Does anybody else regret getting a dog?

[MsVestibule]

We thought long and hard before we got a puppy. What would be the best breed for us, how will we look after it during the day etc.

It really hasn't worked out as I'd hoped.

What we didn't realise was that we would get a puppy who chews EVERYTHING, even now, at 10 months old. He is mainly confined to the breakfast room/kitchen and one of us has to watch him ALL the time.

The chewing means he has to be in his crate from 8.30-3.30 4 days a week, although I come home at lunchtime and walk him for half an hour, but it's still not ideal for him.

A retired, local family member enthusiastically volunteered to walk him every day (we wouldn't have actually got a dog if they hadn't volunteered) but that fell through extremely quickly 🙄. TBH, this has been our biggest issue - I resent that so much of my (previously spare) time goes on working later than I should so I can take a lunch hour to dash home and walk him.

What we (very, very foolishly) didn't consider was what we would do if we wanted to go somewhere for more than 3.5 hours. Our lives are not quite as dog friendly as we thought they were and we just have to accept that if we want to go somewhere, we pay for doggy daycare. Expensive, but manageable.

I suppose I'm just fed up that our entire lives seem to revolve around him. Honestly, I know this is all our fault. I had my reservations anyway but our DCs were so keen and I have to admit, I was too.

I'm not quite sure what I hope to achieve from this thread. Has anybody else felt the way we do at this stage and then gone on to fall madly in love with their dog? Or do I just accept that this is the way I will feel for the next 12 years?

He is a really beautiful boy and does get a lot of attention and affection so he's not neglected (apart from the crate thing), I promise!

Three days a week he has very long walks and gets fitter.
Then is shut in a crate for hours.
Dogs need routine. This situation is untenable. And it isn’t the fault of the dog.

Check the Walker is walking the dog. I once cane home unexpectedly at the time my dog was meant to be walked and found the blooming dog walker straightening her hair in my kitchen.

cuervos no, I walk him before work, at lunchtime and after work - about 4 miles per day.

Prison I am sorry to hear you lost your dog. But how is the OP "a disgusting human" I am almost sure she is not the only person who has a dog that is crated for as long as hers is a day. But come on... she isn't beating or trying to kill the dog.. people have animals all the time that they don't have time for. Although yes I do think that the time in the crate is a long time for the dog but it is walked half way through the day which a lot of people wouldn't possibly even do.

Unfortunately puppy's can be chewers and very mischievous my dogs are 6 & 5 and I still sometimes find them craftily chewing one of the kids little toys up..

Crate for that time is not ideal but you do know don't you that dogs in kennels are shut away at night often 4pm till 8 am. Working dogs including police/army dogs are in kennels for that long.

I git a dog and regrets it for 8 years, I still never thought that putting him a crate for 7 hours a day would help. Please get a dog walker and/or doggy daycare. Your dog will be destructive if he is bored for so long.

@Crockof completely different. Working dogs spend their whole day with their handlers. They may be left overnight. But by then they are tired (and urine production slows overnight.)
And this is a pet.
OP dogs don’t just need walking. They need training and play and just to be with their family. You are failing to meet the needs of this animal.

I would never post anything like this here op as you will get mightily flamed.
disgusting human really?
Like you I researched ( or so I thought) getting a dog, if I'd known what I know now I wouldn't have done it. I ended up with a dog with a chronic health problem from the start which has cost me an absolute fortune.
I love him dearly but after this experience won't get another one. I agree that I think your dog is chewing out of boredom, can you afford a dog walker on the days you are working?

@Crockof - crating at night, when a dog will need to sleep for the majority of the time, is entirely different from crating them for the majority of their waking hours. Working dogs also get a huge amount of stimulation, both mental and physical, from their work during the day time. You can’t draw a reasonable comparison to the situation the OP describes.

Prison the only thing disgusting is your comment.

Op, I regret my dog several times a week. When it’s chucking it down with rain. When I’ve had a hard day and just want to sit in the sofa. When I get invited out after work but can’t go as I have to get back for th dog. When I have to pay for sitters so I can go out for the day. When every single decision has to take the dog into account. I honestly never knew how much of a tie a dog is.

My dog is (now) very well behaved and can be left for 8hrs without problem so I can’t imagine how hard is it having a pup that chews and needs constant supervision.

It definitely does get better. He went through a bad patch between 1yr-2yrs when I was breaking down constantly. But I realised he thrives on routine and changed my schedule to suit. Regular exercise, but important not to increase his fitness too much. Mental stimulation is key- treat toys, puzzle feeders, frozen kongs, Kong wobbler, lickimats etc
Now he is still a massive tie but manageable.

