Left Too Long?

[nina]

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i havent bred for a number of years now and i did say that i would probably have a problem with it now as circumstances have changed a lot and people now both have to work as the price of housing has risen tremendously in the last few years.but ill be perfectly honest,i ALWAYS had a waiting list for pups and i could pick and choose where they went.i very rarely advertised as my pups were sold by word of mouth.i even sold a pup to a lady vet in southern ireland and the ladys friends who were vets over here recommended me to her.that pup had a fab home and she used to send me pics of him running on the beach.he was taken to work with her every day and was never alone.i had the time,money and room to keep pups and to run them on if neccessary.i didnt work, my full time job was looking after my dogs.a luxury i know.most folk i sold my pups too were young married couples,some already with children,some not,some worked part time and the pup would only be alone for a couple of hours which i didnt have a problem with.in a few cases the wife worked longer than a couple of hours but mum lived across the road or round the corner and would be helping out with the pup.in those cases i actually went to meet mum and check she knew what she was taking on and that it wouldnt be a problem.i always made them sign a contract saying the dog would be given back to me if there was any change in circumstances.i still get xmas cards and letters from my puppy people and over the years ive sold a second pup to couples whose first dog has died of old age.they said they wouldnt dream of going elsewhere.maybe cos i was always available to my puppy people as i believed that the job wasnt finished once the cheque was cashed and the dog paid for.i used to tell them to mither me and to always ring me if anything was wrong or if they had any problems or even if they just wanted to chat.i think by doing this and making sure i was available that folk felt they could trust me and give me a ring if there was anything they werent sure of or if they had any questions they wanted to ask.i always used to put this on the diet sheet and instructions making sure they knew they werent mithering as that pup was bred by me and i felt a lifelong commitment towards it and its family.by doing this a lot of small, simple problems were sorted before they became big problems. :thumbsup:

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Exactly what i call a RESPONSIBLE BREEDER :thumbsup:

 

[kim & Tilly]

My neighbour has just bought a jack russell puppy 6 wks old had it a fortnight so now he is 8wks old.  She goes to work around 8am then comes home around 12 ish for 15mins then he is left alone again until 4-4.30ish.  I think it is a shame for the poor wee might it is a terribly long day for such a baby to be left surely.  Or is it just me?

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Just a quick question....how did you know it was 6 weeks old when she brought it home, you said you dont talk to her?

Also you didnt mention in your first post she has a OH and kids.....

I work full time and Oh works full time one week we are opposite me 7-3 him 1-10pm, the other he is 6 - 2 im 9 - 6.....

I have two whippets and they are put outside in the run they have a nice inside bit and cusions outside for sunning.....

I love my dogs but we have to work, to pay for their needs and the kids and mine and OH's

Should we not have dogs? or kids? i dont see them all day sometime from one day to the next

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What I said was that she is the kind of person that only speaks e.g says hi if it suits her and by that I mean she can be coming out of her car the same time as I am coming out of mine and she purposely totally blanks you. I knew it was six weeks as it wandered into my front garden and I handed him back over and I said what a tiny puppy and she told me his age.

I don't think anyone is saying that anyone should not have dogs or kids if they work, only that a tiny puppy being left all day is a bit of a shame. I am sure many young/older dogs get left in the house when people work.

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Fair enough

oh and i meant i dont see the kids from one day to the next not the dogs (w00t)

 

[buffyrannoch]

I have a few things to add to this thread - Im one of those unfortunate people who have to work full time, although i do have an hour at lunch to come home and be with the gang, when Im not at work, I spend almost all of my time with my three, walking them, cuddling them, taking them racing etc, they sleep with me, so I think they have a great life, a friend of mine has a dog, and she doesnt work, she has three kids, and a husband, so there is always someone there, however, the dog doesnt go on big walks in the countryside, and isnt the centre of attention due to the children etc , and wasnt well socialised at all, ( they really shouldnt have got a dog in my opinion), but in theory they would be better dog owners than me becasue they are in all day?? so how do you judge quality of life for a dog ? surley not by the amount of hours its alone ?

