Hi all, Firstly - apologies. I know it's probably been done a million times and I've trawled through various posts as well as online articles, discussions from friends etc but I've still not 100%. I'd love a Labrador and I've wanted one for a long time now. The main problem I have is that I work 9-5, my commute is around 35-45 minutes each way and I live alone. Realistically, I would be away from home for 10 hours a day. From what I can see (as well as ethically) a lab can't be left for 10 hours a day, even with two lengthy walks a day both before and after getting home? If I was to have somebody visit my house to take it out for a toilet visit or a little play each day would this be fine? Say around 1pm mark (5 hours in each day)? Also, how would this work if I was to get a puppy? I'd get at least two weeks off work but presumably puppys would need more visits throughout the day? How many would they require at a minimum at ten weeks onwards? Apologies if these are basic questions but I've trawled through everything online and I'm still unsure! Thanks all.
It depends.... It depends on a lot of things. I think the main thing is, it depends how much a part of your life the dog will be, outside work? My dogs are pretty much my life outside work – nah, forget the pretty much, they are my life. I don’t say that to be smug, or suggest that it should be the same for everyone, but it’s how I want it to be. I work, and I work long hours. But every second I am away from work, I spend with my dogs. I walk them before work, I rush home to be with them, and train and hang out with them, just as soon as I can. They sleep on my bed, and have my attention pretty much 24/7 apart from when I have to work. I don’t go out in the evenings (apart from when it’s absolutely essential for work), I don’t take holidays that don’t involve my dogs, I don’t plan weekends away that don’t involve my dogs. My mornings, my evenings, my weekends and every holiday are about my dogs. EVERY morning, evening, holiday and weekend, I’m doing stuff with my dogs. My holidays are dog training holidays. My weekends are dog classes, and dog walks, and dog training. During the time that I work, I pay for dog walkers and I plan very carefully to make sure my dogs are exercised, and have kongs, and critically I put a lot of work into making sure they were ok to be left. This wasn’t two weeks off work, it was several weeks off work when they arrived. So while many people will tell you that it’s unfair to have dogs if you work long hours....I’d challenge pretty much anyone who doesn’t work to set out the schedule of care, exercise, training and entertainment that their dogs have against mine to prove that! If you are determined enough, and have the budget for dog care while you work, it can be done.
I agree with @JulieT. I dont think we are quite as dedicated as she is (what lucky dogs!), but we took weeks off work when our puppy arrived to get him gradually used to solitude, then when we went back to work we arranged a combination of walks and daycare to break up his day. We also spend pretty much all our time at home with him, whether that's training, playing or just with him napping on our laps (!) or him supervising us while we cook and eat. He sleeps in our room, currently in a crate but I foresee him ending up on our bed soon. We both currently work 9-5ish, but hopefully not for too much longer as our work will become more flexible after this year. It can be done, it just requires the acknowledgement that you will need to put in a lot of your time (it can be difficult to lose all that freedom at first) and realistically, money. Good luck with your decision!
The puppy weeks are difficult, there is no two ways about that - and expensive. But you can get over them. It's not just a case of take two weeks off work then leave the puppy for 10 hours a day. There are solutions though. I was lucky enough to live in an area with a fabulous (and small) puppy creche, had a human parent that could help a bit, and a future dog walker that would do lots of really quite long pop ins. Plus my partner had a bit of flexibility, and we could stagger our work hours for a bit. It is the most difficult time, as a small puppy pretty much needs a human around all the time, and it's expensive! Well worth it if you can do it though.
It is difficult but it can be done. We got our first puppy (after a 10 year gap) when I had an accident and broke both legs. I figured I wouldn't be back to work for a while and an ideal to get a puppy. I know, crazy when you look back I mean, what was I thinking?? Roll on 5 years, with 3 dogs now, and it is all fine. We flex our hours somewhat during the day. The hardest part is actually finding the right people with the right philosophy to look after them when we away for more than 4 hours. They can manage the odd 5/6 hour day but I prefer not to leave them that long. We have combination of dog carers, ( I don't like the term "walkers") from coming in just for a bit of enrichment, to taking all three round our own paddock and fields. Family and our neighbours are also on hand in emergencies.
Hi Mockba, Welcome to the forum. You've had some great advice above, and you might also find this article helpful when making your decision: Raising a Puppy When You Work Full Time
I think it might be easier to get a rescue that had some training a socialization rather than a pup in your situation. We were extremely lucky with our first Lab, Ginger, who was 4 years old and well trained when we got her. She was a wonderful dog, and had very few issues. I know that a lot of the time rescues have some socialization or training problems, but not always. I had always worried that an older dog would not bond with a new family, but it was not an issue at all. She seemed to know that we were her new family from the get-go and treated us like she had been with us forever.
