Poll - how long do you leave your dogs alone for

How long do you leave your dog(s) alone for?

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TheBlackMoth

TheBlackMoth

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I have a massive dilemma and I need to think hard about what to do next - so I would be grateful if you could answer my anonymous poll. I've kept it anonymous as I know there are really differing views on this.
 
I have ticked 2 - 4 hours as that is usually the case. However 2 days a week it is 5 hours plus, this is fine for Evie who is 3, but on the 2 occasions I have left the pup he has wet in his crate, even though he is dry overnight. I have therefore for the immediate future asked my son to come home from college at lunch time and let him out. Once he is older I am sure he will be fine to be left but don't want to spoil his so far great housetraining by making unfair demands.
 
Since Harley was 18 months he's been happy doing up to 6 hours. Usually it's no more than 4 though realistically. He hardly ever goes 6. Once though he did go 7 because there was a crisis and when I got home he was happy as larry.

He isn't crated anymore though. He has our siting room and sofas!! :)
 
I have ticked 4-6 as this is a time within which I feel comfortable leaving them although its not on a regular basis. I have however on the very very rare occasion (and only really in real emergency) left my dogs for a very long time. On one occasion with a colic case I was looking after they did 18hours with one wee break (I popped home to feed and let out for 5 mins) :eek: They were fine though and although I was very worried about them I didnt really need to. I wouldnt ever plan to leave them alone so long though!
 
Usually 4 -6 hours, i work full time and my OH works shifts. f for some reason he s going to be out longer then i will nip home at dinner time. Very occassionally they have been left for about 8 hours. They have always been fine.
 
what is this dilemma blackmoth?
im lucky that i work freelance and as such dont have to be out of the house for normal work shift hours on a daily basis so my dog gets left alone only a few times a week for usually not more than 4 hours which is the box i ticked.

however, i think how long you feel happy leaving your dog alone for depends also on the size of the dog and the size of the house.
My cottage is very small for instance, a 2 up 2 down and my medium size border collie doesnt have much room to exercise herself walking about when im not around.. my OH on the other hand has a huge5 bedroomed old edwardian house (lucky sod) and id happily leave her alone for her to 6 hours as there's plenty of room for her to keep herself occupied and not go so stir crazy as she would at mine.
 
I dont think size of the house makes that much difference tbh. Mine used to have the run of a pretty large house, they now get shut in one small room when I'm out, I havnt noticed any difference in their behaviours and they have not become destructive due to their new confines or anything.
 
I fairly regularly leave them up to 8/9 hours. However ATM, with the new pup and Chloe being sick, they're being checked every three.

Chlo will do a whole working day on her own no probs. Both v v happy dogs! Xx
 
Vizslak said:
I dont think size of the house makes that much difference tbh. Mine used to have the run of a pretty large house, they now get shut in one small room when I'm out, I havnt noticed any difference in their behaviours and they have not become destructive due to their new confines or anything.
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that makes me feel better about leaving her alone for periods at mine then. i dont know why but i really fret she finds my little house a bit claustrophobic when shut in as she's one of these pogo-ing about high energy types
 
Usually around 6 hours...although some days she entertains herself/is happy to be in her room and I don't see her unless I go looking for her!
 
What do you do with your new pup cedars? Isn't it still very young-can't imagine it can do 8/9hrs without needing a pee break??
 
lula said:
that makes me feel better about leaving her alone for periods at mine then. i dont know why but i really fret she finds my little house a bit claustrophobic when shut in as she's one of these pogo-ing about high energy types
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I worried like stink, firstly when I moved to much smaller property and secondly when Tilly discovered fridge opening and they had to be just locked in the front room. I can honestly say they dont give a damn, they havnt even noticed in my opinion. They arent low energy breeds either by any stretch of the imagination and I'm pretty sure they dont entertain each other, I reckon they just sleep.
 
We have two 4.5 year old JRTs - they are my daughter's dogs and up until now we have been able to arrange for at least one of us to be at home and they have never been left alone for more than 5 hours at a time.

However, one daughter has moved out and the other is never here and it's becoming increasingly difficult to manage this. I work full time more than an hour away from home so if I have to manage them on my own they will be left for ten hours or so. I can work from home a couple of days a week at the moment so it would only be for three days most weeks but it just seems too long to me.

They have their own room with a sofa and a dog bed and never seem worried when we get home and happily run to the room when I say 'study time' which is the signal that they are being left alone.

I'm just worried that I won't be able to look after them properly by myself and that I am being selfish keeping them when they might be able to have a home where someone was home most of the time. But then I get really panicky at the thought of rehoming them because who knows what would happen to them.

On a selfish note - it will mean that I have a very restricted lifestyle living pretty much alone with them and always having to rush home.

It's a very difficult situation.
 
