Does my dog have a bad life?

[Cavalierchaos]

I normally post on the puppy threads but wanted a wider range of views. Basically, I'm very paranoid/guilty/worried that I'm too boring for my dog and he's not having a good life. I mainly think this because he whines a lot and I'm aware that I'm not a very stimulating owner.

I live alone.
I work three days a week.
Live in two bed terrace (two reception rooms plus kitchen) with yard.
3 nights a week we go to my boyfriends house who has a small garden.
Two nights a week he goes to bf's parents and they have a bigger garden and also a field he can run in once a week. They have a Labrador and the dogs get on well. He is so happy here as there is so much more going on to entertain him.

He's a 9 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who has lots of energy and is very hyper.

When we're at my house, this is a typical day:

8am breakfast and toilet in yard
8.15-10am cuddles on sofa
10-11am in crate whilst I go to the shops
11am -11.45am dog walk in park, lots of sniffs
11.45 - dog bath
12pm -6pm I do sedentary activities eg jigsaw, crafts, playstation - pup ideally chills next to me/on my lap/at my feet/mooches around during this time. Will have a break at some point to throw toys for pup and take him into yard for a pee.
6pm- pup 'helps' me prepare dinner.
6.15-6.45pm -walk pup
6.45 - 7.15 -pup in crate while I eat
7.15 - 11pm pup chills while we watch tv.
11pm bedtime

I'm sedentary for long hours in the day and I naively thought a lapdog like a cavalier would be happy just to be with me. But I don't think he is because he whines a lot and paces. I think about rehoming him a lot to a busier household with lots going on to entertain him.

I should add that he gets lots of pets and cuddles thoughout the day with me.

Please answer the poll. I don't know what to do.

A bath every day???

Please don't bath your dog every day! They need the oils in the coat. We bath 2 or 3 times a year max

What training do you do?

1.45 hours cuddling on the sofa ?

a bath every day ?!!!

what is pup's routine on the 3 days you work ?
is he crated the whole time you are at work ?

9 months is still very young, for any breed - energy levels will change. Give it a year and he likely will be snoozing under your desk most of the day. Some things like daily baths are debatable, but that is not a "bad" life.

My routine wasn't this rigid with 4 kids.

You can't bath a dog everyday!

It is a very uneventful day for such a young pup. It doesn't sound like he's getting enough stimulation at all and that he is expected to work around your routine rather than you engaging with him when he needs it. There is no training involved in your day instead you just stick him in the crate. Also, does he not get to go out between 6.45pm and 8am the next day? That's a very long time to hold it in for such a little one.

It doesn't look like your pup gets much physical interaction hence the whining.
That's easy to remedy.

Short periods of 15 minutes throughout the day when you do some training.

But to be honest it does sound like quite a boring day for a young puppy

You don't have to rehome him but it's a boring life for a dog and as other people have said bath every day???

You need to build more activity into the day. Do you have mobility issues that mean you can't walk much? If so can you get a dog walker to do an afternoon walk?

Yes, it does sound a bit boring. Can he do the running around with boyfriend's parent's dog more often?

Or they visit so they can play together?

I bathe my dog when she's rolled in something revolting. So next to never. They don't need bathing every day like a human!

what about toys???

It all sounds very rigid - and why on earth are you bathing your dog everyday?

What happens on the days you're working?

You could incorporate some brain training games with him during the sedentary time you have. Even just teaching him general obedience or tricks in the living room to mentally tire him

Also look into some interactive toys for him.

I think you are worrying over nothing tho, it sounds like he has a lovely life with you.

It isn’t the worst routine I’ve ever seen in my life but really, he’s probably bored shitless at times which won’t help with his ‘hyper’ nature. As above, try brain stimulating toys and games and work on obedience training to get his mind working a bit. I think I’d also work in a last-thing walk just before bed. Not necessarily a long one, but something to get him out and about.
Also, again as above, he doesn’t need a bath every day. That’s not good for him.

Does he still need to be in the crate?
Perhaps look at some brain toys - Nina Ottoson (sp?) , or Kong wobblers ( put his kibble in it - if he eats kibble)

He does not have a bad life, but a bit of variety would tire his brain. And cut out the baths.

When you say you are considering rehoming, do you mean you've identified an actual new home, or do you mean take him to a rescue shelter? If it is taking to rescue shelter, you need to understand the reality of that. Most shelters are full to capacity and really struggling to rehome. It is quite likely that your dog would spend months, if not years, in kennels. I'm not going to criticise people who find themselves unable to keep their dog, because sometimes it you just can't make it work, but I'm not convinced that your lifestyle being a bit boring is worse than the reasonably likely outcome of long-term kennels.

