Dog-home alone

[CeeCeeWin]

Our dog stays home alone while we work. He stays in our secure courtyard which is quite spacious and gives him room to wander about, he also had a house in the coutyard with bedding. We have a noise activated camera and can check in on him during the day.
Our neighbour, who runs a pricey dog walking business, keeps complaining that he barks during the day, and I feel at times she is almost accusing us of not looking after him properly. Unfortunately we both have to work and cannot afford dog walking fees, hers or others locally which in my opinion seem expensive. We do exercise him in the evening, we believe he is a happy, healthy dog and whilst it is not ideal that he is alone during the day we don't have another option. From the cameras he only seems to bark when the neighbours are passing up and down outside our lane or there are cats or other animals lurking about, we don't think he barks a lot. Is our neighbour being nosy or touting for business or is it wrong to leave him alone?

“I do despair of the attitude that if you are a responsible owner that realises dogs are not inanimate objects and have a brain and emotions, you are spoiling it or are slightly hysterical”

Where did I say I don’t recognise my dog has emotions or that it’s an inanimate object?

It’s literally only on mn that i see this ‘no more than four hours’ stuff. Even my dog trainers leave their dogs longer than that.

My dog gets hours of exercise, plenty of games, lots of hugs, goes to classes, goes hiking and swimming every week. But sadly, I can’t spend 22 hours a day with him.

Do what works for you. But being around your dog constantly is not necessary, so for those of us who have a life outside our dog, try not to judge too hard.

How much is too pricey for dog walking?

Constant attention? Rarely needed.
Shoving a dog outside for 8 hours a day and then complaining when neighbours say it barks? Totally unreasonable.

Do what works for you. But being around your dog constantly is not necessary, so for those of us who have a life outside our dog, try not to judge too hard

Except that’s exactly what you were doing to owners who don’t leave their dogs for longer than four hours.

Some dog trainers are great, some are still in to the pack theory. I will stick to science and moving forward to not treating dogs as accessories that if left for eight hours plus st least eight overnight are being left alone for at least 16 hours a day.
Sorry if that annoys you.

www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/factsheets-downloads/factsheettimeforadog05.pdf

There you go, dogs trust after a two second google. Not just mumsnet.

And another one

www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/all-dogs-go-heaven/201802/when-leaving-dog-home-alone-how-long-is-too-long

“treating dogs as accessories”

Haha. Sure. Unless you’re around your dog 22 hours a day, you treat your dog as an accessory.

Leaving this now as it will just go in circles.

Shitandpony and there are people on the other side that can honestly say they don't know anyone who refuses to go out for longer than that. The world is different. The OP asked for advice on the barking and seems satisfied the dog is not as she monitoring. I honestly do not know a SINGLE person who does not leave their dog for longer than 4hours. Only on MN in my experience do these people exist.

These threads go the same as the formula help on the pregnancy boards "what formula did you find works for you? Is one better than the other?" ..... "breast is best you should be breastfeeding".

Op, The dog is outside, not locked in a crate. It has toys, shelter, water and run of the back yard - which is more than what some people do for their pets. Ignore your nosey neighbour, she's probably on one of these boards copying and pasting the same paragraph about how you're an animal abuser

Leaving the dog alone for eight hours EVERY working day and presumably evenings now and again when OP goes out, plus EVERY night too is completely unacceptable. Totally different to the OCCASIONAL time many responsible dog owners may have to leave their dog for a bit more than the 4 hours. Your dog is not coming close to having its needs met and will be really unhappy.

I work full-time and so I cannot have a dog, even though I would love to.

Where has anyone said you have to be around 22 hours a day?

Mine isn't left alone - he goes to daycare while we work because I think it's cruel to leave a sociable pack animal alone all day while I go to work. This was something we factored in when we decided to get q dog - if we couldn't afford daycare and walkers then we wouldn't have gotten a dog at all.

He's frequently left to his own devices but I don't see the point in getting a dog if you're going to leave it at home alone most of it's life. We live in Cumbria so everywhere is extremely dog friendly - he comes to the shops, to meals out and for all our walks etc. the only place he's not allowed is the supermarket!

Personally I think a dog should really be a lifestyle choice - yes, of course they fit in around you to a certain extent but you can't just expect them to be happy on their own for the majority of their lives. Many of course will tolerate it and won't show signs of distress but that's not the same as being happy.