would leaving dogs for 8 hours with a dog walker in the middle be reasonable?

[ditavonteesed]

I am hoping to go back to uni in 18 months and some days I will be out all day, I will walk dogs in morning before I go, dh will pop in at 1pm for half an hour and I will get a dog walker to take them for a good walk, dh home by 5.30pm. would this be ok or do I need to look at different options?
I dont even know if I will get on the course but trying to make sure I have all the avenues covered well in advance so I dont get stressed about the details.

That sounds like a workable situation to me. Good walk in morning, company at lunchtime, dog walker sometime during the day too. Plus they have each other for company. Could you maybe investigate a doggy day care place for days when this wouldn't work? How long is your day going to be when you are out all day?

sound ok to me too... I do the same with my dog I walk her at about 7am and 4pm. All she does is sleep all day anyway... But I always make sure she has 2 good walks a day no matter what. I used to have a dog walker but it got to expensive.

Sounds fine to me for adult dogs. A pup might struggle. Don't let the dogs stop you getting to uni. Good luck with it!

think full day might well be 9-5, this will only be for 50% of the time though as rest would be on placement which would be shifts so easier to fit stuff around. more worried about sorting the dogs out than the kids hard to think about it as eric will be a totally different dog by then, at the moment he still has to be left in the crate, it is actually very unlikely that I will get on this time anyway so more likely to be 2 and a half years. not that I am a worrier or anything.

We did this when we first got our last dog.

DH walked him 6.30-7.15
left for work @ 8am
Dog walker arrived midday ish and he would be out close to 2 hours
I got home 5.45 and out for walk at 6pm.

Not ideal, but he coped fine.

Not ideal to leave them so long, but things can't always be ideal. If they're well-settled adult dogs, and it's not every day, I'm sure they'll be fine. Or is there anywhere near you that does dog daycare?

Personally I would not leave them so long.

ok 2 different neighbours would be happy to pop in and let the dogs out as well, would this make it ok? dont want anyone to think that I am just going to abandon my dogs cause I am not, just trying to work all the ideas thorugh iyswim.

Hmmmm. I personally wouldn't. I work one day a week, 10-4.30. Take dog for a long walk combined with training, 8-9.15, dog walker comes in at 12 until 1.45, I'm back by 4.10. DP pops back for half an hour or so if he's local. Mines only a baby though so maybe ok with adult dogs? I think you'd worry too much about them tbh!

Hi, I've got lots of doggy clients who are on that sort of routine all or part of the working week. They're absolutely fine. If you go that way, choose your dogwalker the same way you'd choose your nanny. With puppies obviously you need to spend much more time with them, and it's far better if it's the owner spending the time, but Eric will be a grown up by the time you need support.

Sounds absolutely fine to me, they will adapt.

It's nice that there's two of them so they get to keep each other company.

sounds fine to me. I've always adopted from RSPCA/Dogs Trust etc and the homecheckers have been fine with that routine (out 9-5, popping home at lunchtime to let out for a wee). I've always had pairs of adult dogs.

Some days our dogs are left from 8.30 to 4. Walked before we leave in the morning, dog walker at lunch time for an hour and then walked again when we get home. Not great but it DH and I have to go to work.