# Working 9-5



## Reward (Oct 2, 2010)

Hi, i have just joined the forum and have a potentially silly question, we would love love love a dog but we both work.

I assume if you work full time, out of the house from 9-5 then you cant have a dog? but then i thought surely not everyone that owns a dog doesnt work full time.

i just thought i would ask, as we arent going to get one because of this. I had a dog when i lived at home a cavalier king charles and he was on his own quite a bit and was fine, didnt go crazy or accidents or anything.

we would love a cocker spaniel, but dont want to be cruel and leave it alone.

any advice be great, 

rachel


----------



## xxsarahpopsxx (Sep 30, 2009)

loads of people work all day and still have dogs. would there be any way you or someone could come and let him out for the toilet at lunchtime. if you could then you could have a dog no worries. 
I actually think my dog sighs a relief when she gets left alone as we always play with her when we are in so she gets a rest when we are out haha

As long as he gets plenty of exercise and stimulation whilst you are there then having a dog whilst working shouldnt be a problem:thumbup:


----------



## Colette (Jan 2, 2010)

Welcome to the forum. You'll get some very different views on that - and some other issues - on here, so your best bet is to read them all and make up your own mind.

Personally, I believe that while in a perfect world dogs should not be left a full working day, that in some cases it is doable and not the end of the world.

I think it all depends on the dog (breed, age, individual personality) and the owner.

Dog:

Personally I wouldn't risk getting one of the high energy demanding breeds - collies and nworking breeds for example. These need lots of exercise and mental stimulation and tend to get bored very quickly. A lurcher or greyhound that wants to spend a large part of the day asleep anyway would probably be a better candidate for a working home.

Age - puppies need a huge amount of time, for training, socialisation etc. It is very difficult to provide a pup with what it needs if you work full time. Not to mention if a pup is stuck indoors from 9-5 every day it is unlikely to ever be housetrained and you will spend most of your evening cleaning up pooh and pee all over the place! An adult dog that is used to being left would be a far more sensible option.

Individual personality - not all dogs within a breed or age group are the same. If you would consider a second hand dog, then simply make it clear from the start that you need a dog that is happy to be left. It may be a high energy breed, or a youngster - so long as it does not suffer from SA and doesn't get bored too quick you may be ok.

Owner:

Don't just think about the length of time you are at work - what about everything else you have to do? Relax, cook, eat, shower, socialise etc. Bearing in mind how busy you are, do you still have time for walks, play, training, cuddles, grooming, vet trips, etc?

The best working homes tend to spend most of thier free time with their dogs - taking for walks in the early morning before being left, then again at night. Not leaving them to go out to dinner or the cinema after a working day etc.

Could you maybe hire a dog walker to take the dog outfor an hour during the day? Could a friend or family member pop round to give some fuss and let the dog out for a wee, or could you pop home at lunchtime?

Another thing - how long could you give the dog to settle in before leaving it a full day? If you want to get a dog friday night and leave it a full day on monday, then you are setting yourself up for trouble. If you ca take some holiday and gradually get the dog used to being left for increasing periods over say a few weeks, then you have a much higher chance of success.


There are a lot of things to consider, and it isn't something I would go into lightly - but with the right planning it can work. There are plenty of dogs left a full working day five days a week with no problems whatsoever - our first dog was one of them. You just have to be honest about what you really CAN provide, and finding a dog to match.


----------



## Reward (Oct 2, 2010)

no we work too far away from home.
currently the house is only empty 4 days in the week.

I so want a dog but we cant not work full time and makes me wonder when we will ever be able to have a dog as surely will be left on its own at some point.


----------



## Reward (Oct 2, 2010)

wow thanks for the advise, we are quite home bodies and dont tend to have lots of evening plans or going away at weekends etc but yes its something we would have to consider.

It would be possible to take time of work for training time and are very open to that. I think a dog walker might be the best option in the day as we dont have any family that live close by.

thanks so much for your help, you have given me lots to think about.
x


----------



## swarthy (Apr 24, 2010)

Reward said:


> no we work too far away from home.
> currently the house is only empty 4 days in the week.
> 
> I so want a dog but we cant not work full time and makes me wonder when we will ever be able to have a dog as surely will be left on its own at some point.


If you are not in a position to come home yourself or pay someone to come in during the day, then please do not consider getting a puppy, it is cruel.

An 8 week old puppy needs frequent toilet visits and 4 meals spread out regularly through the day

At around 12 weeks, it still needs three meals a day and regular toilet trips

Neither of these can be done if someone is working 8 hours a day - add to that - if you live too far away to come home at lunchtime, then you naturally have to add travelling time at the start and end of your working day.

