[Discussion] Owning dog with 8 h work

[joshdk]

@truthandlove There were times when my boyfriend and I worked at the same time, so our dogs were alone about 9 hours a day. They adjusted pretty well and they were crate trained. We just made sure to take them for long walks as soon as we got home so they could stretch.
It is really up to the dog though. We just adopted another dog less than 6 months ago and she is just now getting used to being alone for maybe 4 hours with anxiety meds.

 

[antidepressedali]

@truthandlove Most adult dogs are totally fine being alone for 8h a day. My dog sleeps for the majority of the day anyway, even if I am home.

My puppy stays in an exercise pen during the day, mainly to confine any mess in case she's not able to hold it all day. (Sometimes she is, but she can't consistently hold it all day yet). Our adult dogs have free roam of the house.

My husband and I have staggered leaving times most days, so the dogs are only alone for 6-ish hours a day. If it's going to be more than 8, my mother-in-law lives a few blocks away and will come in to let them out.

 

[carlos234]

@truthandlove Eight hours is long, but many breeds can handle it.

You could also get a sitter or walker.

 

[notlewp]

@truthandlove So me and my gf had the same delima when picking up two new ones a few months ago. For like two weeks her cousin who is staying with us watched them (not the best babysitter) but after that everyone had to work. So we just bought a cage lined with puppy pads and kept them on a schd from eating, and going potty, we just left the tv on in a room so they knew what voices were and it helped alooot. Now they are four months and are really good at our adjusted schd.

Plus if you're only getting one puppy I highly suggest keeping a t.v. on in the room with them if you can.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@truthandlove I worried about this when I got my first full time job. My pup was less than a year and I hated putting him in his kennel and leaving him for so long. Thankfully, my work was less than 5 minutes from home and my boss let me go home to take him out halfway through my shift. Now I live with my parents so when I'm gone that long he usually isn't alone, so I don't worry at all. I plan on moving out soon so he will end up being alone half the day again. He's a shiba, and can be lazy, so I'm assuming he will be fine. I dunno... Anyways, I would assume it depends upon the breed and personality of the dog! You could also hire someone to walk them or play with them for an hour or so if you think they need some attention.

 

[joncates]

@truthandlove We just got a dog (she'll be 4 months old April 5th) last month and also work 8 hours a day and live in an apartment with no direct access to a yard or grass besides the park near by. We have chosen to litter train our dog. She has a pen that she stays in while we are away as she can not yet be trusted with free roam of the house and uses a litter box the way a cat would. The first thing I do when I get home every day is pick her up and take her to the park near by to play at the dog park or at least take her for a long walk. It's definitely doable but if you're not going to hire someone to take her out a couple times a day when she's a puppy you should consider potty pads or litter training. Keep in mind she is a Basenji which is a smaller breed and when she's an adult she will be around 20lbs. This would probably not work for a large dog breed.

 

[rosesandthorns]

@truthandlove In you situation I would consider adopting an adult dog. A house trained adult dog will be fine for ~8 hour home alone (after a period of adjustment to the new surroundings). It would probably still be nice for the dog if you can break the week up a little, either with day care or a dog walking service one day a week maybe?

 

[trogdortheterrible]

@truthandlove We used to leave my miniature American Eskimo home alone for 8 hours because of work and school but now that our work schedule’s line up he is never alone for long and every time he was alone we would turned on the radio in low volume so he can hear voices so he doesn’t feel alone. He mostly sleep or played in his play room.

 

[sevilodorf]

@truthandlove I'd recommend an adult dog since puppies have a harder time with 8 hours alone. I am single and work and have a small dog, and he's totally fine while I'm working. I sometimes have to push it to nine hours alone, but not more than that.

The hardest part of having a dog while working is that it limits my ability to go out in the evening (I usually drop him off at doggy day care for the days I have to go out at night) - but with two of you around you'll have it easier so one of you can go to the dentist while the other comes home to let the dog out (or whatever).

 

[cps3233]

@truthandlove Totally do able! I would suggest adopting an adult because they can handle 8 hours by themselves pretty well. You also can hire a dog walker to come mid day if you are worried! I would suggest filling out the dog suggestions form for some ideas on what breed of dog to get.

 

[summersunshine1217]

@truthandlove It depends on the dog, I have a husky but I’m fortunate to be able to afford for him to go to day care Monday- Friday. He gets picked up and dropped off and plays with his friends for 6 hours in a secure large garden. £60 a week.

Then I spend evenings and weekends bonding with him, training, exploring new places, generally making up for the hours I’m away from him. I don’t need to walk him after he’s been at day cares he absolutely tuckered out!

