To search for a small dog that can be left alone during the day?

[PleasedToBeAFlower]

I will accept it if I get flamed by dog lovers for this.
But is there such a thing as a small dog that can be left alone for 5 or 6 hours 3 days a week?
Or is it just completely unacceptable to plan to do this?
My DD aged 9 has a significant educational learning delay. This is affecting her self esteem and self confidence. She is otherwise highly intelligent.
So I need to chanel in to things she loves, so that she can feel good about things she loves and is good at, to compensate for spending all day at school feeling rubbish about herself for not being able to learn.
And boy oh boy does she LOVE dogs. She literally adores them. She cannot pass one without making friends with it. Dogs seem attracted to her. And she's amaaaaazing with them. All breeds, all ages, doesn't matter, she adores them and they do seem to adore her.
She has begged for a dog for 6 years so far. I've always said no.
But I actually think it would be incredible for her to have one.
I have no doubt she would be 100% committed to it, and it would be a lucky dog as she would love it and care for it so much.
BUT it would be alone in the house 3 days a week for about 6 hours a day.
No way round this.
Kids at school.
DH and I go to work, and we dont have jobs that we can take dogs to.
Is this ever, ever, ever do-able???
Or is there never a way to have a dog if it's left on its own?
I realise it has to be fair on the dog, not just what we want.

Oh my god, she has not become reliant and dependent on my presence ffs. I have lots of other commitments and she can be left. We do leave her for a few hours from time to time, and as long as it's after about 6pm she's sleepy anyway so could be left for 6 hours then. Leaving her 8.30-2.30 would be harder because that's when she's most busy. The difference is, I know my dog, and we've built up to this. Am I confident that I could walk into a rescue and treat them the same way? Absolutely not.

You actually agree with me btw - you're saying they adapt to their environment. That takes time.

'We do leave her for a few hours from time to time, and as long as it's after about 6pm she's sleepy anyway so could be left for 6 hours then. Leaving her 8.30-2.30 would be harder because that's when she's most busy. The difference is, I know my dog, and we've built up to this.'

Wel, there you go. Yes op with a bit of prep and building up to it etc a dog can be left for up to 6 hours.

We have a small dog that’s ok to be left as he’s 9 years old now but I do feel guilty if we have to be away from him for a long period of time as I know he prefers to be around people.

One thing I didn’t realise before having a dog is that the smaller they are, the more they tend to need exercise, interaction etc. General rule of thumb is that big dogs are lazy, small ones are energetic (obviously lots of exceptions to that rule depending on breed).

Also, the dogs that are great with kids and are happy to be fussed all over by kids, generally like/need attention. So it’s tricky to find a dog that is happy to be fussed with but also happy to be left alone for long periods of time.

Have you considered a cat? Years ago we had 2 cats that were very dog-like in their temperament. Loved playing, cuddles etc.

My sister (a teacher - not able to work from home) had a lovely arrangement with her neighbour who lived alone and worked at home every day and loved having the company of my sister’s dog during her working day, while not having any of the responsibility. It was kind of perfect for them both.

We have ragdoll cats who are known for having a dog-like devotion to their owners and they can learn to do tricks like fetch etc.
A big ragdoll can weigh 6 kilos so they are the size of a small dog.
This is what the website says about them:
"Affectionate without being demanding, Ragdolls have an almost dog-like devotion to their owners. Some people also say they are attuned to emotional needs, a characteristic that makes them a perfect companion animal. While they’re generally docile and friendly, it is important to remember that their upbringing is as important as their natural traits and you will still need to interact with and care for your Ragdoll kitten as you would any other breed. "
They are lovingly animals - they follow me around the house and stare at me all day making me feel very special!
Ragdoll Cat Personality, Temperament and Lifespan | Petplan

Sorry not read through everyone’s comments.

Have you looked into ‘borrow my doggy’.

It lets you walk or look after someone’s dog without the responsibility of one.

