I need a dog

lloyd

Been to let my mates dog out (miniature Dachshund) on my lunch today as it's new and they can't get home to give it some company, I now need one....My girlfriends been on at me for a while about getting one but I've been kind of against it as we both work during the day and think it could be cruel...My suggestion was to get two!

What's the perceived wisdom? I've read online that if you leave them all day they get used to it and just sleep but I'd be interested to know people's (and the dogs) experience on this?

I finish early 3:30pm most days and my girlfriend doesn't leave till 8:30am so it wouldn't be that long a day and I could go home at lunch time to take it for a walk. Obviously it would get walked in the morning and at night and otherwise well looked after-I've had a dog before but worked nights with my mates working days so there was always someone about. Are we being selfish bastards or not? We live in a flat but it's got a balcony so it could have fresh air or whatever during the day

Emp_Fab

A lot depends on the actual dog - what it's used to, how it's been treated before, how you treat it.  e.g. my sister-in-law's pooch was happy to snooze on the sofa all day when she worked full time, however, my pug goes into meltdown if you even try to go for a shit without him.  We can't leave him alone for long at all - he has attachment anxiety, and that's partly down to us spoiling him and treating him like a baby.  Leaving most dogs alone for seven hours, even with a brief lunchbreak, is not what I would consider kind.

Even though they are pack animals, this has no effect on the anxiety of the individual dog - i.e. getting two won't help.  You leaving them alone is constantly breaking the pack up each day.  Dogs aren't good at coping with that as they just don't do it in the wild.

I'd say you shouldn't get a dog until you can be with it far more often.

EricTheWeary

Our dog gets left about 8:30 to 3:30 three or four days per week. He will have had a, short, walk first. I presume he just naps and looks out the window as that's all he does when we are there at those times. It is something we built him up to ( fairly quickly) but you couldn't do that with a puppy. Consider an older rescue dog or maybe contact the Cinamon Trust to babysit a dog. My sister did that and she has partial care of a spaniel that belongs to an old lady,so takes it for walks and has it to stay when the old lady is unwell.
Leaving dogs with access to a balcony is generally a bad idea as he is quite likely to bark at passers by all day or worst case scenario jump and fall. Dogs are trained to be friendly to strangers so it's providing a way in for a burglar as well.

lloyd

Yeah that's what I lean towards...we'd be getting it from a puppy so it would be 'used' to it, and like I say I'd come home lunch times but that's still two 3 1/2 hour chunks on it's own-which I'm not too keen on....

The splitting up of the pack thing is interesting cheers. I'll keep researching....

lloyd

I don't think I'd want to rescue an older dog to be honest-as bad as that sounds....I'd want them from the start so they'd feel more like mine and I'd know the dog more and it's background.....I'll have a dig around, I know a few people with dogs and lots of my mates work in bars that would have it in the day-so that could be an option when it was young...I know it sounds like I'm just justifying getting a dog...but I won't if it's not right for both of us.

The balcony is 5 stories up so if a burglar is good enough to get in then I'd congratulate them and they'd be welcome to my stuff and it's fully enclosed but you're probably right-it could find a way off it I guess?

TTony

That's a long chunk of time to leave a puppy.

It's a long chunk of time to leave any dog, but a puppy really needs to be with you as much as possible in its early months.  Not just so that you can make sure that it's properly house-trained (don't under-estimate the time need to achieve that!), but also so that you can develop a proper bond with it, stimulate it, train it, and generally make it feel "at home".

It does vary a little with the breed - some are a lot less active than others - so in time a stay-at-home dog might work out for you (though whether it's a great life for the dog is another question).

You've also got to be aware of the risk that the dog will make a lot of noise when you're not around, with the potential to really annoy your neighbours, which can lead to all sorts of official interventions.

lloyd

Ah man it's not looking good for me is it? I wouldn't want to give a dog a shitty life and ideally it would be with me all the time....Looks like I need to find an out of the office job.....

VimFuego

a dog isn't like a wife/girlfriend, they need to be with company a lot of the time you can't just shut them away and ignore them.

Axe_meister

Depends very much on the dog.

Our dog (dachhund/jack Russell/Shitzu cross) will gladly sleep all day. Even though this last year I've been working at home, I've been at the top of the house, and he doesn't even visit me.

But when I go down he dances and tries to lick me to death. He is pretty quiet as well (except when the post comes).

A bull dog loves nothing more than to sleep. Probably wouldn't even notice you are gone. They just have to slowly get used to it.

Otherwise why not get a cat? They don't give a shit if you are there or not.

VimFuego

Axe_meister said:

Otherwise why not get a cat? They don't give a shit if you are there or not.

IME this is not true at all, our cats have never liked being left alone, they always like to know someone's there.

holnrew

It's best to be 100% certain. I wouldn't do it off there was any sliver of doubt as to whether it's a good idea.

Gassage

@Lloyd

One of my clients has 11 springer pups coming ready, but I warn you they need exercise- gun dogs....great pedigree and Springers are gentle and loving.

lloyd

@gassage i do like them-my mate had one, but I'd be looking for a lazy dog tbh....no problem walking them etc but I'm in an apartment so it needs to be a lap/toy dog

Gassage

Try a Basset Hound.

Or a Schnauzer

randomhandclaps

Gassage said:

Try a Basset Hound.

I wouldn't recommend one.  With the rising price of tobacco it can be costly to feed their habit.

Richardj

We have always had big dogs, previous one was a Dogue de Bordeaux (Turner and Hooch) and was a fantastic family dog.  The key is always training, an awful lot of early Sunday morning classes just for starters.  You get out what you put in.  When we sadly lost her we lasted about three days without and found ourselves a Newfoundland puppy not too far away.  Possibly the perfect family dog, utterly devoted, protective and despite his size (60+ kilos) not at all intimidating to other animals.  Really a big gentle dog.  Sleeps most of the time, except for a few half hour walks and runs during the day.  Only downside is the hair and drool!

jd0272

Greyhound. They are bone fckn idle. Seriously. Get a rescue greyhound.

underdog

A dog would cope fine, a pup would ruin everything it could chew, eat or pee on

My dog will happily sit alone all day, won't make a mess etc, but he's use to it.

Evilmags

Greyhounds are lovely. They need one walk a day to exercise them. But will otherwise sit around all day. Sight hounds in general are very gentle.

EricTheWeary

+1 on the retired greyhound, the societies often throw in stuff like free medical treatment and kennels for hollibobs so they can be a very cheap dog to keep as well. They will need house training but an adult dog can do that very quick ( my rescue JR had lived in a stable until he was one but got house trained in about 2 days).

Sambostar

If you get a rescue dog, the price of making sure the home is happy with your home for it and the vet bills will probably add up to getting a puppy plus some.  You should really get a rescue dog though eh.  Ethically speaking.  But you will inherit the madness of the dog which you'll be stuck with.  Seems wrong paying for a dog to me.  However if it's a bad un, you could make a curry out of it and start again I suppose, just be sure you don't swallow the microchip if it's chipped, otherwise the game will be up when the dog home comes to check on it and your stomach starts beeping away when the rescue women gets her gieger counter out..

I've love a retired greyhound, but you have to keep them on leashes and I'd just be sad for it all the time.  When they go they end up in the next county.