Hello everyone. I stumbled upon this site searching about Labs and wanted to get the wisdom from existing Labrador owners on whether it would be right for me to get a Lab. But first some background: I grew up around Labradors and Retreivers and they were in my family since I was a baby. I can say without a doubt that having dogs was one of the great joys of my childhood and I have been in love with them all my life. I love all dogs generally, but the Labrador is what I know and love the most. Labs in my family had a great life - my mother worked from home so there was always somebody in the house, we were blessed with a large garden and lived in the country with lots of open space. Most of all, there was always a happy family to play with them. However since leaving my home for university then work, I have not had one. It's been something I always miss but it was never right to own one when I was single, worked all day, lived in central London and was generally too busy to give a Lab the love I know it needs. I'm now (at the ripe old age of 31) in a new phase of my life. I've just moved out of London into a village with my girlfriend, we have a house (rather than flat) with a decent garden and lots of green space around. So naturally, my thoughts have turned to figuring out how I can bring a Labrador back into my life. However, both my girlfriend and I work 5 days per week (usual 9-5). We live 30 minutes from work so it is possible to go back in the day but not a guarantee. I myself think leaving such a dog alone all day would not be right, so hiring a dog walker / placing my dog in day care is a must for me from this point of view. Of course I understand the commitment required of me (both financially and my time), having had them growing up. None of this is a concern for me and I'm fully committed to this. My concern is simply the fact we will both be away from a dog probably 8am to 6pm Mon-Fri, with the exception of hiring a dog walker or using day care. I won't have a Lab unless it can have a happy life with this level of attention (us in the morning / evening / all weekend plus a walker during the day). I think I'd get an older puppy or dog because I know from experience the attention a young pup requires. I've also considered full day care rather than just a walker popping in and walking the dog for an hour each day. My question to you all is this: Does anybody have experience of owning Labs with both you and your partner in full time employment? If so, how have you made it work? I'm desperate to have Labs back in my life after 13 years without one, but am not going to do it unless I'm sure I can provide a happy life from puppy to old dog. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? hi from me and jasper 8 month old,......i think you have found the answer to your question,.......its a NO from me, .i have no experience, jasper is my first ever dog,
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? Hi there, I really enjoyed reading your post ,I feel for you totally as it really conveys your longing for a dog and having owned Dexter for 6 months I can totally understand the void that needs filling,I don't know how we lived without him! You have replies here from 2 members who are dog owners for the first time!It took us 10 years to make the decision to get him....one of the factors of this delay was the circumstances of our working lives......but it wasn't the biggest one.We live in Dubai and our Summer climate is brutally hot so a dog has to spend a lot of time indoors and have his walks at inconvenient times ie my alarm is currently going off at 5 am and my Husband takes him out at 9.30 pm.....it isnt easy but we manage.However spending so much time at home with him has made me realize that we couldn't have survived this period with me at work.....but we don't have the facilities that are available to you ie dog walkers and day care( they are available but I didn't like them when I went to see them over the years when I used to warm up to the idea of getting a dog) There are members on here that work and manage a lab successfully ....they are the people to give advice.....I think you have a really considered,measured approach to this and I really want to say just do it because I know you would love your dog!However weigh up the replies you may get,I personally couldn't have got Dexter while I was working....they do need your time and for your to invest in them.whilst you can make arrangements through the day ,are both you AND your partner on board with the fact that pretty much the rest of your spare time would be with your dog,certainly if you got a puppy/ younger dog?That is a pretty big commitment. My opinion is whilst it wouldn't have worked for us...it can do but both parties have to be fully on board with it and very clear about what will be involved. Good luck, let us know what you decide and if you go forward this is a really great place to come to for help,advice and support Best Wishes Angela
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? This is a hard one, as I can hear your desire for a dog. I have had 3 dogs, two raised from pups and my current one, acquired when he was 8 months. I have been home pretty much full-time (raising kids) for all of them. I can't imagine doing that and working full time as well, especially when they were very young. However, I'm not saying it can't be done, especially with day care, dog walkers, etc. it will be interesting to hear the thoughts of those who are working with pups. Good luck with your decision!