Hi Susie-like I said in my post, at the moment as the pup is still tiny he's getting wee breaks through the day-but literally just a wee break and 5mins outside. Xx
 
Black Moth, I would suggest you get a dog walker to come in half way through the day to put your mind at rest then I am sure they will be fine. Is the daughter who owns them able to spend any time at all with them so you aren't totally tied by them. I do know that feeling, I am having to dash home all the time, or make dog sitting arrangments for the pup, and he isn't even mine he's my daughters, she is the other side of the world and I think is hoping to come back to a perfectly trained pup.:rolleyes:
 
Our boy gets left for about 3/4 hours on his own 5 days a week - my mum comes over and spends time with him in the afternoon until my OH comes home from work - one time he was left on on his own for 9 hours though as we had popped out for a couple of hours and got stuck in seriously bad traffic due to a really bad accident - we raced home absolutely panicking like hell, opened to door to be met with sleepy puppy looking at us as if to chastise us for waking him from his nap - luckily no destruction in the house cause he did eat through a wall one time lol - but he was absolutely fine - wouldnt make a habit of it though
 
Ah cool, was just wondering! TBM-I would get a dog walker to come in and let them out for a pee break, most ime charge about 5 for this, and will spend 20mins or so. Or get them a cat flap if you have a secure garden?
 
Iv gotthe same worry at the moment. Im going away for 2 1/2 weeks and my brother in law is looking after him and the other animals. Im worried sick about him being left all day as its usually only 2-3 hours at the most at one time. Has been abit more now and again but usually theres someone home.

Last time we went away he was left all day and used to wee around the house alot with notbeing used to it but now hes had his bits cut he wont wee indoors. Also last time we had no one to come let him out haf way through the day as he wasnt keen on my sister but since beng done he adores her like he does everyone else so she will come over fo around an hour half way through the day to fuss him and let him out :)
 
Picked 4-6 hours as that's the longest I would leave my older dog alone when I worked.
I'm at home 95% of the time at the moment so usually it's now just 1-2 hours at most.
As long as she had a walk before I left for an hour or so and a walk when I got back, she was fine left that long.
 
Mine get left around 4 hours most days, but one day im at uni longer so theyre left 7ish. Weekends usually no more than an hour.

Theyre in my kitchen with a bed, toys and water. There is 3 of them :)
 
Never more than four hours - they'd go longer in an emergency but I wouldn't routinely leave them any longer than that as Ricoh is always desperate for a wee. They're only left for four hours three times a week, apart from that it's seldom longer than an hour or two.
 
So would those of you who only leave your dogs for 4 or less hours re home them if your circumstances change?

I don't know which is kinder. Of course I don't want to lose them - but at the same time I feel that it would be cruel to leave them with no company for up to ten hours a day (even if I could afford someone to come in and let them out in the middle of the day - they would still be spending a long time alone).
 
I have a cocker spaniel and he is normally left 2-4 hrs during the week although i somtimes work from home part fo the day and he just sleeps then. 1 day a week and on rare occassions 2 days a week i am out for about 8 hrs but he has the run of the garden and kitchen and has a dog flap he can get in and out of, stuffed kong and a chew and we leave the radio on too. When we get home he is alwasy asleep and quiet. he gets long walks and lots of play when we get home if he is left and seems fine. no chewing, bad behavour, still barks at the post man. sometimes i take him with me, but not in summer as it gets too hot in the car. he gets 1/2 walk at lunch time and before andf after work then.
 
mine is left 2-4 times a week for 6 hours althoouh on odd occasion with traffic this has turned into max 8 hours (this has only happened handful of times) dont think he likes it but is ok, if we let him in the garage as well as rest of house he whines so we shut him out of garage.

I would have thought that if you have 2 and you could give them access to the garden through dogflap they should be ok - alternatively my local kennel will do daycare - they have some dogs each day while ownes at work although i suspect this isnt cheap - alterntively dog walker !

if rehoming you would have to be 100% sure of where they are going esp in this economic climate ! I would say they are better off with you but you will have to get over the guilt of leaving them or it will be unfair on you.

Good luck whatever your decision
 
TheBlackMoth said:
So would those of you who only leave your dogs for 4 or less hours re home them if your circumstances change?
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No I wouldn't. I just couldn't. I'd pay a dog walker to come in and take him out for a good hours walk in the middle of the day. The dog walking business has really taken off in this area!
 
TheBlackMoth said:
So would those of you who only leave your dogs for 4 or less hours re home them if your circumstances change?
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Next year I'll be looking for full time 9-5 type work (currently work nights and weekends only so someone is home for them all the time) and I've had to accept that a good portion of my wages will be spent on having a dog walker come in every day or, preferably, being able to drop them off at a daycare type arrangement.

I don't have/want kids and it's cheaper than childcare so it's a small price to pay for my four-legged furry children. :o
 
You may beo verestimating of course the homes that would take on a brother and sister older JRT pair-they are probably better off staying with you-so long as they get a break mid day for peeing, they probably won't midn too muc, they do have each other. Could thye have a cat flap to the garden?
 
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