Important question- need all your opinions!

[English Cocker]

Some people say you absolutely should not leave a dog alone for a whole working day. Other people say you can do it. What is your opinion and do you think that adult dogs can be left but puppies can't. (also specify how you feel about dogs kept inside and dogs kept in gardens)

I need as many opinions as possible and evidence for experiences you've had.

 

[Dreeza]

lol, im kinda asking the same thing in the thread called "dogs kept in cages"...cept by cages i mean outdoor pens

anyways, we do it with our dog...and he has mental issues and had to be sent away to be trained professionally...SO DONT!!!

JK JK...he was like that from day 1 (then again, his foster mom left him alone all day...lol)

anways, he was just fine...im sure they get lonely, but just give them as many toys as possible, and make sure wherever they are being left id 'dog-proofed' so you dont come home to chewed up furniture/walls/wallpaper, etc....and that the area is safe of course

 

[Gempress]

My dog is alone the whole work day. Before he was reliable by himself inside, he spent the day outside until we came home. He never seemed to have any problems. He only recently started spending the time inside. But, my husband and I do come home for lunch almost every day, and I think that does make a big difference.

Many dogs are alone during the work week, and I don't think they suffer for it. They just need extra attention in the mornings and evenings. If you leave the dog outside, be sure they have food, water, lots of shade, and a good shelter. And be sure to pick a breed that will be hardy outdoors. I know of a maltese that spends the day outside, and the poor thing hates it.

 

[yuckaduck]

I use to leave Jessie for 12 hours a night when I worked full time and he was fine loose. He would just sleep on the couch. He was also 15-17 years old then too.

Yukon we leave about 6 hours when we go away, if we leave for longer we use to have someone watch him. Now he will go with us!

 

[Zoom]

My first dog was left alone all day with nary a problem. My current dog can't be left alone for more than 20 minutes sometimes without destroying something. It depends on the dog and how much of a fuss you make over leaving it. If you treat your leaving as a matter of fact thing then I think it lessens the anxiety.

But, young puppies probably don't do the best when left alone all day. I can't give you much there because all of my dogs have been at least a year when I acquired them. I'd say treat it like you just had a baby. You may have to take some time off work to get the dog settled in and comfortable.

 

[Fran27]

I think it's fine to leave a dog all day. If they tend to do lots of stupid things they need to be crated though, and the crate must be big enough for them to turn around and have some living space at least. Honestly, if only people who don't work had dogs, that would be lots of dogs in shelters.

 

[Zoom]

I know it can be done, but I think there are a lot of dogs in shelters preciesly because people work all day and come home to find how the dog spent the day entertaining itself and dont' or can't deal with it.

 

[Fran27]

That's what crates are for. I'd rather see a dog spend 8 hours in a crate every day than end up in a shelter. Honestly, they spend most of their time sleeping during the day anyway.

 

[Zoom]

"But crates are so mean! They're so small and my dog is so active, it's cruel to put him in one for more than 10 minutes!"

 

[Fran27]

Pretty much...

 

[English Cocker]

Thanks guys!

 

[English Cocker]

So basically do you think an adult dog can be left alone all day but it's not such a good idea with a 2 or 3 month old puppy?

 

[Renee750il]

I make sure mine have a dog-proofed room until they are dependable in the house. Shiva still spends the time we're gone in the laundry room as she is a marauder. No food is safe unless it is under lock and key. She can open cabinet doors, and nothing is out of her reach. If she thinks there is something she might like on top of the refrigerator (like a jar of peanut butter), she will bump the 'fridge with her big butt until the coveted item falls down into her waiting maw . . . Bimmer and Kharma are loose in the house.

I've never owned a crate, as I've always had large dogs and they are just too detrimental to the physical development of a large dog, plus, being a bit claustrophobic myself, I just can't cram a dog into a cage when it is so easy to dog-proof a room . . . And the guardian breeds do get a little crazed when they are locked up and can't guard . . .

