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.

I probably wouldn't go for a hamster with a primary school age child as they're nocturnal. Mine doesn't wake up until around 8pm and you need to spend time bonding with them.

Please don't do this, I don't know about hamsters but rabbits should have company and also should have a proper amount of space to move and run around in

Maybe we are just more progressive in terms of animal welfare here in the UK? Just because it is normal doesn't make it right.
It used to be normal to cane children in a classroom
It used to be normal to exclude people from things bec of the colour of their skin
It used to be illegal to be gay

I think we can all agree none of the above examples were the correct way of doing things.

I will disagree with most posters and say it 100% depended on the dog. Our late girl 😢 was a retired greyhound and was more than happy to be left. She was actually very put out if you came home early and wouldn't get up until "normal" time.... however racers are use to alone time and are normally very lazy but you need to get the right one to fit your family as they have quirks.

We now have a little Chi mix, he isn't left as often but is a couple of times a week. He is a nervous rescue and getting a dog Walker in failed as he just hid from them and refused to go out. (He does this for family that he knows too!) Him being alone twice a week for 39 weeks of the year (so 78 days) is much more preferable than where he was before being rescued.

I don’t think it’s fair on the dog and possibly unwise until the dog is much older (6+ years and is chilling out). A younger dog needs the company/training etc to stop it becoming bored/destructive. Let alone toilet training/barking etc.

Dogs are inherently expensive so I suggest if you can afford a dog you just factor in a dog walker 3x a week.

An older dog may sleep longer but I still don’t like to leave mine for more than 4 hours.

You’d need to pay a dog walker for those days as six hours is too long. I work out the house 2 or 3 days a week some weeks, those days I get a dog walker. Dog seems happy. I’m home at least 2 days a week plus weekends, some weeks I’m home 5 days a week and weekends. We have cats as well so the dog has company.

Our cavapoo can happily be left for up to 8 hours, but we rarely leave that long. Regularly leave him a few hours for shopping, outings etc. It's all in the training, no dog is born anxious. Dog walkers are a great solution but we've never used one. Occasionally have a neighbour walk him if we'll be out all day. We work from home.
Cavapoos are fantastic therapy dogs, so loving!

Thanks for your replies everyone, very interesting to read.
I should have stated, I'm not thinking of getting a puppy. I'm thinking of getting an adult dog, either a rescue dog where the staff know its personality, or a dog no longer wanted by its owner, again, personality known.
Yes 6 hours is the absolute maximum, not 6 hours plus then being alone for longer.
Also I hit the wrong digit on my phone - it'd be for 2 days a week, not 3, sorry. I didn't realise I pressed 3 by mistake as it's next to the 2.
Absolutely yes, I would take for walks before leaving, and we would be out in the fields surrounding us the minute we got home on those 2 days.
Exercising a dog in the dark, rain, cold over Winter doesn't phase me one bit, we are a very outdoorsy, all weather family. We spend a lot of time walking through local woods and fields all year round even without a dog.
The dog would NOT be a 'plaything' or a 'toy'. My DD has looked after many dogs belonging to family, friends and neighbours, and the level of commitment she displays to looking after their needs, exercising them, caring for them, being gentle with them, loving them, respecting them and allowing the dog down time and space to be left alone when it wants to be whilst at the same time knowing when it wants to play, interact, have cuddles, etc. is astounding to see for her age. She's extremely 'in tune' with dogs. Sges excellent at giving them praise, encouragement, positive feedback, she just knows how to behave around dogs.
And to the poster who said a dog is not a toy, and to the poster who afreed: when she plays with the dogs we look after, she plays dog focused games that the dog enjoys, like ball throwing, stick throwing/fetching, running alongside the dog, etc. She doesn't dress them up in dolls clothes and put bows in their hair.

There is no need to actually get angry about this.

Do you have an enclosed garden? Could you get a doggy door?
Mine happily sleeps for 6 hours but I wouldn’t want to leave him without access to the toilet. You know yourself how awful it is to be bursting for a wee

or get a dog Walker?

Given that an Australian and an American have also said that leaving dogs alone during the day is acceptable, and indeed normal, in their countries, it really does seem that British dogs, rather like British people, are somehow "special" and can't cope with normal life.

What?

Surely people get pets because they want a pet not because they altruistically think they should?

Yes we have an enclosed garden.
Yes to dog flap.

Why should a dog have to 'cope' with the conditions we force it to be in? If we are bringing animals into this world specifically as pets we have a duty of care to provide them with the optimum conditions for them to thrive- it is selfish otherwise. Not sure why having an American and an Aistralian say they think it is OK makes it right? As I said before, maybe we are just more progressive? I wouldn't call either of those countries progressive in their thinking to br honest and your sample size of one opinion from each country doesn't really prove anyrhing other than them not caring about impact on their pets

Please don’t do it.

one of my neighbours has a dog flap, so thinks it’s ok to leave her dog for hours in the day or even overnight. Poor dog goes out and yaps like crazy for hours on end because it’s distressed, thus also making everyone else’s life a misery.

Gone are the days when people wanted a dog but realised their lifestyle doesn’t suit having one. Now people just think they’ll get one anyway.

P.S. no decent rescue centre will let a dog go to a home where it will be left alone that long.

Hi OP - I'm a dog walker and I'd say the vast, vast majority of my clients leave their dogs for 5-6 hours a day with me popping in halfway to take them out for a walk.

Please don't be put off by the usual MN hysteria - while your set-up wouldn't suit a puppy, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work for a chilled out adult dog as long as someone came halfway through the day to break things up.

Many people leave dogs chained outside all day in all weathers and it's 'normal' in their country but it doesn't mean it's not cruel

OP it's not that complicated - find a doggy daycare. You need to factor that cost into the (already considerable) monthly cost of having a dog and if so - go for it. Mine costs £27 a day. If you can afford £200 a month on daycare then get a dog. If you can't, don't.

Our dogs will quite happily be left that long. Yesterday I was out for 6 hours. They are kennelled when we aren't here. Happy, healthy dogs.
They are gundogs so in the morning got 3 1/2 miles and training in the evening, then in the house with me when I'm back.
MN is bonkers.
Maybe consider rescuing a pair of older bonded dogs? Two is far easier than one if they get on.

I think it would be fine with a dogwalker.
People are hysterical about dogs on here. It’s only 3 days a week as well.

It will be trickier in the beginning though as that’s too long for a puppy and rescue dogs can take a while to settle in and be ready to be left so maybe daycare to start then dogwalker down the line.

Yes, it can be done but you have to work hard on building up time and preventing them getting separation anxiety from Puppies.There are training methods that help explain how to do this.

My older dog gets left now and then if school, college and work fall wrong some days. You can never completely plan for the future when you get a puppy. However he sleeps during the day even when I am home and anticipates the bulk of the family returning about 4pm because he wakes up and is ready to interact all evening. They learn routines as much as we do.

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea my two would disagree with you that their kennel is horrible thank you very much! It is their space, they feel safe and comfortable in it and they are outside which is where they want to be. They have good security (alarm/camera/locks), heating and actually it's the coolest place in the house through summer. They want to be in there, often take themselves in and are very well cared for dogs. They are fit, trained, have a good amount of attention every day, work and are very much loved.

We have a Westie. Luckily we are home for him most of the time (dh wfh) and we have a dog walker twice a week. We have a dog flap that he uses and a secure garden without any public paths at the back.
He would be fine for 6 hrs 3 days a week, esp if it was a dog walker day.