Is it OK for dog to be alone all day while we are at work?

[Wayside]

[QUOTE=Bacardi1;6401922]
I’ve never had dogs that had a problem with being alone during the day. Of course, I’m talking about ADULT dogs, NOT puppies. And also of course, if you adopt an adult dog, many have separation anxiety issues simply due to their upheaval pasts.

So I’d have to say that it will depend on the dog.[/QUOTE]

Yes, my dog Tessa has some separation anxiety. It’s not awful, but I’m sure she’s glad I’m primarily a stay-at-home mom who does an odd job now and then, so I don’t work long hours.

Even if I worked full-time, I think she’d still be happier here than in the shelter, though. She’d been there for four months before I adopted her, and she’s a rather homely little black mutt, so I don’t think her prospects were stellar, despite her great personality.

And as previous posters mentioned, even though I’m home with her, she still spends most of the day sleeping. So it’s not like she actually needs directed interaction all day.

Personally, I wouldn’t let working full time keep me from having a dog, though I’d try to pick an adult dog with a personality that was amenable to that sort of situation.

And it’s nice that you have potential dog walkers. I don’t think that’s necessary for most dogs wth people on a regular 9-5 schedule, but it’s important if you have to work late, or if you have a senior that can’t hold it in as long as a younger dog.

[Roxyllsk]

I had my 2 for close to 10 years where they were in the house on their own for 10 hours a day. They did fine, honestly I think they slept all day.

Now I only go to the office 2 days a week and work from home otherwise. The older dog does fine, but I don’t quite trust the younger one. He gets himself into trouble, so he’s crated. Neither has a problem ‘holding it’ that long. When I’m gone, we have lots of play time at night to help get the sillies out of the puppy.

And 2 is def a good idea - they do keep each other company, and it’s not any more work to take care of 2 than one. Only difference is the food bill is higher, and the vet care is as well.

[SuperAlter]

There are millions of dog owners with full time jobs that keep their dogs at home all day, even without a dog walker!

I have a Jack puppy who has been crated since the day we got him and he does just fine being crated for 10+ hours a day. On weekends when Im home all day he hits a wall at about 1:00 where he will sleep for 3-4 hours ( longer if I would let him) !

He is fully house trained ( and has been) it took him about 3 weeks of very occasional accidents when loose but never a mess in his cage.

He gets out of his cage at 6am has breakfast, potties and is loose until about 6:45, then right back in. He is in there until I get home at 6:00pm. We potty again and (most days) we go to the barn. 2 hours of unattended running and its home we go. Hes zonked out by 10 ( usually cuddled at the nook of your knees) but if hes reallly tired he heads to his cage at will, guess he really likes it in there !

[mp]

To answer your question: Yes, it’s OK for a dog to be alone all day.

For years, we had a border collie, a breed notorious for getting into trouble when they’re bored. We got him as a puppy and we crated him during the day until he was one year old. After that he was loose in the house all day by himself, and never tore anything up.

Of course, he went out with us to feed and ran around like a maniac for a good hour every morning and evening. So that undoubtedly helped. But if a BC can handle being Home Alone, I would think any breed could.

[Hannahsmom]

Yes they can be fine alone all day. I got my puppy when I could take short days and three day weekends (saved up my vacation) and had a dog walker come in so she was only crated about four hours at a time until she was around 4-5 months old. Then longer crating. Until she was old enough and I gated off the kitchen and family room and left her there. When she was one I got my second puppy. Similar for him but I put an Ex pen in my back porch so he had a bit of room to move around. Pretty much the same routine until he was around six months. Both dogs now have the kitchen and family room (and back porch if it is nice). I do make sure I try not to leave them longer than 9 hours but sometimes it stretches to ten. Mostly I make sure I spend a lot of time in evenings with them doing class, long long walks, etc. I like that they can keep each other company but my first would have been fine alone if I had had to do it that way.

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

Not an issue for the right dog especially if they are used to the routine.

