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.

Cripes massive over reactions here!!!

sounds like he is getting lots and lots of socialization during the week.

Cavvies can be demanding drama queens. He’s just a baby - he’ll settle down more when he’s older.

At that age he shouldn’t be doing long walks in any case.

maybe start taking him out to cafes a bit more and get him used to it - but at that age with a puppy wouldn’t expect him to be very calm.

hes a puppy - they’re hard work

sounds like he’s having a fantastic life.

@Normallynumb i think he’d be too young for that - you have to be really careful until
theyre about 18 months as they’re joints haven’t fully connected yet

Could you swap the 1hr45 cuddles on the sofa for a longer walk? 2x 30 mins isn't very much exercise for a spaniel (and they're definitely not lap dogs, btw!)

So glad to read your comment, I was thinking the exact same thing and thinking I must be crazy!

Sounds fine to me - I have a Cav pup (well I teenager now) and he's OK with that amount of walking and loves cuddles :) it's pretty much a cavalier's favourite activity!

Is he whining about anything specific or just a bit moany? Sounds a bit counter intuitive but he could need more sleep, and possibly a bit more time to chill on his own? (Depends on the pup!)

Have you got one of those toys that's a rope on a fishing rod? (I forget what they are called!) They are excellent because pup can get lots of exercise and you can just chil lol.

Puppy training courses might be fun - I've also been looking at scent training for my cav as he is so sniffy!

My boy is 7 and still whines at me sometimes and he has a VERY full life. It is when he wants something - normally a treat. And it very much a want and not a need….

he drove me insane for most of his puppyhood being demanding. Wouldn’t Rehome him for the world and I don’t think he’d have a better life with someone else

@Cardboardeaux I wouldn’t exercise a cav pup fr longer than that at that age

and cavvies are def on the far end of the spaniel
spectrum - the end closest to the sofa….

they can certainly bustle around on walks - but nothing like a working cocker for example

Sounds like a completely normal life for a dog. I think he could probably do with some more exercise but the than that there’s nothing at all wrong with it. Your dog will be perfectly happy chilling out with you, they just want to be where you are and be included in your life.

Your dog is fine. Sounds like you have a good routine, maybe slightly obsessive with cleaning and worrying! I worry about my two as well but I know they have a nice life and yours do as well. Not sure if you WFH? If not do you get a dog walker in as that is key. Also, I think you are walking him too late. 11 is a long wait. If you can, and its not a huge issue, but I would walk them around 8, then they burn off that night energy and are happy to sleep for a while. Where possible and again, if you feel OK, try to get them out for a sniff walk round the block at lunchtime. And if you are worried and can afford it, get a kitten! My cat and younger dog are the best company for each other as my older dog cant be arsed and sleeps all day. Sounds like you care and you are being overly anxious. Relax your pooch is fine and probably has more one on one than they would in a busier household.

@Cavalierchaos

I know you from the puppy thread and I think you're being really hard on yourself here.

If your pup is helping your mental health and giving you a reason to get out of the house then no, you absolutely should not rehome him. I have anxiety, my pup has made a massive difference for me and I know I'd be lost without her, but I still have days when I doubt myself and think I'm getting it all wrong. That's just part of having a pup/adolescent dog. They are bloody hard work!

Make yourself a little list of what you think you need to work on with him over the next few months - this is what I've done with my girl. Focus on the things that you're less happy with, the rest will fall into place naturally.

Go easy on yourself.

I think it sounds like a perfectly normal life. Maybe not perfect, but who can give their dogs a perfect life? My dog has almost no routine. Some days we'll walk for most of the day and he'll be out and about, other days he'll get one or two half hour walks and a bit of play in the house. He doesn't seem too bothered and I think it's ideal to have a dog that can cope with varying days- some days full on and some days not much. The whining is likely because he's a young, bouncy dog regardless of breed. I would perhaps invest in some interactive toys or train some fun games for him like finding his toys hidden in the house. Even my older boy enjoys that one.

Thank you to everyone on this second page, how different to the first?!

He does have lickimats and everything like that. Unfortunately he's not at all food focused so he's not really interested in kongs and hiding treats etc.

Sometimes we take him out to pubs and we take him to places in the car to walk. However thats not every day of course.

