Would a dog suit us?

[jamtoast12]

Hello

Considering buying a dog and just need some advice on day to day life with a dog since I have never had one! Dh had them as a child and really wants one, as do dds aged 9&7. I am indifferent, I can see pros and cons and at this stage feel happy to go with majority.

In terms of lifestyle, I am off work monday, Tuesday and Friday afternoon. Dh works from home on Thursday so the only day the dog would be alone would be 8:30-3:30pm on Wednesday and also 8:30-1pm on Friday. We are all free evenings and weekends apart from the odd swim lesson etc.

We live in a medium sized house with a fenced medium garden with direct access to acres of open fields.

We go on one annual holiday abroad for say a week and an additional caravan holiday (long weekend) but we could take the dog to that one presumably. We have a local dog care place down the road which we would have to use for annual holiday as our families won't help us as they're not into dogs really.

We have been considering getting the dog over the summer but hadn't researched it much and I didn't want to rush into anything. Dd9 is now desperate for a dog for Xmas and has been for months so we are thinking of trying to get it for when the kids break up - mainly as we are all off for 3 weeks so timing wise it seems good.

My concerns are....

Is it ok to leave a puppy (say 3 months old) for the Wednesday school hours alone? When would it be okay?

What do people do when they go out for the day say shopping or on nights out?!

I'm under the impression that our life will stop once we get one and it's purely down to lack of experience so some real life input would be great. I don't want to say no completely due to lack of knowledge or fear as I think we'd all benefit from a dog, esp dds.

We are considering a cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Many thanks!

I would say don't buy but rescue! Def don't make the dog for Xmas!

Could you afford a dog walker to come in on the long day, if you do get a puppy its a long time for it to be on its own.

Crate training could be beneficial for when your out shopping/night outs/working puppies get bored and destroy things I am going by my mums experience my dog is older and quite happy to be left on the sofa when we are out.

I think you all being off for 3 weeks with a puppy then all suddenly leaving it on its own could be a problem others may have better advise.

Doggy day care when it's by itself? We've just got a puppy and he goes to doggy day care with our other dog when no ones home all day. Also if you get a cavalier please go to a breeder that health test as they have numerous health issues with one being the brain being too bit for the skull in recent years

What do people do when they go out for the day say shopping or on nights out?!

You do need to organise dog care if you go on a day trip. Having a dog is a tie. It depends on the dog, but in general I think leaving a dog alone for more than 4 hours isn't fair on the dog. An older dog who can be trusted with the run of the house may not be bothered, but I wouldn't assume a new dog could be left for longer.

Most reputable breeders wouldn't let a puppy go to a home to be a Christmas present so your timing may be a bit off I'm afraid and with a breed with the potential health problems that cavaliers have you really wouldn't want to go down the backyard breeder route which pretty much rules out all the online ads you'll see. If you really want a Cav, get in touch with the breed club, they will almost certainly have a puppy coordinator who'll be able to tell you of any planned litters. Then get in touch with several breeders and go and visit them and their dogs. Be prepared to travel and to have to wait. 'Proper' breeders (ie the ones who've done all the relevant health checks and have carefully chosen the father to complement the mother) will have waiting lists. Also be prepared to pay - I don't know what the going rate for a pedigree Cav is but it's unlikely to be less than £800 and could be much more. If it's cheaper than that there will be a reason and its unlikely to be a good one ...
Personally I think you need to be a bit more enthusiastic than just indifferent about getting a dog - no matter how keen your 9 yr old is it will be you doing the vast majority of the care and if you don't really want a dog you will start resenting it pretty quickly.

I adore our dog - he's an absolutely brilliant family pet and he's definitely enriched our lives but there's no getting away from the fact that there are downsides. I happen to think that the benefits outweigh them. But you will need to think about organising someone to look after the dog if you want to go out for the day to a non-dog-friendly place.

Agree with basildon - in order to put up with the downsides of ownership you have to really love your dog.

I wouldn't get a dog in the winter - toilet training would be much harder, our Dpup didnt want to go out in the cold and wet.

Be very careful with Cavaliers. Especially in this country, they have numerous health conditions which are either very difficult or impossible to treat, and heart breaking to watch a dog go through.