I am still shocked at how much they sleep - I work fulltime + and am at the barn 4 to 5 days per week. I can be home all day on a Saturday and the dogs will be passed out all day on the couch i.e. out for their morning walk and then catatonic from 6 am until 5 pm or so.

That totally got rid of my guilt of leaving them home while I’m at work. Whoever came up with the phrase ‘working like a dog’ certainly didn’t look at mine. Lazy!

Granted - they are adults and used to it. I would not recommend this approach for someone transitioning a new dog into the household or raising a puppy. Mine had a dogwalker when she was little because my job is demanding and I’m often not home for 10 hours + a day. Fine when she’s mature and sleeps - not good for a puppy with a baby bladder who needs to run around for 30 min and then crash for a couple of hours.

[RaeHughes]

With the right dog, it isnt a problem. You do need to exercise them (according to breed) both morning and night - but that’s just good for you too :). I found both physical and mental work good.

Having someone to either pop in and see the dog(s) - either for free or for $s - is good.

[fordtraktor]

With a fenced backyard how about a doggie door? Then you wouldn’t have to worry about the bladder issue and the dog(s) could get outside some.

[Foxtrot_s]

I worked and had a dog that was alone while I was away. I felt her life with me was infinitely preferable to the life some dogs lead, and I made it up to her when I was at home - we were nearly always together and I gave her lots of attention and trips.

Some dogs - certain breeds or younger dogs - may not do so well and might become destructive if bored. Two dogs are a solution but then the two dogs bond together showing their preference for their own breed making the owners somewhat a close second.

There are so many dogs needing love…

[onelanerode]

I’ll add only that if you do get two dogs, work hard on getting them to be OK alone in case you need to take one to the vet or something. We didn’t do that very well, and now both of our dogs get rather bent out of shape if one dog is removed for some reason.

Our smaller dog, a pit/terrier/lab mix, is especially bothered, but he struggled with separation anxiety when we first got him, and we had to work through that. Now if DH leaves he’s fine. If we both leave, and the other dog is still home with him (they’re crated next to each other), he’s OK 98% of the time. If I leave with the other dog, and he’s home with DH, he howls. And it is the most pitiful sound.

Just something to consider. I’d never had two dogs before, so I wasn’t aware of how codependent they could get and didn’t do enough work with them separately. Now they are middle-aged and I think it would be rather difficult to get them to chill out if either of them were left alone.

[Go_Fish]

Consider the breed of dog carefully…some breeds are better than others at being left to their own devices for extended hours during the day.

When I was working F/T, it was not unusual for my Corgis to spend 12-14 hours a day alone. DH travels for work, and couldn’t be relied upon, either. They were JUST fine! The worst trouble they got into was sleeping on the couch which is strictly forbidden! :lol:

[Houndhill]

Well to be honest, I would probably not sell you a puppy.

But to make it work, with two people working full time (which I gather you are not yet, yay! For the dog’s sake ), I would have more than one dog. They are social animals. Some dogs can be conditioned to tolerate this, my breed is less likely to do well with this, and I would hope they would not need to do so.

Then, I would definitely have a dog door so they could go out, to a good space, where they could be a dog.

Then, how willing would you be to providing the social and physical stimulation they would need, before and after work, and on weekends?

This is a good ethical question. Some people obviously have no issues with leaving a dog alone for this length of time on a regular basis. I am sure it depends upon the breed and what they are accustomed to. I have hounds, they are group oriented, and I would find such circumstances less than ideal for one of my puppies. But I would be open to special circumstances.

[Bacardi1]

Like I said - it depends on the dog(s). Ours are all couch/bed potatoes. I’m home now pretty much all the time, but when we were both working, we’d come home & they were like “Oh, were you gone?”. Not all dogs are like this, but since all of ours are adopted & came from different backgrounds, obviously it can’t be that oddball to have dogs that aren’t upset by being left alone.

