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The doghouse

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Original poster

Can you have a puppy if you work?

24 replies

OutbackQueen · 09/02/2022 04:26

I lost my dear 14 year old dog a few weeks ago and am thinking about getting a puppy. I work 4 days a week though for 6 hours a day and live alone so is this sensible? I’d take some time off when I got it and might be able to get someone to pop in at lunchtime.

OP posts:

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 09/02/2022 04:35

You'd have to take it to daycare not leave it alone for that long

Ninethirtyfive · 09/02/2022 05:30

We naively thought we could. We were wrong! We had 6 weeks off work when we got our puppy in order to settle her in. She turned out to be a puppy that hates being alone. When we started, a couple of weeks in, to try to leave her for 5-10 minutes to get her used to it, she got so distressed and made such a mess that she’s been at daycare on work days ever since. She’s now nearly 3 and can be left for an hour or so but I’d never leave her longer. You need to make sure that there is a daycare nearby which will take puppies and that it’s factored in to the budget that you might need it long-term.

MrsEricBana · 09/02/2022 05:34

Agree with pp. You can't leave a puppy for 6hr+ 4d/week whether someone pops in or not.

SmorgasBorb · 09/02/2022 05:43

All dogs are different and you don't know what you are going to get.

When we got our 6m puppy I took 6 weeks off work to settle her into a routine. Timed it nicely over Xmas and the long shutdown for summer here in Nz. I work 3 days form home and the other two she goes to daycare which she adores. In fact I send her there even when I'm home for play, socialisation and enrichment.

Other days she gets a 2 hour walk on the beach in the morning and she then sleeps until lunchtime when she gets a 30 minutes walk and a play then she sleeps again until DH is home at 4. She's v lazy and would lounge around at home all day if we let her. Could I leave her at home alone? Yes as long as someone could pop in to walk her at lunchtime as she not a chewer, barker or mischief maker. Friends with a 2 year old dog are the same. Other friends couldn't leave theirs for more then an hour or so without all hell breaking loose or their dog getting v depressed.

We also trained her to chill in her crate outside of walks and defined playtime's when young and managed her separation anxiety with rapid returns and treats. She would howl as soon as we were out of sight for the first month. After that she barely noticed.

islaviolent · 09/02/2022 06:05

I was furloughed when we got our puppy , so it was nice to have that time at home with her, settle her in . Now I'm back at work , she goes for a morning walk , then to doggy day care for 3 hours . She's left for 2.5 hours between me leaving and the dog Walker turning up .

CurtainTroubles · 09/02/2022 06:10

This reply has been deleted

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Crucible · 09/02/2022 06:31

No, you can't.

Original poster

OutbackQueen · 09/02/2022 06:39

Thank you, I can see it’s not doable. I’ll try and find a rescue. Or wait until I retire which isn’t long off.

OP posts:

Crucible · 09/02/2022 06:46

Please don't think you can rescue. That is even harder on the dog. Please wait til you retire. A rescue is not an alternative that's easier.

Original poster

OutbackQueen · 09/02/2022 06:57

I’ve had a rescue for 10 years; he’s the one who just died and we had a lovely life together. Why don’t you think I should get a rescue @Crucible?

OP posts:

SpaceDetective · 09/02/2022 08:03

When we got our 6m puppy I took 6 weeks off work to settle her into a routine

There's a whole world of difference between a 6m puppy (7.5 when first left) and an 8 week old puppy.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 09/02/2022 08:18

You can get a puppy but you'd need to be prepared to pay for daycare with a back-up in place for when the dog is unwell or gets KC or goes in season etc.

We put our dog into daycare until he was two. He's almost four now and comes to work with me most days and my in-laws have him when I can't bring him for whatever reason.

He thrived and had a great time but you need to pick the right daycare, make sure they can take puppies and have plans in place for when the dog has accidents or gets unwell.

LeavingTheParty · 09/02/2022 08:29

No dog should be left for 6 hours, (plus travel time?) 4 days a week. You will need to pay for daycare. You may have left your last dog for that amount of time but you shouldn’t have. Wait till you retire and get a rescue which you can then give them the time they deserve. Some rescue dogs may have significant issues due to their history and really deserve the best chance of settling with you, which means not leaving them too much.

