CKC at home while we work-Advice pls

although i do not currently have my own dog, i have had lots of experience in helping raise pups. i was the neighborhood kid who everyone hired to take their dog out for a mid-day break (never had more than one "job" at a time since i wouldn't have time to devote to more than one household each day). i helped raise my neighbor's black lab and she minded me better than her owners who worked. my other neighbor got a pup when he workes 10 hour days and i took her out for two hours everyday to train and exercise. and i can honestly say that the only reason i was willing to take those jobs on is becuase i am a dog fanatic and my parents wouldn't let me get my own pooch.

it is a HUGE responsibility to ask someone else (especially a neighbor) to take your dog out EVERY SINGLE day, not from time to time. i am not trying to sound discouraging because you can have a dog and work full time, but hire someone who cna do it as a job, not a favor. a neighbor who is doing it as a favor may feel like they got pushed into more than they bargained for. also, think about how elderly the neighbor is. not to sound mean but what if she broke a hip, or had to move, or passed on.... even a fully trained adult dog should not be asked to hold it for 10.5 hours. it can lead to kidney stress and eventually kidney disease. please make sure you fully prepare for someone to take the dog out for a LONG period of time, not just a potty break, every day. 10.5 hours is a long time in one stretch.

all that said, if you have the financial means and an available dog-sitter or day care, and are fully prepared for all else that comes with a dog, go for it! i am counting down the days until i can get my own baby (2-4 years).

What an interesting thread. I just love it when the "work or not work" issue comes up, as I get to hear everyone else's story.

OK - realize that I'm by no means an expert on Cavaliers (uh, Scout still has two more days until he even comes HOME ) but we have put a ton of thought into this and think we've come up with a good solution ... for now. We'll obviousy adjust as he gets older and we get to know him, but here's our story, since you all have shared so kindly ...

I work 2, sometimes 3 days a week. Hubby does 4. So we figure that there will probably be two days maximum when he will be at home without one or both of us. I feel extremely uncomfortable leaving a 12 wk old puppy without any way to potty (not to mention socialization) for more than a few hours. We've arranged for a very highly recommended dog walker to come twice a day (oh lord - you can only imagine how $$ this is getting!) ... once at 10:30, and once at 3:00. Hubby works close enough to home to come home to Scout at lunch ... but only for about half an hour. This arrangement will go on for probably a few months, and then we might try the dog walker coming once a day and see how his little bladder does.

I feel extremely lucky to work part-time, or else I doubt we'd be getting a puppy. I know for a fact our breeder wouldn't have sold us one of her precious pups if our situation was different.

I know on this board, and my friends in real life ... TONS of people who work full-time and make it work. I think the right doggy daycare can be FABULOUS. I can't wait 'til Scout's old enough to handle it. I know we'll try it out when the time is right.

As has been reiterated above, Cavaliers need tons of attention. Although I doubt any breed of dog really appreciates being left alone all day long, and night, without attention. Now that is really sad.

Hope that gave you some insight.

Ok here's my take... and I am going to hide behind the garbage tin & put the lid on my head for safety, as everyone pelts me with stones :razz:

Agreed, a loving, involved working couple make a far better home than an at home family that throws the dog his dinner once a day & cleans the water dish out once a week.

Having said that, I always feel really sad for dogs that spend 5 days a week on their own... especially if they haven't even got a backyard to run around in.

So.... if I were in your situation {this is where I need my protection} I'd get two puppies. I know! I know! It is considered a big no-no for all sorts of reasons... but that is what I would do. We have always been a multi-dog family & I would never again have a sole dog. Dogs are pack animals and they need company.

As to the CKCS being a good dog for a working couple. I can not agree with that. I think Cavaliers & Boxers (my other breed) are two breeds that really need company most of the time.

BTW, my hubby & I are semi-retired & work 2 short days per week. I hate leaving our 4 on their own while we are at work, but at least we have the comfort of knowing they have each other.

After-thought: What about an adult & a puppy???

Caraline said:

Ok here's my take... and I am going to hide behind the garbage tin & put the lid on my head for safety, as everyone pelts me with stones :razz:

Agreed, a loving, involved working couple make a far better home than an at home family that throws the dog his dinner once a day & cleans the water dish out once a week.

Having said that, I always feel really sad for dogs that spend 5 days a week on their own... especially if they haven't even got a backyard to run around in.

So.... if I were in your situation {this is where I need my protection} I'd get two puppies. I know! I know! It is considered a big no-no for all sorts of reasons... but that is what I would do. We have always been a multi-dog family & I would never again have a sole dog. Dogs are pack animals and they need company.

