How long do you typically leave your dogs home alone?

[GipsyQueen]

How long do you typically leave your dogs home alone - and how often?
SO & I are seriously considering getting a dog (from a rescue) next year - once I go to school part time.
We live out near the field - which are perfect for walking, jogging ect. and our apartment is actually big enough - not like my old loft on the 6th floor.
Problem is - while I'll be working 8-2pm 3 days a week (which is do-able and the dog could come with most days), I have school twice a week from 8-5pm (SO works from 8-5 daily). Which would leave the dog home alone for about 9hours. (My commute is about 10min. each way) While our neighbours did offer to let dog out (they have a dog as well) - I'm not sure how I feel leaving him or her home alone for that amount of time.

I'm sure there are many chazzers who work full time and have dogs - so how do you do it? Do you have a dog sitter, or a neighbourhood kid (who knows dogs and is responsible) come let him/her out? Do you take them to work - or are they able to stay alone for the amount of time you're gone?

I should also mention I'd be able to stay home with futur dog for 4 weeks (semester break) to get him or her used to us and our home.

 

[JessLough]

Depends, there's 5 of us so our schedule varies. She usually goes out for her last outing of the day around 9pm and then doesn't get a chance until 5-6am, so that's 8-9 hours there. She could be alone from 8am til 7:30pm if our schedules make it that way, though. We used to make day trips to my grandmother so we'd be gone as a family 15-16 hours and she'd mostly be alone, sometimes my other grandmother would come spend the day.

***usually its its 8-7:30, its more somebody is sleeping then goes to work and she doesn't get to go out before they leave, so I guess its not alone alone because somebody is in the house.

Really, it all depends on our schedules. We never really bothered to plan somebody to be home through the day to let her out... not even when she was a pup. Heck, I can be home all day and she won't want to go out xD

 

[PWCorgi]

Usually 8.5-9 hours. Is it ideal? No. Does it work? Yup.

 

[PWCorgi]

Though if our next dog is small, I will absolutely be litter training it.

 

[Maxy24]

Tucker is alone from 8am-3pm Monday-Friday. The first year we had him mom would do after school programs twice a week and not get home until 5pm n those days and he was fine, but I wouldn't like leaving him longer. His bladder could probably handle it, he seems to have really good pee control, but I'd just feel bad.

 

[Taqroy]

We usually end up being gone about 8-10 hours max. I hate when it goes over 8 but those times are pretty rare. 3/4 dogs are crated while we're gone. I just make sure they have water in their buckets and any dogs who chew get chewables left with them.

ETA: This is five days a week.

 

[Kimbers]

Sometimes, my dad is home all day with them.
But more often than not they're alone from seven to three, so eight hours.
If it's going to be any longer than that, my mom comes home early from her teaching job and just takes them with her. (She's half-time, so nobody cares if she has dogs in her office after her classes are done.)

 

[skittledoo]

I try not to ever let my dogs go more than 8 hours though I try to shoot for no more than 6-7 hours when possible. I used to live 15 min from work so I could leave them home if I wanted to. Now I'm an hour away so I have no choice but to bring the whole crew to work with me every day. Even then they still have to hold it for the majority of my shift (except days when Joey and Cricket get to play with the daycare dogs).

 

[sassafras]

Depends entirely on the day, I work more like 3/4 time than full time hours so I have some days as short as 4 hours and others as long as 10 hours - which is the maximum. When I was in school with dogs, they had some pretty long days... 8-12 hours although I had a roommate who helped take care of them. School is a temporary situation, though.

 

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

It depends on the day. Typically 3-4 hours, ocassionally 7-8 hours, and sometimes not at all.

 

[AllieMackie]

Rare days there's a stretch of 8-9 hours, but lately, especially with Scott and Beauty living here now, he's alone less and less. That will change again when Scott gets a full time job, but again our hours will vary so he likely won't be alone much.

 

[HayleyMarie]

Teagan is left home alone for about 9 hours during the week from 8am to 5pm. We dont work weekends so thats a non issue. She is old enough that she can hold her bladder during the day.