This is always such an interesting question. If you are single, don't have family/close friends nearby who can help and/or financial resources to pay for dog walkers/day care, then I think it would be tough...especially with a puppy. It would be a rare rescue indeed who could deal with that schedule either. Just the way you've talked about your schedule and your one break a day plan, as a fosterer, I would not adopt to you. Not saying that to be mean, just that two five-hour chunks alone is not what I'd want for my foster dog. However, plenty of rescue groups/shelters would have no qualms about your situation. The fact that you are thinking about this, when many people just jump in without a plan, is a very good sign. I'd really encourage you to volunteer to dogsit a friend's dog, try out short term fostering (say as backup for a regular foster person on vacation) or even walk dogs at your local shelter. See what the daily time commitment - even in the short term - feels like in real life. Think about it's not just walking and play time at home etc. It's also food preparation, vet visits, training classes. And also most 9-5 jobs are not 9-5. You stay over for a deadline. You get stuck in traffic. You need to stop at the grocery store. You want to go out for a drink or a movie. Most people who have a full time job plus a 1.5 hour commute are probably actually gone from the house quite a bit more than 10 hours a day. Not saying you should or shouldn't, just some more food for thought as you make your decision...
My fiance and I work horrible hours for with our jobs and have two year old Alfie. We were lucky that when he was a puppy I had some time off so was home most of the time (for around a year). Now we are back at work we manage with a dog walker coming in twice a day. Our DW has Alfie around 930 until 11/1130 and then she picks him up again around 130 and drops him home around three. We are then home usually home by 7. Each time he is left he is left with two kongs or a treat ball. He then also gets walked in the morning before work and when we get home. A bit like Julie our evenings and weekends revolve around Alfie with training and walking. Alfie seems happy with this routine and I put a lot of tine into making sure he was confortable on his own when he was a pup. We tried daycare but he seemed to find that quite stressful. He likes to play but also likes his own space. I think it is do able but I cant deny that Alfie’s care does cost a lot of money and preparing all his toys the night before takes quite a long time when you’re tired from work.
The thing is...what do people who have kids, or elderly parents, or care for others do? You don't say well, you can't have kids, or care for your old people, or have responsibility for others. Or you can't work outside the home... What those of us who own dogs, and work (and also ALSO look after other humans), do is exactly the same as working parents/carers do - we have back up plans. We know what we would do, and who we would call on, if we were stuck, just like a working mother would know. But she didn't say that she didn't have any of those things! She very well may have all of them. If the alternative to 24/7 in a rescue kennel - if in some countries in pretty horrific conditions compared to what a lot of dogs experience - is 14 hours a day with a loving owner, 48 hours at the weekend, 24 hours a day during holidays....is the rescue dog that turns this down really better off?
Wasn't saying it's not possible to do or even that it's can't be a great situation for a dog - it totally can be with a back up plan as you say. I was just pointing out that a lot of time people don't really consider that 9-5 doesn't really mean 9-5...it's actually being out of the home much longer. So you just need to have a plan for those extra hours. Yes, exactly - that's why I said "if". All/any of those things will make having a puppy or dog a lot easier. I only said that I myself as a fosterer would not adopt to someone who left their dog alone 10 hours a day. So I'm talking about a dog that is with me in my home, not in danger of being of being stuck in a kennel or worse. I get to be as picky as want about where my foster dogs go. As I said above, many shelters or rescues would not have concerns about adopting to someone in her situation. I live in Spain part of the year and volunteer with rescue, so of course I agree with you that a loving home is always better than a shelter - no one would argue with that. Bottom line as I said in my original post - apologies if this didn't come through clearly - is that I think it's really positive to think of all these things beforehand and that's a great sign that the OP will have all of her ducks in a row to manage enjoying life with a dog.
I definitely think working full time with a dog can be done - I do it. But a lot of sacrifices were made, especially in the early months/year. If your dog was going to be left for 10 hours I would say you would need the dog walker to pop in at least twice throughout the day. My dog is left for a maximum of 6 hours, with an hour in the middle.. so 2.5 hours either side. If he’s going to be left longer he gets another visit. As a side note - I don’t think a dog is comparable to a child realistically. The simple fact is, a child cannot be left at all. It’s easy to think the dog “will be fine for an extra hour” or “I’ll just finish this off” but with a child that option is not available. Therefore I imagine a lot of dog owners do get away with leaving the dog a bit longer and therefore do it more regularly.
That only depends on the person though. Personally, I don't explain at work that I need to leave for my dogs. I let it be known that I care for my elderly parent (which I do, sometimes...), and I point out at every opportunity that we all shouldn't be just child centric, and recognise that people have all sorts of responsibilities outside work. So when I say "sorry, I have to leave, I have responsibilities at home" people just assume it's my Dad. Who actually can be left, quite safely, for 10 hours+ a day. I don't compromise my dog's care for my work commitments. It's just a choice not to do that.
A bit late...but an alternative you could consider would be an adult dog - skip the puppy stage. You'd still need day care options for a 10 hour day, but adult dogs are (usually ) a lot easier than puppies.
