply that the home that @DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou is offering is "a shit place"

I really wouldn't. I work part-time (24 hours over 4 days, very short commute) and I STILL feel that our dog is left longer than he should be. He's such a sociable little thing and I'm sure he's happier when we're here. Much as we love him, we regret getting him.

They are very tying too - if he's been by himself most of the day, you can't just come in, walk him and go out to visit friends/go to the cinema.

If you're happy to pay for doggy daycare (£100pw?), it's more doable, but try working the cost of that out over it's lifetime!!! It could be £50k, plus all of the usual dog costs.

My friend does but opted for greyhounds. She has two rescue ones, they're left alone from 6 until 6 with the radio on for company and a neighbor pops in to let them out to use the loo. They walk them before work and again before bed.

She has a doggy cam and they literally spend the day in their igloo bed thing or on the sofa with legs in the air fast asleep. They're real, lapdogs and as they're older happy with a comfy sofa to snooze on and a walk twice a day.........they won't go out in the cold tho and have been known to stage sit down protests much to my amusement. 😂😂😂

I love that someone says it's cruel to get a dog just to get someone else to look after it.

Erm, we did it with actual human beings every single day....

Please explain how you think 8 hours alone in a house 5 days a week(with walks included) is as bad as 23 hours alone in a concrete cell 7 days a week.

I don't think it's just as bad, and that's not what I said at all. But just because a rehoming centre is unpleasant, doesn't mean the right thing to do is swap it to a home where nobody is home for the majority of the day.

Dogs are sociable creatures. Personally I don't think it's right to get a dog and leave it alone all day. If you can pay for a good daycare or arrange it so that it goes to someone's home during the day, then by all means go ahead.

I'm a vet. I didn't get a dog until I was able to take him to work with me because of the long hours I work. I don't think it's fair to leave a dog alone for 8hrs+ but a dog walker or doggy daycare is a really good idea. You will also have to think carefully about your breed of dog. Something chilled out and low maintenance would suit your circumstances. Have a think about whippets/greyhounds/lurcher types. Spaniels/collies or other highly driven breeds might not be ideal. Good luck. You can do it but it will take commitment, hard work and a big bank balance. I couldn't afford daycare for my crew!

We will occasionally pay for our dog walker when we work from home, not because we don’t want a break from work and the chance to get some exercise but because our dog loves our walker. The dog walker will sometimes take our dog out by herself, sometimes with other dogs. The other dogs have different temperaments and the dynamics between the dogs are different. Our dog has learnt a whole lot of dog socialisation from using our dog walker (and training). She gets socialisation that we wouldn’t be able to provide her otherwise. We have a few friends with dogs but it’s not always possible to walk with them, especially during the days. I also think part of the reason that our dog is so well behaved is because she is handled by people other than just us.

So how is it cruel to recognise that the dog walker can provide something to my dog that we can’t? Then we pay an arm and leg for that service?

It's not only puppies or new to you rescue dogs who need you more than six or seven hours out of 24. Our dog (rescue, somewhere around 9 to 11 years old) has been quite ill. Kennel cough/pneumonia/heart failure, take your pick, the vets seen to be doing so.

Darling dog seems quite agitated if only one out of the three of us is about. She needs a lot of affection and attention. Because she feels ill and she's bloody bored. She's not been out, apart from our large garden, for three weeks.

Imagine leaving a dog alone when they are too sick for a dog walker or dog day care. Could you do that?

I wouldn't personally.

We were desperate for a dog but waited until my husband retired until doing it.

And I say again, as someone who sees first hand the rescue dogs in shelters, each and every one of them would have a MUCH better life in the OP's home than where they are now.

And I say again, as someone who sees first hand the rescue dogs in shelters, each and every one of them would have a MUCH better life in the OP's home than where they are now.

We'll just have to agree to disagree then.

I'm not saying rescue centres are ideal by any means, but that doesn't mean the solution is to re-home the dog to a place where it has no company for eight hours a day. In my opinion, anyway.

OP you seem very angry with some of these responses. If you want to get a dog, them get a dog. You already know it's not a brilliant idea when you work full time or you wouldn't have posted here.

Not really - I was planning to, with rescue greyhounds as PPs have mentioned, but they can have terrible separation anxiety and my house isn't big enough for two (I borrowed a friend's pair and it was both glorious and a disaster).

I was a devoted dog person, but I've had my two little rescue cats for six and a half years and they are perfect. I am now a cat person through and through 😂 they definitely think they're dogs, but are also perfectly happy on their own during the day when I worked full time in an office, and snoozing in my study or snuggling with me in the evenings (and in fact are quite bemused by me now being home a lot more as I'm self employed). I still try not to leave them for too many hours alone though, and if I go away overnight they get two or three visits a day from equally cat-mad people who they love.

I wouldn't be without them now!

Could you try Borrow my dog first to see how that works, just a thought.
Not all puppies are difficult and need lots of walking, but I think an older dog may suit.
There are breeds of dogs more suited to being alone more than others. I would discuss with a trainer who can be invaluable. You tell them your lifestyle and see what they suggest . Possibly a retired greyhound.
Just be very careful where you get it from , as there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there. I hope things work out.
In our case, the dog has cost much more than I want to think, was worth every penny, and we had no idea how much you could love one as much .

