[Discussion] Owning dog with 8 h work

[wernalip]

@truthandlove For sure. I used to run a dog walking business; and if you guys have the income for it, it might not be a bad idea to have her walked or taken to daycare twice a week or so. It would tucker her out and she'd be able to be alone for longer or not need a big run in the evening

 

[gcwarnock]

@truthandlove Like the poster above, we also have a JRT/spaniel. He is young and high energy, but he can do 10 hours in a crate if needed. (Typically, the most daytime he is crated is 5 hours twice a week.) Just be ready to take a nice long walk and play a long game of fetch or tug of war when you get home!

 

[truthandlove]

@gcwarnock Even when it wont be a JR we try to make him as tired as he or she wants to!

 

[clolou]

@truthandlove It depends on the dog. In my family, everyone works, but leaving and therefore arrival times are staggered. She was okay during the day, she mostly napped, and my dad tried to telework at least once per week. But she wasn't very active, even before she got sick, so maybe twenty minutes outside throwing the ball around got her exhausted.

But she also did have company in the form of at least one cat (we got a second cat a few years after we got her). So they could entertain and get into mischief with each other.

 

[truthandlove]

@clolou Thank you for your information!

Which dog did you have?

 

[clolou]

@truthandlove She's a Bichon Frise Shih Tzu mix.

The most high maintenance thing about her is her hair!

 

[ajoj]

@truthandlove I’ve a dog at my family home, chocolate lab - everyone’s at work or school for the most of the day.
Honestly I was concerned leaving him at first but he’s always been fine on his own. Maybe stay with the pup initially, until you feel comfy enough to leave pup alone.
My dog’s never really chewed through anything (but perhaps get a cage for your pup, just in case pup likes to snack)
Charlie’s now 10 and likes to sleep on my bed while everyone’s out.

 

[gacu]

@truthandlove My husband and I both work. We have an older pit bull. I adopted him when he was 3 from a shelter and he was already housebroken. He is very lazy and low energy so all he does is sleep all day. He gets walked between 830-9am and then again around 530pm. (And then again around 1130pm) It can work. But maybe won’t work if you get a puppy because they can’t hold it that long. Hope this helps.

 

[truthandlove]

@gacu Thank you for your story!

We are not focusing on puppys because we both know the responsibility with the little ones. They need as much attention as they can get which we sadly cant offer because of our jobs. Eventhough they are the cutest beings on this planet - we both dont want to „destroy“ his life by not being able to raise him and giving him to the next shelter.

 

[tamara05]

@truthandlove A question for you to consider before I go into some recs for you: Have you considered the size of the dog relative to your flat? Small/medium dogs can be easier to manage in a smaller living space, and it’s important to consider personality as well (calm v. high-energy will help if you have to leave).

The solution my partner and I have come up with:

1. My job allows me to work from home a few days a week, so I can let our dog out or give her attention during the day.
2. On days when I have to go to the office and partner has to work, dog gets to go to dog daycare (which she loves)! The best part about this is that she comes home exhausted from the fun.
3. We adopted an older puppy (~8 months), which means she was already at an age where she could hold her bladder overnight. I do not recommend you start with a 3-month old puppy if this is your first dog. Between work and caring for what is essentially an infant, it might be a lot to handle.
4. With all skills related to your dog, start small and move up (ie, if you need to leave, try leaving for only five minutes and see what the dog does. Praise highly if they are calm and don’t destroy anything, and gradually work toward longer increments. If the dog doesn’t do what you wish, stay calm, and move back to practicing the last successful step).

Another option that we did not care for, but many people recommended: hire a professional, trustworthy dog-walker to come by once or twice a day to give the dog emotional and physical stimulation, and let the dog relieve itself.

I highly recommend a training guide (books or videos) if you do decide to adopt a new friend—partner, myself, and dog really benefited from Zak George’s “Dog Training Revolution” and he has many supplementary videos on YouTube as well.

Tl;dr: I am a talkative dog person with lots of advice for managing a furry friend that you will either love or hate.

 

[truthandlove]

@tamara05 Thanks for your answer!

Right now we look towards a Jack Russel Terrier. We would love to adopt one and we both know and read about all the cons. I am able to work from home once a week.

Thank you for all your information. I would love to come back to your advices when we get one!

 

[tamara05]

@truthandlove Feel free to PM me! Getting a dog turned our world upside down for a while, but she is now an integral part of our lives and is absolutely the best thing we ever did.

 

[angel222]

@truthandlove We were lucky because one of us worked from home a couple of days a week. On the other days we hired a company to come in for an hour or so to walk/play with our pups. They have a discount for multiple dog households like ours. Pricey, but so worth it both for them and for our peace of mind.

 

[truthandlove]

@angel222 Can I ask you how much you paid for it per month?

 

[keziah37]

@truthandlove An adult dog will probably be fine unless it has separation anxiety or is a high energy breed not exercised enough. A dog will typically sleep most of the time you are away.

It is not so good for puppies though. Weaker bladders, need more attention. It can be done (lots of people do it) but there is more risk of issues.

 

[objectivist]

@truthandlove Adopt an older/smaller dog. My boyfriend and I adopted our dog (chiweenie) when she was 5 and housebroken, she just slept all day and was at home alone for around 8 hours a day. We also have friends with a big dog who's only 2 years old and they both work 9-5, they take him out for ~30 min in the morning so he can run and get tired and he stays in a crate during the day. But with a smaller dog they don't need as much exercise so it's easier.

 

[iphonetrabaohanh]

@truthandlove Our Finnish Lapphund is fine to be left alone while my girlfriend and I work, but don't ignore him when you get home or he'll go into attention seeking mode. Also, do not get home after work and immediately leave... that drives him crazy and he will knock down the puppy gate trying to get to the person that just left.

Other than that he is very relaxed. We wanted a spitz breed and Finnish lapphunds tend to be easy going, non destructive and easy to train even when you're not very good at training. Also, super fluffy and friendly to both people and other animals.

 

[truthandlove]

@iphonetrabaohanh Thank you for your suggestions!

My GF and I made an agreement to walk out with the dog ASAP after work. If something must be done like, one of us will go to do it and the other one will be with the dog - so he or she wont be alone directly after work. (At least I hope so)

 

[iphonetrabaohanh]

@truthandlove We do a similar thing; first person home gets happy hyper puppy cuddles, then takes the pup for a trip to the dog park. Some days he's happy to wait around before his walk so we go when we're both home, other days he goes right away because he's not in the mood to wait.

That and a 15 minute pre-work morning walk around the block are a good base routine for him, with plenty of other trips and adventures on weekends.

 

[truthandlove]

@iphonetrabaohanh Sounds just like our plan