Dog Community

Best option for a dog at home during the day while we are at work

Posted : 5/21/2006 2:14:09 PM

My boyfriend and I are moving into an apartment with a yard on June 15th in Brooklyn, NY.

He and his dog are moving to NYC to live with me, they are coming from upstate New York.
At the moment, in his current home, Tyson (our 7mo. APBT) has people home with him most days.

We are concerned that he is not going to have anyone to let him out during the day, and spend a little time with him.

We are considering a few options.

#1: A dog walker. We would have a dog walker come every day for 1/2 hr - 1hr. This is a reasonable option, but the cost would become a lot.

#2: Leave him in the yard during the day (only during the day, he would not generally be an outside dog) so that he can play around a bit and relieve himself at his own convenience.

#3: I could probably come home during my lunch hour and be able to spend about 25-30 minutes (my hour lunch minus travel time) with him. Take him out, play a bit, etc.

Im guessing the reply is going to be option # 3, which I think is probably best too, but I was looking for some opinions.

Thanks!

griffinej5

Posted : 5/21/2006 2:31:30 PM

I'd go with option #1 or #3. Leaving him in the yard all day isn't a safe option for a variety of reasons, but I won't get into all of that unless you really want me to. How long will you be gone? Is it a short enough time to just leave him crated?

alieliza

Posted : 5/21/2006 3:02:01 PM

Thanks for the reply. I am wary of leaving him in the yard. I can imagine the dangers, but wouldn't mind if you shared your thoughts on them.

We would be gone from 7 or 8 to 3:30. I think it is too long to leave him crated. Also, a doggy door (if we left him free in the house) is not an option.

Upon further thought, I guess if we could arrange it we could combine options 1 & 3, getting a dog walker a few times a week.

pumaward

Posted : 5/21/2006 3:27:33 PM

I would be wary because of a variety of things. Most notibly, someone poisoning him... also, he looks like an ABPT, so I would be worried about someone stealing him and using him for fighting.

willowchow

Posted : 5/21/2006 3:32:03 PM

I'm a pet sitter and I've got a few clients who split it up like that. I'll come Tuesday, Thursday and they take care of it the rest of the week or something like that.

griffinej5

Posted : 5/21/2006 3:43:41 PM

In addition to what Puma said, i'd worry about him digging under the fence or jumping over it if left in the yard alone.

willowchow

Posted : 5/21/2006 3:46:06 PM

Yeah, I agree with the others. I don't think he should be left outside if nobody is going to be home especially for that length of time.

denise_m

Posted : 5/21/2006 4:01:08 PM

I think combining a dog walker and trips home for lunch is a good option to start with. Is your dog crate trained? If not you might consider blocking off a room like the kitchen so he is confined from the whole apartment while you are away. At 7 months, I would worry about giving him free run of the place. Puppies can get into a lot of trouble, not to mention the dangers. In a year or so it will be much easier. A real good run in the morning and your 2 year old dog might be good until 3pm. Dogs are pretty good at adapting to new situations! Good luck!

Minty_Pups

Posted : 5/21/2006 4:40:10 PM

I dont think leaving him in a crate from 8-3:30 would be much of a problem. It's probably the cheapest and safest way to keep your dog when he's alone. It might take some getting used to, but most dogs don't have a problem being crated that long.

Maybe you and your boyfriend can arrange it so one of you go to work a little bit later, and the other come home a little earlier. Coming home during lunch is a good idea too. But I would still keep him in a crate while you're away. If you really don't like crates, you could try confining him to a bathroom using a babygate across the door. This way you can leave water and chew toys in the bathroom with him while you're gone.

As long as you play with him in the morning before you leave, he'll probably spend the whole time sleeping anyways. When I'm home during summer, my dog would just curl up and go to sleep for most of the day.

karin

Posted : 5/21/2006 10:22:34 PM

I think that options #1 and #3 are good. I also agree that a combo of these two options would work well. Someone mentioned either crate training or gating off part of the house. That is a great idea, because at 7 months of age, he is still a puppy and may become bored and destructive while left alone during the day.

Finally I wanted to mention that since he will be moving to a new home, you may want to work on potty training 101 with him again. Even if he is reliable now, a new house, and the confusion of moving may cause a few accidents. I learned the hard way when we moved last summer. Our younger saint was 1 at the time, and I thought she was rock solid. After moving she had a few accidents, and we had to go back to basics for a few weeks until she was back on a regular potty schedule.

loveukaykay

Posted : 5/21/2006 11:34:04 PM

Reasons I would be afraid to leave him outside are that someone could steal him, poison him, just plain taunt him - throw things at him and stuff like that, he could dig out or jump out (even though he may be well behaved you never know if he may go after a cat or something), extreme heat or cold or rain... just plain more comfy inside.

Nic

Posted : 5/22/2006 12:02:07 AM

I come home for lunch which gives Chow about 25 minutes
to go outside and play. It breaks up his day and this schedule
has worked great for us. It's also a good excuse to get out of
business lunches.

ron2

Posted : 5/22/2006 5:41:19 AM

I have a house with a huge backyard. My wife and I both work and our dog, Shadow, may be out in the yard for up to 8 hours. A neighbor across the street keeps an eye on everything. There's not much we can do about it. And he seems okay. He's tall enough and strong enough to jump the fence but he doesn't do it, since we spoil him rotten every other chance.

And though it may not seem fair that he has to be in the yard for so long, the other option with his previous owners was euthanasia out of pure spite and meanness in an extremely dysfunctional family.

So, whatever you can work out will be fine, since it is all done with love and care. I worry a bit for your pittie, since they are often stolen to be used in fights in some parts of the country.

alieliza

Posted : 5/22/2006 1:23:33 PM

Thank you all for your help. This is why I love these forums!!!!! Your advice is priceless.

I think I am going to shoot for going home during lunch time, possibly alternated with a reliable, trustworthy, dependable dog walker, if we can find such a thing!

Thanks again!

heather muroski

Posted : 5/22/2006 11:15:33 PM

doggy day care . if your doggie is neutered. I work at a dog day care and dog's love it, plus there are a TON in new york.