I absolutely love dogs but they are such a tie.
Mine is 16 and although she is my rock and I wouldn’t trade her for the world, it does make a lot of extra work and things like going out for the day or going on holiday is much more challenging.
But she has been my DDs best friend and so it was worth it.

If you can find a dog close by that she can look after, it might give you the best of both worlds.

If you’re planning to go to a rescue then they’ll be able to tell you about their personalities better and don’t dismiss cross breeds as these can often be better behaved and have less issues than full breeds.

Just be aware that smaller breed dogs can be a challenge and often need more exercise and be more noisy than bigger dogs.

It sounds like a dog would be very lucky to have you. 😃 i hope you have many years of happiness together :)

I have two rescue greyhounds who sleep the clock round wether we're home or not, we have cameras and when I go to work they get themselves comfortable and don't budge til I get home!

I know they're not exactly the small dog you might have been considering (although my female is petite) but because they're such a calm and gentle breed they don't feel like they take over the house. Big plus was that they didn't need any house training coming from kennels!

Thank you - we have regularly looked after dogs belonging to neighbours, friends and family. Sometimes we look after them for the day, sometimes just for a few hours, but often we have them to stay for days at a time whilst their owners are away. We've been doing this for years, and as a result we know lots of different dogs who greet us eagerly when we see them, which is lovely.
But DD would still truly love a dog of our own.

The idea that dogs cannot be left alone for more than a couple of hours is a new one. Before lockdown, before working from home, before the popularity of doggy daycare etc, plenty of dogs were left alone for 5/6 hours or more.
I personally wouldn't like it every single day, but dogs should be able to be left in a safe and suitable home environment. Do people never go out for more than a few hours without the dog? Of course they do.

OP I think you could make it work, especially if you were interested in an older dog and if you had someone who could come to the house in the middle of your working day take the dog for a walk or play in the garden etc.

One dog my parents had was very much DF's dog. When DF left the house the dog would take himself off to his crate and would stay there for 6 hours until DF came home. He might, if he was encouraged, come and spend time with DM or the rest of the family but he would happily sleep and wait for DF. There are dogs who would be very happy to have a six hour snooze with a play break and I really hope you can find one for your family.

The only thing I would say you should perhaps reconsider is size - I know you said you want a small dog but often the bigger dogs are far less hyper and happy to spend most of the day snoozing.

No this is too long in my view and unfair to the dog. Also factor in that although your daughter adores dogs the novelty will definitely wear off. Our kids begged for a dog, made lots of promises, and they still adore her but getting them to help involves a lot of nagging. But it is definitely worth it - brilliant addition to the family.

Man these guys would hate most Americans, leaving dogs for 8-10 hours, 5 days a week without a dog walker. I mean, not unfairly as it’s awful for the dogs, but that’s a full workday plus travel time. Many many people work from home now (or hybrid), so not as common, but it was very common before.
Good for the dogs? Certainly not ideal. Some dogs were fine with it though if they were mature enough to hold their bladder and rest for the day, and assuming they got plenty of exercise before/after work. Others absolutely needed a better fit home.
Fortunately when we got my daughter’s, I stayed home and it was several years before we split up and she had to stay home while I worked. Now I stay home again, and my husband works from home, so these dogs (DD’s and DH’s) are rarely alone more than about 2 hours. All the better since we are now at the other end and DD’s is getting old enough she can’t always hold her bladder overnight. The in between though - we weren’t going to re-home the dog and as a single mom I couldn’t afford two hours’ wages daily to have her let out for 15 minutes.

Be very mindful of the dog you choose - age, temperament, health, energy needs, etc - but there are certainly dogs out there who can handle a couple six hour days a week. If you can afford it though - do the dog walker (a brief visit is fine) or doggy daycare though. It really would be more ideal.

Actually dogs CAN tell the time, even when the clocks go back and forwards, mine would wait for "dad" to come home from work, either on the second step of the stairs, looking out the front door,or here by the living room window.

