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The doghouse

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Original poster

Leaving puppy alone all day

138 replies

welshgal2 · 18/10/2018 16:04

My puppy is 6 months now. We got him at 8 weeks. I took the first 2 weeks we had him off work completely to help settle him in, and then returned part time either working in the morning or the afternoon for 4 hours. He was good as gold and the half a day he was left alone I would always get home to him playing with his toys or most of the time, fast asleep.

It's been a great few months with him but unfortunately couldn't afford to not return to work full time. I've been back full time for one week, to try and make the transition easier I've been going home for an hour at lunch and walking him and then popping home again at about 3pm for 15 minutes just to check up on him.

There's been a pretty obvious pattern of we leave him in the morning, he's good as gold and we return at lunch time to find him quite happy and no damage. However when I've been popping home mid-afternoon (where possible) or getting home from work at 5 we've been getting home to a complete mess. I'm talking wallpaper ripped off the wall, furniture chewed, ripped up toys. He's obviously reaching his threshold for being alone and getting bored and destructive.

DH and I didn't get a dog for a long time as we felt too guilty about our hours, so once we'd saved enough for me to take a few months part time we went for it figuring there's never a perfect time. We both have 2 days off a week, only 1 of those is normally the same day so puppy does get 3 days a week where he's not left alone, and if i go home for lunch he gets an hour and a walk, if DH goes home he'll get about half an hour and a run around the garden but not a walk. We leave the house about 9 and return around 5. Does anyone have any advice of how we can work around this? I don't want our pup to suffer but we need to work, we live rurally so hiring a dog walker isn't an option unfortunately.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

OP posts:
WhyDontYouListen · 19/10/2018 13:34

Sounds good. I'd be a bit wary of the toy that dispenses treats every 45 mins. The dog could end up getting more stressed waiting for the toy to dispense. I'm sure mine would wait by this in a state of arousal. Chew toys, antlers etc are better as the act of chewing is calming.

CottonSock · 19/10/2018 13:44

We had a puppy when I was a kid, and guess what my mum worked. It was so not an issue.

Kennycalmit · 19/10/2018 13:52

I think you’re really selfish. No excuses, sorry

He obviously isn’t a happy puppy being left for so long.
The kindest thing you could do is to place him in doggy day care when you’re working.

lynsey91 · 19/10/2018 13:55

Personally I would take him to doggy day care at least once a week. Most dogs love it. He will get to socialise with other dogs too

TantrumsAndBalloons · 19/10/2018 14:01

If you are looking for doggie day care or a dog walker there are some good sites that match up owners and walkers etc.
My friend had a really bad experience with one of them though but we found ours through another site and the walker is amazing. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say who the bad one was though or recommend so PM me if you want and I’ll give you a bit of info as to how it works

Nesssie · 19/10/2018 15:29

@welshgal2 sounds good.

Just to reassure you, I work in animal rescue and I leave my single dog home alone for 8hours, 5 days a week. He is absolutely fine. He hated doggy day care and the dog walker said he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about walks so I stopped them. He has never messed or been destructive in the house or showed signs of anxiety. He is a happy, loved dog.
People will try and make you feel shit. Ignore them and enjoy your dog. Many people work and have a dog. They just don't admit it on MN.

Costacoffeeplease · 19/10/2018 15:33

I’m amazed at what people have admitted to on this thread, and saddened

daisychicken · 19/10/2018 15:44

Have a look at the Facebook group 'Canine Enrichment' - there are a lot of ideas for puzzles and things for a dog to do - such a a snuffle mat which might help stop the carpet wrecking issue.

I think a dog walker or teen/older person who could pop in and give him some company and distraction will help as well. It doesn't have to be a long walk just time having some attention or play will provide distraction and comfort.

seriousone · 19/10/2018 15:51

Hi op, not sure if it's been suggested already but have you tried to cage train them, after you pop in then go back to work you could maybe pop him in the cage you could get him used to it at weekend or at night when you are home,my dog loves her cageSmile

tinstar · 19/10/2018 15:56
  • know loads of people who work full time And have perfectly happy dogs who cope very well being left and get plenty of exercise and play around their owners hours.*

Comments like this absolutely INFURIATE me.

