What do you do with your dog while at work?

[Anna]

Hello,

I'm curious as to what everyone does with their dog while they're at work? Do you crate them/let them roam freely/take them to doggie daycare? How long do you typically leave your pet alone while at work?

I have been wanting a dog, but am afraid I am not home enough (I work 8 hours some days, 10-12 hours other days). I don't want the dog to have separation anxiety or suffer from lack of bathroom visits etc.

Thanks!

Anna

[karlatta]

One dog stays locked in the kitchen with a baby gate. The other gets free roam of the house (with the exception of the kitchen, of course).

We usually leave them for about 10 hours at a time. Although we've left them for up to 20 hours with no problems (unforseen circumstances kept us from coming home when we planned). Honestly, I worry more about the house catching fire and my dogs being stuck inside than I worry about separation anxiety or accidents. My dogs don't seem to mind us leaving them at home.

When we were training our first dog, we both worked really close to home - like 3 miles - so we came home on lunch break and let him out for the first few days. Every other dog we've gotten since then has already been house trained, so we've not had to come home to let them out in the middle of the day.

[sublime311]

Our two big dogs have free roam of half the house during the day - the 3 kitties have the rest of the house. Dogs are amazing in that they quickly adapt their bathroom needs/feeding habits to your schedule. I don't know about others, but I don't think I would feel comfortable leaving them for more than 8.5 hours - that's a long time to hold it if they really need to go. You will need to create a schedule for them that allows PLENTY of opportunity to go potty in the morning and then let them out right away when you get home. As soon as we get home, the dogs go potty and come in immediately for a drink. We created a potty command word that let's them know that they are not out for "playtime", but for the bathroom - we use "hurry go" and they know they're supposed to do their business because it'll be awhile before they go out again.

If you know which days you will be late, I would try to arrange for someone to let them out - or consider day care for them.

I believe there are several threads about crate training, potty training and feeding recommendations.

I'm not sure if all dogs are susceptible to seperation anxiety - it seems like it's more up to the individual dog. I dunno, though. I have a dog that is DEATHLY afraid of thunderstorms and wind, but my other dog is completely unphased.

[skyblu]

After months of intensively training my separation-anxiety puppy, we're now FINALLY able to leave him home alone, with free roam of half the house (not including bedrooms and baths).

We do need to leave him with a basket muzzle on so he doesn't chew up things, and we leave the TV on. He likes to sit on the couch and look out the window. We live on a lively street and lots of people go by, which he enjoys. He also naps a lot.

He's home alone for about 6 hours, 3 times a week. During the rest of the time, we exercise him a LOT (he's a sporting breed), and he's doing great!

[Rico'sAlice]

We have three dogs and they stay outside in a fenced in area when we are not home. If we lived in a different location where I thought there was any chance of something happening to them I would crate them inside. They stay home alone up to 10 hours or so, but not every day. When we were living somehwhere else and two of them were puppies (not at the exact same time, the timeline is complicated) I was working at home and with them all day. If I had to go out and they couldn't be outside (we were in Houston and sometimes the weather is just too hot) then they got shut inside an empy bedroom together. (They did eat the entire carpet in that room, but we were going to pull it out anyway) They were never left for more than a couple of hours in that situation and had occasional accidents. But I'm sure if I had been more methodical and gone from a crate to a small area and then to the room they would have understood better. But since I was home 90% of the time they didn't really learn to "hold it" they just trained me to let them out.

Anyway, if you are working 8 hr days I would STRONGLY recommend adopting an ADULT dog and not getting a puppy. A young puppy needs sooo much more attention, concerning both toileting and general attention giving.

[amew]

Our dog is crated when we are both gone (which only happens three days a week, as my DH is in school and doesn't have classes on Thursdays or Fridays). Generally, one of us tries to come home at lunch to play with him for a while sothat he doesn't spend more than 4-6 hours at a time crated, but on days we absolutely couldn't make it home, he has been fine in the crate for 8 hours. I would love to be able to leave him out more, but he still chews a little. We are hoping we can cut back on the crate over the next six months or so (he's one and a half now). As it is, he is quite fond of his crate--he is waiting eagerly it in by the time we get our shoes on in the morning.

