[Closed] advice on getting a dog

you can rule out a collie
and a puppy

retired greyhound might tolerate your schedule

dont do it.

dont do it.

+1

You don't have the time to give a dog what it needs fella......get a goldfish!

I love my dog but I can go to work knowing that there will always be somebody around during the day to look after him. To be honest, the hours you are talking about being at work would be pretty unfair on any dog you get. If you were to get a collie or labrador you wouldn't be able to leave them all day. They are both active breeds and need to be kept occupied. A labrador would tear your house apart during the day if left alone too long.

Perhaps if your girlfriends parents could help by looking after the dog during the day...

Dogs are great but can get very lonely.

We wouldn't have considered it if we'd both worked those sort of hours.

Not sure how looking after your parents gets you interested in dogs.. ❓

Avoid for now - that just won't be fair on any breed of dog.

Get a cat instead, a poor substitute I know

Probably not a good idea. You could get 2 (small) dogs to combat loneliness but they're not going to want to spend that much time stuck inside (without being able to go to the toilet!), nor will they want to be outside for that long, especially in the cold winter / wet days.

As everone above

sorry but it would not be fair

Not sure how looking after your parents gets you interested in dogs.. [i]

lol, you haven't met her parents!

erm, think I left out the word dog. oops

I don't see why you need to ask. Both of you are out for the majority of the day, and as such have thought that it would be unfair on the dog. Well here's a news flash, it would.

we got a pup while my wife wasn't working
now she has gone back to work we thought we would have to send the pup to a dog carer each day but my boss said "why don't you bring her to work?" so i do

i wouldn't recommend a dog with the hours you two work unless perhaps you get an older rescue dog at the start of the school hols so you/your g/f can get it used to its ne routine

Quite a few people where my mrs works take their dogs in during the day but that's out in the sticks.

There are professional dog walkers and daykennels available for people who have full time jobs. If you are prepared to pay for these services then why not get a dog? A dog is a wonderful thing to have and I ended up changing my career completely because of ours and haven't looked back since!

I'd say leave it a while until you consider starting a family.

It honestly tears your heart when you close the door on your dog as you leave the house knowing its sat there bored shitless all day.

Bingo sometimes comes to work with me and is only alone for 6hrs max.

Thats too much IMO unless you use the dog for guarding and don't show him any affection (conditioned then). Show him/her affection and expect them to be a working dog would be awful.

yeh probably not viable. Gotta be around more.

Don't underestimate the merits of the Standard Poodle either. Wonderful dogs.

Get a greyhound it'll just sleep all day anyway, our lurcher is fine left in the back yard all day, she doesnt care she just sleeps. Its not everyday of the week but a couple of times a week she gest left from 7.30 till 4.30 with no problems. When I was off sick she just sat on the sofa asleep instead, she hardly stirs.

Get a hound.

Hounds are usually quite happy to lounge around all day so long as they get a good run at some stage.

We both work and have a Labrador but he does come to work with me 2 or 3 times a week. He's a really mellow lab and was 4 when we got him. His previous owner ended up working 12 and 13 hour shifts and so eventually (after he got really fat and lost the ability to walk far) gave him up for re-homing to the RSPCA

We do have to leave him in the house probably 2 days a week on average but wife is normally home around 2.30 (leaves at 8.00) but as the re-homing folk said on the home check, 6 or 7 hours will be fine for him as he's been used to being left for far longer.

He's now capable of proper length walks and has lost about 7 or 8 Kg's and looks much better for it.

Don't rule out the rescue centers. You may just be surprised what you find.

playing with his mate the Bedlington terrier - about 6 months ago
[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

he is thinner than this now BTW.

As above unless you can employ a dog walker for a couple of hours or have a day kennel (dog kindergarten) nearby then def not suitable work hours for the type of dog you want, esp if you then disappear off out after work.

I see lots of overweight bored dogs with behaviour problems from unsuitable lifestyles.

