Come and talk to me if your dog spends time in your yard/garden in a kennel

[DrNortherner]

I have been made redundant from my current job which enables me to come home at lunch time and walk my dog.

I have a new job a bit further away and it is not practical to come home at lunch time. I work 4 days a week 9am till 3pm. My dog gets 30 minutes before school run and 1 hour off lead in the park after school plus dh does 1 hour off lead in the evening after dinner.

So, because of my new job it is not fair to leave him hoem alone from 9am till 3pm, dog wlkaers round here cost £10 per hour, which at £40 per week is out of my budget.

There is the possibility that MIL can help with walks but I can not rely too heavily on her.

Today I had a brain wave that we could actually get a kennel and he could stay in the yard whilst I am at work. I would need to get a high fence and make sure the yard was totally secure which I could pay for out of my redundany money.

Does anyone here do this?
Will my dog be happy?
Is there anything else I need to consider?
Would I need to rethink this in winter?

Any feedback much appreciated

My dogs are on their own 3 days a week from about 9 until about 3.30 (they also get a good run first thing)
So far they seem happy - they have the run of the house though - but I am very sure they sleep on my bed ALL DAY!!

PS, Congrats on getting a new job

we did this with our lab, she was on her own from 7.30 until 5 some days, in winter we put her in the garage on the coldest days. It is however one of the reasons we no longer have a dog she has been 'rehomed' to my sister's where she has the run of a paddock and stable

I have a collie who was originally a farm dog and lived outdoors very happily in a kennel, with free-range of a fairly large, walled garden. As long as the kennel is wind-and waterproof, and the dog has some bedding, it should be fine.

However, you may find your dog barks a lot if left outdoors - my neighbours kennel their dogs in an outdoor run in the daytime (when they're out) and they're fine most of the time but bark like fury at passers-by (me, mostly - very rural!). This might be more of a problem in town.

As for leaving it indoors for seven or eight hours (allowing travel time for you), if your dog copes while everyone is in bed asleep without ripping the place to shreds, barking the house down or having little accidents everywhere, it should be able to cope while you're out.

Hi there, I had one dog and a small garden. he was alone for many hours a day and we had a dog flap so he could go in and out as he wanted. Might be an idea?

Hmmm, hadn't really thought about barking. We do live in a town and so far he does not seem to be much of a barker. He barks as the bin men go past and that's about it.

It really does not sit well with me that he is indoors alone for 6+ hours. The more I think about the kennel idea the more I think this is what we wil do.

Thanks for your input

Beanie my dog is a lab so a dog flap would need to be HUGE - a person could get in!!

If you're putting him in the yard, make sure you leave some toys lying around. Rugby balls (well-inflated so the dogs can't get their jaws around them to burst) are a favourite round here.

Ah - I can see why a dog flap would be difficult

Kennels are fine, with all the provisos about draught proofing and toys. Dogs can and should be trained not bark excessively. As for the dog flap, apparently if they can squeeze through, that should be enough - but then it might be enough for a tiny burglar.