 

[nina]

I have a few things to add to this thread - Im one of those unfortunate people who have to work full time, although i do have an hour at lunch to come home and be with the gang, when Im not at work, I spend almost all of my time with my three, walking them, cuddling them, taking them racing etc, they sleep with me, so I think they have a great life, a friend of mine has a dog, and she doesnt work, she has three kids, and a husband, so there is always someone there, however, the dog doesnt go on big walks in the countryside, and isnt the centre of attention due to the children etc , and wasnt well socialised at all, ( they really shouldnt have got a dog in my opinion), but in theory they would be better dog owners than me becasue they are in all day?? so how do you judge quality of life for a dog ? surley not by the amount of hours its alone ?

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Only MY opinion here BUT NO i always do a homecheck, suss out the situation & go from there.

Being home all day is just ONE priority to ME. IF you then have a houseful of children that are then going to demand your every attention defeats the object totally.

I think if you use common sense, assess the situation thoroughly you wont go far wrong :thumbsup:

Having a rather fragile Toy Breed, i personally have NEVER sold a pup to anyone with young children BUT this is just my perocative & its up to everyone to make their own choices :thumbsup:

 

[kris]

as nina says you have to assess each individual on their own merits.we all know folk who are at home but whos dogs dont have a great life and i personally once sold a puppy to a lady from manchester who lived in a flat.she walked that dog and spent far more time with it precisely because she lived in a flat so she felt she had to make the effort to take her dog out more.as i say each person is individual and has to be judged accordingly. :thumbsup:

 

[05whippet]

whippet05 - in answer to your earlier questions.
When i got Nelly myself and my partner were in full-time employment.  My partner worked shifts however so some days Nelly was alone for only an hour.  The days when our shifts were the same (9-5) I came home every lunch time for 45 minutes and took Nelly to the park (behind the flat - yep we lived in a flat too (runs for cover)).  As I work out in the community I was also able to call home whenever possible (in between meeting clients) to ensure she was ok, let her out, play with her ect.

Being in a flat (and having park behind) actually meant that Nelly was usually taken to the park many times a day (if it wasnt raining - heaven forbid i hear Nelly say. lol) and not just outside to pee.  Having never owned a dog previously (and bieng in a flat) i was constantly panicking that I was dong what was best for her.  In fact she was probably sick of bieng taken out. lol.

I was however VERY aware of our working hours and concerned that she was being looked after properly, so literally at every opportunity I was home with her, even if (apart from lunch) it was only a 20 min stop.

She was socialised with our pet friendly mates and their pets from a very young age and initially I took time off work to get her used to her new environment.

Im now living in a house with large yard and have aquired a lovely greyhound too.  They love each other v much.  We call home whenever possible during the day and evenings are spent in the park.  Weekends too are spent in the park or at the beach, and visits to my parents who have lots of land are an occassional weekend treat loved by them both.  In fact they sometimes go just for holidays - my parents love em to bits.

When we are not in the park they are playing in the yard with us, lounged on sofas with us, at friends houses with us or snuggled under our duvet.

My partner now is self employed so time spent with them does increase as time goes on. I would love to work less hours and I would love a large garden but until finances allow this isnt gonna happen.  This doesn't alter however the fact that they are happy, secure, spoilt and adored.

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Thankyou for that insight,your dogs sound very lucky to have such caring owners BUT I was however aiming my question more at people who cant get home and therfore the pup would be left from early morning until tea-time.By the way on the days when you could only get home at luchtime and she was left from the morning until then which is what? 4hrs or so,did she go on the floor or hold it in? I am only asking as my pups dont seem to go that length of time without weeing.