Despite all this, and the fact that I still think ‘oh if only I didn’t have a dog, I could...’ quite regularly, I truly love him with all my heart. He is my best friend. I can just appreciate it more now he has settled down!

My DH read somewhere recently that lots of stimulation and excercise work wonders.

Being in a cage all day is just cruel.

@wolfiefan OP dogs don’t just need walking. They need training and play and just to be with their family.

He gets all of these every single day. Every time we take him out, it's a training session and he gets plenty of training and attention in the house for 10 hours on the 'crate' days (7-8.30, 11.30-12.30 and 3.30-11) and 16 hours on the other three.

I realise the situation is not ideal but he's not locked in a garage 24/7.

Sorry for the truly crap spelling. I got a dog and regretted it.....

Thank you so much to the more sympathetic posters.

I am taking on board the comments from the less sympathetic posters (really) but I don't see how being called 'cruel' and a 'disgusting human' is going to help me resolve the problem.

@Shortandsweet96 I have a Chihuahua too hes a monkey but hes totally loving and adorable

I don’t think you are disgusting, But there is no point on keep going in the same way if it is not working for you. You are walking him 4 times and he is still running havoc on the house, he may just not be suitable to stay on his own.

Feel no guilt woman, you tried, the dog needs someone with him during the day or perhaps a more experienced owner who can get him to feel confident/safe enough not to feel anxious.

Ahh there is a lot going on in your dogs life.
Training are you actually going to designated training class? This would help with stimulation and trouble shooting.
Not sure about size / breed of your dog but some cut their last teeth at 8- 12 months - which could be an explanation for the chewing. Unless he never stopped, in which case see advice about training.
Adjusting your lifestyle... Theory meets practice! Remember why you got the dog, and try to enjoy activities with your dog.
And, even a 10 month old puppy will be happy to have a shorter walk once in a while.
And remember, most adult dogs spend a lot of time during the day sleeping. You can easily reinforce this by taking your pup for a walk, feed him and let him sleep.
Crate. I am on the fence with this one. But want to suggest a large enough play pen so your dog can move about a bit more, won't spill his water everywhere, and can have a selection of toys. TV or radio on might help a as well.

I think giving up is easy... make it work and you'll get a faithful friend for life.

I really wish that we had dog licenses in this country. If we did, we could stop people like you from keeping dogs ever again.

@Ylvamoon thank you for your advice, especially the play pen. We don't want to give up - I just want to find a way to make this work well for all of us.

As an aside, I know I was being unfair about the 'family dog walker' - their circumstances changed unexpectedly, but TBH, even if they were still able to do what they committed to doing, it wouldn't have changed the chewing/crate issue.

@geordieterf how would the dog licence idea work in practice? Many, many dogs are left by themselves during the day (many of them where the owners work FT), even if they're not crated. Would only people who WFH or are retired be allowed to keep dogs? Genuine question.

Please, please don’t crate your dog for 7 hours. Throw the crate away - you are being so cruel. Find a better way.

Op what dog do you have?

OP your dog is chewing because he is young and bored, it is cruel to crate him for all those hours, whatever you may think.
Dogs need company, and a young dog like that shouldn't be left alonde for hours.

We have a Cocker spaniel and didn't EVER leave him more than a couple of hours at that age, and that was always after an off lead run in the woods for an hour,( and in a room not a crate.) He is now 2.
One day a week he goes to a 10 acre dog daycare, that is the only time l go out for the whole day, as he is running free for 3 hours then will be dropped home and sleep for (max)3 hours, by then if l am not home, my elderly parents will arrive and play with him in our large garden.
Holidays are expensive, as we pay for him to go to the daycare centre for 8 hours, (all off lead) then be dropped back to my parents overnight. We factored this into buying a puppy.
Do you run him off lead daily?

I think you need to pay for an experienced dog walker , or find someone who is willing to take him for a big chunk of the day, retired friend or neighbour?

If you cannot do this then he should be rehomed.

Your post has really upset me as having had dogs most of my life, l know your dog will be going mad with frustration at the time he is left alone.

He chews because he's bored and anxious stuck in a crate all day. He's only ten months old!

He clearly can't cope being left for so long, so cough up for daycare! Mine is 13 months and goes on the days we work because it's not fair to leave him on his own all day. I work an hour away so coming home isn't feasible. He loves it and comes home exhausted - it's well worth the expense and it means we don't have to worry about walking him on those days. The other four days a week he's home with one of us so gets plenty of attention, walks and training.

He is a tie but I don't regret him for a second. I love teaching him new tricks, seeing how far he's come with his training, spending time with him and seeing his excited face when I get home from work. Nothing beats it ❤️

Can't you muzzle the dog while you're out to prevent chewing? And unmuzzle it when you're in and give a good bone/ pig ear/ even hide chew when you're around?