Then there is socialising - family visits and maybe other activities if you have children (and don't forget the average adult sleeps 6 to 8 hours a night) - getting a dog in this situation is cruel.

Yes, people do work fulltime and own dogs, but in the main, they go to great lengths to ensure the dog is not left alone for extended periods - a commitment that has to be stuck to possibly or 10 to 12 years and maybe longer.

Some will argue that it is unhealthy to be with your dogs 24/7 and I would agree with this - they do need to learn to be alone from an early age to minimise the risk of separation anxiety - but equally - there should be a happy medium and being alone at least 8 hours + 4 days a week is not it.


----------



## jonezy1990 (Sep 30, 2010)

Well all I can say is course you can get a dog... People who say that u can't have dogs because u work are silly! Everyone has got to work to provide for their dog! Think of your point of view if you was a dog yes u might be left on your own but then you also know that in 8 hours your owner is going to come home and love you and play with you u walk you etccc! Tbh as long as you have the time for him when you get home then cause u can. I do agree with above comments about puppies when they are puppies u do need to have somebody maybe a next door neighbout to spend half hour with ur pup say half way through the day put some food down let him out for toilet etcc. What I would also do if I was yourself is book a week off work to spend time with ur puppy so he gets used to you and his surroundings and pop out during that week for few hours over the week and return so your puppy knows u are going to return. That's my opionion anyway and I work and cummon I got a boxer pup! High energy! Lol


----------



## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

For me the benefits of owning a dog far outweigh the sacrifices I have had to make so I would say that if it is what you have set your heart on then go for it. Having said that however, you are wise to consider the practical side. Obviously you are not going to be able to leave the dog alone while you work and I would argue that no dog should be left for more than about 5 hours anyway.

A puppy is going to take up a lot of your time, certainly for the first 3 months, but most likely for the first 6 at least, so you would have to take that into account. 4 meals a day, toilet breaks every 2-4 hours, as well as time to train and socialise would suggest that this might not be the best option for you. An older dog however might be more resilient, but you are unlikely to find a rescue that will place a dog with you knowing that it will be left for so long.

It would seem that your only option would be to find someone who could care for the dog in your absence, maybe a neighbour, or look into a doggy day care (yes they do exist). A dog walker is a good idea for an older dog but I doubt it would be sufficient for a pup.

Whichever you decide to do I wish you luck.


----------



## swarthy (Apr 24, 2010)

jonezy1990 said:


> Well all I can say is course you can get a dog... People who say that u can't have dogs because u work are silly! Everyone has got to work to provide for their dog! Think of your point of view if you was a dog yes u might be left on your own but then you also know that in 8 hours your owner is going to come home and love you and play with you u walk you etccc! Tbh as long as you have the time for him when you get home then cause u can. I do agree with above comments about puppies when they are puppies u do need to have somebody maybe a next door neighbout to spend half hour with ur pup say half way through the day put some food down let him out for toilet etcc. What I would also do if I was yourself is book a week off work to spend time with ur puppy so he gets used to you and his surroundings and pop out during that week for few hours over the week and return so your puppy knows u are going to return. That's my opionion anyway and I work and cummon I got a boxer pup! High energy! Lol


I am so glad you find it amusing that it is OK to leave ANY puppy for 8 hours + a day on a regular basis  - I really do despair sometimes.

It is all too frequently these high energy pups who are left alone who end up abandoned once they hit adolescence and the owners think the dog is wild through no fault of it's own 

If you bothered to read the above posts - NO-ONE is saying you cannot have a dog and work full time - but you have to make a LOT of sacriices for it - and put the *DOGS NEEDS ABOVE YOUR OWN. *

To own any pet is a privelege NOT a right.


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Something like a rescue greyhound might be ok (with a dog walker in the middle of the day). As long as you can afford that and will spend the rest of your free time with the dog it could work out.
I know how impossible it seems as everyone has to earn a living. Plus I used to get annoyed that I could afford a dog (but didnt have time) when the benefit dodgers could have 10 but couldnt afford to look after them!LOL
My dogs are left 8-9hrs, but only from midight to 8-9am twice a week. It took me 10yrs to get a shift pattern that meant I could be with my dogs most of the time.


----------



## haeveymolly (Mar 7, 2009)

I certainly wouldnt rule out ever getting a dog, but would re think if you was wanting a puppy, you dont have to get an old dog i would say one as young as 2 yrs can adapt very well to being left alone during the day, take time off work and gradually over that time leave him/her longer each day and you shouldnt have any problems and walk the dog before you go to work and spend time with it when you get home. I dont believe in leaving dogs too long with no quality time afterwards thats wouldnt be fair but its also not fair to say a working owner shouldnt have a dog. I have 2 springers and a cocker and they have never been a problem to leave.


