Dog owners: what hours do you work?

[coursesforhorses]

Would love a dog. DH and I are both out the house 6.30am-7pm (I work 8-5.30 with a long commute, 1.5 hours each way) so no way it's practical.

I've looked at dog day care but they only seem to open between 7.30am - 6pm so wouldn't work for us. I'd never leave a dog home alone all day.

So I guess we'll have to wait until the future, if we reduce our hours at work. But realistically there are few local jobs so I can see us always having to commute into London.

Yet so many people around us seem to have dogs, I just don't understand how they do it?'

If you have a dog, what hours do you work?

[nevernotstruggling]

Through thick - my neighbour approached me about ddog barking back along. She was more worried than annoyed and didn't make me feel judged etc - I would approach your neighbour I'm glad mine did I was mortified!

Ddog went through a separation anxiety period which improved massively when his routine settled down.

[BeyondThePage]

I work mornings 9-1, dog gets walked for an hour before and half an hour at tea time - he seems a happy chappy - he sleeps whilst I am at work and keeps me company in the afternoons, before going back to sleep later in the evenings - he's a lovely little Westie and his behaviour has not changed since me going back to work.

[NormaSmuff]

They come to your house, AFAIK, and let themselves in, take your dog for a walk.

[nevernotstruggling]

3 days a week 9-5 dp works lobally and pops in to let him out on my work days. I leave him with the TV on he likes that. Didn't plan this I changed jobs 6 months ago and I worked from home a lot more then. Ddog is used to it now and seems happy enough. He is 2.

[BiteyShark]

still just to give you an idea for 3 days a week for half day 'doggy day care' I pay on average around £200 a month.

[BiteyShark]

still the costs vary so I would try and google ones close to you as they typically advertise prices. Also check out any minimum age if you are getting a puppy.

A day care near me would not take them until they were 4 months of age. However, I found someone more locally who was prepared to take them younger than that.

[stilllovingmysleep]

All this is very useful info to hear as we are planning towards getting a puppy soon. Does anyone know what the costs of doggy daycare / dog walkers approximately are (in London)?

[sparechange]

Most daycare places will do drop off and pick up (or all the ones around me do)

We leave the house at 7:30am-8am, and DDog gets picked up at around 9:30am

We get back from work at around 7pm, DDog returns between 6-7:30pm, shattered and happy

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

headache I hadn't thought that the dog might feel unsettled because she's in a new house. They took a week off when they moved in, but have only been in a few weeks.

I'm tempted not to say anything; I don't want them to think I'm criticising and get our relationship off to a bad start. Also I don't think it's feasible for them to pop home. They do have a dog walker in, but it's still a long time she's being left even with the use of a dog walker. She's also about 9 I think, so presumably they've done this forever with her. No kids, so no time at home for maternity leave etc ever.

I'm going to have to wait until I get to know them better I think (assuming she doesn't settle down after getting used to the new house)

[Ihaveabloodyheadache]

Throughthickandthin01 -

I would broach the howling gently with your neighbours about the dog, they might not even know the dog is howling for extended periods of time. I didn't and as it was a new problem due to a house move, I'd never faced it before.
I appreciated being told, and explained that it would take them a couple of days to settle, I was leaving them as little as possible and was doing what I could to resolve the situation. I also apologised and popped round a few times after to check and see.
They settled fine within a couple of days and my neighbours have reported no further howling.
Had they not told me I'd not have known because I wasn't here when it happened.
That said I realise not everyone will react like I did so I guess you'll have to weigh up your new neighbours first.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

We have new neighbours with a dog who is left whilst they work full time. A dog walker comes at lunchtime. But she's left 8-1 and then 2.30 - about 6. And she howls and howls . I don't know whether to say something to them or not, it's so sad.

[ilovepixie]

I work days and my partner works nights so it's rare our dog is left alone. Maybe a couple of hours if we're shopping or going out.

[Pollydonia]

I work ft9-5 but only 10 mins from home, dh is semi retired and works 5-10 am on 3/4 days pw so ddog is usually only left for an hour or so. Every month dh does 10-4shift one day so I come home at lunchtime. Ddog has a longer morning walk on those days and a 3rd walk with DD about 8ish. I think he likes to snooze all day tbh, I was off work with illness a couple of weeks ago and ddog and I had a lovely afternoon nap every day

[Funkymoover]

New to this dog ownership and have a 13 week old puppy. So far only left him for about an hour and a half at a time (school holidays the last couple of weeks has meant one of us has been home most of the time)

Once we are all back to routine next week. I work 4 days a week about 10 mins away. So Doggo will get a walk before work when I take kids to school then will probably be left till lunch when I come home to check on him. If I'm not able to come home then my mum will be popping in. Son is home from school at either 2.30 or 3.30. I'm normally home at 5 so he will have 2-3 hours alone at a time. I can work from home but not all the time so have been doing this where I can. Will sort doggy daycare or a dog walker if this doesn't work but as he is young I'm hoping this becomes his routine and he doesn't walk very far just yet!

[OldandJaded]

Mine are left for an hour each morning and between 2-6 hours as a block at sometime during the day.
They are separated due to one being a greedy bitch temperamental with toys etc and I don't think leaving them together unsupervised is safe, but they are in the same room.
They are left with treatballs and get a treat when I leave, they get rather excited at the prospect of me going and run and sit on beds waiting for balls and treats.
They are walked beforehand and after they are with me constantly when I'm in even in the loo they sleep in my room and other than settling in to new Home routine, where they howled the first twice I left they don't bother, in fact they are often that fast asleep they don't hear me come in and only wake when I come in the room great guard dogs
It depends on your dog though really and I do think more than one is only fair if you are going to leave them alone for any length of time so they have each other.
My dogs are 7 and 11 though, and I've always got another dog pretty soon after losing one, so the pup becomes accustomed and follows the older dogs lead.
Maybe I've been lucky but it's worked for me

[StandardPoodle]

We didn't have a dog again until we retired.

[LexieLulu]

I think it depends on the dog. If you come in after work and your house is in pieces and dog is distressed, then it's too long

[Costacoffeeplease]

I don't get up during the night but they go out about 11pm and again at 6.30/7, they wouldn't wait for 10 hours

[LexieLulu]

I work 4 full time days 8:45 till 5 with a 20min commute.

My husband works shifts, 2 days, 2 nights then 6 off.

We used to take the dog to my MIL, but she has complained her dogs don't calm down and they are play fighting all day.
So now I am either having to swap my day off or she will let herself into mine and sort the dog out at lunch time. (This hasn't been put into practice yet).

I may go down puppy day care route, but it will be hard to get my kids to MIL and dog to day care.

The struggles! It's very rare we will need to arrange care anyway. We are quite lucky

[Wolfiefan]

I don't! We made the decision to get a dog only after I stopped working. Bloody good job as she had separation anxiety and it's taken me four months to be able to leave her to go shopping etc.

[Costacoffeeplease]

10 hours? What about toileting?

[applesareredandgreen]

I work PT and DH works shifts so 3 days each week Ddog is left 3 - 5 hours then for a couple of hours on my non working days as I have other commitments. We walk him in the morning before leaving him. On return in the afternoon and again in the evening. I always leave him a kong, an antler and another varying treat dispensing toy but mostly he goes into his cage and sleeps.