Toy breed dog that can be left (With a dog walker visit)

[Catsarelovely]

I'm very keen to get a toy poodle but there would be no one at home (apart from our cat who rarely leaves the house) on three days a week for no longer than 6.5 hours. I would book in a dog walker for those days but am concerned that even that could result in too long a time alone.

If anyone does have any experience of a toy breed that would be ok with this set up I'd really appreciate it.

I don’t have experience of toy dog breeds but things to consider are, will the dog be crated while alone? It’s difficult to know but if they are a chewer/anxious etc a crate would be beneficial.

What age are you thinking? If a young dog they may need to go to the loo more often than three hourly.

I was looking at a dog walker to come in a couple of times a day but ended up using doggy daycare. Cost wise it’s actually cheaper for me, but this may differ depending who you use.

A dog walker isn't enough. People who employ them have usually built up their dog being alone for several hours over a period of months or years.

Young puppies really cant be left for longer than a few minutes at a time for the first few weeks - they can cause to much damage, even locked in a crate. I know of a puppy that broke her leg and another that dislocated it's jaw when their owners left them alone in crates and the puppy panicked. Puppies are like toddlers - you really can't take your eyes off them for a second, let alone hours.

Rescues likewise need about three months to properly 'bed in' - and that's without any additional issues like SA etc.

There's literally no breed of dog that, from a puppy, you can leave alone for 3+hrs from day dot. You should take weeks or months to build it up properly - otherwise at best you risk a dog with behavioural issues or at worst, a puppy doing serious damage to themselves.

Toy breeds have generally been bred as companion dogs, which tends to mean that they don't like being left alone, even as adults.

Your set-up doesn't sound totally incompatible with dog ownership though - as a dog walker I walk plenty of dogs who are left for six hours (or more) with me popping in at lunchtime to take them for a walk. None of them are destructive or show any signs of being unhappy with the situation.

But, that said, they are all adults and have been trained from day one to get used to being alone. I've also had a lot of puppies booked in for "visits" who end up being re-homed or sent to daycare because they simply cannot cope with being on their own for such long periods of time.

What is it that appeals to you about a toy breed? They're not necessarily easy dogs and many come with health issues as they're so small.

A lot of small dogs have been bred as companion dogs and absolutely hate being alone. I have a shih tzu and there is no way I could leave him for 6.5 hours even with a dog walker coming in. On the days I'm in the office he goes to the dog boarder which funnily enough is cheaper than a dog walker. Oh and please don't even consider putting them in a crate for 6 hours as pp suggested. That would be absolutely horrendous

Thanks for all your replies. No I definitely wouldn't be using a crate and work in a school so was hoping to try and time things so we get a puppy in the 6 week summer holidays. I love all sizes of dogs but my dh really wants a toy sized breed. It's very difficult to find a cat suitable and child friendly rescue dog near us (Our daughter is almost 11)

Dogs are social creatures. Irrespective of size. Your life isn’t really compatible.
what happens if you have an appointment after work? Have to go to the shops?

You won't be able to leave a young puppy for that long. They're not reliably toilet trained, and it's also just not fair. They do sleep a lot, but not that much. I got a puppy at the beginning of a three month summer break and he still had to go to daycare once I had to start going back into work.

Puppies need much more engagement than you think - you're basically getting a hairy baby/toddler and they will need you a lot right up until adulthood (a year for a small breed). It doesn't mean you can't go back to work, but you can't be certain your puppy will be okay alone at all, let alone for that long.

Some breeds are more likely to be okay alone - think of a terrier if you need to leave them. If you're getting a dog bred to be a companion, or to work closely with people (e.g. a poodle or a spaniel) they will likely need someone with them for most of the day for most of their first nine months, and you need to be looking at daycare and puppy sitters. If that's too expensive once the summer holidays are over you may not be in a position to get a puppy.

But after six weeks, your puppy will only be 14 weeks old - far, far too young for the kind of set-up you have. They still wake in the night at that age, and need regular breaks for the toilet. They're also too young to go out with a dog walker for a full hour.

I've never crated my dog but you do need to think about safety and practicality - they can't just be left to free roam and there are so many hazards in a house that could kill or injure a young, unattended dog. They're not like cats who can typically just be left to their own devices.

