live alone

[pauline]

I live by myself. I have a full time job with a college from 8 am to 4 pm Monday thru Friday. I do have vacation time during Christmas break, Spring break and three months summer break. I would like to rescue a dog from the shelter and keep me company.

My question is: How can I keep a dog when I have to work? What modifications of the house should I do to make this work? or should I keep a dog?

Thanks
Pauline

 

[redcowsrule33]

I would only consider it if you can foster a dog that is already crate -trained or wait until summer when you have time. Leaving it in an outside kennel isn't always secure and may make enemies of your neighbors. Many shelter dogs have separation anxiety issues and could injure themselves trying to break free when you're gone, or at least destroy the house if not crated. Unless they have a dog that is older and content to lay low all day but continent enough to hold urine all day, it may not be fair to the dog and not a whole lot better than the conditions at the shelter. If you can get home every lunch hour to let it out, that's better.

If you think they have a dog that will work, take it on a trial basis when you have extra time. True personalities/phobias can start to come through once they start to settle in.

If you are lucky you can help out a great dog. But from the many people I know who have fostered shelter animals in the past, it usually turns out to be a lot more work than you planned on.

 

[Lammie]

You didn't way whether or not you had a yard. I have a 10x10 dog run I keep mine in while I am away because we live next to a busy road. They kennel up nicely and they know what to expect. Wail until summer when you can train it.

 

[gg4rebels]

The suggestion of getting a crate trained dog is a good one.

My husband and I both work. We have two labs that are house dogs. They are both crate trained. One lab we raised from a puppy. We were successful in house training him even though we worked. He is 1 yr. 3 mos. now. The younger lab is just 10.5 months old. We have had her for 3 weeks. She had been in an outside kennel all her life but house trained quickly. She just seemed to know that she was supposed to go outside.They each have a very large wire crate in our study. They stay in there from when we go to work until we come home around 5. They feel safe and secure there. Sometimes on the weekend they will go to the crates and sleep because they are tired from playing in the lake and chasing cows and/or cats all day. When we are home, if we are not outside, they run around the house. We have them trained now that when it is time for work we get treats out and they run to the kennels. They also sleep there at night. Same thing - we start turning out the lights and say kennel up and they do. After they are older we will probably start letting them sleep on a dog bed in our room but for now since they still like to chew they get their own bedroom. They don't mind.

I have had small dogs (Yorkies) and large dogs (Goldens and Labs). My personal experience has been that the large dogs have been easier to train. They also pout less! Good luck in your search for a companion.

 

[msscamp]

I live by myself. I have a full time job with a college from 8 am to 4 pm Monday thru Friday. I do have vacation time during Christmas break, Spring break and three months summer break. I would like to rescue a dog from the shelter and keep me company.

My question is: How can I keep a dog when I have to work? What modifications of the house should I do to make this work? or should I keep a dog?

Thanks
Pauline

You time the adoption of the dog to coinside with your time off so you have time to allow the dog to settle in, while still having the time to crate train him/her. Once you go back to work, if it is at all possible, you go home at lunch time to let your dog out. It has been my experience that if you want a dog bad enough, you will figure out a way to make it work with a minimum amount of stress to both you and the dog.

 

[Bez+]

I live by myself. I have a full time job with a college from 8 am to 4 pm Monday thru Friday. I do have vacation time during Christmas break, Spring break and three months summer break. I would like to rescue a dog from the shelter and keep me company.

My question is: How can I keep a dog when I have to work? What modifications of the house should I do to make this work? or should I keep a dog?

Thanks
Pauline

You time the adoption of the dog to coinside with your time off so you have time to allow the dog to settle in, while still having the time to crate train him/her. Once you go back to work, if it is at all possible, you go home at lunch time to let your dog out. It has been my experience that if you want a dog bad enough, you will figure out a way to make it work with a minimum amount of stress to both you and the dog.

Unfortunately this type of want before need also leads in MANY, MANY cases to neighbours who hate you.

The dog is outside and barks its head off all day long after the new and self satisified owner trots pookie out to the run, locks him in and leaves. Two minutes later the barking starts - and it lasts until the owner comes home and lets the dog out so they can both enjoy the rewards of a valuable relationship - in the owners mind - or the rewards of a relationship that actually involves 10 hours or more of prison a day.

Here is the deal - you live alone. Buy a goldfish - or three.

Leave the dog where it is today.

