Work Commitments And Dogs

[hankdog]

Different dogs need different amounts of attention. I worked from 8 till 3 when I had Hank. He got a run in the early morning and then hopped in the car for the afternoon sports go round and would at some point get a walk or we would go to the dog park. He was absolutely fine by himself for the day and was a perfect gentleman so had house access all day.

I work from home now and quite frankly I wouldn't have been able to keep Jake if that wasn't so. He needs constant company and supervision. I don't keep a collar on him because he is one of those dogs that would end up hung on something. He's unhappy on his own although we have built up to a few hours alone.

Edited July 5, 2015 by hankdog

[Sheridan]

Well, now I feel bad.

Why?

Can't leave puppies inside as they are in full destructo mode atm. Can't leave them crated because they can't hold on for hours on end. Can't leave them outside because apparently that's bad, too.

[Jemmy]

Well, now I feel bad.

Why?

Can't leave puppies inside as they are in full destructo mode atm. Can't leave them crated because they can't hold on for hours on end. Can't leave them outside because apparently that's bad, too.

So do what works for you and your dogs. This thread is proof there is no one size fits all formula for owning a dog.

[LisaCC]

Well, now I feel bad.

Why?

Can't leave puppies inside as they are in full destructo mode atm. Can't leave them crated because they can't hold on for hours on end. Can't leave them outside because apparently that's bad, too.

Puppies can be left outside perfectly fine in my opinion when you aren't home, as long as outside is safe and has adequate shelter from both the cold in winter and heat in summer. I actually think it probably does them better to have time outside exploring and sniffing the air than be cooped up all day.

[Dame Aussie]

I don't think there's anything wrong with having pups outside as long as it's secure and sheltered.

[Two Best Dogs!]

She chill indoors while I'm at work, we go for a walk when I get home and chill together with a side of training of the box game. its a nice quiet life for her.

I don't feel neglectful because our set up works and she's alright.

Not keen on leaving her in the backyard, we are working in her separation anxiety (I WAS worried when I returned to work but if she's indoors she's fine) and she frets in the yard. Idk if she can jump the fence to look for me but I'd like to avoid it.

She's also not cat friendly and the neighbours have a particularly stupid cat she has roughed up twice now. Would like to avoid it being seriously injured. :/

Never had a puppy

Edited July 5, 2015 by Thistle the dog

[MavericksMission]

Mine stay inside whilst I'm at work & my whippet baby was coming to work so she could have her lunchtime feed up until very recently.

Now she stays home with Maverick & Willow and she's in a large play pen area inside and has a kong wobbler to disperse her lunch feed as she's not a gutsy eater.

I only work three days a week.

Edited July 6, 2015 by MavericksMission

[Guest Clover]

The dogs are outside (with access to a back porch) during the day, they are let in as soon as someone gets home because they tend to bark and carry on at the side gate when cars pull in. Sometimes if there is someone home during the day they come in for "time out" or are left in if it is too hot or too cold.

[Rebanne]

Puppies can be left outside perfectly fine in my opinion when you aren't home, as long as outside is safe and has adequate shelter from both the cold in winter and heat in summer. I actually think it probably does them better to have time outside exploring and sniffing the air than be cooped up all day.

Agree 100%.

[OSoSwift]

Well, now I feel bad.

Why?

Can't leave puppies inside as they are in full destructo mode atm. Can't leave them crated because they can't hold on for hours on end. Can't leave them outside because apparently that's bad, too.

Rubbish. I have a purpose built dog yard and mine are in that when I am not around from 8 weeks of age and sleep out there a lot of the time.

[Sheridan]

Oh, and I don't have a 'purpose built dog yard' either and am thus a failure as a dog owner.

Edited July 5, 2015 by Sheridan

[The Spotted Devil]

Huh? Neither do I. Just make what I have puppy safe.

[Rascalmyshadow]

I've been working from home for the last three years so the dogs are rarely left alone, but if we go out for the day they have access to the house and yard. If its cold we leave the heating on low and if it's hot the aircon is left on, we also always leave the tv going.

Back when I worked in the vet clinic I would take my two oldest everyday and rotate any others we had at the time, if they were pups needing 3 feeds they would also come each day. The ones left at home would have run of house and yard.

My dogs have always been my number one priority so I made sure I set up a life that is as close to ideal for them.

As a kid I hated knowing that everyone was at school and work all day and the family dogs were left alone, it caused me quite a bit of anxiety, I made a promise to myself that wouldn't be the life my own dogs would lead.

[mita]

We turned the deck across the back of the house, into a secure verandah room, which fitted 3 purposes.