[alisong]

Our dog is really fortunate to be able to go to work with DH (an arborist). He runs around, plays with customer's dogs, and sits by the truck when it's too dangerous for him to be running around. If he has to stay at home, he has full run of the house, and we have a doggy door so he can go outside.

[jesvet]

When I was working FT (10 hour days) I hired a dog walker to come by and give the dogs a walk every afternoon. A lot of times she loaded them up and took them to dog park. Boy were they sad when I quit! LOL.

[Whitters20]

Our dog stays in our fenced in yard during the day, anywhere from 6 to 9 hours. If the weather is bad, we let him stay inside. And we bought him a nice dog house in case of rain, etc. He does fine outside and I think he actually prefers it as long as he gets to come in when we get home. We tried leaving him in the house all day but he suffers seperation anxiety and tears things up. We don't really have time to consistently train him, so outside he goes. He is potty trained though.

[whitlockan]

One of our dogs has free roam of the entire condo while the other one is crated. We are trying to steer away from the crate as he truely hates it but right now their is no other option since he tears things up. They typically wait 12 hours until we get home. They are really good about holding it and have done great but boy oh boy are they ever ready to go outside once we get in the door, but thats expected since one is a puppy.

If you are considering a puppy a good rule of thumb to remeber is for every month old they are thats one hour they should be expected to hold it, but nothing longer than that. And is it ever true, we are just getting the point where our pup can hold it 12 hours ( hes 1 year old).

[fuzzy]

Mine is crated, being transitioned into a roam-the-house dog.

Anyway, if you are working 8 hr days I would STRONGLY recommend adopting an ADULT dog and not getting a puppy. A young puppy needs sooo much more attention, concerning both toileting and general attention giving.

If you are considering a puppy a good rule of thumb to remeber is for every month old they are thats one hour they should be expected to hold it, but nothing longer than that.

Agreed and agreed. Actually, I think you can still get a puppy -- just avoid an "infant" puppy. Aim for something about 6 to 8 months.

We got our dog when she was 3 months and it was too young with us both working full time. I don't regret it, because she was being abused in her former home, but it wasn't 100% fair to her at all.

[jbenny75]

I got both my dogs as puppies. I'm not sure for how long, but they were both crated until they were consistent with potty training. After that, we used to barricade them into the kitchen. They are now 3 and 4, and just about a year ago, they got free run of the house. Up until then, they would still get into trouble and chew things up. We slowly gave them a chance to prove themselves and they were fine, so now they can roam the house. Whether they were in the crate, kitchen, or free in the house, if they're going to be alone longer than about 6-7 hours, I have a petsitter come in. She charges $17 a visit (it used to be $15, but we moved just slightly out of her area, so she upped it a bit to cover gas), and spends about a half an hour taking them outside, playing with them, and just giving them attention.

[Hello Kitty]

Anyway, if you are working 8 hr days I would STRONGLY recommend adopting an ADULT dog and not getting a puppy. A young puppy needs sooo much more attention, concerning both toileting and general attention giving.
ITA! It was so hard having a little 8-week old puppy - we did it when DH was going to school online @ home and I worked from home, so she was literally never alone. It worked out well, but it was still so much work even being home with her.

Luckily for her now, there is only one day a week we are gone @ work (I WFH) which would amount to about 9 hours alone. Someone (SIL, Mom, Dad) comes and lets her out mid-day so she can play and go to the bathroom. I'm sure she could hold it all day, but that doesn't seem fair to me considering what her life is like the other 6 days of the week.

[Vegastrtle]

Murphy was barricaded in the upstairs hallway when we first got her. When she was able to crawl over the gate, we tried her at free roaming. She did okay until she ate the new couch. Now, she's in her crate with a Kong and a toy. We'll try to let her free roam again when she's two. I'm gone 8-8.5 hours a day. 2 times a month I take her to day care so I can work a little later or run errands.

[Anna]

Wow--thanks for all of the great replies! This has been quite helpful. Perhaps an adult dog would work better for my husband and I right now.

