What do you do with your dog during a work day?

[Bob34]

I finished law school this past May and will start work on Monday. My wife works 10-5 and absolutely cannot leave because she is the only person working at the shop. I will be working from 8-5 at a minimum and may or may not be able to come home during the day. I need some advice on what to do with Demps' during the day. He has really never been left alone all day because my school schedule (and the past month off) have allowed me to be home a lot during the day. We are debating between daycare, a dog walker, or just leaving him inside. Leaving him in the yard is not really an option right now because of the heat. I should also note that he is 10 1/2 months old. Any advice you guys could provide would be appreciated.

 

[catcrazy56]

My 2 year old is loose in the house my pup is crated and my foster is loose too but he has the odd accident when Foreman was 10 1/2 months old he was crated I let him loose at 13 months old we also had Harley who was 7 1/2 at the time so it worked out good they were together all day. my pup now will be crated untill I think he will be fine then I will gate in the kitchen

 

[punchinella]

We've been pretty lucky. Used to be that DH could take Punchie with him all day, since he ran his own landscaping business. However, he no longer does that and can't take her with him anymore. BUT, he quit the business after we moved back to my hometown. We only live about 5-10 minutes from my parents. So I drop Punchie off at their house before work and pick her up in the afternoon. And she loves grandma/grandpa's house. (even more than ours I think )

Okay, I'm rambling

Guess if there's a point here, it's this: I would try and find someone who can watch him. If no friends or family are available, look into the daycare option. He will enjoy that much more than being stuck at home all day (even with a dog walker).

 

[Edgarsfan]

Our friend's teenager used to stop by and let out the Edgar at that age, play with him and just check in. We also have great friends. I am in a similar situation. I just retired from the Navy and have not worked in over four months and will be starting work soon. Edgar will be home during the day as school also started, He stays in the kitchen but as I sit here typing he has been snoozing since about 9 and will be until at least 3.

 

[VA Boxer Lvr]

Wow, I feel as if our Brutus is neglected a bit. You all have doggy walkers and people to let you babies out during the day. He is crated during the day when I am at work. Right now though, since my DH is getting ready for deployment in 2 weeks, he is out and about with his daddy most of the day. He still needs the occassional "time out" for his naps, which he prefers in his crate. Once DH deplys, he will go back to being in his crate until i get home from work. All of our friends work and we do not have any family close by. He doesn't seem to mind, my boy is lazy and loves to get his sleep on.

 

[Chancejesi]

Unfortunatly I work Mon-Fri 8-5:30 so I can't go home. My boyfriend is in construction so he is usually gone between 12 and 3 and during that time Chance is in the crate, but when his Dad is home during the day he stays out with him and they hang out watching TV and such. We still don't trust him enough to give him free roam but we are starting to work on it and so far he can go 30 minutes by himself and not get into anything. So once he can be fully trusted he will have free roam, until then he is in the crate when no one is home, it's really the best for him. He doesn't get hurt and the house doesn't get destroyed

 

[RoxiesEcho]

My DH leaves for work at 2 in the afternoon. I work 9 to 5 but during the winter I am in a bowling league one night a week that starts right after work and I don't get home until 9:30 or so. We didn't crate train Bella but since the day we brought her home we pen her in our back hallway when we are gone. We put a big sheet of plywood in the doorway to the kitchen. It has vinyl floors so it's easy to clean up any messes she might make. She's now 14 months old and we are just starting to try leaving her loose while we are gone for short times. Hopefully we won't be penning her up much longer!

 

[My Boxer]

Scooter goes to daycare. It is fantastic! They do training with him and he also get's to play, play and play. The owner has 2 boxer's of his own, and knows just what my boy needs. I get the satisfaction of knowing that he is in good hand's, and a tired, worn out Scooter when I pick him up. He usually fall's asleep on the way home, and then goes to bed once we arrive. He is also quiet the next day too!

 

[totallyhip]

I use to take Luke to work with me during the week. Then my hubby started to work from home. Now we got a 2nd boxer and they both stay at home. The only thing now is that my hubby is starting to travel more for work.
I work 9 to 6 everyday and 8 to 6 on Saturdays. So I have arranged with my work to come in later or leave earlier. That way they won't have to hold it too long.

I would love to find someone that I could trust to come over and let them out or take them for a quick piddle. But unfortunately we haven't had much luck with that. It's not really a good job for a kid either, as both boxers weigh over 50 lbs and are pretty strong.

 

[Barkley]

We used to have the same situation but are fortunate now to both work from home...my babies are SPOILED!!! I would actually not suggest relying on a friend or family, simply because it sounds as though this will need to be a daily routine and that's kind of a lot to ask of someone, unless you intend to compensate them.

We used a combination of day care and (the same day care owner) dog walking. If you can afford to, day care is a great option, especially since your baby is still so young. It is a great way to socialize them with other dogs and he will have a blast. Plus, you will generally have the benefit of one tuckered out pupster so that you won't have to be quite so entertaining after a long day at the office! You may want to try a combo -- dog walker two days a week and day care three, or something like that.

Good luck on the new job!

Jennie