Awwwww Vicki that sure had me in stitches as my two lazy Rotts do same when I pop home.I pop in and lo and behold,two of em are upstairs stretched out on my bed dont even move most days.Reckon they lie with one ear up and one eye open,thinking awwwww nawwwwwww she's home and gonna make us go out pee,pee xxxxxx

Hi,

I work full time but am self employed and work mostly from home. If I go out for work then I'm usually back in the house after a couple of hurs at the most. My dogs have each other for company when I'm out and have access to the ground floor of the house (they're not allowed upstairs) and theback garden if they need or want to go out.
The have toys , games and kongs/treat balls for whenever they want them and get walked twice daily during the week. At weekends they get at least 2/3 big park walks usually with other dogs.

I did build it up so they COULD be left for up to 7/8 hours alone with each other for company so that I could go uot for the day with my Son in the school holidays etc but I always have my younger brother or occasionally my dad come and keep them company for a while if I do go out for so long.

They all get formal training/socialisation on a Tuesday and Friday and when my Son is in bwed I do one to one training with each of them every evening without fail. In fact, they're probably happier when I am out of the house and not making them think about where I've hidden something nice they then have to try and find!

I involve my Son with almost everything I do with the dogs. He walks them with me (although I have overall control) and helps me train them at home. He doesn't yet come to what we call "doggy school" in the evenings because he's in bed by the time I leave the house.

I also am inthe process of adopting another 2 children so I don't belive that weither the kids or the dogs miss out on anything if you ahve both. I do try to organise my time etc wuite strictly and this way, everyone gets more than enough of my attention, whether they have fur or not.

I am very lucky that my lifestyle/workallows for me to spend so much time at home. If I had to go to an office to work (which I have to with some contracts sometimes) I'd be worried sick about leaving the dogs alone altrhough I know they either sleep all day or play until they fall over with exhaustion and feel really guilty. fortunately these contracts are few and far between and don't last very long when they do crop up.

I think so long as you, your family and your dogs settle intot he routine easily and seem happy/healthy, are exercised and socliased properly, then I think the emphasis should definitely be on quality rather than quantity - as stated in a previous post.

Laura xx

I think it can work, as long as you realise what you have taken on, (dogs with full time work). I would never condone working full time, coming home and kicking the dog out in the back garden or out on the streets to take itself for a walk though, which is something I have seen around where I live. I think you have to rrealise that the dog is a warm bloodied living thing, with needs too, and therefore be prepared to extend your day to taking that dog out with training and socialising in mind.
When I worked full time, I was lucky enough to be able to take both of mine (that I had then) to work with me, and break times and lunch times I could take them over the fields at the back of where I worked (eating my lunch as I walked) plus I used to walk them to and from work. However if they did stay at home, either my mom or one of my sons used to call in a take them off for a couple of hours.
Now a days I work from home, so they still get out and about, but to be honest when I have ever left them, I usually find them tucked up fast asleep when I get back

my dad works full time as a vet, one weekend a month and is often on duty (if a lambings gone wrong at 3 o clock in the morning, he is called out to fix it!) and faith is very happy. if we had another dog, we wold leave them at home together, and install a dog flap. dad comes back at midday for a hour. faith goes to wrok with dad, and plays out in the surgery garden with me or a nurse or lies *quietly*(we wish) in her bed and chews/barks/eats/sleeps
shes fine with it , and has a good rountine. though when my dad is at the other vet surgery, he goes to 'picnic hill' and gives faith a good run around
i think its fine- in the right circumstances. a communter to london would be cruel to leave there dog in allday- my mum is out on mondays from 9 to 8- if it wasnt for me shannon and max gonzo would be inm the garden from almost 12 hours. i give him a good hour and a half walk when i get back though so i think he views mondays as 'daisy days' as i get to spend more time with him as mums out and school finishes early

[QUOTE=youngstevie;1657287]I think it can work, as long as you realise what you have taken on, (dogs with full time work). I would never condone working full time, coming home and kicking the dog out in the back garden or out on the streets to take itself for a walk though, which is something I have seen around where I live. I think you have to rrealise that the dog is a warm bloodied living thing, with needs too, and therefore be prepared to extend your day to taking that dog out with training and socialising in mind.
QUOTE]


sad isnt it
i cant believe this- if i am staying at my grannys for the whole day then i will see a golden retriever in its prime (5 years it looks like) being taken up rhe road and back down on a lead. its morning walk! i thought, oh thats alright, the owner must be rushed he'll give him a long walk in the park when he gets back. but no, in the evening he does the same again. golden retriever looks pefectly happy- its used it!
the most aggravating thing is though...
THERES TWO LARGE PARKS WITHIN FIVE MINUTES AWAY!!
one of them is about 1 minutes walk away.
why?
poor old dog i wish it well x
i hope the owner goes on holiday so someone looks after it and gives it the excerice a retriever needs and deserves...

I think this is an excellent point. I do work full time and although I get home every lunch time and spend the rest of the time with my dogs I did want a dog that would be suited to that lifestyle hence (to a point ) my choice of breed. I would also never take on a puppy only older more mature dogs, suit the dog to the lifestyle basically.

My opinion is it's not ideal but having said that needs must. My old dog died couple of years ago at age 16. She wasn't always left during the day but I had to work full time when she was older, i didn't mind too much because she slept all day. I decided at first not to get another dog because both me and my husband worked full time. However it became clear after a few months that i was not happy without a dog so we got a puppy and took two weeks off work to settle him in. We did also plan on getting a rescue dog but no rescue centre would give us a dog due to the fact that we worked full time. We did try a dog walker, but she turned out to be unreliable! So we eventually managed to get another dog and built a run. The dogs are high energy and young so they get plenty exersise, they get an hours walk before work, an hour afterwards, go to agility, and obedience classes, they have each other for company during the day and they are kept outside during the day. It's the best i can do, but i do still feel guilty for working all day. Having said that they seem quite happy and don't seem to mind us going out and are always keen to go in their run.

In some ways Im surprised no rescue would consider you – I work full time and have 6 rescue dogs nearly all from different rescues – so Im pretty sure some rescues out there would of considered you unless you would have been leaving the dogs for more than 4 hours. However having read your post its probably right that no rescue would let a dog go to a home where dogs were being kept outside all the time especially if they were pups – which you say you dogs were and the fact they are a high energy breed.

Can I ask what your breeder felt about the arrangements you had for their pups especially as they are high energy? Would you not have thought a lower energy breed more appropriate?

As long as the dog is the centre of your world then I definitely think working fulltime and owning a dog can work. After all, many of us couldn't afford a dog if we didn't work fulltime!

I work 12 hour shifts and live at home with my parents so Isla has company pretty much 24/7. I am moving out into my own place this Summer, however, but am lucky that my parents are willing to have my dog the 3 days a week I'm at work.

Without this I would have to employ a dog walker twice a day 3 days a week, with owning two dogs that would equate to about £100 a week. A hell of a lot of money, but I'd easily not go out ever again if it meant my dogs were happier for it.

Hi,

Rip - I agree with what you've said. My dogs are so importan tto me I will do everythign I can to make them happy and would eagerly stop work and spend all day with them.

I really wish I could make enough money to live on by becoming a dog walker but I don't think there is the demand in the area I live in. If I was able to do this, then my dogs would get even more exercise and time spent with me than they do already and we'd have an even better lifestyle.

Laura xx