----------



## Reward (Oct 2, 2010)

thanks for the advice, i was just asking! I know its not practical now, but having heard what everyone says perhaps in the future when im not working full time and can have time off to train a pup.

thanks


----------



## haeveymolly (Mar 7, 2009)

Reward said:


> thanks for the advice, i was just asking! I know its not practical now, but having heard what everyone says perhaps in the future when im not working full time and can have time off to train a pup.
> 
> thanks


Oh yes my springers wer 8 weeks when i got them, my 2nd one we got after i had gone back to work, he was no problem at all, maybe a little easier because he had the elder one for company, so maybe if you get an older dog maybe 2/3ish he/she would be company for your pup. You could take a couple of weeks holiday to settle the pup and your older dog together and ime sure things would be fine.


----------



## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

My friends have a greyhound.
She works 9-5 and her kids are at school all day.
Charlie is happy!
He gets plenty of walks and in between, he is a couch potato.

There are many many breeds that just would NOT suitbeing left for that long regularly and they would become destructive and depressed.

It is NOT ok to leave ANY puppy for that amount of time, that is just cruel and selfish! Puppies need alot of attention, and could grow up with behavioural problems etc if they don't get the level of care needed!


A rescue might be a good idea, though alot of dogs are given up because their owners feel they are not getting enough attention, there are some that are used to being left alone in the day (you would have to go through smaller rescues though) that would fit in with your life.


However I still feel it would be better to have someone let the dog out... research dog walkers etc before hand.

my neighbours will let my pair out if I am away for more than a few hours because IMO its not nice for them to HAVE to hold on for the loo. Especially when my younger was crated, he was crated over night so there was NO way I would crate him for longer than the 2.5hrs it took me to go collect my son 3 days a week.


----------



## swarthy (Apr 24, 2010)

Reward said:


> thanks for the advice, i was just asking! I know its not practical now, but having heard what everyone says perhaps in the future when im not working full time and can have time off to train a pup.
> 
> thanks


Good on you - you sound like the type of person who will endeavour to do the right thing by the pup when you eventually get one 

In the meantime, if you really do want a dog, and are in a position to afford a dog walker - then maybe an older dog might be an option for you? It would be housetrained, soclaised and used to being on it's own - if you were prepared to wait, I am sure the rescue could match you to a dog that would suit your lifestyle and commitments, as of course, through no fault of their own, not all rescues are in a position to be left for periods of time


----------



## vicstick86 (Mar 23, 2010)

Hiya.

Me and my boyfriend have a cocker x westie shes about 10 months old.
We got her at a time I wasnt working so much, but a couple of months after we got her, I got a 9-5 job. She gets left 2 days 8.30-5.30 and about 4 hrs on the two following days. which follows my Oh shift pattern, but he then has 4 days off..so shes not left too much.

I took her to doggie daycare a few times which was £10 for between 7am-6pm. But after a while she decided she didnt like it. I think she was worried we were going to leave her there.
We now have a dog walker that comes at lunch time for a 45min walk, shes great fibi loves her, . shes £7 per walk, which is a bargain to me!

Fibi doesnt mind being left too much, I take her to the park before I leave for work, and we play ball for 15-20mins and she does her wees and poos.
I then leave her with the run of the house, the radio or tv on...leave her some toys... some bones, rawhide, some treats left in boxes which she loves to rip up..and although I dont know what she gets up to, no ones complained about her barking etc. she always seems happy when I get home.

I think the main thing ... the quality of time you spend with them when you are there, some dog owners are at home all the time but the dog maybe shut in another room and never walked, which is worse than going to work for a few hours. If fibi has been left for the day we wont go out that evening and leave her again which is a tie, but shes well worth it!!


I live in a city so its fairly common place for dogs to be left for long periods of time, and they all manage and are quiet happy...Just make sure you research the breed well, maybe even look into getting an older dog which you know already has a stable personality... that wouldnt mind being left to just chill and sleep... puppies are fun and cute, but really hard work and demand all your attention...


----------



## ClaireandDaisy (Jul 4, 2010)

An older dog who is used to being alone might be ok, provided he has access to the garden for toiletting. You will need to walk him before you go out though - and in the winter that can be a struggle. 
Have you considered helping out at your local Rescue and walking their dogs?


----------



## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

My old boy used to be left from about 9am-4pm and sometimes a little longer. He never had any problems.... sometimes used to poo inside but this is a problem we always had with him - we could walk him for an hour and put him out in the garden before we left and we could only be going to the corner shop but you could guarantee you'd come back to a pile of poo somewhere. This calmed down but didn't stop until he was about 10 years old.