There are a lot of people being very optimistic about their high quality dog care here…

if a dog is well exercised + socialised - this shouldn’t be a problem, as long as he’s older than 3

A person sitting at home on the sofa all day + then dragging a dog round the same block twice a day on a lead is giving their dog a much less lovely life than one who is playing in the garden with children, being allowed for a good run + sniff in the park or some fields a couple of times a day - and then curling up in a comfy bed for 6 hours while children are at school.

what is the open space like around you? Are the places you could walk a dog easily for off lead time? Without driving is crucial, it’s got to be easy so it happens.

I would strongly counsel borrowing one for a bit - or maybe your local shelter has a foster program? Just so you get a sense of what you’re letting yourself in for. Dogs are magic. But they are a LOT.

Borrow my doggy is great
I.lpok.after a cockerpoo 3 times a week.whilst her owner is busy. She has separation anxiety and get owners neighbours complained when she leaves her home alone as she makes a lot of noise

I think it's doable but with a dog walker. And an older dog that doesn't have seperation anxiety.

I have 3 dogs, and could easily leave my eldest alone for 6 hours - not that we do. She'd do nothing but sleep on the sofa, but she's 9 years old and it's taken a long time to get there. We also have two sausages (2 & 8mths) and they definitely can't be left for more that 3 or 4 hours without needing to go out or getting bored and trashing the place! Luckily none of them have seperation anxiety so that's made things easier.

I think you should definitely get a dog, maybe wait until you have a couple weeks holiday to take at 1st, but other then that 6 hours, 2 days a week is nothing in comparison to a poor dog being locked up in a kennel with no love for god knows how long, so take them negative comments with a pinch of salt. I have a 3 year old labrador and work part time, partner works full time, so sometimes hes alone, he has access to the back yard if he needs to go, I have a camera i can watch him on if i want, hes no bother at all.

Um. Yes?

People who WFH, people who don't work for whatever reason, people who share a home with enough responsible adults so that someone is there most of the time, people who can afford daycare/walkers/sitters...

If you can't provide what a dog needs then you should not own a dog, why is this so wrong?

A dog is not a right!

I can't afford to run and maintain a 10 bedroom sprawling mansion, or a stable full of horses, or run a custom Harley Davidson trike...

Should I have those things anyway simply because I want them, are they my right because I desire them?

Yes, what WiddlinDiddlin said.
Very strange post, @KLM2023

I got a dog walker when we got a dog who had to be left 5 hours 1 day a week. Ddog is now 4 and the dog walker walks him 3 days a week and he goes to doggy daycare 2 days a week. It's more for his socialisation and stimulation than because we need it.

In answer to your question op. No, I would not get a dog that was left alone for 6 hours twice a week unless I had a dog walker/doggy daycare. I want my dog to have a good life and being left alone for that length of time in my view doesn't work for fostering that for his life.

To the poster who proclaims dogs do fine at night. Taking that into account assuming the dog would sleep away from the family would actually make it something like 14-16 hours twice a week the dog would be left alone would that be fair?
I do not agree btw that it is the same as night as
1 we are there in the house with the dog and
2 you do get woken up if the dog is unhappy/unwell.

I would not let it put you off getting a dog op but I would (and did) factor in the cost of the dog walker when we made our decision to get ddog.

As long as you have time to teach them to be alone and they don't have anxiety issues, no problem. Our dog gets a walk and play/training with food in the morning and then we either leave for work or work from home. When we leave for work we are usually back 6.5 hrs after and then with a bit more from home. Then in the evening, time depending on time of year, he gets a long walk or training. This routine has been engrained from puppy (we gradually increased alone time and in the first year still had a dog walker). Because I do a lot of training and activities with him in my spare time, he's usually really needing the sleep time and even doesn't want to do anything during the day if we are home. He has a much better and varied life than if he would follow us around the house all day.

@AliOlis what’s strange about it?!

What I don’t understand is how people are expected to afford a dog if they are not supposed to be left alone so the owner can go out to work? Insurance, food, vets bills etc are not cheap. Are dogs only for the retired and those that WFH? @KLM2023

you dont have a dog unless you have the time, long and short of it,