 

[05whippet]

Some of my best friends have been made thru selling them a pup............... and you know who you are :huggles: :huggles:

 

[nina]

Some of my best friends have been made thru selling them a pup............... and you know who you are :huggles: :huggles:

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:- " 8)

 

[*Lesley*]

I have a few things to add to this thread - Im one of those unfortunate people who have to work full time, although i do have an hour at lunch to come home and be with the gang, when Im not at work, I spend almost all of my time with my three, walking them, cuddling them, taking them racing etc, they sleep with me, so I think they have a great life, a friend of mine has a dog, and she doesnt work, she has three kids, and a husband, so there is always someone there, however, the dog doesnt go on big walks in the countryside, and isnt the centre of attention due to the children etc , and wasnt well socialised at all, ( they really shouldnt have got a dog in my opinion), but in theory they would be better dog owners than me becasue they are in all day?? so how do you judge quality of life for a dog ? surley not by the amount of hours its alone ?

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I understand what you're saying there Jill, there are peole out there who dont work or have kids and the dogs still might not get a blind bit of attenion, it doesn't always follow that because person is home 24/7 that the dog will have a better life,I'd be happy for you to have one of my puppies anyday :huggles: if I ever have any and if I could part with them :b

 

[quintessence]

Well this thread has made me feel a heel for even contemplating having a dog and going to work. Sometimes I don't know whether I'm on my heels or my head in juggling everything, but I manage and my dogs are well cared for, well exercised and most importantly well loved by myself and all my family.

Some very good friends of mine have what many would consider a top show kennel. Their dogs are all kennelled, they do not come into the house at all, the kennels are closed and locked early in the evening, most weeks the dogs are put into a 'purpose fitted' van and carted off all over the country to attend shows, when they are at the show they are usually crated. Oh I forgot to add they are both at home and neither of them work. I think I prefer the way I look after my dogs and given the opportunity to answer I think Sparky and Dylan would prefer to be curled up with me on the settee at 9 pm every evening and not locked away in some state of the art kennel block. I do my very best in looking after my dogs and providing for my family and wish with all my heart I could turn back the clock and kept a dog when all those years I thought that you couldn't have a dog and go to work because you can. Just my opinion.

 

[*Lesley*]

I think this thread has proven that it's a bit unrealistic to try to home puppies in a home where: someone doesn't work but must have loads of money to start with because they don't need to work, doesn't have any children( some Iggy owners would prefer no children from reading posts),this is the only time I didn't work while my son was small, retired people who are young enough to handle a puppy :unsure:

I don't know anyone personally who meets this criteria.

 

[buffyrannoch]

I have a few things to add to this thread - Im one of those unfortunate people who have to work full time, although i do have an hour at lunch to come home and be with the gang, when Im not at work, I spend almost all of my time with my three, walking them, cuddling them, taking them racing etc, they sleep with me, so I think they have a great life, a friend of mine has a dog, and she doesnt work, she has three kids, and a husband, so there is always someone there, however, the dog doesnt go on big walks in the countryside, and isnt the centre of attention due to the children etc , and wasnt well socialised at all, ( they really shouldnt have got a dog in my opinion), but in theory they would be better dog owners than me becasue they are in all day?? so how do you judge quality of life for a dog ? surley not by the amount of hours its alone ?

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I understand what you're saying there Jill, there are peole out there who dont work or have kids and the dogs still might not get a blind bit of attenion, it doesn't always follow that because person is home 24/7 that the dog will have a better life,I'd be happy for you to have one of my puppies anyday :huggles: if I ever have any and if I could part with them :b

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:huggles: :thumbsup: Cheers Lesley

 

[Janimal]

I can see there are some very valid points of view on here - I also work about 4 hours a day about 3 days a week. but when mine were puppies my dad used to come along and let them in the garden till I home, so I was very lucky.

but..... the original post was about this little pup only 8 weeks old being left - I still dont agree with a puppy being left that long. They could have made allowances for it till it was at least 4-5 months old then started leaving it slightly longer and longer.

In my opinion this is still far too long for a puppy to be left, poor mite - put yourself in his shoes and imagine how hes feeling.

