What do you do with your dog while you're at work??
 

My girlfriend and I used to have a Yorkie, but he died after being attacked my an off leash dog. As I'm sure you all understand, my girlfriend and I loved our puppy very very much and there's been something missing in our lives ever since. We are wanting to get another dog, but our situation has changed. I used to be able to spend the majority of my days at home. Now she is in school all day and I have a full-time job. We are both too far away to be able to come home during the day to let a dog out. I'm assuming there are a lot of people in this situation, so what do you do?? I really want a dog but will not get one unless the conditions and our situation is right. I just figure a lot of people have dogs and everyone can't come home from work, can they?? Any opinions/input would be greatly appreciated!

This is what I would do.

During the day, I would pen off an area or small room in the house to contain the puppy. A lot of people use bathrooms, laundry rooms, or kitchens. Obviously make sure it's puppy proofed and he/she can't get into any trouble. Make sure you have a pee pad, toys, bed, food, and water. This way, the puppy has room to run and play, sleep, eat if hungry, and have a place to potty. At night I would crate the puppy so that as soon as you woke up in the morning, you could take him/her to the pee pad or outside to relieve itself.

To be honest, I wouldn't get a dog. Especially not a puppy. It's just not fair to expect a dog, much less a Yorkie (who is a companion breed) to spend all day cooped up in your house. That is my honest opinion. I understand that there are circumstances where people have to work and I understand completely because I am in school but I am still able to come home to let them out and they are only alone for a couple of hours a day.

However, there are ways to compromise. If you decide you absolutely have to have a dog, what Ashley V said is great. It will definitely need to be confined but still have enough room to walk around. I would also look into taking it to day care a couple of days a week.

Well, we don't have our Yorkie yet (getting her January 20th!), but most of my friends and family have dogs/puppies and when they go to work they have an exercise pen or a small room set up for the dog for when they leave. They put a few toys, pee pad, some water and food. I've read that it's good to leave one of your articles of clothing with the dog so that they don't feel so alone. My parents leave the radio or television on for their dogs when they are out.

Of course, another option is the day care. My local petcetera offers day care for 3.99 an hour, they give specials for full days, and a full week is only $59.99 -- if you can afford it, find a day care that is reputable and that you feel comfortable with. Even a day a week will help your little one socialize with other dogs and not be so bored at home!

Good luck, I'm sure you will make the right decision!

Is there a doggie daycare in the area? If you don't want to leave your dog every day, using the daycare one or two days a week can be more economical and will give your dog a break from being alone all week. I hope you can work something out. I am sure you have a void in your life without your little friend.;)

My suggestion, would be to get an xpen, where you can put food, water, toys, bed and a pee pad(I love xpens). If you get one, make sure you wait until at least 12 weeks, as most of the time, if they're small and are going to have hypoglycemia(unless it's a pretty good sized pup) it will be in that 12 week period. I say go for it. the reason I say this is, I'm home all day, if I'm on the floor playing with my dogs, they will play, but, as soon as I quit paying attention to them, all 4 of them(including the puppy) go and lay down and sleep. Most dogs on the studies they've done, sleep all but about 4 hours a day. Just make sure when you get home from work, you spend a lot of time with him/her spoiling! I think it's more quality time than quantity time..Another suggestion, buy 2 of them..:)

PrincessDiana- I appreciate your honestly. Like I said, I'm not going to get a dog and be selfish about it. I love dogs way too much to do that. What do you plan to do once you're out of school?
I have checked into doggie daycare because we used to go once per week. This would cost $20/day, which is pretty much out of our price range. I have seen where I could hire a dog walker for like $12 a day I think, but that's still pretty steep for me. I thought about possibly getting two dogs but everything online says that's a bad idea.
Thanks for all of the advice so far and more opinions are welcome!

I've gotten 2 before, never had a problem, just twice as much fun

I'm hoping to get into med school :)

I actually think having two dogs would be helpful. My two keep each other company when we are not here. I honestly believe that dogs do better, behave better, live longer in pairs. Imagine being in a foreign country where nobody spoke your language or understood you. Then imagine finding someone from country. With dogs, it's the same thing. Even if they don't necessarily LOVE each other, I think it's beneficial for them to have someone like them around.