The fact that lots of people have dogs and work FT does NOT make it okay!!!

But more importantly the 'dog is left alone all day and is perfectly happy' comment is totally ridiculous. How on earth do you know? Some dogs will create visible signs of distress through their destructiveness. Others won't. They'll just be lonely and miserable. But hey, owners and fellow FT working dog owners just KNOW that their dogs are"perfectly happy"

I'm always completely in agreement with Costa on threads like this.

tinstar · 19/10/2018 15:57

Seriousone - yeah. Stick him in a cage. Job done Hmm

Costacoffeeplease · 19/10/2018 15:57

Yesterday was even better, stick him outside Hmm

Alfie19 · 19/10/2018 16:00

I got my first puppy when I was not at work and so he spent about the first year maybe 18 months with me generally at home. He is an inactive breed and right from the start was always happy to be left for a few hours every day if I needed to pop out. He just snoozed. When we got the second puppy we thought it would be a similar situation, but needs meant I needed to go back to work and we needed to be out a lot more than anticipated.

I therefore found somebody to come in every day, the dogs are not active and didn't need walking but I wanted them to have company, she came in and I know she sometimes spent two or three hours there. Circumstances changed again and I was able to spend more time at home so I cancelled her. The younger one is now 14 months old, they are sometimes left for a half day or even more and there are no signs of distress, but they do have the companionship of each other.

To be honest, I don't think puppies and full time work really go together without additional provisions.

Noonemournsthewicked · 19/10/2018 17:40

Your suggestions sound good op. Also try puppy 101 on reddit for future constructive less judgemental advice.
My crate trained puppy sees his crate as his bedroom due to following crate training advice from there. It's his safe place where he can get the much needed sleep he needs. Much like a wild dog would have a den.

tinstar · 19/10/2018 18:21

Much like a wild dog would have a den.

Wild dogs tend not to be shut into their den ...

Noonemournsthewicked · 19/10/2018 18:44

Neither are they shut in a living room/kitchen/house in general....

Hence 'much like' rather than 'exactly the same as'

tinstar · 19/10/2018 18:57

A living room/kitchen/house is rather bigger and provides more interest/stimulation than a small cage ....

Mamabear12 · 19/10/2018 21:19

Growing up I had a puppy that was left home from 8am to 3pm. She had to be while I was at school. She was left in a big crate. Never destroyed anything. A complete angel and perfectly happy. Once she was a year old she was out of crate and left in house and never destroyed anything. She was the perfect dog. But she didn’t require much exercise. I would try to walk her longer then five mins and she would literally drag behind me. Once I turned around to go home, she would be pulling th lead as she wanted to go home. At home she had loads of toys and would play with them. Or w me or snuggle w one of the family or sleep w one of the cats (we had two cats as well). So it can be done. However, you need to research before getting a dog as some dogs need loads of exercise. Now we have a dog that is more active, but I think she would be okay Being left 8-3pm in crate, only if we gave her one hour exercise 8am and one hour 3pm and then allowed to roam the house w one of us home and another short walk at 6pm. However, I am a sahm so she gets me home all day long and loads of walks etc. But on the occasion I’ve gone out for a few hours. She was perfectly happy at home in her crate. She just sleeps. But I make sure to walk her properly and let her play etc so she is zonked out after and then a few hours later when I return I do the same.

indianwoman · 19/10/2018 21:41

Have you thought about putting a note through some local houses in your area. There might be people there, SAHM or elderly people who have never considered dog walking but someone round the corner from them for an hour a day might pique their interest? It would mine. Some people might like to walk a dog without the commitment of one? Get a few flyers printed or use your local Facebook page?

