What do you do with your dog while you are at work?

[bunny]

My son who is 8 is begging us for a puppy. I always had a dog growing up and so did my husband, so we both love dogs, but we also both work. I leave about 8 AM and my husband gets home around 4:30 PM. My big concern is what I can do with the dog while we are at work. We have a big backyard but no fence. We could put the dog out there on a line or something. However, we also live where it gets very cold in the winter. I am thinking about a very small house dog. We live in a rural community so we don't have any doggie daycare near by. Any thoughts or suggestions or should we just forget about the dog for now?

 

[MichelleVW]

My two older dogs (15 and 6) have free run of the house while I'm gone and the puppy (10 months) stays in her crate while we're not home. The kids leave for school at 7:30 and get home about 4 and the dogs are fine, even the puppy. When I lived closer to work I would let them out at lunch, but that's not a possibility now.

 

[BillSears]

I give him a treat as I walk out the door, say goodbye and he's inside the house on his own from then on. I suspect he hangs around the house, eats when hungry, drinks when he wants to, probably annoys the cat or gets annoyed by the cat. My dog seems to be fine staying at home all day while I'm off at work. I'm sure he'd prefer to have someone home all day long but we all have to make sacrifices so the bills get paid. He's about 50 pounds so he's not a real small dog, I'm not sure why even a big dog couldn't stay inside all day.

 

[mickeysgal]

I'm a firm believer in crating a dog. It gives them a place of their own, a feeling of security, and keeps them out of trouble. My dogs love going in there on their own just to take naps.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My dog(s) is(have been) lucky, we're shift workers and we have an in-law apt so someone's almost always home. In the past though, before shift work and in law apts, we've left the dog alone for the day and he was ok, but then again he was older and quieter. (Well actually, now that I think of it he did jump out the second story window a couple of times when we first moved into an apartment and left him alone, LOL, but he eventually settled down).

What I would recommend is that you consider getting a quiet, older dog who needs a home and may already be used to being alone during the daytime. Ideally you would find a dog whose owners died or moved, not a highly active dog or one who was given up due to behavior problems.

I would not leave a dog out on a run by himself, he could hang himself or become a nuisance by barking, etc. A doghouse in a fenced area might be ok for a dog who's used to being outside, but a dog who's lived in a warm home might have trouble adjusting to that lifestyle. Why not consider just fencing off an area of your home, like your kitchen, and keeping the dog there while you're gone? Once the dog gets used to you, your home and your routine, you may be able to give him more freedom, but that's your choice.

I would probably not consider a puppy at this time, though there may be others here who disagree with that. Having a puppy is like having a newborn baby, lots of work and training involved if you want the dog to learn good behaviors. A pup will learn whether you're there or not, so best to be there to teach him or he'll learn the "bad way" of doing things, hence inviting trouble later on. JMO.

Good luck. I think it's wonderful for a child (and family) who wants a dog to actually have one. I think that in your case it can be done, but you may have to make concessions a bit since you're not there a lot. Good luck.

 

[luvwinnie]

I'm a firm believer in crating a dog. It gives them a place of their own, a feeling of security, and keeps them out of trouble. My dogs love going in there on their own just to take naps.

But you shouldn't keep a dog crated for 8 hours a day (or however long they are gone).

 

[GJM]

My dog is about 4 years old, we adopted her 2 years ago. Since we first had her she stays in the house. I would leave at 7:30AM and get home about 5:15PM, she has never done anything in the house. I think she pretty much sleeps on MY bed during the day.

 

[luvwinnie]

Our Winnie uses wee-wee pads during the day if she must go.

 

[MichelleVW]

But you shouldn't keep a dog crated for 8 hours a day (or however long they are gone).

I would prefer not to crate the youngest of mine that long, but I'm not leaving her out for 8 hours while I'm at work. She doesn't mind her crate and she has toys in there...it's also for her protection because my 6 year old dog sometimes want to fight with her and I will not leave them alone together for that reason.

She doesn't mind her crate at all in fact in the evening we often find her already in her crate at bedtime....

Like I said, I would rather not crate her that long, but she gets plenty of exercise and love when we are home, so she's fine with the crate during the day.

 

[Crankyshank]

Ours spend pretty much the entire day napping on the couch and looking out the window.

We started out crating our younger dog, when I was able to come home at lunch to let him run around and go to the bathroom. then he progressed to being allowed in a penned area of the kitchen. Then they were both allowed free run of the house - I just shut the doors to the areas I want to keep them out of.

Leaving your dog on a run, or even in a fenced in yard, all ready is generally not a good idea. For the noise issue and also because of the likelihood of the dog hurtings itself, getting out, or even being stolen.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I've used crates successfully with my other dogs, but my current dog HATES the crate, and goes absolutely INSANE when she's in there, so not every dog is suited to using a crate. I might have thought most dogs would do fine in crates before (or that perhaps the person wasn't using it right), but my experience with my current dog have made me realize otherwise. She's unique in many ways, and has definitely given me a run for my money. Luckily she's a good girl and I love her to pieces, because of all the dogs I've had, she's been the most work. High Maintenance shall we say...

 

[disykat]

We had kind of the ideal situation. We got our puppy in the summer when the kids and I were home all day. When school started, I work nearby and came home on my lunch hour for the first month or so. She stayed in her crate the whole time we were gone.

By the time I was leaving her all day on the days I worked, I was leaving her crate door open and she had the run of the laundry room. I put a babygate on the door so she could see out. After that she graduated to having the whole family room/kitchen/laundry room area since we had doors to close that area off.