As to the CKCS being a good dog for a working couple. I can not agree with that. I think Cavaliers & Boxers (my other breed) are two breeds that really need company most of the time.

BTW, my hubby & I are semi-retired & work 2 short days per week. I hate leaving our 4 on their own while we are at work, but at least we have the comfort of knowing they have each other.

After-thought: What about an adult & a puppy???

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I am not going to pelt you with stones because I agree
we had 2 cavaleirs and made it work one at once with Mattie he was left when I went to work very early so he was asleep then when my o/h went to work the kids were there till they went to school so that was it till I got home at about 11
I would get 2 together if possible again what about a adult & a puppy
---Aileen and the gang (Jazzie--Barney--Sam)

My situation is a little different. My husband is retired, but I work.
When we first got Maddy she was 3 months old. She was not housetrained. At the breeders she had a yard where she may have gone potty, but she was not trained to bark or go to the door.
I work in NH during the week and go home to Florida Fri/Mon, Thurs/Sun etc.
The first month she was with us, she was not left alone for more than one hour. Between the two of us, someone was with her. This meant that my husband's usual 4 times a week golf games were cancelled, his fishing was cancelled unless I was there. After that we had an xpen for her and hubby would go to play golf and put a puppy pad in the xpen. If she needed to pee, she used the pad. We quickly found out that the need for a poo made her climb out of her pen to do so on the kitchen tile! She would not poo on the pad. So even though she could climb out of the pen she only did when nature called. Now, at 7 months old she can usually wait until hubby gets home to go outside and has not used the pad in ages. She has climbed out once in the last month though to poo. When I get home for the weekend I still cannot bring myself to play golf, I spend the time with her.
We both cannot believe how much we love her. She is so sweet and loving.
I think if you can take a week vacation when you get her (two if possible) it would really help to set the stage for the basics.
Pam

PamH said:

My situation is a little different. My husband is retired, but I work.
When we first got Maddy she was 3 months old. She was not housetrained. At the breeders she had a yard where she may have gone potty, but she was not trained to bark or go to the door.
I work in NH during the week and go home to Florida Fri/Mon, Thurs/Sun etc.
The first month she was with us, she was not left alone for more than one hour. Between the two of us, someone was with her. This meant that my husband's usual 4 times a week golf games were cancelled, his fishing was cancelled unless I was there. After that we had an xpen for her and hubby would go to play golf and put a puppy pad in the xpen. If she needed to pee, she used the pad. We quickly found out that the need for a poo made her climb out of her pen to do so on the kitchen tile! She would not poo on the pad. So even though she could climb out of the pen she only did when nature called. Now, at 7 months old she can usually wait until hubby gets home to go outside and has not used the pad in ages. She has climbed out once in the last month though to poo. When I get home for the weekend I still cannot bring myself to play golf, I spend the time with her.
We both cannot believe how much we love her. She is so sweet and loving.
I think if you can take a week vacation when you get her (two if possible) it would really help to set the stage for the basics.
Pam

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I'm so confused now as to what to do. I want whats best for the pup more than anything. At the same time I always wanted a dog, some one to come home to from work, some one to keep me company on long walks, some one to bring to the park at the weekends, some one to keep me company when my boyfriend is at work on Friday and Saturday nights (he is a DJ partime along with having his own full time job) - My boyfriend would love the same too. He had a dog when he lived at home with his parents, but the dog unfortunately died. He doesn't think its fair to leave a dog at home while we work, thats why I decided to research this to see how other people do it.

The opinion of people seems to be divided though, some saying the dog would get used to it's routine of being at home during the day while we work, while others are saying it would be detremental to the dogs personality and over all welfare.

:-( Hmmm I don't know what to do? Unless, when we go looking for our pup, the breeder is able to tell us what we should do, and maybe sell us a pup from the litter that she thinks would most likely suit out situation - Im sure the breeder would be able to tell these things from experience?

ella and i went out the other day ,huuby was in england i new i would be gone for at least 10 hours so what i did i phoned my local vets and they took alfs in he had a sleep over.it wasnt ideal but hes only ever been left up to 2 hrs at a time,so i had a nice relaxing day knowing he was safe and being walked.mind you alfs was not impressed when he got home i was ignored for most of the day.

sassy.pips said:

I'm so confused now as to what to do. I want whats best for the pup more than anything. At the same time I always wanted a dog, some one to come home to from work, some one to keep me company on long walks, some one to bring to the park at the weekends, some one to keep me company when my boyfriend is at work on Friday and Saturday nights (he is a DJ partime along with having his own full time job) - My boyfriend would love the same too. He had a dog when he lived at home with his parents, but the dog unfortunately died. He doesn't think its fair to leave a dog at home while we work, thats why I decided to research this to see how other people do it.