I had to wait 10 years till I was in a suitable job to take my dog to work and know I was going to stay there for years too.

Get a Siamese/Burmese type cat instead.

I’ve got two dogs, both from the Dogs Trust, the youngest of whom was 14 months when we got her. Dogs Trust were great in trying to find dogs that fitted our family’s lifestyle. They recommended us a trailhound, a breed that’s great with kids & cats, hugely friendly, and happy to snooze for large chunks of the day.

I leave for work at 7am, usually get back c.7.30pm, though my daughter is home from about 5pm. We could leave the dogs all day, but it seemed unfair, so we have a dogwalker, who costs £15/day for the two, though they get a 2 hour walk for that. That still means that I have to be up at 5am to walk them. That’s EVERY morning, not just when the weather’s nice. Pissing down rain, sub-zero temperatures? Still have to get up. When I get home they get an hour’s walk as well. This is a serious commitment of time, and you have to accept that some things need to give; if you have a lot of extra-curricular activities, maybe now is not the right time to get a dog.

Then there are the bills. You need insurance (about £15/month, with usually a £70 excess), and the annual vaccinations etc aren’t cheap. If you want to take your dogs abroad, there’s a not inconsiderable cost of the pet passport, and if you leave them when you’re away, think of kennelling fees. There’s also food; not massively pricy, but reckon on £20/month.

There’s the mess to consider; we have to vacuum all the time, as our dogs, though short-haired, do drop a lot of hair. There’s the occasional unfortunate mess to clear up from the younger dog (she wasn’t house-trained when we got here), but that’s thankfully a rarity. You also need to recognise that from time to time your dog will tip the bin over and forage for scraps, or will eat a favourite pair of slippers.

Overall, it works for us; we have two very happy, healthy and well-exercised dogs, but the monthly cost is something like £400. That’s a horrific amount, but if I waited until I had a less stressed lifestyle that’d be another decade and I was not prepared to wait until I was in my mid-50s before I got a dog.

£400 a month?!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flipping eck!

Our lab (pedigree working stock - both her parents work on pheasant shoots locally) cost about a quarter (or less) than that!

We trained her thoroughly when she was young - never chewed anything, never whined, can be left outside a pub/cafe without issues, only barks at strangers, was a complete godsend when we lost a baby at 37 weeks, runs with us, super obedient, super fit, swims with us - basically a massive life enhancer. We work from home which helps a lot.

How about a cat?

Surf-Mat

£400 is a lot, sure, but £300 of that is for dog-walking. It's unfortunate, but it's the only way I could have the dogs and treat them fairly.

Don't do it... it wouldn't be fair on the dog or you..

getting home tired and then having the issue of training, walking and playing.. great in the summer but in the middle of winter when it's dark at 4 walking the mutt stops being a pleasure and starts being a chore..

I'm not sure somewhere like a rehoming centre would approve you either given the amount of time the dog would be alone

For the sake of any neighbours, don't get any dogs please. They really aren't mans best friend and their excited barking is a royal PITA that spoils other peoples enjoyment of their quiet home life.

Get a Siamese/Burmese type cat instead.

Yes, agree - they actively don't want you around and prefer to sleep all the time!

In addition if young dogs are alone they tend to destroy things. Yes you could lock them in a specific [s]room[/s] cell but what sort of life is that for a dog? It'll have behavioural problems- be needy, etc etc.

Even for relatively short periods our bingo ate through the tv power cable (TV was on standby on time), both hoses on my bike (the brake fluid inside was the evil stuff), laptop cable, etc etc. I've no idea why he isn't dead.

Don't do it.

Surf-Mat

£400 is a lot, sure, but £300 of that is for dog-walking. It's unfortunate, but it's the only way I could have the dogs and treat them fairly.

Oops- missed the dog walking bit...!

For the sake of any neighbours, don't get any dogs please. They really aren't mans best friend and their excited barking is a royal PITA that spoils other peoples enjoyment of their quiet home life.

