Dogs for people who work.

[quellerosiel]

Been going backwards and forwards on this issue and done a lot of reading but we are still in the dark, so wisdom of mumsnet I turn to you!

My DH works full time, I work part time but on zero hours/contract basis so hours can vary wildly from week to week sometimes. Most I am out of the house for is from 6:45am - 4pm, DH is 6:30 - 5:30ish. I am a teacher however so I do get school holidays free. We would adore a dog, I have always wanted one and DH is really into the idea too.

I'm looking into walkers but the few I have spoken to have said that they would not be happy with such an ad hoc arrangement that my working hours would require and to be honest we can cover the cost of a dog but not realistically a walker too.

We have a good size house with a reasonable garden and are mostly looking at smaller dogs (ideally a Westie or similar) so we could install a doggie door to the back garden so the dog would have run of the garden as well as most of the house. Our neighbours have a pug/jack russell cross and have a similar arrangement and it works well for them.

We would love a rescue dog but most shelters won't talk to us because of working. We are considering a puppy so it would get used to our lifestyle from the word go (assuming we would get it at the start of summer holidays so we could settle it in). We have found puppy classes etc. in the area we could attend.

Is it really feasible for us to get a dog?

Also meant to say... we can't get a cat as I am violently allergic! Much as I would love a cat also

The dog door with garden access really doesn't make much difference as it is the fact that the dog is alone that is the issue ,not that it is shut in a house . Realistically you will not house train a puppy in 6 weeks and it would be even more unfair to leave a pup alone for that length of time . So it would be a no from me - sorry .

I'd say no as well, sorry....

Greyhound :D

You do have the odd one with anxiety issues but mainly after they have settled in they are quite happy to sleep on a sofa all day (you will have to relinquish your soft furnishings). They are one of the only rescues that don't get funny over people working.

I would say a puppy is a no no to be honest. They are very hard work and it is unlikely you will be able to leave it that long - they are greatly overrated in my opinion - cute for a whole yes but have you really want poo and wee all over your house when you work and all your stuff chewed?

My greyhound was 5 when he came to me - he fitted in within a month and it's like he's always been here - he is fabulous with children, has been away in the motor home with us and there are loads of arranged walks with the RGT to join in as a family. They are often 2/3/4 when retire and most live until 11/13.

Although they can be big (the bitches are much smaller) they curl up to nothing and we live in a flat and we have to search for him half the time. I personally would never have a dog door or allow a dog access outside when I wasn't there. Dog theft has never been higher and it also affects the security of your house. There's no need and if they're going to be left long enough to have to let themselves out it's not really fair.

Feel free to ask more info or PM me.

I think the best dog for being left at home regularly for long hours is a stuffed toy one.

We got a puppy last spring , I work part time .3 days a week . My working days change (community nurse) , dog walker happy with that.
She's just turned 1 yr
She is left alone on the days I work but dog walker takes her out for about 1.5hrs in the middle.
So from 830 till dog walker comes around 1030 is alone then from 12 till 340 when ds gets home from school.
She is happy on her own but we had to train her to be settled , during the first 3-4 months of her being with us she was left for gradually longer periods .
She sleeps when we're not here. Dog walker wakes her up when she arrives and ds does too when he comes home.
I wouldn't have a dog flap cos she would bark annoyingly in the garden.
I worried a lot and only got her cos I changed from f/t to p/t.
She's a Tibetan Terrier , loads of people say theyre prone to separation anxiety but its all about how you train them to cope.

It would only be viable if you could get a dog walker (hired or friend) to come in and spend an hour or two mid day with them.

Some dog walkers are £7 for an hour so £35 for 1 hour 5times a week. You might be able to get a deal if wanting it everyday as some offer packages.

But no if you cannot have someone go in its not really viable a rescue would say no and good breeders would also say no unless they could see a very good plan put in place with a walker.

I know some who worked full time and left the back door open so her dogs has free roam of the house and garden.

Made her neighbours lives hell - bored dogs running round the house and garden for 8-9 hours a day barking and howling at anything and nothing.

Dogs are not like cats and can't / shouldn't be left alone for long hours.

A dog on its own all day while owners work, whatever the breed, is cruel.

a dog left on its own with access to the garden is potentially a dog that is going to cause or get into trouble. Likely to react to people passing by, maybe barking a lot, maybe getting out unexpectedly (our dog who have had for more than 5 years, recently worked out how to get into next door's garden).

It is a looong time leave a dog on its own 6.45-4 - even if it doesn't happen often. Particularly for a young dog (older dogs maybe more likely to snooze quietly until you come home).

On balance I would say you aren't really in the position to have a dog, but at the very least NOT a puppy (usually take a good 2 years to settle down to a reliable steady dog). Sorry - not what you want to hear.

I'd say go for it, I know alot of people will disagree with me but speaking from my experience my father has always had dogs and both he and my step mother work.
my father works 6 till 4 and my step mother varies from either 9 til 5 or 2 til 10 the dogs get walked at 5am then another quick walk at either 8am or 12 depending on step mothers shift, then get a off lead time at 4pm and then an evening walk with some off lead time. Maybe once or twice during the week someone will pop in during the day but both his current dogs a Japanese akita and a whippet are fine on this routine and have been since puppies. Neither are destructive they have toys to play with.
I do think it does depend on the breed as previously my father had a collie who couldn't be left alone that long without being bored and destructive.
Plenty of people work and have dogs that are totally fine being home alone for a few hours not saying it's the perfect situation but my dad's dogs are healthy and happy and don't know any different as have had that routine from a pup
I would pick the breed carefully with this in mind as something like a collie or spaniel (a working breed) probably would not be a good idea as if the get to bored they could become destructive but something like a small lap dog or a whippet or greyhound would be a better fit.
my father and sister both own whippets and they seem to spend most of the day curled up asleep on the sofa.
So good luck with getting a pup if thats what you decide.