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? I work full time (well, 9 days a fortnight - I have every second Friday off) and am on my second Labrador. My first dog was a chilled individual who stayed at home alone while we worked but who had a lot of exercise, attention, training (Flyball and Obedience) and activity when we were with him. Sometimes I took him to work and sometimes he spent the day at another dog's house. Our second dog, Obi, is more active, plus I am now of the view that it is not ideal that a dog should just be expected to hang out at home 5 days a week while the humans work. So Obi goes to day care three days a week (Mon, Tues and Weds). After the intense activity and fun of day care he is ready to sleep all day on Thursday and Friday and that is what he does (sleep on our bed) while we are at work on those days. He also does obedience and Flyball training, has a daily 45min walk and has long walks and dog park visits on weekends. Plus we try to take him most places we go, including foisting him on our friends at their dinner parties. At the moment he is about a year and a half old. We got him at 9 months (with his previous family he was mainly an outside dog). So, to me your plan sounds just fine. I'd aim for full-time daycare while your dog is a baby, then gradually substituting on some days with home visits as s/he gets older and can handle periods alone. I'd have him/her sleep inside so s/he is included in the family as much as possible and also spend time on training, hanging out and exploring new places together. I can guarantee that a dog living this kind of life can be very happy indeed. [size=8pt] Edited to say that I work 9 days a fortnight, not 9 days a week (fortunately! [/size]
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? I am similar to Rachael but since I am supposed to be off to work in 10 mins I will send a reply later to fully give it the attention your question deserves
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? I too grew up with labs, missed them dreadfully while working full time. I now have more flexibility as I work as a partner in a business. I didn't get a lab when I lived in central London and had to be in an office all day. And I kept saying "when I retire...". Now I've got one, I wish I had done it sooner and not had all those labless years! Sometimes, I do work full time, if a client needs me on site. But I usually have a couple of days a week at home. Even when I work full time with no days at home, Charlie is fine. We manage with a combination of my partner working at home if he can, daycare, reliable puppy sitters. I've had some awful days which have involved me dashing home between client meetings, but they have been few and far between. Now Charlie is growing up, I plan to have him taken out morning and afternoon with a dog walker on the days I can't be at home and he is not at daycare - and one of us will leave late and return early. Daycare is by far the best solution if it's available to you at a reasonable cost and if you could manage 2 or 3 days, rather than him being home along for 5, that's best I think. I'd say if you can create the support infrastructure around you - which is time consuming to plan and secure and often isn't cheap - and are willing for evening, weekends and some holidays to be dog time, go for it.
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? hi there. i am a worker with two labs, and have a couple of very happy, fit, stimulated, and much loved dogs. and I'm single too so do it on my own! i think you are right to think carefully about this, it is a huge commitment but you sound very very committed to the welfare of your future lab. I got both of mine as puppies, six months apart. hard work but can be done if you have plenty of energy. i took a month off work when i got each pup and focused on those early weeks bonding and training. mistake with first pup though was not getting her used to spending time alone. she still cant cope with this now, fine with her wee brother there but still really struggles with isolation. second pup got used to this from day one, tenny amounts of time building up to an hour by the time i returned to work. both pups went to day care four days a week, large number of dogs, big open fields, running free model.the older pup was there until she was fifteen months old, the younger was nine months old when i took them both out. this worked well- for me. they were picked up before i went to work and dropped off an hour or so before i got home, four days a week when little, by six months down to three days a week and over that period i slowly built their time alone so they were used to spending an afternoon alone two days a week when i went to work. one thing i learnt though was day care isnt for every dog. this was a high quality centre, but my older dog started to show signs of anxiety on creche morning. she is a sensitive soul and couldnt cope with that number of dogs. so, while day care would hopefully work out great for you, just to flag up it isnt for all dogs. also you have to work bloomin hard on training when you have them. the model i used allowed free running and play all day. my young lad has been much better behaved since he stopped going, but i think this wouldnt be an issue with an older dog who had had more training. my two went to day care at thirteen weeks so still early days for behaviours. i would check out your day care model carefully. i decided to take mine out of day care and work part time instead. the creche fees were so huge i didnt notice any difference financially!! this works well, two days a week i work full time, nip home and see the dogs for an hour at lunch. other three days i work half days. they get an hours walk from me in the morning, hour and a half at nite. i make sure these walks are full of stuff, running, retrieving, training etc. a couple of days a week they do a five mile run at lunch time with me....they are quite often pleased to see me go back to work!! ive chosen to do all walking myself, its a big job on the days you are working full time, especially at night if you've had a stressy day at work. my social life revolves around the dogs, they come to my triathlon club running sessions, and luckily my friends all like dogs so they come everywhere with me. im lucky in that i live somewhere where there are plenty of dog friendly pubs and eateries! they both sleep with me on my bed too. so, i reckon with a good dollop of energy, good planning, and a lot of commitment which you obviously have you can work and have happy healthy dogs.
