How long are your dogs home alone?

[Laurelin]

I'm getting really tired of another forum where someone tells every working person they shouldn't have a dog. I know some people are lucky and can work from home but I would imagine many good dog owners work and are gone a lot of the day and yet still manage to have dogs successfully.

I'm just curious. My girls are home alone 8 1/2 hours, 3 days a week. The other days, just a few hours.

[jess2416]

Well, considering Im living at home right now.. Chloe is never really alone more than 2-3 hours on most days, because everyone works a different shift

but once I move out, she will be alone around 6-8 hours a day 4-5 days a week

[elegy]

9 - 9 1/2 hours four days a week and 5 hours on wednesdays, though they do get a break in the middle most days for about an hour. on the weekends, they're crated as little as possible.

[Sher]

I am with Lily almost 24/7.... I do go shopping once or twice a week and we go out to eat twice a week, but we are just about always together. What is wonderful is that she has no separation anxiety when I do leave her alone. No barking, crying, whining, chewing, wrecking, peeing, anything... Maybe she feels content with the amount of time we spend together or something, but I feel fortunate that she is so good when I do leave.

[JessLough]

Since my dad's accident about 3 months ago, Rosey is hardly ever home alone now. Before that, it would depend when everybody was working, and what I was doing that night. Now when he goes back to work, it will depend on the days and who's working. it should work out so she's only home for 2- 2 1/2 hours alone, not long enough for her lol. She loves being home alone, it is nice and quiet

[KenyiGirl]

About 2-3 hours every week day, in the crate. Eric works evenings/nights, and I have morning classes. If we go to run errands, and we know it'll be for less than 2 hours, we leave them out, rather than putting them in their crates.

[lizzybeth727]

Usually 8 1/2+ hours. Less when I first got her - rarely more than 7 hours. I used to feel really guilty about leaving her that long, until I realized one weekend that she slept like 10 hours straight, didn't even beg me for dinner. I haven't had to leave her crated for about three years, so that makes me feel better too (though I firmly believe she lays in pretty much the same spot the entire day).

Luckily I can go home at lunch now, so if it's going to be a particularly long day I can always let her out to potty in the middle of the day.

[Toller_08]

Lately, hardly ever. But they used to be home for about 8 1/2 hours and were perfectly fine -- no different then than they are now, actually.

[mrose_s]

About 5-9 hours once or twice a week atm because I'm unemployed.
Depending on whats going on at the time he's had times where he's been home alone 13 hours a day 5 days a week and managed fine, just glad to see us when we get home. Thats not ideal though, we didn't like having to do that.

[lisabobisa]

That's ridiculous to say you have to be home all day to have a dog. It's great if you can but that's not something a whole lot of people can do. A lot of dogs are totally fine with being lazy all day.

Mine are home about 8 hours but most days my mom can come over to let them outside and give them some love. Jasmine's had free roam of the house for years now (she had some separation anxiety back when we first got her but she's long over it by now). Domino used to be in a crate, then she was moved up to the bathroom and now she's gotten good enough to be in the bedroom. We can never trust her completely after she had to have surgery to remove part of a ball from her stomach. But keeping her in the bedroom it's easy enough to keep out things she might chew on and swallow.

I do take them to work sometimes because I work at a doggy daycare. I stopped taking Domino hardly at all because she doesn't really like dogs much and seems kinda stressed there. Jasmine's just a little older and doesn't seem to want to be in the high energy environment everyday.