Now, when we get a pup I am in a slight perdicament on what we are going to do. I think for starters we will keep pup in a X-pen and hopefully we will be able to find someone to let the pup out during the day for a pee/play break unil the pup is able to hold his bladder longer. Or I could drive home during my hour long lunch break, but thats a lot of driving since it will take me about an hour to get home and then back to work. I would be at home for maybe 5 minutes.

 

[GipsyQueen]

So def. do-able, right? Though I guess it will alway depend on the individual dog
We'll probably end up putting up a baby gate in the begining when said futur dog is left alone, so he/she doesn't get into anything. (I'd rather not crate for that amount of time if possible, if not nessesary) We have doors everywhere in the apartment - but I'd like to avoid scratched up doors if possible.

edit: excuse the spelling - Im on my phone. -.-

 

[Paige]

It really depends. Banit has a really strong bladder and can be left for over 10 hours but he is rarely left for longer than 3. Between myself and my landlord he always is being let out. My landlord lets him out at 6am before I am even awake, I let him out at 8, then throughout the day lots, he gets out again at 3pm, then my landlord is home at 5:30 and lets him out, and again twice more at night.

My dog is a lucky boy.

 

[Zoom]

When I first had Sawyer, I wasn't working, so was able to spend a ton of time with him, teachign him the ropes and such. Then I got a job at a doggie daycare resort, so he was able to come to work with me.

Years later, I'm working the stupid crazy hours of a car dealership and he's alone anywhere from 10-14 hours depending on the day. Sometimes less because my roommate has a different schedule than I do. I feel really bad, but there's no one on this side of town that I trust to come over and let him out during the day. Sometimes I'll take him over to my parent's because my dad runs his law office out of the house so he has company.

 

[Toller_08]

My dogs are typically alone for 8 hours, although my brother sometimes lets them out at some point in the afternoon depending on his schedule. So on an average day they're alone anywhere from 3-6 hours, with 8 being the maximum. When I was in high school still, my dogs then were left for 9 hours 4 days a week.

I feel bad leaving them for 8-9 hours, but they seem fine. Even on days that I'm home with them nobody ever asks to go out. I make them go out every 3-4 hours, but I have to wake them up to do so.

We've also managed to raise puppies while going to school and my parents both working full time jobs. It definitely wasn't ideal, but you do what you have to do. None of my dogs seem to have suffered for it. With that said though, one of the big reasons I want a puppy within the next little while is because I currently work somewhere that I can bring a puppy with me. So that will make training and life much easier. But in the future, I can't really afford to live without a full time job, and I can't picture life without dogs, so there will always be days when they're alone longer than I prefer. But that's the way most peoples' lives are who own dogs.

 

[*blackrose]

Chloe is routinely left home alone for at least 8 hours. If she's going to be left more than 8 hours, Mom tries to get home to let her out to pee around lunch time. So it becomes a 4 hour, then 8 hour stint. But, Chloe is also left with run of the whole house and has the cats to keep her company. So it isn't as if she is in a crate with only a 20 minute pee break over the course of a 12 hour day.

Gracie, Cooper, and Cynder are left anywhere from 4-10 hours a day. If they're going to be left longer than 6 hours Mike likes to have me stop by and let them out to run around for about an hour.

 

[momto8]

I work 3 days a week from 10:30 to 2:00 and that is about the most. I do take off for coursing weekends here and there, I take 3 or 4 with me normally and the others can be home for 8 hrs and they do great, and it works for events that I can drive back and forth to each day.. if its more than 8 hrs my mom comes up and lets them out to go potty

 

[Zizzy35]

He’s almost never alone while we are working. Dh works nights, and I work days. On occasion Dh will work an extra detail or have training during the day. So, maybe a couple times a year he is home alone for 8 hours or so.

 

[Zhucca]

Honestly, Duke is rarely left alone. He goes to 'work' every day himself, lol. I drop him off at my friends plumbing shop and he spends the day with Boomer hanging out with the office manager or going to job sites. The only time is maybe when I work weekends or go out. He's only be left at a max of 10hrs, but usually 8-9. I think that's an appropriate amount for an adult dog. If I had a puppy I would be concerned if it went over 5hrs without someone checking on them. However you do what you have to.