What do owners who life in apartments do when they need to leave for 7-9 hours?

[jwile62]

Do you make use of a doggy toilet and if so which ones can you recommend?

 

[solagratiaprosalute]

@jwile62 Most people I know who are in an apartment and have a dog either go home mid-day at lunch if it’s work and it’s possible or they higher a dog walker to come and let their dog potty.

 

[alecs]

@jwile62 I don’t leave for more than 5 hours.

I live close enough to work that I come home for lunch to walk my dog.

If I do go somewhere all day, I ask a friend to come walk him mid-day and possibly feed him too if needed.

 

[kelland]

@jwile62 Either leave the dog with a friend (best who also has a dog so you can return the favour) or Dogsitter/Dogwalker. The app "Rover" (or other similar apps) can help you to find one close by (mostly people who have a dog or love dogs and have experience but can't have one for themselfes). Also there are doggy daycare centers. But they are a lot more expensive.

 

[muse03]

@kelland My Rover is amazing

 

[arh529]

@kelland Be VERY careful with rover. I’ve had so many shit hires off that. Once had someone leave my door wide open and luckily my dog left but came back on their own.

I recommend hiring someone out for a one time drop in or walk to assess how they do.

 

[audentials]

@jwile62 I often don’t leave for more than four-five hours but sometimes stuff happens and he can be alone for way over 9 hours. But it took several years of training to get to this point! He’s six years now and couldn’t be alone at all for the first 2 years.
As regarding jobs and stuff I can bring him if I have long days but mostly I only work 4 hours at a time so he’s fine relaxing at home

 

[priest4him]

@jwile62 I would recommend either coming home at some point in the day for a potty break or use Rover!

I actually am a sitter on Rover and what I do when I'm gone is either have a dog walker come or have a drop in visit once a day if my partner can't come home from work to take care of him. It depends on your area, but I'd expect $15 at a minimum for each drop-in/walk.

 

[muse03]

@priest4him I second rover! Great resource

 

[arh529]

@priest4him Be VERY careful with rover. I’ve had so many shit hires off that. Once had someone leave my door wide open and luckily my dog left but came back on their own.

I recommend hiring someone out for a one time drop in or walk to assess how they do.

 

[priest4him]

@arh529 I absolutely agree. I've seen a few very scary things happen. Rover sitters are independent contractors so you have to pick your sitter very carefully

 

[arh529]

@priest4him They also aren’t verified. There are zero protections. You can set up an account and take responsibility of someone’s dogs without getting off your couch.

 

[priest4him]

@arh529 Im a Rover sitter and had to do a background check and had a choice between a normal background check and comprehensive one (I chose the comprehensive one). I think you should have to send an ID next to a picture of your face to make sure everything lines up in my opinion.

 

[arh529]

@priest4him You can get a fake ID on Reddit for like $30

 

[priest4him]

@arh529 You have to give your social security number for the background check so unless you're going through a ridiculous amount of identity fraud to walk dogs, then the identity part is somewhat secure.

What upsets me is when sitters bring STRANGERS to the visit/sitting without permission. Some people have joint profiles but I've heard of people bringing random people to their client's houses

 

[arh529]

@jwile62 Don’t get a dog unless you can provide the attention dogs deserve and yard space they need.

It is inhumane and cruel. There is a reason why shelters require these factors when adopting a dog.

 

[jesuslovesme527]

@jwile62 3 things: 1) come home sometime in the middle of the day. 2) hire a dog sitter/ ask a friend or neighbor to walk her. 3) take her to a doggy daycare ( this is probably the most expensive option, and often not a good one depending on your dog and where you live). An adult dog may be able to go that long home alone though if they really need to, but I really don’t recommend incentivizing going to the bathroom in the house. Make sure you tire them out before leaving, go on extra long walks, do an extensive training or playing session, anything to keep them tired, then give them things to do such as chew toys and treats so they don’t get bored and destroy something they shouldn’t.