On hot Qld summer nights, people could sleep out there safely. By high-fencing a courtyard off, it made a safe, but visible play area for small children. Adding a doggie door allowed our shelties to be secured on the verandah but also have access to that secured grassy area. Great set-up for those dogs, when left home alone.

Until we downsized dogs! Tibbies with short legs can't get up the steep little flight of stairs to return from the courtyard. Not enough room for a ramp. One purpose down!

Now we have arrangements with neighbours, who own the same breed, that we look after each others dogs.

Edited July 6, 2015 by mita

[Malamum]

Oh, and I don't have a 'purpose built dog yard' either and am thus a failure as a dog owner.

Are you being serious Sheridan or are you just being facetious?

No one has even remotely implied that you are a failure as dog owner and that fact that others do things slightly different to you doesn't make it so either.

You've been around DOL for as long as I can remember and you've had dogs for years so I'm pretty sure you know what you are doing and are providing a safe and happy environment for your dogs. I'm not sure where all this self flagellation is coming from.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Malamum

[DeltaCharlie]

At the moment ours are doing it tough. 2.5m x 2.5m dog runs through the day and scheduled access to the small grass area for toileting (usually in groups of 2-4 at a time). The runs are on concrete so not the end of the world if they toilet on there, but they all seem to hang on through the day (the puppies excepted). The grass they have access to for scheduled toileting is only a small area (7m x 3m) and waaayyy too muddy at the moment to allow free running. It would be a cruciate waiting to happen. They do get to free run on the rest of the acre while supervised but the property is not fenced so they cannot access it at will.

When we buy our new place (we are renting this one, hence the restrictions) we will have a few dog yards set up. We do not allow all our dogs out together as it is too big an injury risk with them all running together, and some don't get along at any rate. The plan is for each yard to have its own house access to either a dog room (semi-trusted young adults), the laundry (young pups and untrusted dogs) or the living room (older adults who just want to sleep in peace all day). The plan is to then be able to rotate them through for time with us in the house. The logistics have not yet been worked out :)

ETA: Ours are generally left from 8-4 on weekdays, although I work on a casual basis so it isnt necessarily every day. Tailwag works about 10mins away so pops home for lunchtime feeds if we have young pups.

Edited July 6, 2015 by DeltaCharlie

[mita]

When we buy our new place (we are renting this one, hence the restrictions) we will have a few dog yards set up.

You're right. That's a good time to brainstorm how to cater for dogs, both when you're at home & when you're at work.

We did that when renovating across the back of the house. Made a big difference to the people's and the dogs' comfort & security.

When renting, or when finances are a bit low, it's then a case of working around what's there already.

I like threads on such issues as it's possible to pick up ideas from others who've done things differently. Ages ago, someone posted how to cheaply & easily make an upstairs toilet for dogs. Helped enormously after we found short-legged tibs couldn't get back up the stairs from a courtyard.

[megan_]

my two have full access to the house and yard (dog door to let them out). I leave at 7am and get home at 7pm, so no way would I restrict them to a crate or pen.

[RedFeather]

My boy is outside when we are not home, the time varies as I am a PhD student so some days I'm gone all day and sometimes only for a few hours. I have fatigue issues so if I have to sleep during the day he's also outside then. When we're home we tend to leave the back door open so he can come in and out as he pleases but mostly he wants to be with us - bit of a velcro dog if we are around but happy enough on his own as far as we know, our neighbour has never really complained. He has a kennel he can go into if he wants but he doesn't really, unless its to get something out of there to destroy...there is plenty of shade and shelter from the elements as well as sunny sleeping spots but mostly he'd rather run around in the rain and get filthy and wet.

[Steph M]

Gus went outside as a pup, as far as I can tell it hasn't scarred him for life.

From 9 weeks he spent his days napping in the sun, playing in the grass and being quite happy.

We did set up a webcam to check in on him and left him with toys and bones and stuff to do. We did lose the odd plant (at one point he did eat a huge patch of Kale I was lovingly growing, that was impressive and gross!) but that was more a failure on my part that said I didn't leave enough exciting things to do, so he found his own. Brooke worked from home some days, or had late starts on some, and I had mostly early starts so they weren't long long days, but now he and Rosie are outside of a day (we both work full days now) and when I say outside time both race to the door and wait for their bone/toy/cuddle etc.

To a degree puppies will be puppies as well, I was a lot less worried about him outside than if I had left him in. Our yard is secure, big and he had everything he needed whereas inside there are power cords, cupboards to be opened and all sorts of things to be chewed and ingested.

I would do the same again next time, worked for us, but like everything it wouldn't work for everyone. And being a chunky retriever pup is vastly different to say a chi or something, but I don't feel any guilt about the life he lived and lives.