I'm thinking of getting a Lab pup but I don't want to be cruel by leaving it on its own too much!

I currently have exams so would be able to pop back home every 3-4 hours, and then after my exams and then after about 3 weeks, I will be home for a good 2 and a half months. Then I will be starting work full time, it will be 3 months old then but I don't know how long I can leave it alone then either? I would be leaving roughly at 8.30am and my brothers would be home at 3.45
Is that too long?
Is there another type of dog more suitable for this lifestyle?
It would be a family environment and get the right amount of exercise I just want to make sure I'm not in any way cruel,
Would greatly appreciate comments!
Thanks
Xxx

We have routinely left 7 week olds 4-5 hours. Doing so, expect a few accidents. I don't like that 7+ hours a day at the end of the summer. I don't have any hard data to back my feeling up. I know many dogs are left that long or longer. You may be able to find a neighbor or professional dog walker to give it a mid day break. Doggy daycare, if available, may be pricey for a student.

Dogs are individuals and not all members of a breed are alike. Many Labs do fine with down time. It may have to do with importance of staying quiet in the boat or blind until the ducks were shot. Labs that jumped up and barked at the wrong time may have taken a swift exit from the gene pool. Browse the sticky for help with any puppy, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251802

We always left our dogs outside when we were gone for extended hours. With adequate food, shelter and water of course. But we had a privacy fenced yard. We just made sure there was a cool dry place to rest and put plenty of toys for them to keep occupied. I don't know if this was technically the right thing to do, but it seemed miserable to me to stay cooped up alone in a crate all day where you could have accidents and be forced to sit in those accidents...

I feel sorry for dogs left out in the heat, cold, rain, etc. They are also vulnerable to theft, cruel children, and predators. They can annoy neighbors by barking or escape. The dog guide school that I raise puppies for forbids us to leave them outside when away or at night. I know of one case where they took a dog away from somebody because it was sleeping outside at night in a kennel.

I don't see a problem with leaving a young pup that is properly crated alone for 3 - 4 hours, even 4 or 5 at times. They sleep a lot when young anyhow. After you being home all summer then leaving it in excess of 7 hours you may find that's too long. Do you have a neighbour, friend or family member that can come over, take the pup for a walk and play time, then back home through the day? I also like labman's suggestion of a doggie daycare because many labs are high energy, curious dogs and something like that will be a bonus to fulfilling those needs.

Also, are you prepared to invest a lot of time exercising the pup when you do come home, enrolling in a good obedience class, practicing training, socializing the pup, etc. That will be an important part of the day once you are home. Think of it as similar to having a 2 year old child with a LOT more stamina and energy. :) The naps are longer, though!

Hope this helps.

Didi

Would adopting an older dog be a better idea in this situation?

I respect your opinions, but there is a difference between leaving a dog out 24 hours a day and leaving them out in a safe environment for a few hours.. I think it is wrong to assume that people that leave their dogs out aren't thinking about their safety. Our yard is private and secure with a locked fence , our dogs have shelter and water. There is a baby pool for them to lay in when it is hot and a covered barn for them to get intoif it starts to rain. They are never out in the snow. They can run and play with their toys. According to your logic isn't it just as cruel to keep a dog in a crate where they can not excersize accordingly or play? I believe in crates, they are a great "safe place" for a dog, although mine won't use one, but you can't keep a dog in a crate for extended periods... it isn't fair to the dog. Why even have a dog? We work 9 hours during the day, and our dogs are happy outside during that time. They come in at night and cuddle with us and get their rest. If it is bad weather they stay inside, and don't need to be crated because they behave themselves. I think depending on the person and the dog, it can be done both ways, but I am staying firm to my believe that dogs deserve to be outside.

How come no one suggested a doggy door? My 10 lb Yorkie (Guard Dog) and his two cats are free to roam in and out. I got him his cats to provide company in my absence. Since I now work out of my home, he is rarely alone. When I am gone for a few hours, he is so overjoyed at my return, one would think that I had been gone for days. Someone told me that dogs have a poor concept of time. Is this true?

A doggy door gives all the disadvantages of both outside and loose in the house.

I have to agree with the doggie door. We installed a doggie door for our lab when she was about a year old and she and the cat use it all the time. We didn't have to worry about her messing in the house while we were gone or overnight. I know many people don't think dogs should be left to their own devices in a house, but we've never had problems, even when she was a puppy. The worst she ever did was pee on the floor, and since the doggie door, she's done nothing (the cat brings us "presents", but that's another story!). I know, we're lucky! I think some dogs adjust to being loose in the house, others don't. We never crate trained and it has worked out very, very well for us.

Not that this is likely to be a popular answer, but lots of people leave their dogs alone for 8 or more hours a day while at work...

I am personally of two minds in regards to a doggie door. I think it depends upon the dog and your yard/location. The main thing that bothers me about it is that if outside, your dog could be teased and picked on by children, or get into a dangerous situation like getting a paw caught in the gate or something similar. Of course there are dogs that can scale fences, too.

