When we got Honey, we were up front with her breeder about the fact that we both worked full time - we brought it up in our initial conversation, so she knew we were aware it was an issue, but that we had thought carefully about it.
For the first few weeks, I was mainly working shift work, and OH had some time off work to settle her in, but there were times when she was left c.3 hrs from about 10weeks (we had built this up form the day we got her, so it wasn't a big shock to the system). We always made sure she was tired before leaving her, and always left her toys etc. We had a friend who helped out for lunchtimes, and I managed to work some weekends instead of weekdays for a while to give her more company.
I soon changed jobs (for reasons not related to the puppy, but we later realised that, had I stayed in the job, we wouldn't have been able to manage Honey, as it wasn't just full-time, but involved lots of extra hours), and I now do sessional work. I rarely start before 10am, normally get home for lunch, and am normally home again by 4.30pm. The days I can't get back at lunch, our friend still looks in, so she isn't left for too long in one go. She is left longer (in total) than some people would be happy with, however she is a happy, content puppy, who gets plenty of exercise, training and play. (The days I am home for a morning, she always seems desperate for me to go in the afternoon!
) I am always on the look out for more things to keep her occupied while she's alone, however I think that this is more to do with me worrying than her needing more!!!
However we have had to make huge changes to the rest of our lives to make sure this set-up works for Honey - we no longer have lie-ins, trips to the cinema, Saturdays in town window shopping etc.... We do have seperate hobbies, which we still follow, but these are on different evenings, so do not affect the dog. If we go out, we either only go for a very short time, or it has to be somewhere the dog can come too.... I don't regret a thing, but it is hard work. If you are committed to your dog, it
can work, but you will need to make sacrifices!
We have also been very lucky with the personality of our dog - we looked for an independent character in the litter, and while Honey was happy to play with her littermates, she was also perfectly happy to play on her own, so we knew she was the pup for us!!
Yes, house-training took longer, as we had to use paper in the house..... but we got there in the end!
I know people have strong opinions on this subject, and there will be plenty of people who disagree with what I have said, but it has worked for us. We do still have the teenage years to get through, and there will, no doubt, be fresh challenges along the way, but we are committed to our dog, and will get through it. I would love to be able to pay for day care, but I may as well just not work, as it would cost virtually all of my wages, and we can't afford for me not to work (we wouldn't be much use to Honey if we couldn't pay the mortgage).
I think all to often the people who work and own dogs seem to expect to be able to go home and recharge their batteries after a long day at work before taking their dog out for a pleasant stroll to relax and unwind - this just doesn't work! No matter how tired/stressed you are when you get in, the dog has to be number one priority, and you have to get out there (whatever the weather) and walk, play and train!!! And those early walks are not relaxing, what with lead training, recall practice, socialising with other dogs!!!
The decision has to be yours, and you have had a lot of advice on here, and there are different views out there. Take the time to consider all the implications of what everyone has said, and good luck with whatever you decide to do!!
