Help - how much time off work for a puppy?

[Malin52]

Now we have finally bought our own house we can get a puppy. Hoping for a young rescue at some stage.

The question that keeps going round in my mind though is how much time should we allocate to being with the puppy full time?

Some background. DH works 7-3 pm and could drop a day at work
I work full time and depending on business needs I can work some of the week from home. Potentially I am moving to 4 days a week
We have an excellent doggie daycare locally where our friends pups have thrived and supported their socialisation and manners

If I took time off to get the puppy used to us and the house, training etc how long should that be for? I'd have to use annual leave. When is it okay to Leave a pup for maybe two hours at a time?

Thanks all.

We looked into getting a rescue last year but couldn't find anywhere who would let us have one as we have cats.

We ended up buying a puppy from a licensed breeder. We both work ft from home. I took a few days off and then started working. Our puppy slept a lot at first. Dh and I arranged our meetings so that the most we were ever unavailable was one hour, but if puppy needed a wee or attention during that hour one of us would take him in the garden quickly, or play with him under the desk (with the camera off!). As soon as he was old enough we booked him into a fantastic Day Care for one day a week, which he loves. It gives him new stimulation and interaction with other dogs.

Our dog is now 15 months and really well behaved. He doesn't chew, doesn't bark, loves all people and all dogs. He's really good at entertaining himself so just chills out or plays with his toys whilst we work. He gets 2 long walks a day plus we take 5 minute breaks during the day to play ball or tug with him.

I don't know anyone who has taken more than a week off work to settle in a new puppy, but I do have friends who have had to take a lot more than that to settle in a rescue dog.

A week to settle a new puppy? Jeez

I just feel sorry for all the pups who have just left their mum and siblings being brought into unsuitable situations

It's very similar to having a newborn baby for the first couple of months. They're incredibly dependent on you for everything, need feeding 4 times a day, constant supervision and toilet breaks every 15 minutes. I longed for our puppy but spent many weeks feeling close to tears and thinking what the heck have I done?!

Dogs are pack animals and hate being left alone. We've got 2 because we run our own business and they come to work with us. Some dogs are fine being left; others really aren't and you don't know until you try.

Our 1st dog was 8 when we rehomed him and absolutely perfect. He slept for hours (on our beds), and was just as happy left as when we were home. Don't eliminate a rescue...... we had ours for 6 years and were heartbroken when we lost him. His family were emigrating and felt it was too traumatic to fly him over with them.

I don't know anyone who has taken more than a week off work to settle in a new puppy

A week is absolutely nothing - your post is all about what you did (which sounds fine) but you both worked from home. What would you have done with a 9 week old puppy all day long if you were working full-time out of the home?

Daycares etc won't take them that young.

I didn’t take any time off for our DDog!
But we both work from home, he was fine and is still. Breeder told us not to - I ended up working hours around dog though!

Goes to day care twice a week (from
14 weeks) but I registered him before I got him!!!

He has a nice life - left now at 10 months’ at max 3 hours one time and on occasion 4 hours over course of the day.

The biggest issue I find isn’t working but fitting kids’ activities in at the weekend!

I should say it was a hard few weeks - up until 17 weeks and I was exhausted!!

I didn’t take any time off for our DDog! But we both work from home, he was fine and is still. Breeder told us not to - I ended up working hours around dog though!

But if you're home all the time (albeit working) it's not the same as being out of the house all day long. You be able to get a puppy on Saturday and go back to work full-time out of the house on Monday.

I'm glad your puppy loves daycare but many don't and find it overwhelming and overstimulating, which means owners should really have a back-up plan in place.

Just want to add you can't guarantee a doggie daycare will take a dog. If it not the right environment eg the dog is very reactive, i think you wouldn't be able to do it and the daycare might say no. I'm just saying you might need a plan B.

It's hard, especially when you see so many people owning dogs nowadays. But I think before taking on a dog, you should always ask yourself

Do I want to be a dog owner, or do I want to be a good dog owner.
Do I want a dog? Or do I want a happy dog?

Dogs are sociable animals, most of them need more than just feeding, watering, walking and toileting. Of course there are always the ones that enjoy their own company and sleeping all day, but I'd say that the majority actually thrive and just live for being with their owners. Getting it wrong can make for some very unhappy creatures.

"Full time workers are the people that can afford puppies/dogs. There’d probably be a lot more dogs in rescues if the FT workers didn’t buy them."

This is a prime example of the disconnect between our precious pup that we're going to breed/buy and rescue dogs.

Many, many dogs end up in rescue (or being sold on, and on, passed from pillar to post) because they have been left alone for long hours. Which is why many rescue organisations won't rehome to people who are out all day/night.