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? For me personally , I would prefer not to have a dog whilst working full time but it can be done as Debsie says , with lots of planning . I think you will have to take on board the fact that you will have to dedicate most of your non working hours to your puppy, playtime will be evenings so no more chilled times, for a while I think its great that you are really thinking this through rather than charge in , you are obviously a very caring person, I can feel your desire to have a Lab in your life again , and who can blame you for this
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? Of course its possible.........thousands of people 'manage' it. Your decision on getting a dog is going to have to lie with your own conscience not someones opinion. Sounds to me like you want to 'manage' it Dogs are not just for the retired/unemployed ya know
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? I've had my lab now for just 7 weeks after months and months of shall I/shan't I. One thing I found useful was to keep a diary of my activities, then simply put YES or NO next to it depending on whether what I had just done could've been done without locking my dog away. If you get more NO's than YES' then it's probably not the right time.
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? [quote author=Missy33 link=topic=2328.msg22176#msg22176 date=1377177377] I've had my lab now for just 7 weeks after months and months of shall I/shan't I. One thing I found useful was to keep a diary of my activities, then simply put YES or NO next to it depending on whether what I had just done could've been done without locking my dog away. If you get more NO's than YES' then it's probably not the right time. [/quote] Now that is a very clever idea. Would never have thought of that. What a good suggestion. x
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? Now this is a good question to ask and you'll receive alot of different answers. Me and my fiancé have an 11 week old Lab called Dexter. Both of us work full-time and this was a huge factor in getting a dog. Alot of people questioned us getting a dog. We took 2 weeks off each. So first 2 weeks I spent with Dexter and currently, Karl has his two weeks off. We've focused on toilet training, basic commands and getting Dexter used to his bed 'his crate'. I totally agree with Tillydyes: I only work about 10 minutes from home so will be able to go home at lunch, give Dexter his feed (until he's about 6 months then it goes to 2 feeds a day), go for a walk and then come back. Even though I work full-time, I have flexible working hours. As well, you'll be surprised at how much family, friends and neighbours will help. Its something I forgot to take into consideration and being Labrador's people absolutely love them because of their temperament
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? [quote author=Missy33 link=topic=2328.msg22176#msg22176 date=1377177377] I've had my lab now for just 7 weeks after months and months of shall I/shan't I. One thing I found useful was to keep a diary of my activities, then simply put YES or NO next to it depending on whether what I had just done could've been done without locking my dog away. If you get more NO's than YES' then it's probably not the right time. [/quote] This is a great idea. By the sounds of it though i think you could manage a dog & work full time. There are allot of people who do as some one said earlier. It's all in the planning and i don't think there is a problem with it. If the dog is fine & healthy then to me there is no issue. Good luck with the decision making it is a tough one Remember help & advice his here 24/7 there is a wealth of knowledge & everyone is so willing..that's why i love this site!!!