[betsyk]

Also consider what your typical evening is like. If you’re the type of couple with a lot of after work activities and obligations, you and the dogs may not see much of each other. I’m working through that idea now, as my old lab mix is in her twilight years and there will be another dog in the future. If I work all day and spend evenings at the barn, then when do I have time for the dog? Kaley was a farm dog for the first half of her life and went to the barn every day. I’m not sure if I want to/can do that with the next one. I need to figure out my priorities, horses or dog?

[laskiblue]

@fordtraktor;6402170

With a fenced backyard how about a doggie door? Then you wouldn’t have to worry about the bladder issue and the dog(s) could get outside some.

This is the situation I have for my dogs and it works great.

[Casey09]

I think that it would be fine, especially if you are open to having a dog walker or your neighbor let the dog out at some point. I feel that it’s much easier if a dog can go out to relieve himself every 4 to 5 hours during the day. That is just an opinion. I had a dog that developed some urinary tract issues, and that was a big thing for him and prevention of future issues.
One thing to keep in mind is that the dog may need some type of a walk or playtime in the morning and then another one when you return. Having two dogs is nice because they do provide a lot of company for one another. If you aren’t able to take on two dogs, I’d assume that you could arrange for your dog to play with some dogs that you know.
Obviously you always want to be careful that the dog that you get is one that you are able to care for. This is true whether you get an adult dog or a puppy, or purchase a dog from a breeder or get a dog from a rescue. In general, an adult dog will be a better choice than a puppy or very young dog. You’ll also want to consider the amount of exerise the dog needs and whether the dog has separation anxiety.

[MistyBlue]

Very carefully research your breeds first…some dogs are very high energy or very high intelligence (or both) and neither of those tend to thrive being alone a long time. Boredom and pent up energy can be very destructive. People then think they have a “bad dog” when they have the wrong dog.

Also some breeds just don’t have a Loner Gene. Often greyhounds tend to have seperation anxiety. Not all though.

There’s usually a dog to fit any/every family/situation/lifestyle. As long as the potential owner does their research and then sticks to what fits as opposed to what they find attractive, it will work out.

(of course there are exceptions to every breed too ;))

Double dogs aren’t always necessary.

[crosscreeksh]

What others are saying, two dogs are alway a better deal…but the breed you choose also makes a big difference. Some dogs are good alone…others not so much. I’d stay away from Jack Russells, Boxers, other high drive dogs. JMO

[Lone]

[QUOTE=laskiblue;6402386]
This is the situation I have for my dogs and it works great.[/QUOTE]

To me, that’s the perfect situation. Prior to moving 2 weeks ago that’s the set-up I had for my dog and it worked out great. He’s mostly a couch potato anyway when I’m gone, but I felt good knowing he could easily get outside if he needed to, or if he just wanted to lay in the grass and soak up some sun. I still made sure he got plenty of exercise in the evening when I got home from work. I just moved for a new job and am at a temporary place right now, I hope to move to a spot where he can have a doggie door again soon, he and I both loved it!

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=S1969;6401828]

The only thing I would worry about is the prospect of getting two adult dogs that don’t know each other, and assume they will be happy together during the day. I’m not sure how you go about doing it properly - other than to get two dogs that need rehoming together.[/QUOTE]

@Gen;6401858

That is a good point. I am guessing a careful introduction and a trial period for the second dog would be necessary?

This x10! I added a second dog when Joey was about 10yo. They were never allowed loose together unsupervised. Never. I wanted 100% neutral or better or I’d been living in a civil war until Joey died. When I left for work, one or both were crated. 1-2years later that is still the routine.

My aunt added a rez puppy to her household of 3 adult dogs. When the pup got older, it killed the elderly female. Then several months later it killed the not-so-elderly female. Both times it happened when all dogs were unsupervised for about one hour: that’s it! (Uncle is retired so home nearly always.)

After a year, if I am running an errand under 20mins, I’ll leave my two loose together. Occasionally I suffer the consequences like a chewed up clay heat pack :lol:…gooey gray clay strewn about the carpet. Thanks, Joey, for teaching the new guy naughty behaviors!