I spend most of my time with Oscar and I love it, we have a fantastic bond. However, I know plenty of people who work full-time and are still great owners. IMO, quality time is important, not just quantity time.

Haha, oh no, how would he cope

I used to work full time but then i would come back at lunch times to give her a walk. The longest is probably about 5-6 hours when i went shopping at the metrocentre need i say more lol.

She has never destroyed anything or tried to chew anything. I used to leave her in a cage but she used to get soooo stressed bless her. So one night while me and dad were out we tried her without the cage, we were only gone an hour and she was fine. Pooped on the floor but she did that in her cage anyways and it used to flick everywhere . After the first time tho she has never done it since. I just dont think she liked being in the cage.

She is a nice happy girl now, even if we leave her for a long time. But since i dont have a job anymore she follows me everywhere, cant get rid of her rofl. I think she may get seperation issues again when i start working

I don`t think just spending time with your dog makes you a great owner. I have 2 neighbours in my road who spend most of their time at home, and whose dogs never go out, and are untrained and unsocialised. I sometimes wonder why people bother to have dogs if they`re not going to take some interest in them.

We have a couple like that near me. Husband works, woman doesn't. The dogs are kennelled outside (tiny garden that borders the pavement/road) and are in the kennel without fail every time I walk past. In the 10 years I have lived here, I have seen them walk the dogs on chain leads with muzzles to the local shops maybe a handful of times. The woman may be at home all day, but the dogs certainly don't have a great life if what I have seen is anything to go by.

I work part time so i take Kym with me to do the school run in the morning then we go for a long walk, usually 1-2 hours. Then i go home, do some jobs around the house, then go to work, come home and do school collection - while i am waiting i take her for half an hours walk. Home again and she goes out in the evening for half an hour as well. Phew !

Interesting replies which show just how adaptable our canine pals are. One thing I would point out though, it is possible to have both quantity and quality time, they are not mutually exclusive.

I am lucky in that I can be with Mo 24/7 but I have also been a "part time" dog owner and my dog was well behaved and well adjusted. It all stems from how they are treated and brought up.

Well i work full-time and i think i have a well balanced dog. I think anyone who knows me wouldn't think there was anything wrong with the bond we have.

I don't have a social life that doesn't involve dogs though so time off is quality time even if just watching tv together

If i didn't work, i couldn't afford to live let alone have a dog i'm sure that doesn't make me or others bad owners.

There are two families over the road from us (next door to each other) who are like that. One has 3 dogs which never go out, the other has an alsation that is never walked.

Down the road from us a man breeds shar-peis. I've only seen him out with one dog, once.