Sorry OP, but I would say no. Being left that long might work with an older chilled out dog if it was only occasionally, but no way with a puppy.

As well as the pitfalls other posters have pointed out re a dog flap, there is also the very real risk of your dog being stolen.

I don't think rescues would agree and good breeders wouldn't either. Aside from the welfare of the puppy, your house would be annihilated by the time you got home. It just wouldn't work. Sorry

Please don't get a puppy and leave it on its own all day. My neighbour did this and I could hear it crying all day. Heartbreaking. He has now rehomed it.
And got a cat. Which spends its days alone, or trying to get into my house.

If you want to rescue and rescue centres aren't being helpful, try looking on fb 'animals needing homes' pages etc.

Gumtree and pre-loved may take some weeding out of the in-disguise breeders, but there are some genuine cases.

Definitely NOT a puppy.

Hi, we are both shift workers and have a cocker spaniel who is now two. We used a dog walker when we were both back shift but found this too costly.
What works for us is using a battery operated cat feeder from Argos that's can set times for the tray to lift. It keeps their eating and toilet habits in a routine and it means we know she can wait a only few hour until we are out to get out. We leave classical music on the radio on when we are out to relax and calm her, our music choices not so good for this! Also leave a ball with treats for her to play with and a Kong with frozen low fat natural yogurt in it. Make sure they have a run off the lead before or after work so they are tired and go for a sleep when your at work. A girl in my work often uses a doggy hotel when her and her hubby are both working. It is hard work but your dog would adapt quickly with some training.

If it's a puppy your getting it would be better not to have it spending more than a few hrs on its own. Maybe a neighbour could let it out for quick toilet needs and have a play or I used to take mine to my mums for puppy sitting some days as I felt really guilty leaving her. Good luck.

If you can pull in proper favours from friends family you could make it work but it would have to be people you could really trust to keep doing it.

Our dog sitter when we go on holiday does it for a bottle of wine and free use of our holiday rental, plus I then dog sit for her when she's away or in emergencies.

I would say no as well. My dsis has 2 jack russell cross puppies (they are about 9 months) and she and her dh work all day. One of them pops back at lunchtime to let them out into the garden, but no walk. They got 2 so that they could keep each other company, but that has resulted in 2 nutty, untrained dogs (as it is very difficult to train 2 at once). They clearly need more stimulation and exercise and I really think my dsis and bil have made a mistake.

I think dog doors should be banned!

A. They result in vast proportions of time where the dog is unsupervised and a sitting duck for theft.

B. Again related to being out alone, they can cause lots of damage to your garden unbeknownst to you or escape via holes they have been working on.

C. Again, because they are unsupervised, insanely annoying habits like throwing itself against the fence growling when people walk past or barking endlessly at nothing can go unchecked.

My neighbour has a dog door and sometimes that dog drives me insane with rage barking non stop at ridiculous hours like 3 in the morning!
It's only a matter of time before the council get involved I feel.

No to dog doors!!!

Look into an older lazy rescue dog and a walker or doggy daycare

If you get a puppy And leave it you will end up with an anxious untrained dog.

Doggy doors just mean your house gets filthy as the dog is in and out.

Tbh a dog doesn't sound suitable for your lifestyle.

Could you sign up to one of those dog sitting clubs for the holidays? People go on holiday and pay you to look after their dog in your own house rather than kennels. We use our local one and our dog has been looked after by a teacher couple before. Couldn't get their own as working during term time. Gives you the joy of dog but without the commitment /costs/ need to be at home. Might suit you?

Another vote for a greyhound :) They are often overlooked because people assume they need a lot of exercise and nothing could be further from the truth.

Ours is super chilled, he's very quiet in the house (he has never, ever barked while in the house) - they may seem like a big dog, and are tall but because they're so calm you forget after a while.

My DH's shift patterns mean that our dog is occasionally left all day, our neighbour sometimes pops in on him but he's always been fine being left, I know a lot of people would disagree but if you saw our dog you'd know that actually sleeps for 80% of the day whether there's anyone there or not :)

A puppy would be a no from me, you won't have the time to train a puppy and that's far too long to leave an untrained dog, you'd have no house left by the time you got home and your neighbours wouldn't thank you either

Maybe to a GH.

Definite No to a puppy.

You can't always have what you want unfortunately.

My mate has a dog run out his back door with a small shed with a heater etc. Although his dog is escape artist! We had one for my old dog, a German pointer, but like stated above she howled and whined the whole day, escaped running about the streets etc. Really depends on your dog.

I know someone who drops their dog off at doggy daycare everyday but they work the same days each week.

Also, another thing to think about would be no "good" breeder i.e. not a puppy farm or BYB would sell a puppy to a home with those working hours. Therefore you are unlikely to be getting a puppy from health tested parents, with a breeder who knows about the breed and can offer a lifetime of support.