OT: Talking dogs Tuesday

Submitted by Moleskyn on

No, not talking dogs. Talking about dogs. Actually, my real reason for starting this thread is to seek advice from those more experienced than I. Here's the background: my wife and I just bought a house, and now that we don't have restrictions on pets, we really want to get a dog. We both grew up with dogs, so we understand the level of effort involved and all that, but I am hesitant since we both work full time. I feel like if we got a puppy, we'd be doing it a disservice by leaving it at home all day. 

Naturally, the next thought turns to a rescue dog, and though we'd probably avoid the house-breaking stage with that option, I still feel like we wouldn't be good owners by leaving it at home all day. Maybe that's better than it being caged in a facility all day? We do have some neighbors who'd be able to help us out by letting it out during the day.

With that said, my question to the MGoCommunity is thusly: what have you done in this situation? Especially if you and your spouse work full time. Did you get the dog anyway and find a way to be a good owner? Did you get the dog anyway and are a bad owner? Did you just not get the dog? 

And if anyone tells me to buy a cat, I will separate you from MGoPoints.

Moe

May 5th, 2015 at 12:43 PM ^

You can still get a puppy rescue and raise it from a young age.  My girlfriend and I found a 3 month old puppy from Kentucky (we live in Chicago) and drove to pick her up.  She was on the last day in a kill shelter before someone else came in and rescued her, and we picked her up a week later.

Your concerns are very valid, especially with a new puppy and not being home during the day.  I'd suggest a dog walker or neighbors to let the dog out everyday.  There are also plenty of doggy day care facilities that you can take the dog once or twice a week to tire them out.  Millions of dog owners are in the same situation with working all day, but make it work.  

Getting the dog was very stressful for both of us, but we wouldn't change anything about it and love the dog more and more each day.  Please feel free to ask me any additional questions. 

iPhone

May 5th, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^

You can't say "always get a rescue dog." What about all of those dogs that people sell? They need homes, too. I have one dog that I paid $900 for and my other one was free (aside from vet costs, of course).

Moe

May 5th, 2015 at 3:47 PM ^

I do not support puppy mills, and feel they need to be banned.  If you want to spend $900 on a certain breed of dog, that's fine.  Be sure that it is bred not in a puppy mill.  My general point was that if you are interested in getting a dog, unless you want a specific breed, always go for a rescue.

ijohnb

May 5th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^

got a rescue dog.  We have a 7 year old son and we both work full time, very busy schedule.  It is difficult, and sometimes I feel guilty about the amount of time we have to leave her at home.  Here is my advice to you, you can give a rescue dog a good home without being there a lot, but do some research into the type of dog you are going to get.  We got a Borador and she literally does not know what to do with her self if she is not performing a task.  She is goal oriented to a maddening degree and really can't sit still.  To have her stay home all day is somewhat unfair and I can tell she is not happy a lot of the time.  We have thought above giving her up but it would kill my son.  We make it work but it is not perfect.  I walk the hell out of her basically every night year around in order to keep her active and sometimes is in not always that "wanted" of a task for me either because I am already busy.  If you get one, try to get one that knows how to "chill."  Do not get a dog with a ton of energy.  It is very hard on them.

Kenneling them during the day is not realistic either because it is super expensive.

Also, I am disappointed that this was not about talking dogs.

TIMMMAAY

May 5th, 2015 at 2:12 PM ^

A German Shepherd is a great dog, but one that needs lots of activity and affection in order to have them turn out to be good dogs. If you don't have the free time, I'd really think twice about that dog in particular. Same goes for Labs, Huskies, and Pit Bulls. 

Choose carefully, and think about what's best for the dog first and foremost. 

wsnc2012

May 5th, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^

We are on our second German Shepherd.  I couldnt ask for a better dog.  The only complaint I have is the hip dysplasia.  We had to put our first one down at the age of 8 because of it.  The one we have now has it also.  I had done tons of research (not enough I guess) about it.  She is 6.5 right now but she gets around all right.  Awesome dog though!!!

NCMtnBlue

May 5th, 2015 at 1:54 PM ^

Proactive pet owners claim that daily brushing during this season greatly reduces the amount of hair left on the floor, furniture, and your clothes.  Black carpeting, furniture, and clothing is another impractical option.

softshoes

May 5th, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^

Can't do it. I had a white German Shepard, we had to put her down when she was13, best dog ever. They have a bad rep but if you raise it right it will treat you right. Of course that's the way with most dogs.

