I’ve never owned a dog in my life and we have decided to get one at long last. I’m thinking of a spaniel I could give some good exercise to running with me when I’m out on the bike.

However, I am unsure of a few things:

1. Rescue dog or pup?
2. I intend to keep the dog in our back garden during the day (about 40 feet by 40 feet). Is that too small for a spaniel type dog?
3. How do I train a dog to stay with me off the leash on the trails?

All advice would be greatly appreciated.

**OOPS Should be in Chat**

Spaniels can be bonkers.. personally wouldn’t have one.
How long will the dog be left by itself?

Get a cat.

A) They’re not stupid like dogs
B) They crap in other people’s gardens so you don’t have to pick it up.
C) They don’t kill anything other than mice, rats or grey squirrels.
D) They don’t eat their own poop.

Cats – like dogs, but better.

Thought I’d just beat loddrik to it.

Have a look here;

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/advice-for-owners/buying-a-dog/buying-a-dog

I’d be avoiding Spaniels as well, they’re great if not left alone all day in a small garden, I’d steer well clear of recue dogs as well, I know they’re cute and fwufeee and probably had a hard life, kicked in the ribs and not fed for days on end, but I’d still rather they remain some one else’s problem and not become mine. So I’d rather have a dog from a pup, I can get used to it and it me.

I can only speak from experience here, my Border Terrier goes mental when I put my Cycling shoes on, if I wheel a bike out of the garage and she hears the rear hub click she goes bonkers, likewise out on the bike NOT trail centres, she runs along at a fair pace alarmingly close to the wheels and sometimes in between.
Take food for said pooch, water and I usually carry a squeegee with some honey in it in case she bonks, seriously. I once had to ride in the beacons with her on my shoulders atop of camelbak,

You might want to look at a dog walker for lunchtimes? Maybe stop it barking all day when your out and it’s gonna want a good walk in the morning and when you get home from work.

Then there’s the big question, what to feed it on Wet or Dry !!!!!

3. How do I train a dog to stay with me off the leash on the trails?

Are there rabbits on these trails?

The dog would be left alone 8.30am to 4pm.

Lots of wildlie along my local trails.

That Dog’s Trust link looks useful!

The dog would be left alone 8.30am to 4pm.

That’s a long time. I wouldn’t leave my dog at home all day. On the rare occasions that ours can’t go to work with my wife, we get a dog walker to pick her up and she runs about in a field all morning with a bunch of other dogs.

Pretty cruel IMHO to leave a dog on its own for that length of time.

Spaniels dig quite a bit, so if bored could try and dig it’s way out. They are very easy to train and are eager to please but you’ve got to keep teaching them knew things to keep their brain occupied. They are bonkers though, our cocker is 4 months old and already managed to break her leg. Poor thing is still running about and jumping on everything with her cast on.

When I take her for a walk I sometimes take the kids with me on there bikes to get her used to them. She just runs behind them.

Hmm. The length of time alone was one of the things that concerned me. I will have to give that some thought. My in laws live a couple of miles away and I could ask them to pop over to walk it during the day.

Any other breeds recommended? I have two kids aged 11 and 15 the dog would need to get along with. Any breed that sheds a lot would be a no go.

8 1/2 hrs is WAY TOO LONG to leave a dog on their own.

Are you SURE you’re really in a position to have one?

If you can’t halve that window at least, then you really shouldn’t be thinking about getting a dog.

A rescue greyhound might be a better bet for that length of time. They will be quite happy sitting on your sofa all day long (provided they have had a nice walk in the morning).

Don’t bother trying to train one to be a “trail dog”. As soon as it sees something that looks like prey, it will be off at warp factor 9.

I looked into dog ownership a few years ago. Everything I read said “don’t get a dog if you’ll be leaving it on its own all day”.

I tried and tried to find something authoritative that would tell me it would be OK to get a dog then leave it on its own all day, but I failed. Because it’s not OK to get a dog, then leave it on its own all day.

8.5 hours?

Don’t get a dog.

I have two spaniels, they are fine left alone and pretty calm most of the time. They won’t keep up wih me jogging though never mind if I was riding a bike.

