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Myself and Mrs Lunge would dearly like a dog but we can't work out how to do so with our current time/work commitments. I work full time and am out of the house 7am to 7pm, Mrs Lunge works 3.5 days per week, neither of us can get home at lunch with any regularity. I'm happy to walk said hound every morning and night though. I don't think it's fair if a dog spends all day at home alone and whilst for us it clearly wouldn't be every day, it would be at least 3 per week.
This thought then led to wondering how others do it, and then somewhat inevitably, to STW.
So dear dog keeper, how do you do it? Dog walkers? Work less hours? Or am I being overly precious about leaving the dog alone?
Mother in law takes the dog (and the kids) on the days when my wife is at work.
Hour walk and play before I go to work, dog walker takes her out for an hour around lunch time (he's very good and works her brain as well) and then another hour from us in the evening. We engage with her, that's the key. Plus we don't go out and leave her on school nights. She's okay at being left 4 hours, probably more, but we've not tried it.
Tonight, she's going open water swimming.
And this was a dog that was surrendered to rescue because of separation anxiety! Zero sign of that now, I put it down to the engagement we have with her.
I work from home two days a week which helps (the bloody dog normally ignores me and sits in another room) and my other half's mum looks after our little boy after pre-school at our house the other few days. Our dog is pretty lazy though and does his best to avoid leaving teh house - even on a warm day when the back door is open he doesn't venture out much.
Those sort of hours are too long to leave them especially when a pup.
pick the breed well, and then pick the dog based on temperament. People can be overly precious about leaving dogs alone. The trick is providing enough mental and physical stimulation for the dog, so they don't develop unwanted behaviours/ habits. When she was a puppy, i was unemployed which meant that she was trained and watched! I couldn't believe how much pee a small puppy can store!
I have a dog walker coming mon-fri, who can also do evenings when asked. We pay for an hours walk about midday, however she is usually with the dogwalker for a lot longer.
My wife goes and walks other peoples dogs or brings other dogs to our house. Our dog is just part of that cycle.
I know that isn't helpful. I think alot of people use some one to walk their dog when they are out all day. We did when we both worked full time
Breed choice helps. We had a greyhound (rescue) who would have spent his entire life on the sofa if he could.
My neighbour (who has 12 dogs) and has spent years training them for agility has this attitude to leaving dogs alone....
They are somewhere safe, warm, with food, and with water. They could do a lot worse.
I tend to agree
Re. breed, a greyhound is looking quite likely, ideally a rescue that's a few years old, so I guess that'll help.
Mrs OTS is keen on a small dog, but we both work full time ish, so doggie day care of some form would be required.
How much do you pay your dog walkers?
We have an OES, very chilled and stubborn.
Both the Mrs and I work within 2 miles of home so either of us can come home at lunch to walk her, she has a run in the morning with me for an hour and then big walk with both of us when we get home. If either of us are tied up in meetings we have a dog walker we can call on in an emergency. But if everything fails, shes is safe and warm and we'll tidy up when we get home, never happened yet...
it'll be in the range of 10 - 15 quid/day for a dog walker.
my dog comes to work.
Because I work shifts it’s only 4 days in 5 weeks where our dog is alone, it’ll be for around 10 hours at that time. He does pretty much what he does when we’re are in and that is sleep all day. He jumps on the windows about 20 minutes before the wife if due home or if wants to check out what’s happening in the street.
Dogs sleep an awful lot.
Our Springer is now 8 years old, he's had a fairly mixed regime as he's grown up, from pup to approx three 3 years old he had my other half for company as she was a mature student so was at home pretty much throughout the week, he then had a shortish period where he had 2 days a week at home whilst we were both out 8am-5pm and a day in the middle at a doggy day care thing. Since that he's then had mixed bag of cover between maternity leave, dog walkers, my parents etc.... now, with decent morning and evening exercise, play time and two young kids to keep him on his toes, I think he welcomes the peace and quiet he gets when we all clear off.
I have to ask.....
Why buy a dog, then pay somebody else to take it out for walks for you?
Isn't taking the dog out for walks sort of the main reason for owning a dog?
Have you considered a hamster instead? They're self-exercising. Or just build a massive hamster wheel? :D....
Why buy a dog, then pay somebody else to take it out for walks for you?
Why not? We all buy bikes but never ride them.......
I'm going to start paying someone to ride mine for me
^^what sort of hourly rate were you thinking of binners?
I used to ba able to park in a shaded secure car park under the trees and the dog was happy sleeping in the van with his bed etc after a walk before work, a biscuit at 1030 and a walk at lunch and an hour after work.
Now I go home at lunch to walk them because I can. Again after a good morning walk and they get a good evening walk. They are left for 5hrs in the morning and about 2.5 in the pm. Video shows that apart from the postie they sleep all day.
To be fair if I couldn't get home I'd try to get someone to at least let them out the full day would just be too much. In my opinion
They are somewhere safe, warm, with food, and with water. They could do a lot worse.
A couple of people in our street have a similar outlook. It's ok for them though, as they don't have to listen to the ****ing things howling and barking all day 🙄
Why buy a dog, then pay somebody else to take it out for walks for you?
