Getting a dog

[Chasingcars]

My husband and I have been thinking of getting a dog for some time. My mum says it would be unfair as my husband and I work full time so the dog would be home a lot on its own - however there must be many families out there that own dogs and work?!
We have waited until we can financially support a dog and have a nice home and good size garden. We live near the beach, parks and fields so ideal for dog walks. We have both grown up with dogs and have family who have dogs too if we ever needed an expereinced dog sitter.
Any advise or suggestions from people who have had puppies whislst working would be welcome - especially about house training them in the early days! thanks

[RATTER15]

If you both work full time then you will not have the time that your dog needs, do not get a dog, especially a puppy!!!!!!!

[welshlibranr]

sorry!...wouldn't advise you to get a puppy if you both work full time, I got a new puppy three weeks ago, you need to be around to house train them, and reassure them!..........you'll get home to a mess if you leave a puppy all day alone!......and the poor little puppy won't be to blame!........don't do it, you need to spend time with them!........

[wolf63]

I worked full-time when I had both of my dogs - but it is not something that I would advise people to do.

However there is doggy day care type places in the US and Canada - so it might be that there is somewhere that you could drop your mutt off to be looked after for the day. It would be like sending a human puppy to nursery.

Good luck with your decision making. :-)

[Carakeel]

Sorry, but unless one of you can take the dog to work with you, you really shouldn't have a dog at all. Loving dogs is one thing, properly looking after them is quite another. It is a great responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. Your mum is right! You are thinking only of yourselves and not about the poor dog who would be left alone. A puppy needs companionship! You can't just put it in a cage for the whole day and expect it to develop into a well balanced companion. The fact that there are people who have puppies and work full time, leaving them alone at home, does not make it right!!! So please, be sensible and ... if you really do love dogs ... wait until your circumstances have changed and one of you is at home during the day.

[237SJ]

The idea of having a dog is very nice but to be honest I don`t really think it`s fair to keep it at home on it`s own all day. Dogs are pack animals and need to have their leader (you) near them. I have seen quite a few working friends/relatives` dogs and they all seem to have some kind of behavioural problems due to being left alone all day.

[RATTER15]

We have 4 dogs, the longest we leave them is maybe half a day, if we need to leave them for any longer we arrange for friends to come and spend time with them. Due to the size and character of our dogs we have no problem finding friends very willing to spend a couple of hours sitting and playing with our dogs.

[welshlibranr]

Carakeel is right!.......have had my puppy for three weeks, all is going well now, but has been really hard work!........she can now go out for a walk, which helps too, but the hard work is by no means over!........she's learning, bless her, but it will take lots more time!........don't get a puppy and leave it home alone all day!......it's the wrong thing to do!................

[China Doll]

Just because other people do it doesn't make it right. Even little dogs shouldn't be left along all day, my mum has jack russels and the longest they're left without company for is 4 hours I think. If you want a pet then why not get a cat? (Not kittens!) A cat can generally be left alone during normal working hours.

[RATTER15]

We know a couple that had two Wolfhound puppies a few years ago, they left them at home on occasions, they literally chewed the corners right off the walls, immense damage was done to the home!!

[ladybirder]

Please don't, it's not fair on the dog. It will be on it's own all day, then you will come home from work and it will have company until you go to bed and then it will be on it's own all night. Then you will get up to go to work and it might have 1 to 2 hours with you if it's lucky and then you're of to work again. So out of 24 hours it will be on its own for about 17 of them. Have you any idea how long that will seem like to the poor animal? I'd love to advise differently but I can't.

[welshlibranr]

leave a puppy alone for all those hours and it can't bond with you, you're not around enough!......so lots of behavioural problems!............cage the puppy, no damage to your home, but so much frustration for the puppy!.....don't even consider it at this point, a cat may be ok!........but a puppy is a no go, just like having a toddler!......had work and lots of attention is a must!..........

[rsvp]

unfair on the dog - you will be out of the house for maybe 7/8 hours a day, you sleep for maybe 6/7 hours a day plus there's all the other stuff involved with 'living'. Apart from anything else, the fact that you have to ask how to housetrain a puppy when you are out most of the day honestly beggers belief.

[Andyvon]

A dog needs have someone at home and not be left alone. Dogs are intelligent, social animals that need company and if they are left alone they become bored and stressed. They often then develop various behavioural problems such as barking, chewing objects and furniture etc and many then get the blame for that when the owners come home!

Caring for a dog and having a dog as part of the family is a similar responsibility to having children Chasingcars. Dogs and children both need constant care and supervision and someone with them all the time. Would you have a child then leave them at home all day by themselves while you went to work? Of course not, it wouldn't be fair on the child. Similarly, you can't just leave a dog by itself all day either.

[paddywak]

Trish like myself came from a family that had always had dogs, but we resisted while we were both working. Puppies, especially in the first few weeks, need loads of attention. If you really want a dog why not think about rescuing an older dog that will be house trained and will possibly be used to spending time alone. Not an ideal solution for yourself or the dog but it might be a solution that gives a good old boy/girl few more good years at the end of their life and satisfy your wish to have a dog. I must add that as soon as I knew I was not going to be able to work again and was fit enough to walk a dog we started looking and eventually ended up with Max

[welshlibranr]

Andy, well said!.....have had my puppy for 3 weeks now!...........very hard work!...as you said like having a baby!........sh needs constant care and attention!......would never have done it if I wasn't around 24/7...wouldn't be fair on the little puppy!.........and still a long way to go yet!...........so glad I have her though!.............

[paddywak]

welshlibranr. what kind of pup have you got and how many of the rules have you broken, you know the ones he/she isn't allowed on the seats, no being fed extra little treats etc. Any way to get back to the original thread the first few weeks are the when ones that can make or break a dog as has already been said that's when the "Bonding" takes place if you're not there you don't bond if you don't bond you'll never get that rapport that makes having a good dog special

[welshlibranr]

paddywak, trying very hard here to train her well, she's a cocker spaniel, 11 weeks old, not fed treats at all, not allowed on the furniture at all, and after just three weeks doesn't expect either, and she sits on command too, and had been doing so for the last week!...think we're doing ok so far!........still lots to do yet though!......

[paddywak]

Good for you welshlibranr, I had a major problem with Max. Trish's family had always had Jack Russell's and my family had always had GSD's but I got the pick as I was the one who was going to be off work, and I got a lot of the " What are we going to do with a big lump like that" etc, that lasted until we went to pick him at four weeks when he changed to " He's so cute" Which is why even though Max is a good old boy he still goes to sleep on the sofa if he thinks he can get away with it

[welshlibranr]

paddywak, Callie can't jump up to the sofa yet, so easy so far, but not lifting her on there, she has her bed close by, and so far is happy to sleep there, so will see how we go!.......determined not to spoil her, she hasn't had any treats like our food at all, and will never have!........not good for her!.....what she hasn't had she won't ever crave!..........trying very hard to train her well!.....and to be fair, she's doing well so far!.......watch this space!......lol......

[paddywak]

lets have a few pictures of her welshlibranr, it's time the dog owners asserted their superiority over the cat slaves