 

[kirsty]

I think this thread has proven that it's a bit unrealistic to try to home puppies in a home where: someone doesn't work but must have loads of money to start with because they don't need to work, doesn't have any children( some Iggy owners would prefer no children from reading posts),this is the only time I didn't work while my son was small, retired people who are young enough to handle a puppy :unsure:
I don't know anyone personally who meets this criteria.

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I personally think it is good to bring kids up with animals. If you are a caring responsible parent you will surely teach the child to respect and be gentle with the puppy/kitten. In fact after reading all the posts surely this is one of the best times to get a puppy as you are home a lot with the baby or young child then as it goes to nursery/school and you do either work part time or up your hours to full time then the puppy will have grown up more as well and not need as much supervision and will be ok when left? My son has always since he was a baby been taught to treat animals gently and with kindness, but there again that is how I was brought up so I suppose it is just what I would teach him to do. I know there are many people that work full time that get doggy walkers to go in at lunch time and take the dog out. I suppose thast is another way of doing it

 

[jok]

I think this thread has proven that it's a bit unrealistic to try to home puppies in a home where: someone doesn't work but must have loads of money to start with because they don't need to work, doesn't have any children( some Iggy owners would prefer no children from reading posts),this is the only time I didn't work while my son was small, retired people who are young enough to handle a puppy :unsure:
I don't know anyone personally who meets this criteria.

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I personally think it is good to bring kids up with animals. If you are a caring responsible parent you will surely teach the child to respect and be gentle with the puppy/kitten. In fact after reading all the posts surely this is one of the best times to get a puppy as you are home a lot with the baby or young child then as it goes to nursery/school and you do either work part time or up your hours to full time then the puppy will have grown up more as well and not need as much supervision and will be ok when left? My son has always since he was a baby been taught to treat animals gently and with kindness, but there again that is how I was brought up so I suppose it is just what I would teach him to do. I know there are many people that work full time that get doggy walkers to go in at lunch time and take the dog out. I suppose thast is another way of doing it

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Kirsty, i agree with you with regards to children and dogs. We had Chloe when my son, Conor was born and have since got the two Whippets. Conor is growing up to love and respect animals. He absolutely adores all three of the dogs, and they love him too. They all snuggle up together in the big bed, it's adorable. Conor is 21 months old but he knows that he must stroke them gently etc. He has never ever been rough with them because he has been brought up to know how to treat them correctly. Also, he is not scared of dogs which loads of kids seem to be now.

 

[Jan Doherty]

I have a few things to add to this thread - Im one of those unfortunate people who have to work full time, although i do have an hour at lunch to come home and be with the gang, when Im not at work, I spend almost all of my time with my three, walking them, cuddling them, taking them racing etc, they sleep with me, so I think they have a great life, a friend of mine has a dog, and she doesnt work, she has three kids, and a husband, so there is always someone there, however, the dog doesnt go on big walks in the countryside, and isnt the centre of attention due to the children etc , and wasnt well socialised at all, ( they really shouldnt have got a dog in my opinion), but in theory they would be better dog owners than me becasue they are in all day?? so how do you judge quality of life for a dog ? surley not by the amount of hours its alone ?

You are not unfortunate in that you have to work full time you are in the majority :thumbsup:

I work full time although I work odd hours and I can plan to work from home at least twice a week most weeks. Some days I am out of the house 4 hours max or I am out for up to 10 hours. On the long days a friend comes in to check the dogs and play with them in the garden, although I believe that on most occassions she stands in the garden alone calling the dogs whilst they stare at her out of the window.

Just because you work doesnt mean you are uncaring its how you manage your absences that counts.

I do sell Iggy pups to people with children but the children would have to be vetted as much as the parents and home. Some of my best homes are with children. I also home to older people for whom this may be their last dog but again the conditions are that if the person dies before the dog does the dog will come back to me what ever their age and I have to keep that in mind when I consider the amount of dogs I currently keep.

There are no hard and fast rules about anything to do with dog ownership, As a breeder you set your own criteria about who you sell to but your opinions may not be everyone elses, live and let live.