I haven't voted - I don't think either of these is a good option
Why is the choice only between your very rigid sedentary lifestyle and rehoming? You've not said why you can't do more/ do differently. Instead of 2 hours 'cuddling on the sofa', you could do training with the dog for 20 minutes of that - mental stimulation is as tiring as physical work. As your dog grows older, you could consider more walking. You could fit in 30 minutes of play with the dog into your afternoon. This wouldn't need to be active for you, but would be a huge addition for your dog.

As others have said, you don't need to, and really shouldn't, bathe your dog every day.

Play with him a bit more and do training, get some puzzles or a kong with hidden treats. Can you take him another walk in the evening?

He def don’t need bathing everyday, I bath my dog every 2-3 months. You shouldn’t really bath more than every 6 weeks due to the oils in the coat, unless they roll in something vile!

Why aren't you training or playing with your puppy instead of doing jigsaws and PlayStation?

Honestly, you sound boring for a puppy/ young dog... your lifestyle is better suited to a 9+ dog, minus the bath every day!

My day isn't actually as rigid as that lol, I just put approximate timings. Of course it varies.

When I say bath, I mean I wash his dirty paws and his underneath with the shower head cos his wee gets in his fur. I don't wet his whole body, just the dirty bits.

He has all the interactive toys/kongs etc plus normal toys and chews.

He goes into the yard for a wee right before bedtime, forgot to add that in.

I train him at random points in the day where appropriate, I don't really do a separate training session anymore.

If I rehomed it wouldn't be to a rescue, it would be to a home I found myself.

I'm not disabled but have depression and struggle to do things. I never really left the house before I got the pup so he has helped a lot.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

So the puppy has one hour of interaction with the outside world through walks and the odd toy thrown for them the rest of the day.

This actually makes me really sad and wonder why you didn't get an older dog if you essentially just want something to potter on walks with and then snooze.

I think you've completely misunderstood what a puppy needs. It isn't a bad life but it does sound miserable for the pup.

We got our puppy (now 13 months) and I admit I'd completely underestimated what she was going to need in order to be happy and calm! She is a lab x pointer with some GSD and collie thrown in so is intelligent and high energy.

We go to puppy classes every week which we both love - she is knackered from all the learning afterwards! For the rest of the week we do 2 short (15min) training sessions a day and she settles really well after the one in the evening.

I've found the perfect time to take her to the park - when it is full of fellow dog walkers so she has a chance to play, run and socialise. I also actively arrange doggy playdates with friends - sometimes just going round to their house to hangout.

She does need a good run each day so to take some of the pressure off me during the week we've got a dog walker who takes her out Tues and Thursdays for a couple of hours off lead adventures with other dogs.

I appreciate you've not got a lab X but king Charles cavaliers are intelligent, active dogs who need physical and mental stimulation. I do think you would both be happier making some changes to your routine.

What sort of training are you doing? How often and how long?
Don't give up on the little fella just yet!
If training is just the basics like sit, down, stay, paw... maybe it's time to move forward to more advanced trick training to spice things up? This can vary from jumping through hoops, weaving through your legs to simply doing pretty beg or balancing a treat on his nose.

The Internet is full of fun things you can teach. And don't worry if things take a bit longer, dog training takes time and patience.

My concern would be that such a young dog isn't getting more interaction with the outside world.

He needs to be socialised properly i.e. going out and seeing lots of different things, places, people, traffic and so on.

Such a young dog needs more exercise and preferably a good run every day not just a couple of times a week.

And why on earth are you shutting him in a crate every time you leave the house or eat? Unless he's particularly destructive, shutting him in a crate so often is unnecessary and unkind.

It's not a terrible life but it's not a fulfilling life for a young dog.

I'm not surprised he whines and paces, he's probably bored rigid.

Maybe he needs more brain work? Have you done puppy classes?? I’d recommend these
Add in some puzzle/treat games for him, where he has to work out how to get the treat.
Hide toys/treats and let him find them- good for sniffing and you can cheer him on when he gets near them
Licky mats are good for calming- if you smear primula cheese etc (check that they’re ok for dogs)
These are all things my dog loves, even as an adult.
I’ve seen ‘snuffle mats’ - wrinkly layers of material that can hold hidden treats but I haven’t tried these.
Sounds like I’m getting you to constantly feed him but treats can be tiny; it’s the brain work that’s beneficial
Good luck- he’s obviously well loved

What about a dog Walker to give him a good run and to socialise with other dogs?
Different situation as I'm physically disabled but my dog goes out 5/7 with my lovely dog Walker and comes back very happy and absolutely knackered!