Owning a dog

Do you own a dog? How is it?

We're thinking of getting a dog - probably a Tibetan Terrier. But, although I had dogs as a kid, I've not owned one as an adult. We both work fulltime and I'm worried about how we'll work around that with a dog.

What do you need to consider if you're thinking about getting a dog? How often do you need to walk it? Are they OK left alone for 7-8 hours a day, 3-5 days a week (we could conceivably each work from home one day a week)?

Are they OK left alone for 7-8 hours a day, 3-5 days a week (we could conceivably each work from home one day a week)?

Not really!

"Are they OK left alone for 7-8 hours a day, 3-5 days a week"

no, you shouldn't get a dog!

Can you hire a dog walker?

i mean yeah, you shouldn't get a dog if you're working that much

Owning a dog is the greatest thing in the world.

When we got him I was working non-traditional hours so that he was only ever home alone for 5 hours max. That changed not long after we got him and I was really worried about it. He goes to a dog play group thing two days a week for 3-4 hour stretches at a time and the other 3 days he is alone. That said, all he does is sleep during the day even if people are around so I don't think he really minds too much. He gets walked about 3 times a day.

One thing to consider is that you can't ever just go away for a weekend without arranging care or bringing him with nor can you just sort of go out after work and not come home for hours. It's a big responsibility but worth it imo. My stupid little flat faced monster has made my life about 2000x better than it was before.

My dog is a super-anxious big guy (he was a shelter dog that was suspected of being involved in dog fighting), and he can't be left alone too long. My husband works from home so it's usually not much of a problem. I think how long a dog can be left alone depends on the breed/temperament, but 7-8 hours would be pushing it for almost any dog.

Our dog is alone maybe 7 hours a day, at the absolute most. If we think he might be alone longer, we have a friend look in on him, pet him, take him for a walk.

Socialization early on -- in a training class, at the dog park -- is also really important. Our little guy loves other dogs (especially huge ones that could easily crush him, for some reason) and is friendly to every human he meets.

My bf and I just watched the animated film "My Dog Tulip" last night and I have to say that it takes the idea of dog "ownership" and expands into a deeply moving, queer, odd, and hilarious vision of life, matter, poop, breeding, "family", etc. If you love your dog, watch it. I know, I know . . . . animated-movie-about-a-dog? but trust me, this film is completely amazing. Based on the J. R. Ackerley memoir, beautifully voiced by Christopher Plummer and other top shelf Brit luvvies, it gets into the down and dirty world of living with a dog in ways that are kind of shockingly direct, and it makes you see all sorts of bonds (parenting, marriage, community) in terms of the animal/human interface in a new way. Five stars.

If you crave non-human companionship and you're out of the house that long then maybe a cat is the way to go. Cats are very low maintenance. Also they are better than dogs.

I should say that we have two (very friendly and demanding indoors-only) cats that any dog would be with. Things like going away for the weekend or not getting home super-late in the evening are already a consideration.

We had, at one point, 3 dogs when I was growing up, but there were 3 kids too (me and two much older brothers) (plus a cat). Dad worked full time and mum worked part time as a teacher

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6224/6211044520_b0f97b285d.jpg
Bob by sickmouthy, on Flickr

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I Love the Smell of Folktronica in the Morning by sickmouthy, on Flickr

When we first got a dog, I was working full-time and my wife was doing up to seven hours per day, three days per week. We didn't have any problems with him while we were doing this, but yeah, it wasn't really ideal and we felt a bit bad doing it, so we actually ended up homing a second dog to keep the first one company. Due to other events my wife then went down to four hours per day, so now they don't often get left alone for much longer than that.

Exercise-wise, they always get walked first thing in the morning and then again before bedtime, and often they'll get one in the middle of the day too. Sometimes they'll come running with me on their leads if I'm not going too far. Our terrier cross can actually go for miles if it's not too hot; the other one's a lurcher and is reluctant to run very far all. About 3 miles is enough for her, after that she'll just stop dead and you have to basically drag her round. She runs like the flipping clappers in a sprint off the lead though. Generally the terrier is no problem at all but the lurcher is quite highly strung and also quite an escape artist, so I ended up having to do loads of fixes to our garden walls.

Both were rescued from doggy death row btw. Do look at rescuing one cos there are an unbelievable amount of dogs needing homes out there.

Dogs are pack animals and they don't do well left alone for long stretches of time. It goes against their sociable nature; it stresses them and messes with their minds.

That's my worry. Will Cosmo and Bob be enough company - they are super sociable cats and not at all aloof.

some dogs can be cool being left alone for a while, henry is alone for 7-8 hours 2 days a week - but theres no way you can do it to a puppy or a dog that is new to you though.

Yeah, exactly.

distressing ratio of cat pics:dog pics itt

We recently went into an animal rescue centre to ask about re-homing a dog. We were very much asking along the lines of "We suspect we probably can't because of our 0900-1700 working hours but we'd like to check ..." We came away having been made to feel as though we'd just just asked if we could abuse a dog.

Having asked around, the consensus seems to be that if you're working a whole day, you need to hire a dog walker.

Some dogs will do fine, others will tear up the house. I do check out looking at the dog training tips of Dr. Ian Dunbar, who is the chief liberal/Dr. Spock-like dog training guru - he has some good ideas on how to keep dogs stimulated during your absense (like feeding kibble from a Kong toy).

Teufel has other dogs in this household to keep him company, but I will definitely consider getting him a playmate when I move out and get more busy. 2 dogs may double the upkeep cost, but the effort is about the same. A word of caution on this: if adopting siblings, they may form bonds with each other that can impede forming bonds with their human companions.

Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alrdIcHeZRg

Ignore the weird grammar there. I seem to have adult onset dyslexia when editing my posts at times.

the rescue org we're looking at working with when we're ready to get a dog has all their dogs in foster homes, so they have a really good read on each dog's personality - i think that is a pretty key thing when you're choosing the right one. we spoke at length with the people who run it, asking them about yard size, exercise and alone-time, and they basically said that it's all about matching up the right dog with the right owner - e.g. they won't give a high-energy dog to someone who isn't engaged in a really physically active lifestyle; they won't give an emotionally needy dog to someone who works a lot.

Some dogs will do fine, others will tear up the house--this is true, and the problem is you won't know until you have the dog.

Highly recommended--taking annual leave when getting a new puppy, so you can be around all the time to reinforce toilet training and the like: they pick it up waaay faster and then that makes your life much easier.

Sociable cats would be good companions for a dog< i would have thought.

We walk a dog every evening for an elderly neighbour. Every now and then, the dog will just lie down and refuse to continue. This is more pronounced when only one of us walks her (but happens occasionally when two of us walk her, as is most usual). Sometimes we can snap her out of it; other times we just have to take her home. Any ideas?

I'd recommend a vet visit to rule out pain or a heart condition or some other discomfort, but it's possible she just doesn't like being away from her owner for more than a few minutes. If she's pestering her elderly owner for exercise, maybe you could exercise her a bit in the owner's home? Throw a ball or play with a tug rope or something?

The pimples on your forehead are bleeding and you’re walking your dog

is this supposed to be a bad thing?

a cold encounter between maggie may and a new less likeable narrator

Imagine being chained for life to such a dumbass