Please don't have kids, a stereo, TV or friends either?

+1 for not leaving it alone all day. Ours is now old so sleeps 20 hours a day so couldnt care elss if we're in or out. But when he was younger it was a case of get home from school 4 ish, walk the dog for an hour. As well as needing a walk at lunchtime followed by some playing and lunch, (Dad works nexdoor/downstairs from the flat), and he's need a good half hour/40 min walk first thing in the morning.

Weekends, everything has to be planned arround the dog. No more hotels, no more restaurants. The next 10 years will be spent eating/drinking out in the beer garden with the smokers, even if its raining. And it will still expect a 3 hour walk every day, and just becasue its been for a walk in the morning it doesnt mean it'l be happy in the house for the afternoon while you go out. Nope, you've got to take it with you again.......

I wouldnt get one unless either me or the missus was working/staying at home. They're essentialy kids that never get past 3 years old, but with more energy and teath.

Weekends, everything has to be planned arround the dog. No more hotels, no more restaurants. The next 10 years will be spent eating/drinking out in the beer garden with the smokers, even if its raining. And it will still expect a 3 hour walk every day, and just becasue its been for a walk in the morning it doesnt mean it'l be happy in the house for the afternoon while you go out. Nope, you've got to take it with you again.......

So very very true!!!!! 😆

Plus, remember Rick Stein when he used to sneak his dog into hotels on his programmes? how much fun would it be ringing hotels up and saying 'do you take pets'? It isn't at all- even in the Lake district etc you are restricted.

it is unfair on thw dowg?

I've had dogs since 8, I work from home and at present have two, 4 legged companions.

You already know the answer. No.

For all the naysayers, I’d say this: getting the dogs was the best thing that we, as a family, could have done. That said, a puppy would be a no-no in your current circumstances. Rehoming an adult dog may well be the right choice for you, but beware the fact that many are in rehoming centres because they have behavioural difficulties, so they may well have problems settling in.

The rehoming people are a mixed bag: the RSPCA simply didn’t want to know (children under 10, both adults working, no previous dog experience), but the Dogs Trust couldn’t have been more different. Their view was that there was definitely a dog for us, but we had to be sensible about the breed. Getting a dog that needs constant attention would clearly be a bad idea, so they recommended a trailhound, which is a very independent and self-reliant breed, and which would be fine being left for much of the day. Ours were being rehomed because they were retired racers, so no behavioural problems there, thank goodness.

I’d say do it IF you’ve thought about all of the downsides and are prepared for the teething troubles. There’s no point blaming the dog for having a dump on the carpet if you’re not prepared to get up and walk it, and if you don’t train it properly (training classes are essential, I’d say, as much for you as for the dog) you’ll have a hard time. You’ll be taking on a big commitment for a long time.

The only real downside (apart from the cost, but I can afford that so it’s not really an issue) is that I’m really tired by the end of the week. Getting up at 5am every day when you also work a 60 hour week is not that easy, and when it’s blowing a gale outside in a wet November, you do question your sanity from time to time.

eekends, everything has to be planned arround the dog. No more hotels, no more restaurants. The next 10 years will be spent eating/drinking out in the beer garden with the smokers, even if its raining. And it will still expect a 3 hour walk every day, and just becasue its been for a walk in the morning it doesnt mean it'l be happy in the house for the afternoon while you go out. Nope, you've got to take it with you again.......

Eh? We've stayed in some lovely hotels that allow and encourage dogs. Hotel Endsleigh, Tresanton, some of the Malmaison hotels, etc. Yes you need to call ahead but that's not an issue.

Almost every pub down here lets dogs in. 3 hour walk? Half hour run is fine.

Someone's had a bad experience methinks.

Owning a dog is a huge life enhancer if done sensibly.

TBH if you get it as a puppy any breed of dog will accept its 'life', some obviously take a bit more to handle than others.