Ruby & Tiger are now very rarely left alone - which is partly why we decided we could cope with 2 dogs. They will be left alone usually for a maximum of about 2 hours between our shift patterns and I think there was one saturday every 6 weeks where we were all working and the dogs were alone from 9:30am until 6:15pm but now I work alternate weekends this doesn't happen any more 

Occasionally we go down to Wales for the day to visit relatives (this is about 2 hours away) and we arrange with the neighbours to come round and let them out at lunch time. If we are going to be late back, we will ring and ask them to go round again.


----------



## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

Each to their own, but I would not, unless I could get home for an hour during the day to get he a walk and feed him, even then I don't think I'd have one.


----------



## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Reward said:


> Hi, i have just joined the forum and have a potentially silly question, we would love love love a dog but we both work.
> 
> I assume if you work full time, out of the house from 9-5 then you cant have a dog? but then i thought surely not everyone that owns a dog doesnt work full time.
> 
> ...


I agree with all the other comments - do not get a puppy. An ex racing greyhound seems to be the sort of dog who will chill out and not bother. But I just wanted to say, whatever you decide, what a lovely, refreshing post compared to the guy from Portugal who was wanting a puppy, to be left in an apartment 9 hours a day, alone, because he didn't want anyone else to bond with it.

You are a lovely lady and will one day make a wonderful dog owner!


----------



## Colette (Jan 2, 2010)

I don't know if this is something you have considered - but could you or your partner possibly change your shifts?

Obviously proper shift work can be incredibly helpful, but many companies now do some sort of flexi-time, or will at least hear your proposals to work different hours. 

For example, say you both currently work 9-5. If one of you could change to 8-4, and the other 10 - 6, then you have immediately reduced leaving time by 2 hours a day. 
What about working lunch hours? Where I work we would normally get an hours lunch, but we can work up to half of that as part of flex. So instead of 9-5 I can work 8-330 (1 hr am and 1/2 hr lunch).

Might be worth asking if they would consider it....


----------



## Jasper's Bloke (Oct 30, 2009)

Both my wife and I work full time but we are lucky enough to work opposing shifts (the true secret to a happy marriage lol!). We often have to plan our time very carefully around our two children, who is picking them up from school, where they will be on days off and holidays etc, so the dog kind of fits into that. Yes, sometimes there is sometimes an overlap, but that is the exception rather than the rule and he is never usually left alone for more than 2-3 hours on these occasions. 

The only time we had a problem was when I had to attend a course for 2 days, meaning he would have been alone for 9+ hours, but even then we were lucky enough to find someone for him to stay with.

There are ways to do it and no it is not easy, but nothing really illustrates better what a life changing move getting a dog is.


----------



## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

I am now at uni and technically my mum works/will be working 9-5 and will actually be out of the house from 8am-6pm. This will be on three maybe four days a week, my dog is an adult (2 year old golden retriever) and someone will be letting him out around 10.30 for half hour-an hour, and then again at about 2.30pm for a full hour, with a dog walker doing at least two of those visits. I feel this is pushing it for him to be honest, but I know on the three or four days my Mum has off she will take him when she goes to see her mum and dad and will take him to Pets At Home every week just so he can pick his own treats yada yada  and he is very happy to sleep when left now too.

I am home a month at xmas, a month at Easter and three months in summer so its quite an unbalanced routine for him but he seems to do OK providing there is somebody to see to him, he just likes people, doesn't matter who.

For me if I was out 9-5 I think I would want my dog being let out twice in that time, once isn't enough for me unless its more than an hour... When I was at my sixth form and out from 8.30am til 4pm I went home at 11 til 11.30 to let him out, and often popped back about 2pm for a quick loo break too.

I don't know if I will ever have another puppy because I don't think I'd have the time. I got Rupert when I was 16, I'd walk 1.5 miles home to see him at lunch and one of our old neighbours would pop in twice a day to see him too, plus I had a lot of time off for other things that year and he was a nice little focus point, but in real life I doubt I'd have time for another puppy unless I was retired or worked part time, or was on maternity leave :lol:

My dog walker is £10 per hour or £6 per half hour and whenever I look for work or somewhere to live when I finish uni, I will base them solely on how easy it would be to let Rupert out and whether or not I could afford a walker. Dogs are a big responsibility, lovely to have, but I'm sat here at uni feeling guilt ridden that I've not seen my dog in a week and that I'm not seeing to him each day


----------



## CarolineH (Aug 4, 2009)

Ok let's pause for a while and imagine ourselves what it is like to be a dog that is left alone whilst the owner is out of the house for 8 to 10 hours a day. 