I guess I should have asked you how long each day you will be gone? Outside potty training will be impossible if you're gone for more than a couple of hours a day but there is no reason why you can't train to potty pads. That's what we did with Franklin at first. I still don't think it's a great idea for you to get a dog if you're not going to be able to be around a lot but everyone has given you great suggestions and there are options if it's something you really want. Have you thought about asking a friend or family member to come by and just play with the dog for 30 minutes a day? You could still pay them but it wouldn't be nearly as expensive - maybe a younger family member who needs extra cash? Even one day at daycare a week would be better than none so if that's all you can afford, do that.

It's obviously your decision in the end - follow your heart. Do you think you will be able to give the dog the attention and love it deserves? Keep in mind that a dog cooped up all day will likely be a nightmare when you let it loose. Yorkies (and puppies) have a lot of energy and if they spend all day doing nothing, you can imagine how they will spend it once you let them out. ;) Of course you've had a dog before so you know what it's like.

Sorry this is a novel, I just kept thinking of things to write. Good luck! :)

Is it possible to hire a teen in your area to come in after school and feed, play with the dog? I bet you could find someone for not much money or better yet, maybe a stay at home neighbor wouldn't mind earning a little pocket change to check on the puppy once a day

My male is old enough to hold it till I get home, my female who is still a baby stays in her x-pen until I or my husband gets home. She uses a potty pad and has toys to occupy her while we are gone.
I have a similar situation to yours, I go to school full time and my husband works 2 jobs. I don't think my dogs mind, sure they would prefer to have us home 24/7 but, they do fine when we are out.

My advise to you would be to get an older yorkie. 5 or 6months or a Rescue. I am able to come home at lunch and get off at 2:30 but I still worried about my guys when I'm not there specially when Maci 7-14weeks because of hypoglycemia, caused by fasting (too much time between meals) and puppies dont always eat when you first get them....(mine anyways)...
And I'm sure you remember Yorkies are probably one of the most affectionate breeds around and they do like being with their people.. A responsible teen sounds like a good idea! Most teens I know would be thrilled to get $15.00/$20.00 a week to just check on and play with a puppy....

Actually, we have two yorkies and it worked out better for us. They can't even be apart from each other.

My tiny Diva stays in an ex pen in the bathroom with her crate, toys and pee pad, plus food and water. If I can get home at lunch and spend time with her, I do. If I can leave early and see her, I do.

I have a job that does allow me to work from home on Fridays so yesterday, she slept on my lap whilst I worked.

I've had dogs before and they've done just fine being home alone until their "peeps" came home. And that's the way it is for many of my friends.

Even Diva's dad, my brother's Yorkie, is home until his oldest son arrives home from school at 3. He's over a year old and crated until then.

I work full-time and Miles has been crated during the day from the second day I had him. It's a decent sized crate, so he can still move around. When I get home from work, we always go on a long walk and have some play time so he can get exercise and get some of that energy out! He sleeps in bed with me at night, so he's not crated then, either.
Crating him actually helped with potty training. He learned to hold it until I got home. Now that he's 8 months and doing well with potty training, I'm going to get a gate to keep him in the bathroom or kitchen. It's definitely possible to have a dog and work full-time. Just be sure that you're spending quality time with the dog when you're there. :)

Maybe you could look for an in-home boarding and work out a rate with them if you are their regular client then it could cost less but probably still more than $12 for a day instead of an hour walk. Its pretty good value considering there will be someone with them most of the time while your at work.

I keep the pups in the kitchen behind a child gate while at work. Then they are with us when we are home (no crates at all)
I had Lucy for 4 years by herself - she did fine. BUT when we got her a sister, she has been become very happy & more active!

The x-pen idea with pee pads is super except for one thing...

You'd have to make sure the pup(s) don't have ANY intestinal parasites. My boy is still working hard to get over coccidia, and we've had him on meds for it for a week and a half. If the pup accidentally eats any of his poop, or licks his dirty bum after a poop, or even steps in his poop then licks his paw clean later, the parasite will re-infect him. That would definitely be an issue in an xpen unsupervised all day, IF your pup were to have a parasite. We have to be constantly watching Nikko, cleaning up his poop right after he goes then bleaching the area, and also washing his paws and bum immediately so that he doesn't have the chance to lick them.

There are good reputable breeders that you can get a dog from who will hopefully not have any parasites, but nothing's guaranteed I guess, probably. I was a fool and bought Nikko from a backyard type breeder that I didn't know enough about - at least don't make that mistake! I know I never will again...