Do not impose your wants onto the neighbours who have to listen to a dog howl while you are away.

Do not think a small dog is the answer - in fact they are most often the worst offenders - I can see this in spades when I go to the city of Hogtown (Toronto) Canada - and I bet it is no different in your own town or city.

Do not become the person in the neighbourhood who thinks s/he is doing right by "rescuing" an animal - yet leaves it boxed up all day.

Sorry - you live alone - I do not support you owning a dog in your house. You do not have the time - despite what you think - you do not need the hassle - more trouble than kids (especially your noble desire - the "rescue" dog) - and you certainly do not need to impose your personal desires upon the neighbours.

Regards

Bez+

 

[CKC1586]

Sounds like a cat would be a better fit as a pet for you. Not really fair to keep a dog cooped up all day, you wouldn't like it why would a dog.

 

[Victoria]

I live by myself. I have a full time job with a college from 8 am to 4 pm Monday thru Friday. I do have vacation time during Christmas break, Spring break and three months summer break. I would like to rescue a dog from the shelter and keep me company.

My question is: How can I keep a dog when I have to work? What modifications of the house should I do to make this work? or should I keep a dog?

Thanks
Pauline

You time the adoption of the dog to coinside with your time off so you have time to allow the dog to settle in, while still having the time to crate train him/her. Once you go back to work, if it is at all possible, you go home at lunch time to let your dog out. It has been my experience that if you want a dog bad enough, you will figure out a way to make it work with a minimum amount of stress to both you and the dog.

Unfortunately this type of want before need also leads in MANY, MANY cases to neighbours who hate you.

The dog is outside and barks its head off all day long after the new and self satisified owner trots pookie out to the run, locks him in and leaves. Two minutes later the barking starts - and it lasts until the owner comes home and lets the dog out so they can both enjoy the rewards of a valuable relationship - in the owners mind - or the rewards of a relationship that actually involves 10 hours or more of prison a day.

Here is the deal - you live alone. Buy a goldfish - or three.

Leave the dog where it is today.

Do not impose your wants onto the neighbours who have to listen to a dog howl while you are away.

Do not think a small dog is the answer - in fact they are most often the worst offenders - I can see this in spades when I go to the city of Hogtown (Toronto) Canada - and I bet it is no different in your own town or city.

Do not become the person in the neighbourhood who thinks s/he is doing right by "rescuing" an animal - yet leaves it boxed up all day.

Sorry - you live alone - I do not support you owning a dog in your house. You do not have the time - despite what you think - you do not need the hassle - more trouble than kids (especially your noble desire - the "rescue" dog) - and you certainly do not need to impose your personal desires upon the neighbours.

Regards

Bez+

Glad someone said it.

 

[angie1]

should I keep a dog?

Thanks
Pauline

On and on and on.
Bez+

Glad someone said it.

I'm not. It was condescending.

Pauline asked if she should even keep a dog. She did not come on here and say "I am getting a dog and tough @%#& if you don't like it ~ how should I best handle it?" . ugh. I am thinking there are many many people on here who have hunting dogs and hounds that spend a ridiculous amount of time chained to a dog house ~ days and days even.

Pauline. If you want, get a dog. Make the commitment to do it right. msscamp is right with all that she said. Most people who have dogs work full time jobs ~ this allows them to take care of the dog properly in the first place. The dogs adapt and do very well. A dog from a shelter may very well be an adult and able to be left in the house while you are at work. Come home for lunch and let it out. Be active with it at night ~ it will decrease risk of destructive behavior (chewing for example). Take it where you go in the vehicle. Let it sleep next to your bed at night (or on your pillow breathing into your face :nod: ). Shut doors to rooms you want it kept out of. Maybe you want it to stay in the kitchen while you are gone. Put the dogs bed in there, food and water, and put a gate up. There are many ways to make it work if you really want one.

Anyhow, I wouldn't be me if I didn't advocate for getting a cat instead. They are terribly affectionate and personable; yet do just as well without you when left alone for the day.

 

[2/B or not 2/B]

Pauline, I definitely agree with everyone who recommended crate training. Dogs are denning animals and a crate is representative of a den. There are books on how and why crate training works. In addition to crates, outdoor kennels work too and that's what we use. We can't come let them out in the middle of the day, so the kennels work well for us. The dogs run straight there as soon as I say the word. The best decision I made when bringing home a puppy from the pound was training him to sleep outside alone in the kennel from day one. At first, I never even brought him in the house. Later when he was grown, I could bring him inside to sleep with me with no problem. Had I tried doing this the other way around, it simply wouldn't have worked. My dog is devoted but independent and it has to do with how he was trained. That's really important for someone working full time. You can definitely do it, if you're committed.