We've a Sporting/Working Cocker and he will quite happily sleep/snooze all day if you'd let him, a bit like a teenager.

It all depends on work as to whether, and how long he gets left - no problem. Luckily we've a retired neighbour who'll take him for a walk if neither car is in, on a non-raining afternoon.

I wouldn't get too tied up on what others do.

Dogs are pretty flexible and there are so many that need a loving home from the rescue.
Go to any decent rescue and they will help you choose the right dog for your circumstances.

They really are a mans best friend. 😛

I agree with Surf mat, hasn't stopped us doing anything really. I wouldn't want to go in a Pub that does not allow dogs as its bound to be some awful chain anyway.

Please don't have kids, a stereo, TV or friends either?

None of the above should be every night and loud enough to hear through averagely thick walls, no. If you live somewhere where other people can be annoyed by your TV/stereo/kids it's your responsibility to keep the volume down below the level that would annoy. Seems like common sense to me? Dog bark volume cannot be kept down, only trained well not to bark or untrained and barks when it likes, so its a yes or no scenario.

Like brattish annoying kids, dogs are mans best friend when they're yours and you're oblivious to their noise and annoyance. Otherwise they're a pain in the arse that someone should do something about.

TBH if you get it as a puppy any breed of dog will accept its 'life',

Try telling that to a bored border collie, lol.

Farmland, lady came out with two collies. I stopped my bike and held my hand out (to stroke)- one of them jumped straight up and into my arms (bloody ell!!!) 😆

Border collies = one of the most re-homed dogs due to aggression. Which nearly always comes from boredom and lack of stimulation. It can be difficult to give a collie the stimulation it needs even if you are at home all day.

No sheep, no collie is the general rule of thumb.

Great dogs — the best — but approach with caution! A border collie is about the only dog I would never approach out and about, whereas I'm happy to make friends with almost any other breed. Border collies generally don't like strangers and can be quite happy to express themselves with teeth which means that, generally, they don't tend to make ideal pets.

Of course there are plenty of exceptions. But having seen both sides of the collie-owning coin, unfortunately, I would heed the advice you'll see on any collie specialist website.

Dorset - my parents have had two collies and I have to agree - they are one breed I approach with caution. Our lab doesn't like them either (or boxers for some reason) and gets nervous around them. Very highly strung and if not stimulated enough, they gets antsy.

I got bitten very badly when I was three - by a sausage dog! Nearly lost my right eye and lost a lot of blood. Had no adverse mental effects though.

Have you thought about spiders? 😀
Tarantulas are beautiful, dont smell, are silent (mostly) only need to be fed one or twice a week, but can go much longer without food (depending on the sp)and entertaining and fascinating to watch. They hardly take up any room (unless you have a few :oops:) and are cheap to feed and water. They can live very happily like this up to 35 or 40+ years (again depending on the sp and sex).
You never have to walk them, clear up behind them, worry about the noise or worry if you will be late or stay out over night for a day or two.

coffeeking your a miserable t**t. My dog never barks at home apart from when a pheasant lands in the garden.

We had to train our dog to bark at strangers - she was almost mute it seemed! She now barks a bit when anyone comes that isn't a relative or the postman.

coffeeking your a miserable t**t. My dog never barks at home apart from when a pheasant lands in the garden.

I'm not miserable at all thanks. And if your dog never barks at home then you're not one of the people I'm talking about, so I'm not sure why you care. I'm just tired of being kept awake by badly trained dogs that bark at anything and everyone, having to ramp up the TV volume to stupid levels just so I can hear it, and owners who can't see how their stupid mutt is wrecking other peoples lives and spoiling their ability to enjoy their own home. If I chose to race cars in my back yard people would have a complaint or two about noise, I think it's fair to moan about dogs.

ck - have you spoken to the owners? I suspect not. If you have, call Environmental Health. Dogs shouldn't be allowed to disturb others like that. But if you're just moaning without trying anything to solve it, you aren't doing yourself any favours.