As an experiment, try imagining putting yourselves into a room (seperately) for at least 4 hours - alone. No TV, no telephones, no PC, nothing to read, gloves on your hands so that you cannot 'lint pick', a glass of water and a dry biscuit or two plus a few toys scattered around. You cannot go to the toilet for about 4 hours until someone arrives to open the door and then, after you have eliminated and had a play for 20 minutes or so, they shut you back in the room for another 4 hours. :frown: Silence. Nothing fun to do. Nobody to talk to, nothing to watch or listen to. No attention whatsoever. Then your owners come home! Great excitement! Yippee! You are so pleased to see them! They make a fuss, let you out and then after a while may walk you. Everything is great for the evening and weekends are wonderful with so much attention and company. But then Monday morning comes along and for another 4 or 5 days, the previous routine applies. Nothing to do, no-one to talk to, having to hold yourself as you cannot go to the toilet until allowed..... Could you cope long term? Humans are (on the whole) social, sentient creatures. So are dogs. No, dogs are not humans, but they have similar needs in a lot of ways. 

Think about the above scenario and let it run through your mind. Do you think that a dog should have to endure that on a regular basis? Will you be able to cope when housetraining problems arise, when the neighbours start to complain about howling and barking, when you come home to a ripped up carpet and a chewed door. (Lonely dogs often try to dig, chew or scratch their way through a point of exit like the door) 

15 years or so ago, most people in households where both partners worked all day would not have a dog as it 'wasn't fair'. Now, we want it all so people want to have a dog even though they and their partner work full time. 15 years ago, the rescue situation was busy but not at crisis point. Now, it is at the latter with thousands of dogs being given up because of poor housetraining, destructiveness and noisyness. Many give the dog up because it is boisterous (lack of training), aggressive (lack of socialisation) or howls the place down. (lonelyness) If only people would only have dogs when they truly have the time to devote to their socialisation and training then maybe the rescue situation would ease. 

It is up to you OP, as to whether you get a dog or not. I am glad that you have asked on here because the varied answers you will get will give you food for thought and help you to make an educated decision.  I hope that all goes well for you if you do decide to get a dog and I am not going to say that you shouldn't. But consider deeply whether or not you can really give a dog everything it needs, mentally and physically when you won't be with it for 35 to 45 waking hours a week. 

Another option would be to ask your local shelter if you could help out by walking dogs at weekends? That way you get the pleasure of spending time with a dog as well as doing a good turn. 

Think about what a dog needs rather than what you want, that's the important thing.


----------



## Joolz1975 (May 17, 2010)

Our pups 13 weeks and we had it all planned out, my dad was having him during day whilst we worked and for a couple of weeks it worked fine, then my dad had a bad accident and broke his back in two places and obviously now can't help out with him!

I took a week off work to sort something and we looked at doggy daycare ( wouldn't rule it out in future but feel as a pup it's not right for dexter) then looked at dog walkers and was almost going to do that! Then my mum offered to help, she has terrible arthritis and also doesn't drive but I pay fir taxi's for her to come to mine and spend 2/3 hours with dexter during the day! Because of her arthiritis she doesn't walk him but throws ball on garden and plays with him!

It works well for now, hoping as he gets older he can be left a little longer but my son finishes school at 3.30 anyway so at the very worst he would be left around 6hours maximum (when he's an adult) and even then it's only 3 days per week!


----------



## lauren001 (Jun 30, 2008)

Colette said:


> Don't just think about the length of time you are at work - what about everything else you have to do? Relax, cook, eat, shower, socialise etc. Bearing in mind how busy you are, do you still have time for walks, play, training, cuddles, grooming, vet trips, etc?
> 
> The best working homes tend to spend most of thier free time with their dogs - taking for walks in the early morning before being left, then again at night. Not leaving them to go out to dinner or the cinema after a working day etc.


This is a very good point and something which potential working dog owners may not take on board at all until the dog is home.

I realise the OP has decided that at the moment a dog is not for her and her family and it is refreshing to hear someone who is thinking of the needs of the dog first before rushing into dog ownership.


----------



## Horse and Hound (May 12, 2010)

Have you considered asking Neighbours for help?

Ours are Rupert's second family. Even when we are in with him he sits by the door so he can go round for an hour to play with their dog. 

You can get a dog and work, but like it has been pointed out, you need to make arrangements for during the day to get someone to let it out and walk it. And I wouldn't get a pup. We only did as we knew that someone would help us out.


----------