It wasn't until she was about two that she got the run of the house when we were gone.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

My dog has the run of the house. When he was younger, he and our other dog (who has since died) either had the run of the house together or stayed in the fenced back yard.

Please do not put a dog on a line. My brother had TWO dogs strangled that way. (He is an engineer--after his first dog died, he decided he had put the line too close to a fence and that's how the dog strangled. He carefully evaluated the second line on his next dog, could not see any way it could strangle her, and she got caught up in it and died anyway. Hate to tell this story, but I don't want you to think a line is safe).

Crating is fine, but I would NEVER crate a dog for 8 hours. And that would be even worse for a puppy, who would not be able to hold his pee or poop for that long. If you can't come home from work at lunchtime to give your dog a break from the crate, you can confine him to a tiled space while you are at work so his accidents won't be hard to clean up--kitchen, bathroom, or basement/utility room if you have one.

Puppies are a huge, huge amount of work. Our current dog is 14 1/2 years old and we got him as a puppy, I tried to explain to my DH how much work a puppy is (he was the one who wanted the puppy) and he didn't "get it." Guess who cleaned up 90% of the puppy poop? NOT DH.

An adult dog who has been around kids and is good with children should not be too hard to find--our vet always has ads up on the bulletin board for "free to a good home" adult dogs.

 

[monsterkitty]

We have a 4 month old puppy and a much older dog. Our older dog has free run of the house (I'll bet you a dollar she is either on our bed or the couch as I type). The puppy is blocked off in our entry way and the half bath that is right by the garage.

This is going to make more than a few eyes roll here, but we also pay a pet service to come and let the puppy out and play with him twice a day. A lady in our neighborhood owns a pet pampering service, so for $12 a day, she will come over, let Pirate outside, play with him, and clean up any accidents.

For a mere $3 more a day, she would clean the litterboxes if we were lazy.

So this may be over-the-top, but we don't have kids so instead of paying for daycare, we pay for pet care. When Pirate does get old enough, he will go to doggy day care a few times a week as well.

Yes, I am pathetic!

 

[GJM]

When we adopted our dog that is one thing I told my DH & DS I did not want a puppy - too much work, plus we work all day.

We got very lucky with our dog, she is great with kids, and she has never done anything in the house. We had someone come in 3 times a day when we went on vacation for about a week and she was so good.

Her only flaw - don't leave food on the edge of the counter or it will disappear!

 

[luvwinnie]

We have a 4 month old puppy and a much older dog. Our older dog has free run of the house (I'll bet you a dollar she is either on our bed or the couch as I type). The puppy is blocked off in our entry way and the half bath that is right by the garage.

This is going to make more than a few eyes roll here, but we also pay a pet service to come and let the puppy out and play with him twice a day. A lady in our neighborhood owns a pet pampering service, so for $12 a day, she will come over, let Pirate outside, play with him, and clean up any accidents.

For a mere $3 more a day, she would clean the litterboxes if we were lazy.

So this may be over-the-top, but we don't have kids so instead of paying for daycare, we pay for pet care. When Pirate does get old enough, he will go to doggy day care a few times a week as well.

Yes, I am pathetic!

No eye rolling here! I wouldn't even THINK of getting a puppy unless I could hire someone to play with him and walk him during the day.

 

[debbi801]

Please do not buy a dog and then keep it outside on a line all day. Dogs are pack animals and need to be with people. He/she would not do well outside all day.

Also, puppies cannot go all day without going to the bathroom. Generally, you should figure they can hold it for 1 hour for every old month of age. For example, a 2 month old puppy (the earliest you would be able to adopt one) would generally be able to hold it for 2 hours tops. Before I worked from home, DH and I would both come home at lunch to walk and play with Aurora. She was almost 12 weeks old when we picked her up from the breeder. When we were not home, she was in her crate. That helped with house breaking and also keeping her calmer.

Keep in mind puppies are a lot of work. They need regular walking, playing with, training, etc. And they will chew, have accidents, and make you crazy at times. Also, your 8 yr old, while he wants a puppy, is not going to take care of it. You and your DH will. No matter what he says to the contrary. LOL. I still cannot get my 13 yr old and 11 yr old to do much. You might be better off finding an adult dog that is already settled, house broken, and more able to deal with being alone all day.

 

[MichelleVW]

I would LOVE to be able to take my youngest to a doggy day care a few days a week...she loves playing with other dogs but there isn't one close enough to me.

I will be moving soon and will live closer to work, so at least I will be able to come home most days at lunch and let the dogs out. But for now, she does fine in her crate while I'm gone.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would never crate my dog for 8 hours a day while I was at work. I have no clue what mine does all day, as long as he cleans up after whatever kind of doggie party he throws here when I am not home all is good LOL. I suspect he uses the time I am away to sit on my furniture which he is NOT allowed to do otherwise!! He is fine for up to 9 hours alone then he gets antsy, has to eat and go to the bathroom so I don't leave him for longer than that ever. He holds his bladder from 9pm till 6/7 am when I get up si he can hold it during the day.

 

[NMAmy]

Ours has the run of the basement. We have a fenced yard but I won't leave her out there because of barking plus the extreme weather here in Michigan. She has a bed and a bunch of toys, food and water. She's pretty content down there. It's a finished basement so it's heated in the winter and cooled in the summer.

She's a year and a half now but I just can't trust her not to chew stuff up when she's on her own so she doesn't have the run of the whole house yet. The dog is a goat--she'll eat anything she finds lying around--including a pair of scissors I caught her with once! She snatched them right off the coffee table after I put them down. Who would have thought scissors would be interesting to a dog?