CK - yes but the whole thread you just been moaning generally about dogs when they can be one of the most rewarding things in life. Proven to help people with Mental Illness and children with terminal illness.

Its your neighbours that are the problem - not the dog.

Back to the OP - please don't get a dog yet - it is something you'd need to put down as one of your 'activities' to give it the time it deserves. Every day, without fail. Why not just take the leap and have a kid rather than a child substitute?! 😀

TBH we found getting a puppy good "training" for having a child. He loves the dog too - many a near strop has been calmed by calling the dog and diverting his attention!

Back to the OP

[u]SPIDERS[/u]
Just take a look at this little beauty.
[img] [/img]

You don't see many dogs with markings like that!!

And they also come in blue 😀
[img] [/img]
(Though a bit more expensive)

I keep having guilty thoughts about handing my rescue dog back in. My circumstances have changed drastically recently, meaning she is not getting the life she once had, by no means is she being mis-treated but I feel she could be a lot happier with someone else.

It makes me feel like I have failed her.

Do not go in to these decisions lightly, you are doing the right thing in asking for advice and would concur with the majority that you don't really have the time in your life at the minute to give a dog a fullfilling life.

ck - have you spoken to the owners? I suspect not. If you have, call Environmental Health. Dogs shouldn't be allowed to disturb others like that. But if you're just moaning without trying anything to solve it, you aren't doing yourself any favours.

Yes, politely asked all 3 in question (different locations) - all took great offence that their pooch was a problem to others and told us to F off. Environmental health dealt with 2 of them by sending a letter asking them nicely to stop. This worked for a week or so.

CK - yes but the whole thread you just been moaning generally about dogs when they can be one of the most rewarding things in life. Proven to help people with Mental Illness and children with terminal illness.

Its your neighbours that are the problem - not the dog.

Not really the whole thread my dear chum, just one post (and then followed up when people asked me). I don't mind your dog being rewarding if thats what you need in your life, if you can't look after it [and train it properly] you shouldn't have one. The OP suggests they can't look after it, it's likely to be a noisy left-at-home dog. My general personal experience with dog owners is that they leave them to make a ****ing massive noise and wake everyone up at all hours, and some leave doggy bags all over the show. All in all they may be positive for you and you can look past their negatives, but to all the other people who don't want one they're a pain in the arse if you don't train them to stay quiet and pick up their poo. I agree its the owners at fault, I'd not blame the dog itself, but it seems to me that a large majority of dog owners think they have their dog trained well but actually don't and won't listen when you complain. It's not fair to have a dog waking people up at 5am barking. Its not fair to have a dog barking off and on until midnight. Or rushing at the garden fence barking its head off scaring passers by. But it happens day in day out.

roper - i do find spiders facinating, however I am a big wuss and can hardly stand house spiders! The blue one looks awesome though!!

Thanks for everyones input, and I do feel that it would inappropriate at this stage.

Think we will stick to looking after our familys dogs when the Mrs is off for the school holidays

There was mention of re-homing a dog earlier in the thread.
No way will a RSPCA re-homing volunteer allow you to take one of their dogs.
I know, a lady with whom I walk every morning was very dismissive of you & your wives work schedule.

Don't be fooled into thinking your way around this as you simply aren't & won’t be there for the dog.
[u]At it stands, your circumstances are wholly incompatible with having a pack animal to share your lives, in fact the charities pounds are full of dogs whose owners though it’d be a good idea to subject a dog to hours of isolation and abandonment, such as you are suggesting, then having 2nd thoughts.

Remember [b]many charities destroy the dogs they receive[/b] if they are not re-homed within a certain time frame. The bottom line: Do not become dog owners as I don’t doubt for one moment that you will end up handing your dog over to such a charity since you & your wife’s lifestyles are completely unsuitable for dog ownership. Period.