Separation anxiety can be crippling; it is a serious welfare issue, which once acquired can take a long time to resolve. Studies have shown that even dogs who appear to relax and 'just sleep all day' have raised levels of cortisol and other stress responses which long term are no better for dogs than they are for people.

Some dogs will cope, or their owners believe they cope. Many, many do not. Unless you have a solid plan in place, working full time isn't the best life for any dog and is certainly not the best start for a puppy.

Of course I want to be a good dog owner. I want a happy and psychologically settled dog. My question was exactly based on the premise. How can you make that work when you work full time BUT between you can have some flexibility about being at home (yet working) and can also make arrangements to be at home on various days or portions of days and not be working so can devote time to the animal's needs.

I'm just flabbergasted that the very idea of working full time and not being 100% focused on the dog at all times is seen as unacceptable. Yes it depends on the dog but if this is the case then no one should have a dog unless they don't work or have any other distractions. This excludes sahp's for example meaning that the expectation is that only retirees or those who are rich enough to not work can own dogs which doesn't seem viable. Or right.

I have always worked full time, always had dogs from puppy’s. But my dog was always dropped at my mums for the day on my way to work and picked up in the way back

If you use doggie daycare then you will be fine

I now wfh, but have to go out for meetings. Mine is a small dog, crate trained to sleep in the crate when I go out, and I leave her for up to 4 hours. Crate has lots of soft bedding in. No issues, in fact she can often tell when I am going out and puts herself to bed!

The thing is, a puppy needs attention when it needs it, not to fit in with your schedule. So you do have to be able to devote chunks of uninterrupted time to it when it’s a baby.

Just because other people don’t doesn’t make it right. Far too many people have dogs that really shouldn’t, it’s not a god given right. Just because you want something doesn’t mean you should necessarily have it, if it’s not in the dog’s best interests. I’m not sure why that’s so hard to understand?

I'm just flabbergasted that the very idea of working full time and not being 100% focused on the dog at all times is seen as unacceptable

I don't think that's what people are saying.

It's more that when a puppy needs the toilet, or has started chewing on your electric cable or is about to swallow a sock, you need to be able to stop what you're doing right away and attend to them. It's not as easy as waiting until you've finished your Zoom call etc.

We both work and have a dog - but the dog comes to work with me and can stay with my in-laws (where he gets spoilt rotten) on days where I'm too busy to take him. DH can also take him if absolutely necessary.

Nobody is saying people who work full-time can't have a dog but puppies need a LOT of time and attention from someone - whether it's you, family, daycare, a walker/sitter or a neighbour helping you.

Planning to get a dog when you're going to be occupied with work or out of the house for huge chunks of the day (without organising daycare) will probably result in destructive, unhappy dog whose needs aren't being met.

I think one important thing is that your plan is to get a rescue puppy. People who work full time can easily buy a puppy (not that they necessarily should do!), but a rescue shelter is highly unlikely to rehome a puppy with you if you both work full time. They refuse people for seemingly ridiculous reasons, so it’s safe to assume they’d be reluctant.

I got my first dog at 10 weeks old when working four days a week. I thought it was fine, because I could come home at lunchtimes and walk her.

It wasn't fine. With hindsight, I can see that she was deeply unhappy at being left. She wasn't destructive, but soiled the house when I was gone, and took two years to housetrain. So not only did she have to deal with being left, she had to deal with me coming home and shouting at her as soon as I walked in the door.

It was the wrong thing to do and I deeply regret it.

My lovely manager gave me six months unpaid leave, though I went back after four and a half months. What made me laugh was a neighbour had had IVF and had twins, but went back to work after a month. My dog was a lot better mannered and much better socialised than her children. I shall be forever grateful to my manager.

F/T workers can have happy, balanced dogs with the aid of dog care during the day. A puppy though is very different.
We got our pup at 10 weeks. I took 4 weeks leave to toilet train the pup and teach basic commands. At 14 weeks, I went back to working from home and put in 2 hourly breaks for play, toilet, short walks for 30 mins.I would then work later in the evening once DH came home. Our dog walker and I decided to wait until pup was 6 months before she would take him out on walks and I could drop my 2 hourly breaks.
You get out what you put in Op. Our dog is an absolute joy and well balanced.

Well, I have two dogs.
The new one, I very much doubt he’ll be able to left for a couple of hours within a month tbh.
He’s only just starting to be okay with me leaving the room so no depending on the dog (my older one wasn’t nearly as clingy) I don’t think taking a month off is necessarily enough.

Make sure you get a puppy/dog which is a breed who will be happy to be at home, no working breeds etc
It completely depends on the dog.
My older dog (who is absolutely fine being left, even takes herself to bed when I leave) is a Border Collie.

MILs dogs who are also fine being left are jack russells.