LeavingTheParty · 09/02/2022 08:32

Sorry, I meant to say sorry for the loss of your dog. It’s really hard to lose them, they’re such a part of our lives. x

Lazypuppy · 09/02/2022 08:37

We did it with our puppy, we built him up to 4-5hrs alone. To start with, i would leave for work and 7:30, dog walker came in at 9:30-10:30, i came home for lunch at 12:30, then my husband was home by 2pm and out for another walk. Then after about 3/4 months i stopped coming home for lunch and puppy was able to do the longer stretch.

We made sure we got a breed who would be happy to sleep and be at home, not one that needs 4 walks a day and high energy needs. Lots of people don't think you should leave dogs home alone at all, you've had a dog OP, you just need to have plans in place to build the dog up to longer stretches on their own, you can't do it straight away

Autumn101 · 09/02/2022 09:06

I’m so sorry for your loss of your dog x

I think it would really depend on which breed you had and whether you could afford/accommodate some puppy daycare or dog walker to decrease the time alone.

I have a 10.5 week old Springer - he is absolutely lovely but it is so so much harder than I expected or remembered! He is so full on and takes up all my time at the moment. I am supposed to be working again from April part time at home and I think I’ll need to use daycare for him even to manage that!!

SmorgasBorb · 09/02/2022 09:10

OP you will probably get a whole load of people on here who will indicate that you can't have a puppy or a dog if you ever leave the house for more than an hour and have a large home set in several acres of private fenced parkland but if you are retired you are surely too old to offer the exercise or enrichment the dog needs. If you have children or a cat then forget about it and get a gerbil instead.
Even if you are deemed to have the lifestyle acceptable to dog ownership you will be advised that you can't buy a puppy because 'puppy farms' but you also can't rescue one unless you have 65 years of published experience in dog mental health.
You will then be advised to get a retired greyhound.
People
Seem to blunder though with kids without the angst so think of it that way. Have a think about your lifestyle, dog temperament, research breeds, consider and set up your time to bond and train dog initially(can you take holiday, unpaid leave, wfh for several months?), consider your contingency options after that (wfh, daycare, relative dog sits, designated dog walker etc) and then discuss with friends with dogs and what they did and think again.
It's possible but it will take sacrifice and probably a lot of money

MrsSkylerWhite · 09/02/2022 09:11

No, it would be miserable.

JustJam4Tea · 10/02/2022 15:43

I think you can if you can take a reasonable chunk of time off/wfh for the first 6 weeks or so. Then can get home at lunchtime or have someone come in - for companionship not just a walk. We paid a friend's daughter to pop in and play with the puppy.

We also had in laws who were happy to take her.

She didn't like doggy daycare at all. Some dogs don't. And it was one that had a special puppy care bit.

But it's possible, ours is quite chilled.

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 10/02/2022 22:36

Maybe a retired greyhound? They tend to sleep a lot!

My 'puppy' is nearly 3 and I still wouldn't leave him 6 hours. I think he'd be fine but the guilt would kill me!!

Shmithecat2 · 10/02/2022 22:43

Another shout for a retired greyhound (any kind of pointy adult dog really).

AwkwardPaws27 · 10/02/2022 22:53

Our dog wouldn't have coped with that as a puppy but at just over a year, he'd probably manage with a lunchtime visit/dog walker to break up the 6 hours (not tested this as we WFH, but he copes well with up to 4 hours for the odd evening out).
He definitely wouldn't have managed this til around 8-9 months though.
An adult or even adolescent rescue (specifically one which wasn't relinquished due to separation anxiety) may be a good fit, as long as the lunchtime visit / dog walker can definitely happen.

Original poster

OutbackQueen · 11/02/2022 07:34

Yes been thinking about a retired grey, there are so many in the rescues.

OP posts:

SheWoreYellow · 11/02/2022 07:44

There are specific greyhound rescues too, if you are thinking that way. They’re good with advice for afterwards.

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