As I sit here now the dogs are all laid around me watching me because they know that this is the time I will need to have a break from the computer and they will get their walk.

After that I wont hear from them again until teatime.

I ahve also reared litters of puppies whilst working full time and I dont think they have turned out too bad if the greatr Zoomie is anything to go by (w00t)

 

[Vanna]

As many people have said, all responsible breeders agonise about their puppies' homes - we all do. However hard we try though, circumstances change and we can't always get it right. From my own experience the home I was least certain of has turned out one of the best - a family with 2 children, daughter loved coming to see the pups and went straight into their pen. The little boy was wary and cried if more than one dog came up to him. When they took the puppy home he refused to come downstairs the first morning. (Of course there was a contract saying that the pup would come back to me and the first few days were a trial and if things didn't work out he was coming straight back). 2 years later they got a 2nd whippet and BOTH children are now going into Junior Handling classes at Exemption shows (and each has a whippet to cuddle in bed at night!)

On the other hand, one pup went to a retired lady who's husband had just died, followed a few weeks later by their old dog. She and her husband had decided that their next dog would be a fawn whippet bitch and had even chosen a name for her. Sounds ideal. The pup went with the usual agreement that she would come back to me. I knew that she had got a companion for the bitch a year later, but lost touch. When she was about 5 years old, she suddenly appeared in Whippet Rescue with her companion. The lady had a new partner, had moved to Spain and decided that there was no place in her life for the 2 whippets! (And had forgotten/lost the paper she signed saying that the bitch should come back to me!)

Now, before everyone jumps on me, I'm not saying that people shouldn't check out homes, of course we should, but however hard we try, it doesn't always end up the way we expect!

 

[Nicola]

I think it is unfair to leave a very young pup on it's own all day whilst the owner/s are at work. However, saying that, I think it is unfair of breeders not to home pups to families that work. They just have to reassure themselves that steps have been taken to ensure the pup doesn't suffer initially i.e. will someone look after them for half an hour at lunch time and will the prospective owner take time off work to settle them into their routine? Is there already an established dog, if not, would they consider two pups for company (not ideal, but surely better than one on it's own)? Can a neighbour or family member help out initially?

I think adult dogs being left on their own isn't such an issue (or getting a pup to join an already established dog in the household), as they get used to a routine and come to accept it. Also, I agree with Jill, in that they tend to get more attention during times when the owner is around, as the owner usually wants to make up for the fact they've been left on their own (speaking from my own experience).

I used to leave my adult dogs on their own 5 days a week (OH now works shifts so things have changed), and they have been well behaved and non-destructive, and everything was as I left it on returning home from when I went to work in the morning (and they weren't caged either).

 

[alfie]

You are not unfortunate in that you have to work full time you are in the majority :thumbsup:

I ahve also reared litters of puppies whilst working full time and I dont think they have turned out too bad if the greatr Zoomie is anything to go by (w00t)

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Same here- anyone who has met my Iggy Alice will agree that she is a very well adjusted and happy little member of the canine community, and I was working full time when she and her littermates were reared!

I have to say that Auntie Jan helped a lot, popping in to feed or check on puppies, as I did for her :thumbsup:

My dogs have a routine, they know when I am about to go out- the IGs go straight to their beds when they see me preparing to leave! o

They have access to my large garden through the dog flap, and in the hot weather they just lay around in the sun like corpses all day! 8)

At the moment I am at home all day due to my broken foot, and the dogs' routine is just the same- Whippets basking in the sun all day, IGs dividing their time between the garden and their sleeping bags! :huggles:

Having said this- I would never condone leaving a tiny puppy on its own all day- I wouldn't even like to leave an adult dog home alone all day without the company of other dogs.

I think a lot depends on the breed and temperament of the dog as well- I could never imagine leaving an extremely active breed alone all day, but I think in general that Whippets are lazy and docile enough to adapt to that lifestyle quite happily :thumbsup:

Liz and the Monellis