There are some dogs that absolutely must be crated, especially when under 1 year old. I had never used a crate, but I did with my last dog (who died of kidney failure in September, 2005) and it worked out so well I used it with our Berner pup until he was 1 1/2 and still use it with my 2 year old chocolate lab (although with him ("Houndini") I have to put him inside a large crate inside of an extra large crate with 2 locks on each door... sigh).

As for leaving a dog alone for 8 or more hours a day while at work, of course! Many people have no choice but to leave their dogs while they work. I feel that the quality of the time spent with them when you are home is paramount. Sometimes (not too frequently) I had no choice but to leave Sam between 9 and 12 hours. She was a good dog and my best friend, and I never had a problem with her when I did. As I say, I crated her for the first year, but after that we began leaving for short periods without crating her, then gradually increased them. The cage was always available to her with the door open, and when we came home you could tell she had been sleeping there because it would still be warm to touch. It was her safe haven.

My concern with this particular pup is that the owner spoke of being at home with it for 2 or so months all the time, then having to leave it all day in the fall. This could be difficult for the dog, so I still feel that having someone come in and take the dog out for some stimulation and play would be the best idea. As I said, labs can be very high energy dogs, and if you added a little separation anxiety to that it could be devastating. If the OP does get a lab puppy I hope she will still work with leaving the dog at home for increasing periods throughout the summer so that by the time she has to leave it, the pup will be well adjusted to the change. Remember, dogs are very social animals... they live for their humans!

Didi

Thanks for all these answers guys! Its so helpful!
But if I was leaving my pup at home I would leave it in the kitchen, because it is quite big and hard floor!
There is not really anything in there she could destruct if given the chance, but is idea worse than a crate at her young age?

The reason I ended up putting my Sam in a crate (she was a part lab and husky rescue) is because when we left her in the kitchen one day for 45 minutes we came home to the floor being chewed up... 1/2 the floor was chewed! I switched to crate the next day and never looked back! :)

The lab I have now learned how to open cupboard doors (among other things) very easily. My Bernese Mountain Dog (whom I thought was such a good boy laying in the kitchen quietly after outdoor play) chewed on the chair rungs and baseboards while we thought he was sleeping! He had about 8 different teething aids, but the wood seemed to be his preference.

The reason a crate is good is because the pups quickly learn not to go to the washroom in it, so it also becomes a great way to "potty" train. In addition, as I said before, the cage becomes their own little 'haven'. If things get too noisy, or too many people are petting, playing, etc. then the dogs can retreat to their own territory. I also find a dog is more aware of their status in the home when crate trained, so all other training seems to work so much better. Remember, in the wild, canines curl up in dens, caves or other hiding spots. My dogs love their cages, actually. I leave the doors open now, but they still utilize them.

Crates seem to provide a dog with security... similar to swaddling a baby. I think they become much more stable and secure if crate trained. At least that's my experience.

Didi

There are dogs, even young Labs, that will do fine loose in the house. I frequently leave 9 month old Holly loose while working out in the garage or yard as well as the last 3 puppies before her. Then there are others.



I had to armor the service to the A/C. Kate ate the control wiring, the vapor tube insulation, and chewed a hole in the flex over the 240 volt wiring. It doesn't show in the picture, but I replaced the plastic disconnect box with a metal one. Note also the copper pipe leading out of the fence so I can leave a hose attached without it being converted to a soaker hose.

Our daughter once brought her Shepherd but not his crate. We thought all our crates were too small. He was left for a few hours. He pulled the table cloth off, shredded it, and some of the papers that were on the table. Electrical cords are a huge problem.

You get a puppy, you have no idea how it will turn out. I sometimes came home from work and found Nugget in his crate. My wife could constantly correct him for chewing misadventures or fix dinner. I could easily conclude crates aren't necessary with the run of easy puppies we have had. However, I would be wrong, just as those that think because their dog is fine, loose in the house, all dogs would be.

I certainly agree some dogs can't be left alone in the house, or left with access to the outside via a doggie door. I also agree that the best option is to have someone come in to let the dog out during the day. But for some, that's not a real possibility. In that case, you make the best of your situation and start getting the dog used to being alone in small increments so the full day doesn't come as such a shock. So when OP is home all summer, she can go to the grocery store, have lunch with a friend, go shopping, etc and get the pup used to being alone. I do have to wonder, however, if some (not all, some) of the destruction from puppies is because of boredom and they have no effective way to expel their energy. I walk my dog every day, off leash for 45 minutes to an hour. EVERY DAY; rain, snow, sleet, hurricane... I'm like the mailman but I don't take holidays off! I've done this with my dog since she was a puppy and I attribute a lot of her good behavior to this activity. My sister-in-law never takes her dogs out and they get into the trash every time they are left alone, even when they is nothing in it.

Really the only thing OP can do is get the puppy and see what sort of personality it has. My dog wasn't destructive even when she was very young, but I know many, many people who's dogs were. Sometimes you get lucky with a laid back dog, sometimes you get one riddled with anxiety and energy. There's no way to tell until you have the dog in your home. At that point, you can make decisions about how to leave it alone with a little more knowledge.