Too long to leave a dog, I think. Our Border sometimes has to stay home during the day, but our next door neighbour lets him out a few times to charge about.

I usually carry a squeegee with some honey in it in case she bonks, seriously.

Yup, good tip. We took Monty on a long walk in the Brecon Beacons once, and he completely crashed about a mile from the car. I dug out an old High5 gel thing from my daysack – a couple of licks and he was full of beans again, and manic for the rest of the evening!

mrlebowski – Member
8 1/2 hrs is WAY TOO LONG to leave a dog on their own.

Are you SURE you’re really in a position to have one?

If you can’t halve that window at least, then you really shouldn’t be thinking about getting a dog.

Agreed,
Our’s is left from 8.45 until 1.20 each day and that’s more than enough.
DON’T GET A DOG UNTIL YOU CAN GO PART TIME OR RETIRE.

Most sensible people agree that that is too long to leave a dog every day. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a dog though, it just means you need to factor in the cost of a dog walker. They will happily take ££’s off you hands to walk your dog for an hour or so, the dog will have a wonderful time you you can be guilt free whilst at work.

Spaniels are ace.

Gratuitous puppy photos you say? Go on then! Here is Pippa when we first got her

and aged 6 months

On the days my wife and I are both out the house all day Pip will get 30mins walk/rabbit chasing in the morning before work, I’ll then pop home at lunchtime for 20 mins in garden or park then another 30mins in the evening. She is young and this will increase as she gets older but this works fine just now, she is a happy dog.

as already said, dont get a dog.

as already said, dont get a dog.

I disagree, get a dog, but be prepared to pay for a a daytime dog walker.

Forgot to say, in answer to your other questions.

Pup is lower risk and more likely to end up being the dog you want it to be, but most shelters now are excellent in learning about their dogs prior to releasing them to homes and they should do a good job of finding you the right dog. A lot of rescue spaniels are failed working dogs though and would take work.

Plenty of puppy classes or dog trainers will help you with recall and other training. Also lots of good books around. Tip though, young puppies will stay close to you and you will think you are king of the dogs and the master trainer. As they get older, they enter the independent phase and you realise that you are shit and need to start all over again with recall training, as you stand there holding an empty lead whilst the dog furiously chases rabbits like its life depends on it!

Don’t get a dog. Seriously, your circumstances aren’t right.

My wife runs a dog rescue shelter and we see loads of people with the same quandary as you feel free to email me with any questions.

fudge9202@googlemail dot com

ree, get a dog, but be prepared to pay for a a daytime dog walker.

Well, TBF, I disagree with that sentiment.

To me that’s farming out the graft & responsibility to someone else – not INMO what dog ownership is about.

Not dissimilar to having kids & then packing them off to boarding school in some respects..

FYI I volunteer at Battersea Dogs as a trainer & am reasonably familiar with canine behavioural issues.

“I’d steer well clear of recue dogs as well, I know they’re cute and fwufeee and probably had a hard life, kicked in the ribs and not fed for days on end, but I’d still rather they remain some one else’s problem and not become mine. So I’d rather have a dog from a pup, I can get used to it and it me.”
Pretty narrow minded view considering loads of rescue centres have pups for rehoming. We have had 2 litters in the last three weeks.

I’d steer well clear of recue dogs as well, I know they’re cute and fwufeee and probably had a hard life, kicked in the ribs and not fed for days on end, but I’d still rather they remain some one else’s problem and not become mine. So I’d rather have a dog from a pup, I can get used to it and it me.

To be blunt…..

You don’t know what you’re talking about.

Get a pet pig, dogs are for eating you weirdo

Not dissimilar to having kids & then packing them off to boarding school in some respects

I can’t agree with that at all, in fact I think that is a daft thing to say. More like having kids and sending them to nursery, which is perfectly normal.

I walk my dog in the morning and evening, and spend a lot of time out with her at the weekends walking, exploring and training (she is in the early stages of training to be a search dog for mountain rescue). I’m fortunate as I work locally and can pop home at lunch time, but if I could not and instead allowed her to go out with a dog walker would that really be so bad? Would it be equivalent to packing my kids off to boarding school? Of course not. She would be well exercised and have a great time socialising with other dogs.