Same reason people have children, then pay somebody else to look after them 8+ hours a day.
We put our dog in the garden after a morning walk when the Mrs leaves about 9ish. She has a kennel and water. Neighbours report she sleeps all day on the grass if its sunny and in her kennel if its rainy. I walk her when I get home.
should point out that my dog does have periods when she has to stay home alone during the day. sometimes i work away from home or overseas. i didn't get her knowing she was going to be left by herself for that length of time, but, life. she doesn't like it, and i don't either, but they have to fit in with you to some extent.
Get two dogs so they've always got company. Seriously, we originally started with a Spanish water dog, circumstances changed which meant leaving her all day alone 3/5 days, thought it would be nice to giver her company so got a springer, its worked out perfectly and no more guilt trips! Tough time will come when one of them dies as they are like best mates
Dogs fit in with your life, NOT the other way round. Mental stimulation just as important for dogs as exercise so don't be beating yourself up if you cant get out for a morning/evening walk (just make sure they can get out for toilet sometimes). Dogs love sleep as much as they enjoy their owner getting home, ours can sleep fro hours at a time. As above if they are safe, warm and watered they'll be fine, they aren't delicate
Go to Dogs Trust, tell them you both work full time and see what they advise.
A dog will get used to being left, but initially, you have to be there for it - either if it's a puppy that needs training and company, or a rescue that needs settling into a new home.
How anyone can use the argument comparing dogs to children... just stupid.
We put our dog in the garden after a morning walk when the Mrs leaves about 9ish. She has a kennel and water.
🙂
We only committed to dogs as now we can between our shifts spend lots of time with them and long walks. They are only ever left few hours tops.
Breaks my my heart walking my boys local seeing/hearing dogs cooped up in houses all day or only seeing a back garden now and then 🙁
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</p><p></p><p>Good job nobody did then, that would be very silly!</p><p></p><p>As said, provided the dogs have stimulation they are fine being left alone, obviously breed dependent but if you get that right then you're halfway there.</p>How anyone can use the argument comparing dogs to children… just stupid.
Other half works from home quite a bit and i'm able to take the dog to work (gardener) most of the time. We have a dog walker for occasional times that we both can't have the dog for the course of an 8 hour day. Happy to leave her for 4 hours at a time on the weekend or evenings and occasionally for up to 6 hours for a big day out on the bike.
Same reason people have children, then pay somebody else to look after them 8+ hours a day.
I have dogs and a child. Dogs for me every time
We were in the same situation, however chose that until circumstances changed we wouldn't get a dog until such a time that a) we could afford a dog sitter, or b) work and other commitments allowed it. Personally my view is that if you don't meet a dog shelter / rescue charity etc. requirements then you shouldn't own a dog no matter where it comes from.
Luckily a charge in career for the with 3 years ago and me 2 years ago mean that we are now both at home with two dogs all day.
Go to Dogs Trust, tell them you both work full time and see what they advise.
I expect they'll advise keeping the dogs in a shelter kennel with no home life in favour of the dog having to spend the day sleeping on its own.
I don't want to add to any anxiety but does anyone get nervous about house fires etc?
That's my biggest worry, for some stupid reason.
I have had the mega expensive nest smoke alarms fitted that contact my phone.
Has no one said shove it out the front door in the morning and whistle when home in the evening?
Or just get an older dog, of a breed that doesnt mind being left. Rescue dogs are cool and very rewarding.
A mate put a web cam on his greyhound during the day once and it got up once to turn round and went back to sleep. They are dogs not people. My Staffy, now 14, was 5 when I got her. I walk her every morning at 6.30am and evening at 6.30pm. During the day she would just sleep. Happily slept all day on my one day a week working at home as well. I also had a dog flap installed a couple of years after I got her and that made a huge difference as well. I'd come home in the summer to find her happily asleep in the garden in the sun.
NB the dog flap was too small for someone to climb through. I know this because one night when I was pissed..... The only annoying thing about the dog flap is in the summer the dog gets up at 5am to go out and clean my goosebury and black current bushes 🙁
I had a border terrier on loan from my folks for a year or two and she was fine at home between 8.30-5.30. A friend that looked after her one day was disappointed at how little the dog wanted to go out. We walked her before we left and in the evening and it was great. My other half wanted a dog at a time when she was off work with depression and anxiety problems. My folks realised we'd be better borrowing one of theirs rather than getting a pup. The dog went back when we split up. In my current situation my kids would love a dog but we're too busy. Both work full time and out most evenings with kids activities. Whilst I think it would be great for the kids to have the responsibility and affection you get from a dog it would be just one more thing to think of in an already busy life. I've also seen too many dogs come and go in my life, I've shed more tears for them than any of my family.
Work from home. Dog provides the thin veneer of sanity. I am not, after all, speaking to myself....
We have a Furbo dog camera and leave our two 7 year old Border Collies 8 hours a day for 2 days a week. They get an hour walk each end of that (and every day). They sleep all day, bark a little (usually when the post arrives) and take a treat from the Furbo every now and then. We never thought they'd be happy left this long, but their behaviour appears exactly the same as when we're at home with them.