If no one who worked all day had a dog there wouldn't be many homes available for dogs. BUT . . . I wouldn't recommend leaving a puppy - or most grown dogs even - outdoors alone for extended periods of time. It's too easy for something to happen to your dog that way. Too many crazy and vicious people out there.

 

[Old Dog]

A puppy should not be left alone all day loose in a house or yard.. #1 teaches bad habits like destroying things, going to the bathroom where ever and when ever it pleases id it is inside. They need to be in a crate with water,food and toys for intertainment. This is for their safety first of all and second for your peace of mind. It is not cruel to crate a puppy or a dog actually it well be viewed by the dog eventually as its little secure place it can go to get away from everything. Would you go off and leave a 2 year old child by itself to see what it could get into? A puppy loose in a house can cause all kind of damage to itself from just being a puppy. Like chewing electrical cords or ingesting objects or pieces of foreign material that it should not eat. Put the puppy or dog somewhere where it will be safe whenever you have to leave it whether it is all day or a few hours while you go shopping. Once older they settle down but young dogs are just to mischievious. Remember a bad habit is easier to prevent than to break.

 

[Whitedobelover]

then buy a play pen... some dogs such as dobes can jump over but some cant... if you put up the play pen hooked to the crate they have their sleep area and a bit of play area also... then they cant distroy things lol

 

[Whitedobelover]

my puppy is never left alone longer than four hours but now they know how to hold their bladders a bit longer and not poop in my house but they develop other things... we do leave them alone for periods of time longer than two or three hours and they do great together lol

 

[SHADOW_THE_STAFF]

I work full time, and we've had shadow since she was 8 weeks old. She's kept in a puppy safe zone (the kitchen, everthing is locked away, nothing but her toys left out to chew,etc), and does just fine. I do come home every lunch time though to visit, and I only live 4mins away from where i work, so im pretty much home as soon as I finish work. She a great dog, I've had no trouble with her, she's obiedient, house trained, NOT destructive, shes great. I just make sure the time I spend with her is special, and for her. So she gets loads of play time and walks, everyday. Thats an important thing, I think if you are gona leave a dog all day, make sure they get plenty of exercise when u are with them. I dont like the idea of crating, but can understand why lots of people do it. Also If you haven't got a dog, and are thinking of getting one, I made sure that I was off work for a week when we got shadow, so she could settle in properly, I would have liked to have taken more time, but didn't have enough annual leave left.

 

[Qu-Ming Dances With W]

i think crate taining is the best option, as pups they don't like it, as adults i leave the crates open, when i come home or at night, they sometimes are it. dogs are den animals, cover the crate, it makes like a cave, which goes back to the natural habitat. i see no problem with it.

 

[rocco&quiras mama]

i think it´s cruel to leave a dog ( yet alone a puppy ) alone for more than 4 hours and even then only if you have trained your dog carefully and slowly over a long periode of time..
dogs that spend alot of time alone often get easily stressed and ther4 destroy the house ( chewing on whatever ) or get blatter problems and get too little exercice..
i never go longer than 3 hours between walks or "pee walks"
your dog dint choose you, so don´t make the dog pay because you didnt have a good plan b4 you got it.. ask a neighbour to take it out a few times while you´re at work and maybe play a little with him.
I dont work and thats why i have my dogs... i wont get a job 4 as long as i have them
they deserve my time and company.

 

[SHADOW_THE_STAFF]

well not everyone has the option of not working rocco&quiras mama, and if everyone who worked didnt have a dog, shelters would be full to bursting. Dogs spend a lot of time sleeping, shadow sleeps throughout the day when im not there, and she is a perfectly well adjusted, well behaved dog. Not destructive at all. But I do know people who dont put the effort in and leave their dogs all day, and they can turn out with problems. If you are willing to put the time and effort into training when you are with them, them they can be perfectly fine when left alone.

Either that or I've got a wonder dog!