 

[hillsdown]

There are also day cares for dogs.... :cowboy:

You can definitely have a dog with your hours, as others have posted,,,,no offence to cat owners, I love my Kit Cat but he acts more like a dog than a cat.
For a woman living alone a dog is a GREAT friend and can do more for you than a cat can..

Do your homework on the best breed of dog for your situation and make ALL necessary efforts to ensure your happiness, the dogs happiness, and your neighbors happiness.

Yes, it can be done as it is done all the time.

Good luck and let us know with pics who you choose,,,BTW a rescue dog is a GREAT choice..

 

[angie1]

Good luck and let us know with pics who you choose,,,BTW a rescue dog is a GREAT choice..

Yeah. All that stuff too! :nod: ;-)

 

[pauline]

Hi all,

Thank you very much for all the different responses to my posting . First and foremost, I love dogs. If I keep a dog, and my dog has to suffer, or my neighbors have to suffer, I will not keep a dog.

I am asking the question to find out if there are ways to make the three of us happy. I have a big yard, with a good-sized good-condition shed in the back yard. The yard has a privacy fence on two sides, and a chain link fence on the other two sides. I have planned to replace the chain link fence with privacy fence in the summer so that the whole backyard will be enclosed. Unfortunately, I work one hour' drive from my home, so I cannot go home during lunch hour.

I'm thinking of making the shed the dog's home when I am at work. I'll put food, water, a dog blanket, toys, etc. in the shed to train him. I'll keep the shed door open so that he can go into the shed for shelter from rain, wind and sun. If he likes, he can play in the yard and relieve himself there.

I will train the dog in the summer when I have a three-month vacation. And also I will know whether the dog will bark once I pretend not to be home, and whether the dog will try to escape.

From your experience, do you think this will work? Is it a good idea to tie the dog to a dog run too? I have also been thinking of an outside dog kennel. Do I still need the dog kennel when I have a shed? And thanks for the idea of crate training. I have never heard of it. I did some research. But the idea of confining a dog in a crate inside the house for a very long period of time such as in my case doesn't seem to work.

Thanks again for your time.
Pauline

 

[peg4x4]

It sounds like you've done your homework-now to pick out the dog..Border collie is out(yes GREAT DOG-high energy,Will find something to do) Do you have the time to run before/after classes?? Research the breeds,but understand that each dog is different..You might get a lazy Jack Russel,but don't bet on it! As to rescue-YES-BUT there is sometimes a real reson that dog is in there!..Talk to the workers,get a good,well researched one-not one you feel sorry for..I envy you,I can't take care of a dog properly in my situation,so am makeing do with cats..Love them,but they're definately NOT a dog..

 

[1982vett]

I will train the dog in the summer when I have a three-month vacation. And also I will know whether the dog will bark once I pretend not to be home, and whether the dog will try to escape.

Got to chuckle at that. Don't take this wrong, but that might be hard to pull off. I have rarely been able to "sneak" up on mine. About the only time I did I was driving a vehicle they had never heard and something was covering the noise of my arrival.

They have a pretty good internal clock also. I remember one time I left work a couple hours early, when I got home the dog was gone. No gate open, no digging under the fence. Drove the neighborhood looking for her couldn't find her. Finally decided to go back home and see if she would show back up. About 15 minutes before the normal time I would get home I heard her in the yard. Gates were still closed but she was back in the yard. Upon closer inspection of the fence (1x4 cedar picket fence) I had one board that had broken at a knot. Not a big deal as my dog was a lab and couldn't get thru that 4 inch space. But the nail in the bottom of the board next to it had backed out allowing it to swing like a pendulum. She had learned to escape by pushing the board to the side and slip thru and the board went back into position. So for a time she got to run the neighborhood with the other escape artists during the day. Seem she also new what time to be home to not get caught.

So fooling a dog to think you are not home, that might be fun to watch. :lol2: But I think you have a well thought out plan when you do get a dog.

As far as needing a dog kennel, since you have a fenced yard and shed for it to get out of the weather I don't personally think you need a kennel and tieing it up or crating it, in my opinion would probably cause more uncontrollable barking and bad behavior than letting it have the run of a yard.