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? My hubby and I both work full time and I my case, excessively long hours. We have 2 children now aged 17 and 14. We gave into the pressure and got .lilly as an 11 week pup 3 years or so ago. She was chosen by hubby and son (least doggy of us) at around 7 weeks. Surprise for Sophie on our return from holiday. This was at the beginning of the summer hols so gave us about 4 or 5 weeks with kids at home and instructions ( as best we knew then!) On what to do. She was slightly older so quickly house trained and Sophie is dog obsessed and had done YEARS of research : Once the kids were back at school hubby came home lunchtimes to let her out. She was crate trained from the word go and loved her crate. Only stopped using it this easter! After around a month of coming home she enjoyed the lunchtime play but didn't poop or pee so we stopped the lunch visit. At this stage we left around 8.30 and daughter in around 3.05 (2 mins from school!) This stretched to 3.55 once high school started. Probably left her crate open then progressively more doors until around a year old she had pretty much free access to all the house. Rarely had any accidents unless she was unwell. The odd chewed item but rare too. The key for us was the crate and the kongs. Routine (normally) No work mondays so no issues. Tues to Friday up 6.30 and 30-40 min walk followed by breakfast. Tueday and wednesday late afternoon woods for a romp another 30-40 mins or maybe one evening walk and agility with friends. Training and a walk on saturday morning and 2 or 3 longer walks at the weekend weather permitting - maybe beach or woods again as we are all home. Worked for us. Have to say lilly is on the whole pretty laid back. Never used daycare or walkers but sometimes a friend will pop in if we arent going to be home (rare). One thing I would specifically mention is making contingency plans for poorly dogs. Not sure if Family Leave applies to pets! Not sure whether I am a good mum or a bad mum to have let Sophie stay home and look after Lilly one day she was poorly . Admittedly it was near the end of term and not much work was done. Think I have just given you my life history. At the end of the day I think all dogs are different and all people and if you wa t it to work enough then chances are it will. Jac
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? It is possible, of course it is. Is it ideal? No... But you can make it work. I work full time, and my other half is often away for months at a time. I work about 10 minutes away from home, so I can pop home at lunch if necessary. But I hardly ever have to, as my lovely cleaning lady and my neighbours between them ensure Poppy goes out for at least two half hour walks a day. So together with half an hour with me in the morning, and an hour with me in the evening, she gets loads of exercise and playing with other dogs! We got her at a time when we knew one or the other of us would be at home for the first six months; after that she had to get used to being home alone. She seems fine with it. I must say though, that I have often felt a bit bad about leaving her... And I have changed my contract so that from January I will only be working 80%. Oh - and I think choosing the right dog is imperative if you want to make this work. Taking a nervous rescue would be unkind and probably doomed to failure. It may help to pick a dog from calm, steady parents, or as you say an older puppy or dog. A friend who works has just taken on a partly-trained gun dog, who was not making the grade as she didn't like retrieving... Now she is a much-loved family pet, and the transition was easier than with a small puppy. Good luck with whatever you decide!
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? [quote author=Karen link=topic=2328.msg22222#msg22222 date=1377208851] Oh - and I think choosing the right dog is imperative if you want to make this work. Taking a nervous rescue would be unkind and probably doomed to failure. It may help to pick a dog from calm, steady parents, or as you say an older puppy or dog. A friend who works has just taken on a partly-trained gun dog, who was not making the grade as she didn't like retrieving... Now she is a much-loved family pet, and the transition was easier than with a small puppy. [/quote] I was just gearing up to say almost exactly the same thing.... So - what she said
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? oh dear....maternity leave is 9 months these days,can stretch to 12 month,........i would not of expected my daughter to go back to work after weeks of my grandson being born, i would not of got a pup if i could not spend time with him,......sorry to them of you who have to work full time, we all say our puppys are like our children, ??? would we leave a child home alone NOOOO ......i only got a dog knowing i would be able to give him my full time and attention,.....he still gets bored and most of the time i am with him 24/7........i am in a fortunate position to be able to stay at home train/love/and give my dog 100 %,......so in my opinion i would not of took a dog on if i had to leave him .....
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? But Lynne, even though we might have the same feelings about our dogs as kids, dogs are NOT children - they don't have the same needs as a human child, and I disagree that a dog needs human company 24/7 or anywhere near that. I'm sure Jasper loves it, and is very happy with it, but lots of dogs are perfectly fine and happy with a lot less. I know my Charlie is fine. Sure, it's not right to leave a dog home alone all the time, or for an excessive amount of time, but with the options of daycare, dog sitters, dog walkers, friends and family helping out, and a bit of flexibility around hours if you are lucky, it's not THAT difficult for most people to find a solution that works for having a dog and working.
Re: Having a Lab and working full time - possible? julie i am entitled to an opinion,......and in my opinion i think no dog should be left longer than 6 hours ....,...no where did i state a dog needs human company 24/7, what i did say is most of the time i am with jasper 24/7................sorry if you disagree, but if you was to home a guide dog for his first 12 month, if it is going to be left more than 5 hours or work full time then they wont let you take one ,.....so i am not all wrong.....i understand there are other options, day care/dog walkers /family ect......my opinion sticks,