The opinion of people seems to be divided though, some saying the dog would get used to it's routine of being at home during the day while we work, while others are saying it would be detremental to the dogs personality and over all welfare.

:-( Hmmm I don't know what to do? Unless, when we go looking for our pup, the breeder is able to tell us what we should do, and maybe sell us a pup from the litter that she thinks would most likely suit out situation - Im sure the breeder would be able to tell these things from experience?

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If you make arrangements for dog walker to stop in a few times a day until the pup is potty trained, then you can then cut the service back to once a day and add in a few days of daycare, and I think you'll be fine as long as you're sure to make the most of the time you have with them--training, exercise, etc. Getting up earlier than normal to spend time with them and possibly adjusting your work schedule for the first few months--can you come home at lunch, can you work 7-8 hours instead of 10 (work the rest at home), etc. etc. ? Just some additional situations to think about. Once the pup is older, adding another will help a lot, as they're pack animals. I wouldn't suggest getting two at once though.

Jen said:

If you make arrangements for dog walker to stop in a few times a day until the pup is potty trained, then you can then cut the service back to once a day and add in a few days of daycare, and I think you'll be fine as long as you're sure to make the most of the time you have with them--training, exercise, etc. Getting up earlier than normal to spend time with them and possibly adjusting your work schedule for the first few months--can you come home at lunch, can you work 7-8 hours instead of 10 (work the rest at home), etc. etc. ? Just some additional situations to think about. Once the pup is older, adding another will help a lot, as they're pack animals. I wouldn't suggest getting two at once though.

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I live in Ireland and we don't have dogy daycare services :-( Maybe thats a nich in the market that I could look into setting my own one up? lol :-D But I could look into dog walkers, I'm sure there are people that do this. I'll look up my local newspaper or maybe place an ad if I do get my pup to see if there are any responsible people out there that would do this.

There are lots of dog walking services (use google). It is an expensive option though and a lot of them are already full up with dogs so you might need to book in advance. Alternatively, you could put an ad up for a local teenager/retired person to look in on the pup for you during the day.

I changed my working hours so I can get home earlier and I'm also lucky that my family is so dog friendly and we can share the responsiblity if someone has to work late/go out.

As was said earlier it is almost always better if there is more than 1 dog.

Hi Guys.
My situation was as follows:
Got holly in January last year. Both myself and OH worked. He was always on shifts, so one of us was there most of the time. Holly was only ever left for 3 hours max alone. Myself and OH split up 5 months later and i moved in with my brother. Thankfully over the summer. I had to leave Holly in the back garden and my mum would usually call around lunch to play with her. A girl up the road was given a side gate key and would let herself in and take holly for an hour or two.
Coming up to sept/oct i would cry the whole way to work knowing that my baby was left out in the back garden. (brother wouldn't let her stay in, as open plan with all new furniture). I know she had a warm kennel etc, but it was heartbreaking. So, decided to move back to my old house where i knew i could keep her inside. Got flyers typed up and was going to get a walker from the estate.
Thankfully, one morning walking holly in the lashing rain (has to be done) i met Bernie who lives around the corner. Bernie had changed her life round since she got buster (blenheim and hollys cousins). She gave up working during the week and worked at night and the weekend. (not easy with a family), - she was so devoted to giving her time to Buster.
She offered to go into my house every day before lunch and bring holly round to hers to play with Buster for the day. She is there all day, so this was the best news i'd heard in months. It suits me so well.
A few months on and Holly stills goes to Busters house to play every day. Bernie's delighted because Buster's got a new best friend and i'm delighted as i'm not worrying about her every day.
If you could sort out something like this - it's the best solution for me.

I'm not too sure where you're living in ireland, but i'm in celbridge if you ever need a hand with your pup. i.e. taking it overnight if you're going away.
All the best
Yvonne

The big problem would be the time when the puppy is too young to walk and needs someone there to spot when it needs to toilet. Otherwise it will not learn what is required.

We have had Helmsley for three weeks now, and are still in the housebreaking process, and I expect we will be for a while.

When we have to leave, we take him with us, which he loves, or we leave him in his playpen, but the max he has been left alone is three hours. (We work from home and live on a horse farm).

Between the housebreaking and his personality I cannot imagine him being left all day. I know it would have affected the housebreaking - he needs to go outside every hour during the day - and his socialization, as he is very much a "people-dog."

BTW, he is 12 weeks old.

Hope this helps.

Briland said:

We have had Helmsley for three weeks now, and are still in the housebreaking process, and I expect we will be for a while.