UPMichigan

May 5th, 2015 at 12:43 PM ^

I built a pen for our dog while the wife and I are at work. It's big enough for her to roam around without feeling too confined. Seeing that I built a doghouse for her she seems to sleep in there a lot during the day anyways.




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thevictors51

May 5th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^

We got a rescue dog at "meet your best freind at the zoo" event in Detroit last fall. The dog was 1.5 years old when we got him so we got to skip all the house broken stuff. 

My fiance does research at U of M and I am an engineer at one of the automotive ocmpanies so needless to say we are both very busy. 

We live an apartment and the dog is high energy so we have to do a few things to make sure we tire the dog out. In the morning at 6am my fiance walks the dog and then at night I run the dog for a few miles. 

During the day we put the dog in a crate because he would get into all sorts of trouble if we let him out. To help him burn off energy we take him to doggy dare care once a week to meet other dogs and burn off a ton of energy. 

We also do training with our dog on weekends to keep him occupied.

So far everything has worked out, our dog seems to be happy and always sleeps heavily at night from being worn out. 

Once we move to the house I plan to build a kennel inside the garage that connects to the fenced in back yard, so during the day we can put the dog in the kennel and he can run around outside and come in when he is tired. Having the kennel inside the garage will protect him from the rain and allow him to sleep if he wants to. 

copacetic

May 5th, 2015 at 12:53 PM ^

I think rescuing a dog is almost always going to be much better for it than being in a cage at a shelter, even if you both work. Just give it lot's of attention and exercise when you're home on nights and weekends. 



Maybe one of you could work from home a few days a week at first or just take some vacation to help the dog get used to your new home. Or maybe going home during lunch break is an option.

Our family dog is home alone all day while everyone is at school or work, and on the off days when someone was home during the day, she was usually asleep a good chunck of the day anyways. 

My name ... is Tim

May 5th, 2015 at 12:58 PM ^

My wife and I got a puppy in October - named Desmond Howard, obviously. We both work full-time and have active social lives. We have endured the normal trials and tribulations of new dog ownership but have found it rewarding and now, with the pup nearing a year old, he's a healthy, happy, well-socialized and well-trained (for the most part) dog.

These are my suggestions - get a good dog walker to take your dog out for two good walks a day while you're gone. If you do that, as long as you make your puppy's (or rescue's) crate an enjoyable place for them to rest and enjoy themselves in (with some toys and chewy treats), I've found my pup to be more than happy when my wife and I return from work in the evening. I'd also make sure that you take your dog on a decent walk yourself when you get back and, if he doesn't get to interact with any other dogs on his walks with your dog walker, try to take him to a dog park or to a friend's who has a dog so that he/she can socialize. Our dog interacts with other dogs and other humans all the time because of where we live and our dog walker and he is tremendous with other people and animals as a result.

If you're having trouble still, you can also work in a day at one of those dog spas/camps each week and that'll take care of some of his socializing and exploring needs.

mdoc

May 5th, 2015 at 1:00 PM ^

Especially about breed. We rescued a 6 month old Anatolian mix, so she still had to grow out of the chewing on everything stage. Maybe go for one a little older. We are gone all day but she gets the mud room to herself, then 6 hours in the evening and all weekend to play with us. She's happy.

Naked Bootlegger

May 5th, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^

My wife and I work full time.   Our last rescue dog was super chill, so leaving him at home was fine.   We adopted him at the 1 year stage.  He was apparently an outdoor dog before, but we didn't have any issue with house training.  We walked him religiously twice a day, and he thrived in our household. 

We got our current dog at a very young age.  The energetic puppy to adolesence stage was difficult, so we opted for a few days per week of doggy day care.   It's expensive, but we grew to love it.   We tapered off to only one day per week after our dog's 3rd birthday.   He's matured into a great dog and he seems to handle loafing around the house all day very well.   We walk him regularly and shower him with love - he reciprocates the love tenfold.

Dog ownership is a huge responsibility and can cause major logistical headaches, but we wouldn't trade our dog for anything in the world.  Except Jim Harbaugh as UM Head Coach, but that's no longer an issue. No regrets.

 

 

creelymonk10

May 5th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^

Always, always, always adopt. I work 8am-4pm and my fiance isn't living with me yet to be home with him. Luckily I'm close enough to work to go home for lunch and let him out and play with him. Even when I can't make it home for lunch, he's fine all day. I wouldn't get a Jack Russell or other dogs that have a lot of energy though. Just remember, puppies can only hold their bladder about 1 hour for every month old they. So if you're gone all day, don't expect a 5 month old puppy to hold its bladder from morning until evening.

champswest

May 5th, 2015 at 3:30 PM ^

It is cruel to leave them inside all day. Here is the humane test, if you and your wife can both refrain from going to the bathroom all day while you are at work, then it is okay to leave your dog alone at home for that same period of time.