You'll want a dog with clear health checks for generations, so a pedigree, and that could be quite expensive. A grand, at least. If you get a Cav online, you'll almost certainly run into a horrid health condition - heart failure is the most common.

KCC are also prone to obesity so you would have to be very strict about diet and treats. They require regular grooming so you would need to be willing to pay for this, too.

Agree with basildon re breeders.

Could you get a doggy day care for the Wednesday and a dog walker on the Friday morning?

Thanks for all the advice! Would I really need a dog walker for the fri morning? I was thinking dh would take it out in the morning before work and then I'd be home for 1pm?

I'm confused with the four hour thing...I know so many people who have dogs and who also work triple the hours I do and I wander how they manage it? Some of my colleagues who work full time have them too. Is it that some dogs can be left longer? Or is it just bad owners! Or Is it that they get to a stage as they age were you can go out for the evening - say if I was going out at 7:30pm and wouldn't be back til midnight for example, do people really not do that without arranging care for the dog or are these main restrictions for puppies only?

I'm not sure now :(

I had thought about getting one in the summer holidays but that would mean I'd be off and dh wouldn't and I don't want to set a president that it'll all come down to me!

I'm aware if cost and health issues, to be honest all the breeders I've linked to on a kennel club site (presume this is an ok link?) seem to be aware of the health issues and state how many generations free etc. average cost seems to be around £6-700.

A KCKS that won best breed in Crufts had syringomyelia so do not assume KC breeders are all trustworthy and breeding healthy dogs.

Many people have dogs and many dogs have a miserable life being left alone way too long that does not mean it is the right thing to do.

However many dog owners enjoy time with their dogs so are willing to make sacrifices to make sure the dogs have the time they need.

Leaving an adult 4 hours is a maximum time on occasions for an adult dog to be left.

Puppies will need attention frequently and can not be left for long periods ever.

I think dogs exist that can be left for longer, but generally.

1. It's really boring for your dog
2. A bored dog is likely to find something to do - you might not like what that is.
3. Dogs have bladders too.
4. If you have a barky dog it might really annoy the neighbours
5. A good family dog is a well trained family dog. Leaving your dog for long periods of time will let it develop bad habits and possibly lead to behaviour problems caused by anxiety.

Some people just have bored badly behaved dogs.

The evening is a bit different - if you have an older dog it will probably reach a stage where it just wants to curl up and go to sleep in the evening anyway - but you can't rely on a young dog or an older rescue dog doing that.

8.30 to 1 is probably OK, but you this would have to be established over time - you couldn't assume that a puppy could be left for this amount of time.

I haven't had puppies so have no idea on them. But adult dogs can be left for more than 4 hours if they are well adjusted trained animals. In general my dog(s) come everywhere with us. But obvs not the cinema and un-dog places, and in the summer get left more often as it's often too hot to take the dog. Obviously a good long run first then they just sleep after anyway. A dog in no way has to stop all life. And I speak as somebody who sees my dog(s) as additional little people in my family. Like toddlers really But they are all different and have different needs.

Have a look on the Facebook page Dog Training Advice and Support at the files (at top of the page) for information on exactly how much work it is to toilet train your dog, recall, anxiety issues, fear issues, lead walking, etc all the basic things required, and that's not taking into account all the extra care a cavalier would need with their shocking health problems. Puppies can be walked for five minutes per month of their lives while they're still growing, to help stop damage to their growing bones, so you have to mentally tire them out and teach them all sorts of things like get out of the way of feet and doors, don't eat that eat this instead, drop it, bring it to me, get down, jump up, calm, don't go up to strange humans, also, puppies bite, they need to do it and you have to teach them what's ok for them to bite.

I always say this on these threads, but puppies are hell. They're incontinent, tantrumming, teething, non english speaking newborns hurtling towards teenagerhood, at best. At worst they're all of the above sprinkled with fear issues/health problems. They're not for the faint hearted, they're not Christmas gifts, they're a 15 year long family member (well, less for cavaliers). You could foster a dog for a charity, or use borrowmydog to get a glimpse into what it'll be like.