Obviously it depends on how much “disposable money” if day care is realistic, but 100% best thing I did was getting my little furbaby

 

[linqinqin]

@truthandlove Hey wanted to just say, it’s totally doable. My husband and I both work standard 8 hour days. If you’re willing to adjust slightly, it’s perfectly reasonable to get a dog. What we do is: We wake up slightly earlier (about 40 minutes earlier) to go for a 25-30 minute walk in the morning. We hired a dog walker to come in the afternoons (we actually recently stopped this as our dog doesn’t really need it), come straight home after work no matter what to let her out and go for an hour walk and most importantly, we didn’t get a puppy. We got a dog that’s 2 years old so the demand on us was a bit less. We also make sure that our weekends are spent doing dog-friendly activities like hikes, or visiting friends with our dog, etc.

I don’t know why a lot of people think to have a dog you need to work from home or be a stay at home homemaker. Make sure you exercise your dog and have the means for a dog walker or daycare for days you know you won’t make it home in time.

 

[edolfhetlur]

@truthandlove Sounds like you guys have your shit together. You should do it. Saw lots of good recommendations on here regarding your away from home concern.

My only addition here would be to look into pet insurance if you can. It has helped me out immensely. I adopted my dog when she was 10 weeks old and a year later she needed knee surgery for a luxating patella. Surgery costed about $2400 since I did not have insurance at the time. Vet told me it was likely her other knee would go as well. So I signed up and a few months later they were right, the other knee needed the surgery. Costed $240 instead of $2400. While recovering from that she tore her ACL. Saved me another $2000. She also has Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency and requires a special enzyme powder for her meals which costs about $80 a month and with insurance its 8 dollars. I'd say insurance has saved me around $5,000 of unexpected vet bills so far. I pay $40 a month and get reimbursed for 90% of most health issues after a $100 deductible.

I adopted a dog that obviously inherited terrible health issues and the insurance has allowed me to keep her healthy and live a happy normal dog life. It's terrible to experience a sick dog and financial stress does not help the situation. She turned 4 two days ago.

TLDR: Pet insurance has saved me around $5,000 in unexpected vet bills over 4 years. Costs $40 a month. Been worth it for me.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@truthandlove Most dogs probably stay home alone for eight hours a day every day. As long as you give your dog enough attention outside of work hours, your dog will be fine. Some people will hire dog walkers to let the pups out for half an hour at a time

 

[trutheran]

@truthandlove You might be interested in reading these articles about longer term puppy set up that’s better than a kennel here and here

Combining a setup like this with holidays/work from home/dog walker drop-ins/family help will probably make dog life possible! (Until they can handle a 4 hr stretch in a kennel)

Note that full grown large dogs shouldn’t go in exercise pens.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@truthandlove Most adult dogs sleep 12-18 hours a day. I occasionally work from home, and my dog spends most of the day sleeping when I am home.

 

[nokhue]

@truthandlove My boyfriend and I were in a similar situation before we moved. I was VERY lucky because I ran a dog-walking company, so a lot of times I would have my walkers come walk Doodle. When there weren't any available, our neighbor would also lend a hand. At worst, I would just go home early to walk him.

Now, though, there are a bunch of great dog-walking services. I'd recommend either using one from your area, or checking out Rover. I know that some people have had issues with Rover walkers, but my boyfriend and I never had. Now, to be fair, we do thoroughly research our walkers and do background checks (as long as they agree - - if they don't, we don't move forward with the hiring process.)

But yeah. Dog walking companies and Rover walkers are similarly priced. Between $10 and $15 for a 30 minute walk.

I will also mention. If you and your girlfriend are planning on getting a puppy, look into companies that offer a type of "Puppy Service." In most cases, a walker will come to your house, take the puppy out every hour or so, and get him/her used to walking on a leash. These services are more expensive than just a normal walk, but are definitely worth it.

Anyway. Hope this helps!

 

[truthandlove]

@nokhue Thanks so much! Every post or even sentence helps us much. I will look into the walking services!

 

[soniyadjs]

@truthandlove I know you’ve already seen plenty of comments, but I just wanted to add that it’s completely doable! I have a senior weenie dog (got her just before she turned 10, and she’ll be 12 in a few weeks) and she does totally fine on her own all day. I toss her a small treat before I leave in the morning, and she knows that’s her cue to head to sleep. Obviously it depends on the breed, but don’t let an 8 hour work day deter you from getting a pup

 

[truthandlove]

@soniyadjs I appreciate all comments because nearly everyone is positive about it - so it makes us more and more confident to see that dogs can handle these hours without problem.
I hope we find a dog who is okay to stay home for a little bit and be happy with us