How do you guys find dog-walkers/pet-sitters?

[Chimichanga]

We leave our dog crated. He can't be trusted yet by himself.

We crated him when he was a puppy (no other option). I would run home over lunch and let him out. He had one, maybe 2, accidents in the crate. he was very young and it was about 5 hours or so between potty breaks. He adjusted very quickly and now can go about 10-12 hours solid without accidents. I think he can do more, but we don't push it.

He loves his crate now - it's part of our morning routine. He knows he gets a treat any time we put him away. He doesn't even bark anymore when we leave.

[kam]

When I'm travelling, they have free reign (except for the bathrooms - they love tissues). DH comes home at lunch.

[Lucy Van Pelt]

I agree that if you are going to be gone from the house 8 hours at a time, an adult dog would be a better choice for you!

When we got Lucy, DH worked at home for the first 5 months or so to be with her and work on her house training. After that, he would work at the office in the mornings and then at home in the afternoons. It worked out really well.

Currently, we both go into the office for 8-9 hours although sometimes DH does manage to get home early in the afternoon. We put up baby gates in the kitchen/dining areas so she has plenty of room to walk around but can't destroy anything should she feel like it. She spends most of the day sleeping and eating...

[mb1197]

We crate our puppy for about 6-8 hours per day during the work week. However, DH and I have started to get up about an hour early each morning and take her on a nice long walk. This gives her the opportunity to get some good exercise, go potty a number of times and spend some quality time with us in the morning. Since starting this routine she is much more content to go in her crate and take a nap when it's time for us to go to work.

[katiadarling]

Oh! I only wish our dogs could have free roam of the house!

Our lab is 3 years old and had terrible separation anxiety when we first got him, we've been working on it and finally (1.5 years later) we have it fixed to the point that I can leave him if he's crated (he destroys things if he's out of his crate). My DH however can't leave him because Marley throws a fit, so if DH is leaving the house last, then Marley goes to daycare!

Daisy, our beagle-collie mix, just turned 9 months and she is crated when we leave. I think she'll graduate to having free roam at some point, but we're not rushing it! We always joke that Marley is going to be crated for ever and Daisy is going to graduate to free roam and come and make fun of him! :D

[jennylou]

We got our dog when he was about a year old (best guess as he was a pound puppy). At that time, DH was working an hour from home and I couldn't make it home and back to work during my lunch time. So, he was crated. And he was crated when we went anywhere he couldn't go.

He's basically very, very good about the crate. In fact, if his door is open (we close it off b/c it's the coldest room in the house - but never truly freezing - especially with a thick coat of fur) he will lay under the desk - it's like the next best thing to his crate. When his door is open, he can often be found in his crate - with the door wide open. It's cute.

He has had some accidents, but I have to say that the one time I really think we had some sort of bug. The other times, I think he was mad because we weren't home enough.

Sometimes at night he's also crated, but sometimes we let him roam. It depends upon his behaivor during the evening hours.

Oh, and now that DH works closer to home, he usually gets an afternoon potty break too. Which makes it much nicer when I get home and have to let him out - he's not so excited because he needs.to.go.out right now. ;)

[wendalah]

We have two mini poodles. They are generally fine being left alone during the day with free roam of the house (they keep each other company, and are both housetrained). However, when DH and I are both expecting a long workday, my parents take them for the day.

I sometimes alternate between taking them to my parents and leaving them home. They get a lot of stimulation at my folks' (my niece comes over to play with them and my father takes them for multiple walks) and are often really tired after a couple days over there. They seem to benefit from a "non-social" day here and there. Today they are at home alone for that very reason. I suspect they catch up on sleep most of the time.

[Secret_Squirrel]

My puppy will be a year old at the end of this month.

He has pen, like this:
http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/May05/57166_472d5.jpg

His crate is in it, along with blankie and chew toys. It's his turf, and he'll go in there to take a nap on days we're home, too.

We're not ready for free-range of the house. He's a Boston Terrier and Boston's are big chewers. But we've been really lucky - he hasn't damaged/destroyed anything except for a pair of flip-flops. But we spend lots of $$ on toys and rawhide!