When we're cuddling on the sofa in the morning, I'm usually watching TV/on my phone whilst he either naps or has a chew.

When I'm at work, one of those days he is at bf's parents, one day he's chilling at bf's house (bf works from home) and the last day he is the crate at mine for two lots of 4 hours (I go home at lunchtime to walk him).

Thank you all for the tips. I guess the consensus is that yes I'm very boring 😳 but pup does get lots of fuss...

Is he just whining because he wants you to play or trying to tell you he wants something? Mine foot stomps, grumbles, barks or flings her toys at me if she wants my attention or to play.

My Cav has a similar routine to yours (she's 2)

Up at 7am has breakfast/wee on the garden
8:15 ish we go out for just over an hour. I take part of her breakfast plus high value paste with us and I basically interact with her the whole walk. She's brilliant off lead, doesn't get distracted by the many people/dogs we see.
9:30 ish she'll usually play with her toys for an hour or follow me around if I'm walking about then she goes to sleep until I have my lunch at around 12:30-1pm.
After lunch she will have a wee then play with her toys for a while and get me to play then she will sleep again until 4:30-5ish.
After she wakes she will have a 30-40min walk, eat her tea and then sits or sleeps on my knee pretty much the rest of the evening and gets irritated if I need to move or eat but doesn't mind me getting up for her 9pm snack. 😁

The only thing I would change is the 2 x 4hr crate days. Does he have to be in a crate?

The thing that strikes me is the first walk of the day isn't until 11am. My boy is out the door for his first walk between 9 and 9:30, he'd be climbing the walls if it was left until 11 and he's not even a puppy.

When I'm at work, one of those days he is at bf's parents, one day he's chilling at bf's house (bf works from home) and the last day he is the crate at mine for two lots of 4 hours (I go home at lunchtime to walk him).

That's a long time in a crate - can he not be left loose or go to your BF's if he's working from home?

"he is the crate at mine for two lots of 4 hours"

Also this leaps out at me, 8 hours of a day spent in a crate is just not fair on the poor dog.

Both my working labs are quite happy to wait until lunchtime for their walk. They get up, have breakfast, go to the toilet and then snooze until lunchtime. This is generally where they'll be found whilst I'm having coffee.

My beagle would happily sleep until lunchtime given the chance - he's been like that his whole life. He doesn't do mornings

@tizwozliz that's great for you but I don't really see the relevance of that here. OP's dog is showing signs of unhappiness/ whining and pacing so obviously a later walk isn't working there.

My dog doesn’t even get up until lunch time most days. If I take him out early at the weekend I have to rattle his lead to wake him up and tempt him out of bed! Dogs are very adaptable and get used to, and are happy with their usual routine as long as their needs basic needs are met. Of course dogs that are taken out at 8am every day are going to be climbing the walls at 9am if they haven’t gone out, as that’s not their routine.

I’m a firm believer that a tired dog is a happy dog though, and I don’t believe in the (scientifically disproved) nonsense about not walking young dogs.

More exercise is required.

It's just as relevant as stating the issue is down to not being walked early enough. There's obviously something that the pup is not quite happy with but nobody can really say it's down to the timing of walks from this post.

I suspect it’s the depression talking when you ask if you’re a bad owner. My contented dogs have similarly “boring” lives. They are happiest in whatever room I’m in, so wander with me as I do things. They will often go outside just to chill out on the deck or sniff the air. Walks vary from 15 minutes in the morning and 30 at night to a couple of 2 hour walks, to one 5 hour day out. We walk to the park, but also through the streets, past roadworks, to shops etc so different smells and sounds (they even learned to love fireworks!).
Interest in toys comes and goes. Reasons mine whine or pace (only occasionally) include wanting treats, wanting to go outside, wanting to look out the window, needing an ear rub, wanting fresh water…. It’s always communication.

You don't know the dog is unhappy - a dog who paces and whines could be over-stimulated, or seeking attention, or waiting for something in their routine that always happens at X time but is delayed for some reason.

One of the best bits of advice our breeder gave us was to never have a set routine - sometimes ours gets walked at 6am, sometimes not until 2pm, sometimes he even skips a day. And his behaviour is fine regardless - a dog who paces and whines because he needs to be out by x time everyday is, IMO, not particularly well-adjusted.