Owning A Whippet And Working

[Minky]

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As those who have read my very first post will know I have recently started to think about getting another Whippie at some point in the future. I just wonder if anyone works and leaves their Whippet(s) at home?

I work part time, but would have to leave any doggie at home (with a walk/toilet break at lunchtime) on the days I work. I wonder if this is practical or even fair? What does everyone think? Ideally when the time is right I will be looking for an adult, cat and child friendly Whippie, so I suppose I will 'know what I'm getting' when it comes to how they are to be left, although after looking at a previous 'destructive pictures thread'......................................... :unsure:

What are people's experiences of working and owning a Whippet (if anyone does) and does anyone own a Whippe that doesn't chew everything in sight?!!!

Rachel x

 

[Suerose]

I'd be very interested in people's opinions on this one too. At the moment I daren't leave Grace for more than a couple of hours because she can be destructive when bored - chews walls, for example :rant: She has only just turned 12 months, so I'm hoping this will improve. Fortunately I work from home so I don't need to leave her much, and if I do have to go out for more than a couple of hours I get a sitter to keep an eye on her. I reckon it is probably cheaper than redecorating!

 

[em21]

Hi Rachel, welcome to k9.

I think up to 4 hours-ish is acceptable to leave an adult whippet and I think lots of people on here have a similar arrangement, going home at lunch, as far as im aware :thumbsup: Dudley is 17 weeks old and has never really been a chewer, although he has had a go at the dinning room chairs afew times :lol: So I dont think it would be to difficult to find a none chewer. I work full time, three 13.5 hour shifts a week so that leaves me with four days to spend with my best mate The three days that I am at work he goes to my mums. As he gets older, I hopefully will be able to leave him at home for a few hours so my mum can pick him up at mid morning rather than me dropping him off at mums at 6am!! I have never left him alone out of his crate either... so i suppose I have no idea what destruction he is capable of!! Although, when I leave him downstairs alone whilst I get ready he tends to just sleep or chew on a toy?

I wish you luck in your search for a whippie :luck: Im sure when the time is right, you will find what youre looking for and it will be so much fun :thumbsup:

Emma xxx

 

[AnnSa]

I work four days, sometimes if im feeling energetic i will walk the

girls before i go. My sister and daughter give them a walk at dinner

time and when i come at three the first thing i do is give them their

main run of the day.

 

Sada is really good in the house and wouldn't touch anything but K

would have anything and everything so if the weather is bad they

have to be crated in between walks until im home. But if its dry i

leave the back door open so they can go lay in the yard if they want.

 

I think they are ok to leave for a couple of hours, i dont think i

would want to leave just one though.........so you may have to get

two :lol:

I should add that Sada was just a big a menace as K until she

hit about 14 months and was crated when alone:wacko:

 

[Janimal]

I work part time too, about 4-5 hours a day, a few days a week.

When mine were puppies I didnt leave them until I knew they were settled in, and when I did I also crated mine until they could be trusted. Eventually I started leaving the crate door open.

Now mine have the run of a large utility room and hallway that leads to my garden where all three stay when we go out. The only reason they dont have run of the full house is that I also have 3 cats too...and the boys can plaque them sometimes.

I can leave mine for up to 5 hours now occasionally when we go shopping or to work etc, and they are all fine, luckily they dont chew now but just so I know they are safe too I prefer them in their room so to speak.

 

[masta]

I have a nanny for my daughter and i also sometimes work from home so 99% of the time there is always someone with my dogs but recently i had a situation were i had to leave them for 8 hours had no choice and i was fretting the whole time anyway i got expecting carnage and guess what all 3 fast asleep and not a thing out of place

 

[doris]

I work and I used to feel terribly guilty for not being there 24-7.