[CityGirl]

I work from home, so our dogs aren't left on their own for full days too often. That being said, I do not feel bad about leaving our 3 year old alone in the house all day. He's been reliable about potty training and non-destructive since he was 1. When I am home, he sleeps most of the day anyway. Our 4 month old puppy, however, wants to play in spurts throughout the day and can only hold her bladder for 3 hours or so. She is crated when we are gone for less than 3 hours, or gated in the kitchen with her crate door open and newspaper on the floor when I am gone for more.

Other people have suggested getting an older dog if you are worried. A lot of adult dogs (I'm thinking labs?) are happy to sleep the day away.

[jbenny75]

How do you guys find dog-walkers/pet-sitters?


I was very lucky...I picked her out of the phone book. I couldn't ask for a more kind, loving, trustworthy, wonderful person. Maybe you could ask at the vet's office or ask any friends with pets??

[off2skl]

Our dog is left to roam the condo and has a doggy door. We leave her for about 8-9 hours, but as others ahve pointed out, she's an adult dog.

As for finding sitters, etc once you could ask neighbors/coworkers (your vet and groomer are also good resources).

[IrishMeg]

Our two dogs have the house to themselves with the exception of the bedrooms and the bathrooms. It is all tile, so if they were to have an accident it really isn't the end of the world. We do not have a doggie door.

I have a flexible job, so I plan my days around them. Somedays I leave late or come home early. Other days I come home in the middle of the day. Today I never left the house and they were in the yard all day. Very rarely do they spend 8 hours home alone. I just can't feel good about leaving them for so long. :o

[ManteoChik]

Our lab is 1 1/2 and she's been staying out freely in the house since about 5 months. She just lays on the couch and watches TV or naps on the bed. We also have a dog door that lets her into the fenced back yard so she can go in and out whenever she wants to. She's only home for 8 hours two days a week, the rest of the time she's only there for 4 hours max. We never had a chewing problem and we've had her since she was 7 weeks.

[Missy2U]

Baron is just under two years old and we just let him beebop around the house while we're gone. He's had a few "issues" with pulling down some vertical blinds when he gets excited and jumps around, but all in all, he's been just fine.

Ok, I will admit that I've called him from work and left him answering machine messages when we first got him telling him we'd be home soon. I know, I know - I'm weird.

[pocket]

Ari has a doggie door and he roams freely during the day. Mostly he hangs with the cat when she is awake. When he was very little he was shut in the kitchen and until he was 14 mos he was blocked from the bedrooms and the bathroom because he kept eating shoes and bras. Now he doesn't do that anymore.

[tirams]

...
We do need to leave him with a basket muzzle on so he doesn't chew up things, and we leave the TV on. He likes to sit on the couch and look out the window. We live on a lively street and lots of people go by, which he enjoys. He also naps a lot.

He's home alone for about 6 hours, 3 times a week. During the rest of the time, we exercise him a LOT (he's a sporting breed), and he's doing great!

I'd like to find out more about the basket muzzle you use for Blue at home. I'm wondering if the basket muzzle he wears allows for drinking water during the day?

[skyblu]

tirams, yes, the purpose of the basket muzzle is to allow for drinking, or, if the dog were to vomit, he wouldn't choke on it. It's been a lifesaver for us because our dog is a chew-maniac, and has also been known to get mouth-happy with other dogs. We use the muzzle when he's home alone, when we go to a place where he'll be in close proximity to other dogs (like the vet's waiting room), or when we walk in crowded places, where he can get scared and snap.

This is what they look like:
http://www.petedge.com/images/us//local/products/family_detail/zw129.jpg

I couldn't find them at petco. We got our first one from our vet. But I've since found out that you can usually get them for free at dog racetracks, where they use them for the greyhounds.

We use an online pet store called www.petedge.com which is WAY cheaper than Petco, but I'm not sure if they ship all over the US, since they're located locally here in MA. Give it a shot, because honestly, we get all our pet stuff from there and the prices are unbelievable!