When we have to leave, we take him with us, which he loves, or we leave him in his playpen, but the max he has been left alone is three hours. (We work from home and live on a horse farm).

Between the housebreaking and his personality I cannot imagine him being left all day. I know it would have affected the housebreaking - he needs to go outside every hour during the day - and his socialization, as he is very much a "people-dog."

BTW, he is 12 weeks old.

Hope this helps.

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Gus was 8 weeks old when we got him. The general rule that we read in various books was a pup should be able to hold it two hours longer the number of months old--so at 2 months old, he should have been able to hold it 4 hours...and he was able to. He was in an x-pen with a small kennel inside it acting as a den with lots of toys and things to keep him busy. I'd play with him in the morning, go to work, the dog walker would come 4 hours later, feed him, let them out, play with them, and then we would be home 3.5 hours later. He had only two accidents in his pen; it didn't affect his potty training at all.

Ok, I'm going to join into this conversation too, since it was a huge issue we had to deal with when we got Fiona.

My story is: I have loved this breed since I was about 14. One of my close friend's parents had two beautiful blenheims during highschool, and it started my love of Cavaliers. My boyfriend Kevin and I decided we wanted to take our relationship to the next level and get a puppy. I just graduated college last year, and while Kevin and I are still very young (in our early 20s), we knew that between us we wanted a dog, a cav ideally, and we would make it work. Since the beginning, Fiona's wellbeing was our PRIORITY. Unfortunately, I do have to work full time (darn those college loans!), but Kevin's schedule is more flexible. We knew the responsibility getting into it, and it was something we were willing to make sacrifices for.

What we did, which was imperative, is we waited for a good and logical time to get her. My job at the time was ending, and I took the opportunity of being between jobs to take time off with Fiona. We got Fiona at almost 10 weeks old, and for the first 3 weeks she was home, I was with her almost all day. Kevin only works 5-10 mins from home, so he was able to come home at lunch almost every day and play, if I was gone. Once I started working again, Kevin came home 1-2 times a day to play with her. Our set up was to have an X-Pen in our kitchen, with her crate, water, a few safe toys, and her potty pad. It has worked out fine. Fiona is a well adjusted, loving, family member of ours. From the very beginning, Fiona did not like being crate trained, which is why we went with an X-Pen set up.

I will say that the negatives of our set up is that potty training has been MUCH harder. While I was able to take her outside all the time those first few weeks, we then had to continue training her to go on her potty pad, and now that she's older, the transitiion to going outside has been very d ifficult. We dont have a fenced off back yard, so we coulndt have a doggy door or anything, so that has been more difficult.

I agree with what was said earlier completely, the emotional attachment a Cavalier brings is unlike anything I'd ever expect. I truly love Fiona like a daughter I hope to have someday, and nondog owners often dont get it. Fiona and I were cuddling on the couch the other day, and my friend went "gross, stop kissing her, it's a dog". LOL. They jsut dont get it. That being said, I think it is great you are doing research first. I truly wish that I could be home with her all day every day, but a lot of us do have to work full time. Only you can really judge if you have the time, committment, and motivation to make getting a puppy work. Our advice on this board will tell you competely different sides of things, and that is why it is simply advice. For me personally, I love the cavalier breed, and that was what I wanted. If you are looking for a dog to fit your life, like others said you might want to look into more indendant breeds. If you do decide to go with a Cavalier, make sure you go through a reputable breeder though .

Good luck with your search!

The common thread for people who work or stay home is that each loving responsible dog owner makes the necessary sacrifices to put the dog's needs ahead of their own. Reliable doggie day care, dog walkers and/or friends and family who can assist by giving the dog quality time during the time you need to work is so vital to a happy healthy dog.

We currently have 2 cavaliers who were "thrown away" by their owners. One we got as a 1.5 yr. old when a new baby joined 2 other siblings in the family and the mother had no more time for the dog. The other is an 8 mos. old pup who was turned into a kill shelter when the working couple decided that they wanted to sleep late on weekends, not tend to a dog. They were also sick of the dog "going" in the house (not his fault). He came to us scared of people and totally untrained. He is working hard at housebreaking and wants so hard to please. He will be a really good dog and has made alot of great progress in just the short 2 weeks he has been here but he has a long way to go.

So whether you are at home or work, I hope you will have a viable solid plan that will work long term for your pet before you get one. They require alot of love and time and training for their happiness and yours. My daughter and her family love dogs so much that they won't have one because they know their life style doesn't allow for the time a dog needs. They have a cat that they adopted from the shelter when she was 3 yrs. old.