When my wife and I were both working, one of us would come home around noon to let the dogs out.

bsand2053

May 5th, 2015 at 1:05 PM ^

Do you have a fenced in backyard with a good amount of shade?  Leave the dog outside (weather permitting) when you aren't home.  Just make sure to take a good look at your fence to make sure there aren't any spots where the dog could squeeze out.  We put a bunch of bricks down to keep mine from digging out.  

If you are still feeling guilty about leaving it alone, consider getting 2 dogs.  

 

Also, if you or you're spouse live close to work, you can zip down during lunch to take care of them.  Maybe one can take an early lunch and one can take a late lunch so they aren't left alone for all that long.

BlueMan80

May 5th, 2015 at 3:13 PM ^

If the dog is a real barky one, then your neighbors may not be so happy with hours of barking dog time each day.  My dogs don't bark much, but when someone walks by the fence with their dog, they get excited and bark.  One of my neighbors has complained about it at times.

beardog07

May 5th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^

For a rescue dog, being at home alone is almost certainly better than being around a bunch of other traumatized animals and then being euthanized.  

Although its not ideal, lots of people leave their dogs at home.  It sucks, but I've had 4 dogs and all of them seem to have gotten over being left alone at home as a puppy.  They grew up to be sweet, well behaved animals.

I also think it depends on the breed.  There are some breeds that need a lot of stimulation and excersize, and I think being alone for 8 hours would be hard for them. Others have really no problem. Get a breed that isn't high strung and that can handle time without stimulation. I've heard bulldogs are good for that. Newfoundlands are also really intelligent, sweet dogs that can behave without constant excersize (but the shedding is pretty bad). 

Get the right breed, and then make sure you spend quality time training and walking the dog in the evening, especially when its a puppy.

 

GOBLUE4EVR

May 5th, 2015 at 1:07 PM ^

with the rescue dog as the first option, my 2 dogs are both resuces and i wouldn't trade them for anything no matter how bad the drive me crazy at time... some take a lot more work than others to get them as close to back to normal as possible but as long as you treat them well they will do no wrong...

now for the people that are looking to adopt a pet, dog or cat please check out my aunts shelter that she runs down in Dearborn: 

https://www.dearbornanimals.org/

this is the same shelter that had to take in all of the chihuahas from the Dearborn chihuaha horder from a few years ago...  

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/07/update_in_dearborn_…

Rodriguesqe

May 5th, 2015 at 1:05 PM ^

Some rescues offer a foster program, which is a good cause but also lets your take your new potential buddy for a test drive so to speak.

To me,  I've had a puppy and it was fun but tons of work, if you rescue an adult they're much easier to deal with and they'll be eternally greatful for taking them out of the clink.

My personal preference: My next dog (wont be for a long time unless I get a second) will be on the dumb side. Smart dogs have their pluses, but require lots of stimulation. My mom's dog is pretty dumb and happy just to lay around all day. Tricks and training are fun but also part of the daily hassle.

DLup06

May 5th, 2015 at 1:06 PM ^

Wife and I rescued a 5 year old Berner mix last October. We both work and found a dog walker for the middle of the day. Long walks in the morning and evening help tire him out, as well as training (5-15 minutes) every day to keep his mind occupied (and worn out). We're lucky, because Berners are pretty lazy while indoors, so he often just sleeps all day and reserves his energy for our walks.

You can make it work so long as you pay attention to the signs...if the dog starts acting like it's not getting enough attention, work your tail off to find a way to give it more, etc. the fact that you are concerned enough to seek advice is already a good indicator that you will be a conscientious dog owner.

Good luck!




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TheSacko221

May 5th, 2015 at 1:08 PM ^

It depends how long would the dog be home alone? Secondly when you get home would you have time to exercise the dog. Most dogs are all about lying around for long periods. You just have to give them a solid work out when you are home to get the energy out.

pkatz

May 5th, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^

We are bringing home a golden retriever pup from Ohio (yes, I know...) first week in June - likely name is Brady... was supposed to be for Hoke, but we are now attributing it to Tom.

The family is very excited, but the good news is tempered by the fact that our current Golden will most likely not get to see the arrival of what was supposed to be his playmate... Boomer is nine but has cancer and is quickly slipping away from us.  It is only a matter of time until we have to make the call that his quality of life has degraded to an uncomfortable point.  Tearing up as I think about losing my best friend any day now.