You could potentially make it work if you found a suitable daycare.

Have you looked at doggy day care or borrow my dog for the initial puppy period?

Like others have said you wouldn't be able to (kindly) leave a puppy alone for 3-4hours straight off but the above options may help?

We had a Lhasa Apso, who in his previous home had been crated for up to 8 hours a day (I don't agree with or recommend this, just stating facts).
When he came to us we crated him when we left the house for up to 2 hours, then moved to opening the crate but in a small closed (safe) room, then eventually the downstairs of the house. He was comfortable being left alone for up to 6 hours (though we rarely went as long as that) with no signs of stress.

In my opinion your set up is not an option unless you take the dog to doggy day-care on those days. A dog walker isn't enough. Obviously it's cruel to the dog, but it will also be hard work for you dealing with the resulting behaviour. In my area doggy daycare is around the same price as an hour's walk anyway.

Sorry but six weeks isn't anywhere near long enough.

Being blunt, no good breeder will sell to you with your current working arrangements. You need to get full time day care for the pup.

If you don't and you do get a dog, you'll end up getting one from a puppy farmer and/or someone who doesn't care for their pups - which always ends in tears, either because of behavioural issues or genetic defects.

Have you thought about a potentially older dog or possibly a pair? We leave ours for 6 1/2 hours absolutely no problem at all - they have each other and are completely fine. Your lifestyle is fine to have a dog, just just need to get the right one in the right situation!

I agree that six weeks isn't long enough, initially, before they start being left for 6 hours or so.

Isn't a walk supposed to be 5 minutes per month of age? So if you get an 8 week puppy and go back to work 6 weeks later - the puppy will be 3.5 months old, the dog walker would only really be able to be walking them for 15 or 20 minutes.

In your situation I'd take parental leave for 4 weeks tagged onto the holidays, giving you ten weeks off to settle them and build up being left. Then rather than a walker, I'd walk them before and after work myself and instead engage someone to simply sit in your house for an hour in the middle of the day and dogsit, playing with them etc...I think that would be much better for a puppy. As they get older then and able to do 1 hour walks, you could transition to an actual dog walker.

Apologies, I’ve never used a crate but I know people do use them.

Thanks to all those who've replied. Maybe I'm a bit out of touch as I grew up with dogs and they were left during the day but that was many years ago now. I'd actually prefer to get an older toy breed dog but it's unusual to see them in rescue where I live. It's generally collies, staffy crosses and lurchers. Many of them seem to have behavioral issues though and our cat adds an extra barrier.

There's a big difference between leaving a settled, older dog alone and leaving a tiny puppy, though.

Fair enough, I do appreciate the comment's. I'll have a word with poodle breed rescue to see if we can be put on a waiting list for an older dog.

OP, do look at the cost of daycare before writing off the idea of a puppy completely - depending where you are in the country it can be surprisingly reasonable, even good properly regulated places.

I do know you're talking generally, but my terrier howls for every second he's not with us 😆. He's never on his own for more than 30 mins.

Thanks Bupster, we live rurally and unfortunately daycare for dogs isn't a thing here.

Are you sure? If there are dog walkers, there are very likely to be daycares.

Retired greyhound could be a possibility if you can find a cat friendly one which is possible. I ve rehomed cat friendly greyhounds from the RGT. They’re very horizontal couch potatoes and are used to spending time alone. Would it be every day though? I wouldn’t get a dog full stop if it was going to be left 5 days a week even with a dog walker.

Poodles are one of the worse breeds for separation anxiety.

It would be for three days a week. I love greyhounds but my dh would only want a small dog unfortunately.

I think the problem is, that it's not down to the breed it's definitely down to the individual dog. We've got a 7 yr old lurcher and I'm pretty sure she sighs a sigh of relief when we go out for the day as it means she gets a good uninterrupted nap 😂. However, we've also got a 2 yr old whippet. And if left with the lurcher he's absolutely fine but try and take the lurcher out of the house without him and all hell breaks loose. He gets so distressed it's just not worth it. In every other way he's a super confident dog so you just don't know what your going to get.
As someone's already said you could get a rescue that's older but they really do need time to settle before leaving them.