Dogs for working people

[Dan Goddard]

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I am in my mid 20s and have been looking to adopt a dog for some time. I qualify as a doctor in February and live with two other people in the same situation, so I will work quite a lot. My two flatmates are in the same situation but have different rotas. This means that some of the time there will be someone in the house, other times we can all be out at work at the same time.

I've been trying to consider all angles before I jump in to avoid making the mistake of later realising that I don't have the time. I feel I could manage a dog, provided I rehomed one who would tolerate some time alone. I've gone about my days for the last few months thinking how a dog would fit in and think about some of the things I would need to sort in order to make things work. The plan would be to hire a dog walker in the middle of the day on those days when there is nobody home.

My situation: I live in Glasgow near a huge park, but only have a small insecure garden (fine for quick toilet trips, but not for unsupervised play). I have owned energetic dogs all my life (pedigree labs and german short haired pointers) before I moved out of the family home 8 years ago, so I know the true exercise and attention requirements of dogs like these. Whilst we haven't had issues leaving our dogs at home for half a day (4-5 hrs), I would be away for longer than this so I've been thinking about different breeds who might adapt to this better than others. I would walk the dog in the morning and evenings and they would have loads of attention whenever anyone is in the flat as we have all grown up with dogs and all would all love to have one in the home. My main hobbies are camping trips for the purposes of landscape photography and fishing mainly, but I live in the city and only do this once a week or so and overnight trips are rarer. Still, they're perfect activities in my spare time to involve a dog in, which I've done in the past.

What sorts of breeds do people think might be amenable to this kind of situation? I have heard about greyhounds adapting to city life very well, but I'd be concerned that they may be too sedentary aside from brief bursts of energy, and may therefore struggle if I tried to take them away for a weekend in the hills or something. Any advice would be helpful, cheers.

PS. I also read on one site that labradoodles can become accustomed to this sort of working routine, but have read conflicting reports elsewhere, so some clarification on this would be helpful too. I'm familiar with the breed and they would be high on my list if they could tolerate my routine

 

[gypsysmum2]

I would not think that a labradoodle would suit your lifestyle. They are high energy and demand lots of attention. They can also be very noisy!

We adopted a greyhound when we were in much the same circumstances as you. We had a very active lifestyle, loved to walk and go caravanning. Gigi fitted in very well indeed, coping with long walks and with being left. Some greyhounds, however, do not like being left. Each dog would need to be judged as an individual. They often share kennels with another dog of the opposite sex. If you are used to bouncy breeds you might find a greyhound to be a bit different but that might be a good thing.

Hounds in general, are quite laid back dogs that might cope when left alone but still keep up with an active lifestyle.

Beagles might fit your requirements. They can be independent and a bit difficult to train especially with recall!

Lurchers are also worth a look at. This, as you probably know, is a cross breed with either greyhound or whippet as part of the mix.

Whippets make lovely pets but can have strong hunting instincts.

 

[Dan Goddard]

Thanks, thats very helpful. I was actually also considering Lurchers and was going to ask. I think spending some time and finding a dog that will work will be the key

 

[gypsysmum2]

Yes, I would try to find a dog rescue and volunteer there. You can then handle lots of dogs and see a bit of their character. I say a "bit" because many behaviours are suppressed or enhanced in a kennel environment. By this I mean that a stressed dog may be bouncing off the walls but will calm down a lot once re homed. Other dogs go into shut down, in kennels, and appear calm when in fact they are demons when re homed

Good rescue centres will always take a dog back and channel it to a more suitable home if it is not happy so you have a bit of a guarantee to get one that suits your lifestyle.

If you go to Dogs Trust (and maybe some others) be aware that they like you to visit several times before you are considered suitable to take one of their dogs. They do not like people to turn up and expect to go home with a dog. Be prepared to jump through all their hoops. Lots of people get upset and say that they were ready to take a dog but officialdom got in the way. It is the way they make sure that you are fully committed.

Forgot to say - Saluki lurchers, though beautiful, are considered to be very strong willed by people in the lurcher world. Our last lurcher was a Staffie/Greyhound cross and she was a super dog! I would have another in a hear beat Playful like a Staffie when you wanted her to be but laid back like a greyhound when you needed her to be.

There are lots of Staffies looking for homes too. The trouble is that, lovely dogs though they are, they have often been owned and brought up by the wrong type of person. If you find a good one they make lovely pets

 

[Carolina]

Staffies are lovely dogs, but they are not very suitable to be left alone for long periods since they are so people-oriented. They love to be by your side (or rather, climbing onto your lap, completely oblivious to their size). Like gypsymum2 says, lurchers and greyhounds tend to adapt to alone-time better. While they love a good sprint, they are also real couch potatoes and tend to sleep a lot during the day.

Having said that, I strongly believe that no dog should be left for longer than 4 hours, regardless of breed. I personally use a doggy daycare for my dog (a staffy cross) on the days I am out all day. She absolutely loves it there. Always do your research before hiring a daycare/dogwalker though, it is not a very regulated business so while there are some great ones out there, there are also plenty of bad ones.

Good luck in your adoption search!

 

[Donlin]

In my experience of one, a whippet they may work out well for you - after a walk of an hour or so he's happy to be left for 4-5 hours as an adult. In fact I'm mostly at home and he spends a lot of time sleeping.

But they do have a reputation for separation anxiety.

You might want to ask on the whippet chat forum how common this is and whether it can be predicted.