Could you definitely not take a dog into work with you? It’s what I’ve done with my dog since we got him but appreciate it’s not available everywhere.

Just because the conditions are shit in one place, doesn't mean it's acceptable to leave them alone 8+ hours a day in a different place!

Exactly. The responses trotted out on similar threads re ‘Oh, it’s better for him to be in a home alone than in a rescue kennel’ don’t make sense to me. Whilst my lot appreciate their comfy bed, they appreciate being part of a pack more. I would never have got them if we had to leave them home alone all day. It would have been selfish (plus impossible to toilet train them or train them to do anything else).

What if they develop separation anxiety and destroy the place? Even with a dog walker, they get, what? An hour a day of stimulation?

What if they develop separation anxiety and destroy the place?

Exactly. Not all dogs cope well being left alone.

I've read a lot of threads on here (and on other forums) where people have gotten dogs, gone back to full-time work and the dog has been destructive, toileted in the house, barked/howled/cried incessantly, damaged themselves through stress and all sorts more.

A lot of these dogs end up in rehoming centres, or being passed around on websites like Gumtree. The solution to appalling rescue centre conditions is not to leave the dogs alone all day in someone's home instead. It's not fair on the dog. Imagine a life where you're left completely on your own (through no choice of your own) in one building for 8+ hours a day, five days a week.

Dogs don't live long. Surely we owe it to our pets to give them the best life possible? By all means use daycare or arrange for them to stay with a friend or family member through the day, but getting a dog only to leave it on it's own all day is wrong.

BadEyeBri I love whippets. I used to work in a vets as a trainee vet nurse and fell involve with them. They are often in with cuts to their thin skin as I'm sure you're well versed in stitching up!

To the person who said I was angry at responses, I was mildly miffed at those who made stuff up, such as small house, I won't walk the dog and I will put it in a crate for 8 hours. But the rest has been very helpful.

Those who have suggested BorrowMyDoggy, I've done this before and plan to do this again. But I have to point out, I used to own a collieXstaff as an adult living alone and working. I know it's super hard work (I was able to come home during the day, and my ex was in and out and helped with walks, and we had a dog walker so the dog wasn't on his own much at all). So I'm not brand new to it.
Rather that our situation is different to what it was back then (three kids to start with! Eldest is a teenager who will be helping with walks whether he likes it or not).

Thanks for the advise, it's been taken onboard even if you don't believe me 😁😁

We got a much longed for puppy, because we had two adult children living at home, who were there during the day. One worked in a pub so only worked in the afternoons or evenings. The other did not work and hadn't done for some time due to mental health issues.

Within a week of getting him the one who worked in a pub got a 9-5 office job and the other announced he was off to Australia for a year. The puppy has got used to it and almost three years later I have to say it works well for us. I walk him when I get up, then if no-one is going to be home I give him a bone with his breakfast so he knows to settle down and of course we walk him again in the evening.

There were some issues with chewing when he was a puppy and he took out our virgin TV and broadband on a number of occasions. We initially planned to get a dog walker but he is a giant breed and too boisterous and strong for us to feel comfortable letting anyone else walk him.

It wasn't what we had planned, but he is a really happy dog.

I think it would be really tough to care for a puppy whilst working full time. But rescuing a laid back older dog could be an option. .. as long as you listen to the rescue centre's advice

In my experience, some dogs do choose to sleep all day (even if they have the option to play).

Source: I work from home and my dog has a walk at 5.30 am then sleeps until lunchtime. I then play with him for half an hour before he heads back to bed until about 5 pm... he might wake up and chew a toy during this time, but he doesn't have much interest in me! In fact, he actively chooses not to snooze in the same room as me which is disappointing

My last dog however would have HATED being left alone for any length of time.

Just bear in mind that daycare isn't always the better option (some dogs find being around other excitable pups all day overwhelming).

Good luck!

Dogs are pack animals. Selfish to get one if it is going to be on its own for most of the day.

We are just investigating retired greyhounds. We would do well in morning, dog walker during day, then walk in evening. Local greyhound trust said they will be able to find a suitable match for us, one that's 5 or 6 rather than 2 or so.

Are you in a detached house? If not, then don’t do it for the sanity of your neighbours.

I’m not sure a rescue place will let you take a dog if you’re out all day. We had to jump through hoops to get ours and we both work from home permanently. 9 year old bulldog - hates being in a different room, would hate being alone all day. I’m another one who thinks it’s not very fair.

I think it’s fine. People do it all over the world. Only in the UK do people think it’s cruel to leave a dog alone for a couple of hours a day. My dog is left alone for maybe 5 hours a day. It’s fine. The alternative is she would be a street dog and starve or be killed as people don’t treat dogs like they do in the UK here. She’s fed and walked regularly and a damn site happier than she would be on the streets. I have no guilt 🤷‍♀️