Apologies for being so blunt!

We have 2 dogs,a border collie (8yr) and a working springer spaniel (2yr), neither breed are renowned for being lazy or stupid! Both my partner and I are out all day (6h ish), they do not chew/destroy the house, they do not bark all day (neighbours have said they are surprised how quiet they are) and they seem very happy. They have toys and the springer will occasionally open cupboard doors in search of tasty treats but mostly they sleep all day.

We rescued both of them when they were still very young and they were in rescue due to their previous families not being able to train them/give them the time they need/understand their needs. They had no issues other than a complete lack of training.

Whilst the springer was young we had someone coming in to walk them every day, however due to that person being preganant/having a new baby that hasn't happened very much over the past 8 months. They get an hours walk every morning, run with the bike or swim every evening and come away with us to do things every weekend.

If you are prepared to work hard with them, sacrifice all your spare time to train them and spend time with them you can still have a dog and work (working dogs, despite being the most intelligent and active breeds, are often kenneled all day with little contact and yet they can be very friendly and happy). Some dogs will not tolerate being left for that long at all and you should not leave a puppy for more than an hour when very young and couple of hours when young. It can take time to find the right dog to fit your home and smaller rescues tend to be better/more comitted to helping you achieve that.

If you can't find someone to let your dog out in the day (when it's young, when it's new and possibly forever) and you don't want to spend every morning and weekend with it then don't get one. A dog that is bored or suffering seperation anxiety can become very distressed, develop bad habits and be so unhappy you would have to rehome it. On the other hand a dog that is well looked after, whether by owners that are in or out all day, is a great addition to any home and well worth the time and effort.

roper - i do find spiders facinating, however I am a big wuss and can hardly stand house spiders! The blue one looks awesome though!!

Well if you keep a tarantula for a while you will never be scared of spiders again. 😀
Each to their own though and no more pushing spiders 🙂 Also well done about the dog choice. It's not easy but better living with no dogs than with an unhappy one. When you do finally get one it sounds like it will be going to a good home too.

Did I mention they also come multi-coloured?
[img] [/img]

I know, a lady with whom I walk every morning was very dismissive of you & your wives work schedule.

Next time you see her....look at her and think what it would be like to sleep with her.. 8)

There was mention of re-homing a dog earlier in the thread.
No way will a RSPCA re-homing volunteer allow you to take one of their dogs.
I know, a lady with whom I walk every morning was very dismissive of you & your wives work schedule

Yep, came across this incredibly closed-minded attitude. Unless you fit theie hugely exacting standards (have to have someone at home pretty much all of the time, no children, must have previous experience of the breed) they turn you away.

Yet somehow we've managed to adopt not one but two dogs, both of whom would otherwise likely have been destroyed (that's what used to happen to all trailhounds at the end of their racing career).

By the way, Dogs Trust DOES NOT destroy healthy dogs. Other charities do.

springer spaniel (2yr), neither breed are renowned for being lazy or stupid!

errr, we're talking the balck/brown and white malting fur balls with flappy ears? Stupid is exactly how I'd define Brock! He's now 16+ though so is mearly a puppy with slightly less stable legs than he used to have.

ck - I can see why you're riled then. Very frustrating situation.

Makes me glad (once again) that we live in the sticks.

br - i assume thats a troll, but just to clarify..... your comment that any puppy will accept 'its life' is the most ridiculous thing on this thread, well done

Saintly - if your circumstances have changed, by all means go to the local rescue and talk to the guys there, they may be able to help, not in taking the dog from you but just offering advice on how you and your pooch can cope with the changes. I hope it works out alright for you both.

Christsakes people, they are dogs, treat them like dogs and they'll be happy. They dont need babysitters or day care, they need food, training, two walks a day, shelter and somewhere to have a crap, if you can do that they'll be fine. Its no wonder resue centres are so full of dogs because they wont let most people have a dog, it does my bloody head in.