Ellapaella · 19/10/2018 21:55

@tinstar well my dog isn't left at home all day if you actually bother to read my full comment.
I work 3 days a week (not full time) and on those days a dog walker takes my dog out for 2 hours.
Did you read that? Did you? Because it's all there in my comment. You have cherry picked the bits you wanted to have a good old bitch about and make yourself feel all superior.
Your kind of sanctimonious shite infuriates me actually!
I do know people who work full time and leave their dogs at home. And yes I take their word for it that their dogs are not crying out all day and ripping up the house in an anxious state but then why would they lie or pretend that wasn't the case if it was?

In my comment I did actually say to the OP that I wouldn't leave a dog all day and that in my opinion if you work you should be prepared to pay either for dog day care or a dog walker. That was all there in the comment too but you chose to ignore that bit?

tinstar · 19/10/2018 23:10

Ellapaella - if you bothered to read my post you'll have noticed that it was entirely about your comment on FT working dog owners whose dogs are "perfectly happy". I didn't suggest that your Dog is left at home all day. My issue was with your sweeping statement about dogs left alone all day being happy.

I repeat - just because a dog isn't destroying a house does NOT mean it is happy.

NewYoiker · 19/10/2018 23:23

Our dog is very rarely left but he sleeps all the time. He has a good long walk in the morning and an off lead run around with his friends at the dog walkers in the afternoon. He's 9 and is very happy with his own company now. He would prefer a knee to rest his chin on though..

toomuchhappyland · 20/10/2018 22:38

Threads like this make me so sad.

I have had dogs all my life. I absolutely adore them. Dh used to work from home and we always had one. After our last dog died of old age dh got a different job and now we are both out of the house all day so we have agreed not to get another dog. It kills me to be without one but it is morally wrong to work full time and have a dog. People do it - lots of them. It doesn’t make it right. A dog lives for such a short time, only 15 years or so. Your dog will spend most of that time sitting alone waiting for its people to come home. He’s alone all night in bed, there will be times when you go out for meals etc in the evenings and he’s alone then too, and he’s alone for most of the day for 4 days in the week.

A life spent mostly in solitary confinement is a poor life for a dog, and all the fuss and cuddles in the evenings and on your days off doesn’t make up for that. Plus, a cavalier? Look what they were bred for. Not to herd sheep or catch rats. They were bred for no other purpose than to be companion dogs, bred specifically to be constant company for their owners. Not a breed that suits being left alone and that is what the destructive behaviour is telling you.

I’m sorry OP. From your other post I see you’ve got infertility problems and I can see that the dog will be extra important to you as a result. But you need to put him first, not your own needs, and he deserves a home where he doesn’t spend most of his life alone. If you can’t find a way round leaving him - 4 hours a day max is all he should be left for - then you should re-home him and get a cat instead.

Nesssie · 20/10/2018 22:50

toomuchhappyland if you met my dog you wouldn’t be sad. He’s got a great life and he is a very happy chappy.

Monstersunderthebed · 20/10/2018 23:07

I have 2 dogs aged 7 and 9 years. I would not leave them alone in the house for more than 3 hours. I work full time but I have someone who comes in in the morning to look after them until 2 pm. I walk them off lead for hour or 2 before I go to work. They can go anywhere in the house. I have recently got a puppy. He is crated during night to help with training. I would never leave him in a crate for over an hour apart from overnight so even though I work full time I make arrangements so he’s not alone and incrate for more than an hour. He does not get run of house when there is no one in. I would not worry too much about my adult dogs as they are happy but there is no way a puppy should be left for a significant period of time without human interaction out for pee breaks etc. It’s not about whether you work full time it’s sbout whether you work full time and leave your dogs alone especially puppies. They need love care and attention. They should not be left alone at home for hours on end and should certainly not be left from 9-5. That’s my opinion anyway. Doggy daycare, family dog walkers etc are essential if you work full time and have a puppy I’m
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