But then I spent a summer working weekends at a dog rescue, and I soon realised that my dogs, who have good food, good health care, other dogs to share a warm bed with and a house full of humans who loved them to bits, weren't really suffering for being left a few hours every day :- "

 

[affieluver]

I work and I used to feel terribly guilty for not being there 24-7. 
But then I spent a summer working weekends at a dog rescue, and I soon realised that my dogs, who have good food, good health care, other dogs to share a warm bed with and a house full of humans who loved them to bits, weren't really suffering for being left a few hours every day :- "

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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thats a good point :thumbsup: i work part time but am lucky enough to work 2 minutes away so i can pop home during my break my girls are fine i never left them as really young babies they went to my friends shop during the day but now i find it a bit easier because i have 2 so in some ways they are good company for each other

and if something happened that meant i couldnt get home for whatever reason i do have good friends that i trust to help me out but as alison said as long as they are well looked after i dont think they really mind being alone for a few hours and if its an older dog you want they are probably used to it to a certain point anyway good luck :luck: :luck:

 

[SJM]

We started with one whippet who was quite destructive if left alone so we got another one to keep her company. :wub:

I work full time and have now reached the stage where I can leave both dogs at home and they no longer chew...one is 18 months and the other 9 months. (They were terrible chewers until quite recently)

I leave them in the kitchen and utility where there is a dog flap to the side garden which has very high walls. There is also a kennel outdoors in case they want to lie out!

I leave them loads of toys, water inside and out, and I come home at lunchtime and we go for a little walk or I let them into the big garden for playtime. They get another longer one in the evening.

They seem very happy and chilled always pleased to see us but not anxiously so.

I didn't work full time when I got the first one but now I have to, so we found a way to make it work for us. I think crate training as pups helped. Dog flaps are wonderful too!

See...maybe you will find a whippet (or two) that won't be so destructive!

 

[Rae]

Although I work from home I also work part time so the dogs get left 4 hours a day once or twice a week. I make sure they have had a good run ie 1 hr off lead before I go, and that they are fed and have a tripe stick so they should be perfectly happy to go off to sleep while I'm out. I crate my lurcher but the rest of them have the run off all the house. (And will crate the puppy till he's a bit older if he gets left at all)

 

[whippetmad]

I work from 4am until about 9am,hubby lets them out in the morning before he goes to work.I,ve just taken on a second job but on a two hour contract,so that i can what ever hours i want to fit in with my dogs,so that they are not left for too long.So it works out quite well.

 

[Nicola]

I think setting up a good routine is key.

There are some days when both my husband and I are at work, and some days where at least one of us is at home. Irrespective of whether the dogs are alone for the day or have company, they have the same routine each day, rain or shine.

They get a walk to the park first thing in the morning. They got another walk at lunchtime (either by the person at home or by dog walker), they get a walk out as soon as i get home, and then a final trot out just before bed time. They get fed at set times so they know when to look forward to meals and when toilet breaks are.

They do have the run of the entire house now that they are trustworthy. They used to be confined to the kitchen (largest room of the house and was carpeted at the time, so no cold floors) when younger and in destructive mode :sweating: . They did grow out of this as they got older. My whippet chewed a lot, and my mini schnauzer dug up the carpet.....

It takes time and patience to get dogs into a routine, but once they know what it is they usually come to accept it, and it helps to reduce the boredom and anxiety of being alone in the day. It's funny to watch them both on days when i'm at home because they go and settle down after their morning walk and feed, thinking I'm off to work, and would barely give me a glance until lunchtime if I let them. :- "

 

[Pimmscass]

I think it is entirely possible to leave whippies at home and work... I am very lucky as neither of mine have ever been chewers....

As long as they get a good run before you leave them, and have a bone or similar to chew then you should be fine. I think it is easier to leave two then to leave just one, that way they dont get frightened of being alone...thats prob when you will get destruction derby....

I also agree with the crating though, they are one of the most precious things a whippet over can have, invaluable to training them.

My two couldnt care less at being alone, as long as they have somewhere comfortable to sleep then they will zone out for HOURS.... :thumbsup: .

So in short....get a routine going, make sure they have a good run beforehand, give them company (if possible) and hey presto you should be fine! :luck: :luck: :luck:

 

[muttz]

:huggles: I work full time but am lucky enough to go home for 45 mins at lunchtime. As long as your dogs have a good run in the morning before leaving for work, they will be fine. Routine is important and I really notice how mine act when I am on annual leave, they are quite happy to get into their beds around 8.30 in the mornings and bed down for their usual morning siesta.

Good luck with whatever you decide.