Mrlebowski WELL SAID!

l, in fact I think that is a daft thing to say. More like having kids and sending them to nursery, which is perfectly normal.

You’re entitled to your opinion.

I don’t agree with it.

For me a lot of the reward of owning a dog is nurturing, training & growing with the dog yourself. The same with kids.

Modern life might dictate & give you the option to manage it otherwise…..but I’d ask the question if that’s what you have to do to have dogs/kids should you be having them in the 1st place?

Dogs are permanent children with no concept of time. They will ALWAYS depend on their owner. It’s the way we & them have evolved.

Ok. I hear what folks have said. We will not be getting a dog unless the in laws can come over and spend an hour a day with it.

I suspect they will jump at the chance as they have been pining for a dog since theirs died but their new landlord won’t allow dogs.

I must admit to being a little confused though. I work with some people who are passionate about animal welfare yet they go to work for 8 hours a day and leave their dogs at home alone. Hence, I had not thought that leaving a dog alone for so long would be considred “cruel” – just not ideal. You live and learn.

Our rescue greyhound was totally happy to be left for as long as we liked, because basically, he couldn’t have cared less about us.

I mean, he was grateful that we fed him, and provided him with a sofa to lie on, but beyond that, he showed complete disdain for us. He tolerated being stroked, but it was more a transactional kind of thing – we were allowed to love him, but strictly in exchange for food.

Now we have a springer and a lab/springer/xxx cross. They would be desolate if they were left for too long, though they do get left for about five or six hours on a few days of the week and seem to survive.

Were you thinking of leaving a puppy alone all day?

8.5 hours is too long can’t you take it to work? We had a bring dogs to work policy and lots of companies we dealt with did also.

German Shepherd was the best trail dog I had would take five bar gates in one bound, Got Jack Russels now, they go under.

But I’m semi retired/work from home, ride with them twice a day and they come with me in the van wherever I go, they hate being left alone, dogs get separation anxiety.

Go to dog training classes, use rewards for good behaviour when they come back to you stuff like that.

Got a 6 month old border terrier and had heard horror stories about terrier recall but mine is excellent. Just took some chopped up hot dog sausages with me every time we went anywhere. Now he’ll come without the need for treats in any situation. Only one I can’t override is if he finds some food to eat. Now comes to a gun dog whistle too so don’t need to shout him. Regularly meet people out most days in the parks who are amazed at his recall and wished they’d done more when their dogs were younger so it’s definitely worth putting the effort in whilst they’re young.

Mine happily sleeps in cage for 10 hours a night without a peep. Haven’t really left him alone much though I’ll start deliberately leaving him for a couple of hours in the hall as he needs to get used to being alone for periods.

He’s brought a welcome kind of madness into the house. Wife and kids love him, cats less so, though they are very very slowly getting a little more tolerant.

But as bearnecessities says, cats are totally awesome

My neighbour leaves a large German Shepherd on its own for a minimum of 7 hours daily, Monday to Friday. It’s clearly none of my business what other people do so would just add that it’s unreasonable to expect a dog to control its bodily functions for such a long period. Around here there is nowhere suitable for a dog to have a good run around off the lead so would assume weekends involve a drive somewhere. Possibly.

Cocker Spaniel is a great size dog. We got one a year ago as a pup and have taken him through training. He’s run with me a couple of times and keeps up with my pace for 5 miles, no problem.

As kids our family Irish setters were left at home for 7 to 8 hrs no proble, my other half wouldn’t have that thoug, but works shifts so the dog is rarely on its own for more than 4 hrs.

Fantastic bred though, not too big that they need mega exercise, not to small to be a real do. Doesn’t shed much but soft and cuddly.

Find a good dog trainer who will train you in how to train your dog.
Accept you have no idea how to train dogs and it’ll work even better.

Remember it’s a dog – it isn’t your mate or a member of your family. If you’re too soft with it, it will train you.

No I wasn’t intending to leave a pup alone all day.

Dog training is generally a misnomer, it’s the owner being trained. I find a few sessions helpful when starting a new rescue off at home. A dispassionate opinion who can point me in the right direction is a great help.
We’re about to get on the treadmill again after the loss of Huxley. There will be pics.