[paiger]

leo is turning 4 this month. I crated him as a puppy and would come home at lunch to take him out. If I couldn't get home, then a dog walker would come by my apartment to take him out for me. Once he was old enough to hold it, he stays by himself 8-9 hours typically. Occasionally, we'll have a time screw up, and he'll have to hold it for 13 hours. He does that anyway on the weekend when we sleep in, b/c he won't tell us he wants to go out in the morning so we all stay in bed.

Now, he goes through stages where he'll be really good and be let to stay in the living room and kitchen (bedrooms and baths are closed off). Then, he'll start to get into stuff, so we'll crate him for a while. Currently, he's in a crate phase, which he really doesn't mind anyway. He loves to get in his crate. The past two weeks DH has been working from home, and leo stays in his crate the whole time eventhough the door is opened. He's done that at my parent's house, too.

[Kimberland30]

Our dog has free roam of the house. She's a great dog and never gets into anything (that we know about). :) I go home for lunch and DD is in high school and comes home early, so she is only alone for a few hours. When it's nice outside we keep her outdoors. We try not to leave her out very long unless we are home. She loves barking at everything and I'm sure it gets on our neighbors nerves after a couple hours of it, so we try to be considerate and keep her outdoors for long periods only if we are home to keep her in line (and play with her to keep her from getting bored).

[sportyj]

My pup is crate trained she is nine months but ever since we have had her someone comes home at lunch, I put 20K on my car in 11 months because I work 30 miles from home and would come home at lunch. I never like to leave her in her crate for longer than 6 hour periods. Whn she is about 2 or so I will start allowing her free roam. Do not get a puppy unless you have the time to let them out and play for at least the first 6 months. You may be happy adopting an older dog who is comfortable staying home alone or already can be trusted to be left out of a crate. When a puppy is small they need let out a lot and can never make 8-9 hours, or should not be expected to. GOOD LUCK! Dogs are amazing, a TON of work, but so worth it!

[Smittenk]

We crate our puppy when we are out and we wouldn't have it any other way. We know he is safe and not getting into anything. We don't keep him in the crate for more than 4.5-5 hours though.

[PinkMartini]

We have 3 dogs as well and on days I'm in school (twice a week) or at work (usually twice a week as well) 2 of them (our french mastiff & our male yorkie) are outside in the fenced in backyard. They have food & water outside. Our female yorkie is still a pup (she's 7 months old) and we don't feel comfortable leaving her outside all day yet, so she stays in the house, in the gated off laundry room. She has her crate; bed; puppy pads; food and water in there. When she gets a little bigger, we'll probably start putting her outside with the boys.

On days that it rains (which is alot this time of the year) they all stay inside. The 2 boys have free roam of the house (we shut the bedroom & bathroom doors) and they are fine.

If you're looking into getting a dog, I'd think about getting an older one who doesn't need as much training/attention as a younger pup needs. Being gone that long every day is a bit much for a 2 month old pup, imo.

[tirams]

How do you guys find dog-walkers/pet-sitters?

You can try http://www.petsitters.org/ Their site has a way to find petsitters in your area. Type in your zipcode in box on the top left of their site.

[jnshanna]

We're very lucky because we can leave Sophie at home to roam all day. She's usually at home alone for 8-9 hours. We got her from the humane society and from the very beginning she was able to stay in the house by herself while DH and I worked all day. There are two things that she does sometimes though. One is tearing up any tissues in the bathroom garbage and going through the laundry basket. :rolleyes: But I still think we're lucky so I don't mind when she does it. We would love to get another dog to keep her company but we're really nervous about leaving the new dog home all day. I think we just lucked out and I'm not convinced that we could get a new dog trained as well as Sophie.

[chandy]

I work from home, but quite often I'm out of the house all day running errands. Our beagle has free roam of the house and back yard (we have a doggy door). She never had a problem with chewing, so we didn't have to worry about her being free. Before I started working from home, I often wondered what my dog did all day. Now I know that she sleeps for about 20 hours each day! Lazy hound dog...

If you get a doggy door and have (or intend on having) kids, keep in mind that toddlers love crawling through doggy doors as much as dogs do. This may not be a great idea if you have a pool.