Lauren & Nikko

Suri has an x pen with her food at one end and her potty pad at the other. (I use the kitty food and water container, like the ones you fill up for dogs just smaller. I was always scared to put a dog bowel cause she may knock it over of drown in it, so these work perfect) I am in nursing school and my hours are all over the place and she gets along just fine. (2-8 hours at a time, but not usually that long because I have study groups at my house) just be very careful what you put in with your pup, most toys should only be given to dogs being supervised and can potentially be lethal when left alone. So before you put anything in there ask yourself is it safe. I know I worry too much, but as long as my little girl is safe I don't care. I also put a kitty snuggle sack with her to sleep.
As far as crates, she sleeps in a crate at night with her snuggle sack. As soon as I open it she runs in and gets snuggled in for bed.
As far as two dogs, male sure you can care for one before you add. You sound like you have everything under control and will make great parents!

Buttons is 3 and has always used the doggie door while we are gone. My hubby comes home for lunch a few time a week ( has his own business) to keep the little furbutt happy. Sometimes I take him to work with me. He mostly sleeps in the sun during the day. I wish I had gotten 2 at the same time, so they could keep each other company. Good luck.

My dog is crate trained, and stays in her crate while I'm at work (I work a full time job). If you get a dog accustomed to a crate at an early age, they view it as a den rather than a cage, and feel quite content and cozy inside it. I feel that crating is really the safest option for the dog, since it eliminates the possibility of eating something dangerous while the owner is away or knocking something over on themselves.

The real key to making working long hours and owning a dog work is to spend the time that you *do* have with your dog being very, very active. I get up in the morning a full hour before I need to leave for work. 20 minutes of that time I spend showering and dressing. The other 40 minutes, I run around outside with the dog. After work, I run around with the dog even more. On the weekends, we will hike for miles and miles or go to the dog park to burn off energy. I do the very best I can to wear her out, and I feel really satisfied to see her flop in her crate when we're through with our crazy games and it is time for me to go somewhere.

In an ideal world, we could all stay home with our dogs whenever we like-- but it is still entirely possible in the imperfect world to have a dog and a busy life too.

crate training is NOT good if you can't be there to let them out every couple hours. Some do pee and poop in their crates(they don't like too), but, you can't expect a 12 week old puppy to stay in a crate all day. They say 1 hour for every month, so, if your dog is 4 mos old, 4-5 hours is the longest they should be in there. If someone is working all day, imo, an xpen is the way to go, they need to be able to move around and not be in one small area for the whole day. I sure wouldn't want someone putting me in a little cage for the day with no where to potty or move around

Maybe the caveat on my post should be that she is full grown and a rather large yorkie-- she really has no problem holding it until we get home at night. I got her when she was about five months old, and for the first few months I would come home twice during long work days to run her outside so that there would be no accidents. She's nearly two now and no longer needs to go out as frequently, but if I am working a really long day I will still drive home during my lunch hour to take her outside.

There's not anything mean about crating a dog when it is looked at from a dog's perspective. It is their den. If the crate is appropriately sized (i.e., large enough for the dog to stand up, stretch out fully, and comfortably turn around) and if they have some safe toys and cuddly blankets in there, crate trained dogs are usually happy and well-adjusted dogs.

My brothers miniture pinchers are crated during the day.. he started off keeping them in the blocked off kitchen, but Rocky decided the table would be his new chew toy :rolleyes:

Casey and Rocky both absolutely LOVE their crates, all you have to say is "kennel up" and they run for it. Sometimes when you get home and open the door to the crates they don't come right out because they are just so comfy. They sleep in them at night as well.

As long as the crates are the correct size, and your puppy is physically able to hold their bladders that long, there is nothing wrong with crating. I plan to crate my yorkie, although she won't have to be in it often as someone is usually home. If it gets to the point where she is alone more than a couple days a week, I will probably get a x-pen so she has more room to move around.

I would adopt an adult dog. So many need homes and the price is better. The 2 rescues I have right now are 5 years old and can hold it all day. Also I can trust them to have free run of the house without worrying if they are chewing and getting into things. The great thing about getting a rescue is you can ask for a mellow dog that will be fine alone all day. Its a win win for both of you :)

I agree with phfgrl about the sleeping and playing so I think it will work if you decide to get one. I am home but they do spend alot of time sleeping.