Is it bad to leave your dog home alone for more than 10 1/2 hours? Do people train adult dogs to "go" in a crate or something if the owner will be away at work for hours? I don't have a dog, but want to get one in the future. I might get a cat, but I'm allergic.

Leaving your dog home alone is cruel, especially if you work all the time. Get a lizard.

Yeah, it's bad. Dogs have needs and shouldn't have to spend that much time in a crate, and forcing them to go to the bathroom in that same crate is pretty horrible. Sounds like you can't take on a dog right now.

Efan said:

maybe they can have 2 crates...
yeah, it's impossible to have one right now....and I don't want to leave the dog alone that alone.

GetAwayFromMe said:

or cat???

I've been away 4 az long az 2 dayz at the time,and my dogz never mess on the floor.

I have NEVER left my dog home alone for more than 5 hours at a time. I feel its cruel to leave your animals unattended for long periods of time. If you cant take care of them, dont get them.

Dogs are like kids, they require alot of care and attention.

amorbella said:

My dog can be home alone for a day, he has the whole backyard full of stuff to play with, and a few comfy nooks he likes to sleep in. If we go away, he stays with my inlaws or with a housesitter.

ZombieKitten said:

Please, never NEVER leave a dog alone in a crate for that amount of time.

Never.

My dog is never left alone. He either stays with family or he is with me.

No pet should be left for no more than 4 hours at a time.....any long s cruel and you are just aaking for trouble

It's not a good idea to leave pets alone for Hrs. I used to put the T.V. or Radio on for them to keep them company. Never Go On A Trip and Leave Them Alone. I know someone who did and his Cats died shortly afterward and one of his dogs also.

sexxydancer said:

that's unbelievable.

ThreadBare said:

Well trained.

Have family, neighbours and friends look after animal. Or look into a pet daycare.

Can you hold your pee, and go without food and water for 10 hrs or more? That's cruel. The humane society could charge you for neglect and cruelty.

.
[Edited 3/15/09 21:52pm]

sexxydancer said:

Do they have a doggie door???

So much of how appropriate leaving a dog alone is really depends on the temperament of the animal. Some are fine being solitary, some need constant company. A lot of people who expect to be out of the house for lengths of time get two dogs to keep each other company.

And yeah, you can crate train a dog, or teach it to only go in the bathroom, or whichever works best.

Depends on the dog on how long you can leave it. Ours sleeps in his crate from 9pm to 7-730am. He takes himself to bed when he wants to go. Given he goes that long at night on occasional times we will leave him 7 or 8hrs during the day but that is very rare, he is fine on it but does crave a good run and company when we return. Any more than that and it is kennel or dog sitter.

sexxydancer said:

excuse me but unless you have a doggie door so they can go into the garden
that's simply cruel.

it's not a matter of being well trained. 80% of dogs that are housebroke
will not pee or poo on your floor if they're alone, no matter if you're
gone for an hour or 2 days.

however, imagine what it must feel like for the dog who normally gets to
go out at least twice a day (pref 3 times a day) to relieve themselves?
that's just cruel.

peacenlovealways said:

the only possible option would be an older dog from the pound who is able
to be alone for long runs and who will just sleep when you're gone.

under no circumstances should you get a puppy when you're gone that long.
firstly because you won't housebreak a dog if you can't spend the first
few weeks just training them and keeping an eye on them. secondly because
it is incredibly cruel to leave a puppy alone for that long since it will
not only bewilder and estrange them but also fuck them up for later.

a dog needs a lot of time and care invested in them during the first six
months or so to make sure they will grow up to be stable and collected
for the rest of their life.

i was asked about that by someone this weekend when i was in town having
dinner with a friend and my dog was with me (90% of the time he is).

the person wanted to know if the dog wasn't a hindrance to me since i'd
taken it with me. wtf? lol.

i was like "listen, i made a conscious decision to get a dog and i spent
time teaching it and nurturing it. he's now clever and adapted and when
i leave and it's at all possible he comes with me because you'll never
even notice he's there and he can just tag along and he's happy as long
as he's with me and watching people etc".

he can stay at home for up to 8 hours if he has to but it's just never
been a problem for me to take him along, i like having him around.

but i also have the added bonus of being able to take him to work with
me. he just sleeps on his cushion next to my desk. some days he doesn't
feel like it and he'll just stay at home all day etc.

anyway, dogs just need a lot of time and care, even if they are older
and well taught. they're an integral part of your family imo. when you
think about getting one you have to consider that it can get 10-16 yrs
old and will force you to stay at home or go home early on occasion or
arrange for someone to take them for walks or feed them when you have
stuff on your hands like house parties, clubbing, funerals, hospital
visits, holidays, a new relationship, having a baby etc etc etc.

you can leave a cat at home and just shut the door and come home 12 hours
later but a dog needs you to be there regularly.

long story short: get a cat unless you are willing to really take
care of a dog.

IstenSzek said:

I agree. Damn....that pisses me off.

peacenlovealways said:

No

GetAwayFromMe said:

well like i said, it depends. i guess in these kind of cases you should
just visit some animal shelters and get like an older cat who sleeps a
lot but who will still appreciate it when they can curl up on your lap
at the end of the day when you're home and relax in front of the tv.

or take 2 older cats who don't crave that much attention and can just
get along all day until you're home and they can purr up on the couch
with you for a few hours of tlc.

the people at the shelter will be able to advise them about it and tell
them exactly what animal might be suited.

especially older animals who might sleep a lot during the day and not
be very active apart from a few hours at night and some cuddling, they
might be very much suited, especially since they have a very small
chance at adoption anyway since most people want more active animals.

anyway, my advise is think about it carefully and if peacenlovealways is
really serious about having a cat they should just go to the shelter
and get some advise there.
[Edited 3/16/09 9:41am]

Get a worm and keep it in the garden.

mdiver said:

i have a fear of them...

i guess i can get a dog in 30 something years when I'm retired and not dead yet...

Do not get a dog get fish instead

peacenlovealways said:

It's a matter of opinion.

I'd just research it on like, actual dog websites.....not ask on a public forum, or your gonna get conflicting opinions.

When we first got our dog, I was home with him all day and thought it was cruel to have a dog and go off to work....but now I do it, and he's in a crate for 8 hrs a day and all night too, and he's fine.