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:-( Hmmm I don't know what to do? Unless, when we go looking for our pup, the breeder is able to tell us what we should do, and maybe sell us a pup from the litter that she thinks would most likely suit out situation - Im sure the breeder would be able to tell these things from experience?[/QUOTE]

I can tell you from personal experience that before we got Maddy we had a yorkie. We both worked at that time. We would leave at 7:30am and sometimes not get home until 7pm. He had free run of the house. When he was young, our daughter got home from school at 3pm and let him out. So he was older when he was actually left the full time.
Anyway, he spent a lot of the day barking at everyone that passed by. He was bored. When we got home he jumped at us and demanded attention.
At the time we said we should never have got him, it was not fair to him. But he was part of our family and we did not feel we should just give him up.
On weekends we wanted to play golf, go out to dinner etc. We felt so guilty!
We went away a lot. We put him in kennels. For the last two years of his life my husband was retired and he finally had what he wanted all along.
With Maddy she has had the attention and time from day one. We don't go away because I am working away all week so we stay put. I know it makes a difference. Yes, you can dedicate your time to them after work. But be prepared for guilt when you don't come home at night and stay home. Be prepared for guilt when you leave them on a weekend day after they have been alone during the week. This is just my opinion. But I do think you should think about it very carefully and decide what you will be prepared to give up. Of course you can do it. Just know what you are letting yourself in for. I wish you the best of luck in whatever choice you make. If you decide to get a cav you will definitely find support here.
Pam

I think what a lot of people are saying is right. People who work fulltime can definitely be loving cavie owners. You just need to make a few adjustments and be committed to sorting out a situation which is best for the dog.

My hubby and I both worked fulltime when we started our cavie family. When we first got Fergus I was working days and hubby working nights. He had someone with him all the time. And for the first year of his life with hubbys shift work he was never alone for more than about 3-4 hours which worked well.

When we both were doing days we enlisted the help of my parents who are semi retired to look after him. Then we got Cooper last year and we were either home with him initially or they were with my parents. When there were 2 of them they had each other as companions and we felt a little more comfortable leaving them alone togther. They have a doggie door into a very secure yard so we have no accidents. However we still made sure that they went to my parents regularly so they didn't have too much time alone.

It's funny, on weekdays when hubby leaves for work they settle themselves on their beds and don't make a fuss at all. But if we dare to leave for even 20 mins on a evening or weekend they are not happy. It's like they know workdays they have some alone time, but any other time is all about them..which is pretty much true. We'd rather spend the weekends playing with our boys than going out.

cooper&fergus said:

It's funny, on weekdays when hubby leaves for work they settle themselves on their beds and don't make a fuss at all. But if we dare to leave for even 20 mins on a evening or weekend they are not happy. It's like they know workdays they have some alone time, but any other time is all about them..which is pretty much true. We'd rather spend the weekends playing with our boys than going out.

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That is so true! Our yorkie would sit and watch us leave on a weekday with no complaint. On an evening or weekend though he ran to the door with us and barked at us. It's as if he knew "suits=I can't go" but jeans = I should be going.

Sorry to resurrect an old post, however, I'm a prospective cavalier owner and am attempting to pre-plan before diving into puppyhood. It's not too late to decide not to get a puppy. I'm shocked so many of you have 8 week old puppies, in Texas that is almost unheard of if buying from a reputable breeder the minimum is 10 weeks. We leave the house at 6am, come home for 30 min at 11:30am and then back to work and home for the day at 4pm. My plan is to ask the breeder to keep my puppy to 12 weeks (Even if I have to pay her for a week or two of kennel), then take a couple days off work so that the puppy is closer to 13 weeks before I leave him/her at home while I work. When I'm at work I want to use a small ex-pen with just enough room for a bed and a puppy pad (the breeder will have started pad and doggy door/outdoor training already) and take the puppy out for lunch. I also intend to install a doggy door. I have a small secure yard in a new suburban neighborhood (meaning no forests or wooded areas nearby, we don't even have squirrels), I wouldn't rule out nocturnal animals though so the doggy door would be locked at night. It does not snow here, this year it only froze twice, I think it dipped below 32 for about 2 hours just before dawn twice, so mild weather that I wouldn't be worried about my dog helping herself outside as needed through the doggy door. That being said even a 13 week old puppy I think is too little to be alone outside even in a secure situation like I have with indoor and outdoor cameras ect. So I'll probably rely on coming home at lunch and puppy pads for accidents till he's a year old.

Have any of you relied on a doggy door to accommodate working full-time? At what age did you start relying on it so that you didn't have to come home at lunch? Thanks!