Prospective owner advice needed please!

[Karma]

I have to disagree there - yes, doggy day care/dog walking is not a substitute for putting in the time and effort into training, but it is an ideal solution for people who's working hours are too long for a dog to be left without any human company, but who are otherwise committed to raising a dog responsibly! 

My relative has a puppy that goes to doggy day care every day, and he is not trained, destructive etc, which I think would be avoided if they were at home most of the time and they created a bond and trained it.

Agree with the "created a bond and trained it" part - just that using other dog care does not make this impossible! 

[Ninasmum]

It is totally unfair to leave a puppy or fully grown dog on its own for 7 hours and IMO a responsible breeder would not sell a puppy to anyone that works full time.  It is not a good idea to get 2 puppies at the same time as it is really 'double trouble' and one would always lead the other on in demolishing the garden/house etc.. and you need the time to take them out seperately as much as possible, train them seperately and to be honest this is a full time job in itself.

Cockers love people and thrive on attention, and i cannot see your situation would be condusive for a happy dog.  Sorry I don't wish to sound negative.

If you are totally committed to having a puppy or dog, find a reliable person/dogwalker that would come to your house on a daily basis whilst you are working and show all the details to the Breeder and time your puppies homecoming for when you are off work for at least 2 weeks (pref longer).  If the Breeder is interested/responsible then they would ask many, many questions of yourselves, obviously including your working life and you can be prepared by showing them you have considered the care of a puppy and his/hers life.

I wish you good luck for whatever you decide and hope it works out for you. 

[vickyl]

hi,
 i would have to agree with everyone else. it really isnt fair to get a puppy and then leave it at home for 7 hours a day. you will end up with horrible behavioural problems as they need to be stimulated and if they are not that is when they start chewing the house up etc.
 it could be an option to think about having an older rescued dog, but im not sure a rescue centre would rehome a dog with you if they knew you were not in all day..... its a difficult one.

the other thing i would like to say is that you should think carefully about keeping a dog in a conservatory. remember dogs die in hot cars and a conservatory that is shut up all day would be like a hot car especially in summer even with blinds.
 
there are so many dog walking companies these days, you local vets is the best place to find numbers for them. maybe you could give them a ring to see how much it would cost you to get someone to come and walk the dog in the day while your out.

i really wouldnt get two dogs at the same time, its a nice thought, but they really dont benefit from it at all unless of course they are being rehomed together because they have lived together all their lives... maybe that would be an option, but you still have to think about letting them out during the day.

 

[sarah25]

Sorry but it really isn't very fair to bring in a 8 week old puppy and leave it for 7 hours  Even if you did use a dog walker the puppy wouldn't beable to go far for a couple of months.The puppy would be on 4 meals a day,Cocker Spaniels are a very popular breed,i dont think it would be very safe to leave a dog flap open for the puppy to go out on its own...

Maybe a older dog would suit you better  but its still along time to leave any dog used to it or not IMO
Good Luck in what you decide to do 

[Lilly's Mum]

I would like to add that Cocker spaniels in particular are not a good breed to be left as their desire for human contact is too strong.

I leave for work at 8.30 and come home at 12.00 then back at 12.45 before son comes home at 3.05 and I'm home shortly afterwards.

I work in shcool as a cover supervisor so again have the 12 weeks off every year. We got Lilly (second dog) in the summer to be there as she was a pup, but at nine moths old she still needs that human contact much more than our lab Harvey.

I hope you can make it work with dog walker/sitter and it might be worth advertising, but I would personally have to caution against the Cocker breed.

Also if left alone they will howl for England so that would be another issue

[Karma]

The OP and OH are both teachers, so would be timing a puppy for the long holiday, so this isn't a case of getting an 8 week old puppy and leaving it the next day - there will be several weeks to get a puppy into a routine, and they would not be on 4 meals by that stage!  

I do think some kind of assistance in the form of a dog walker would be necessary, but if this can be arranged, then it is entirely possible to get a puppy in these circumstances - Honey only had 2 weeks to adapt to being left during the day, although my shifts meant she wasn't left for 7 hours every day there were occassional days when she was (broken up with a lunchtime visit).  It was hard work, and for months we did nothing but work and spend time with the dog (or it left like it).  

[Cob-Web]

Also if left alone they will howl for England so that would be another issue

This is not specifically a cocker spaniel trait though; any breed of dog might do this if they are not trained to be comfortable left lone, but not all cocker spaniels howl by any means   My two cockers are quiet when left alone; but the GSD and beagle that live a few doors up howl the place down all day  

[PennyB]

I would also be careful about leaving them in a conservatory as well as I would be concerned about overheating

[PennyB]

Could a cat be company for a cocker? A Maine coon would be almost as big as a female cocker! The cat would go out but not all day. We have the opportunity to bring them up together so would be friends.

As much as my dogs get on with the resident cats its still not the same - cockers thrive most on human company and of all the dogs I've known they're very 'people' dogs.

Stimulation is very important to a dog especially a young one - I help out with a rescue and many dogs come in because their owners can't give them the time they need.

[millrace]

yes.....(not a reply you will get to often)
 
working full time and having dog can and does work fine for lots of people,not everyone will agree but if everyone is honnest they will know people who have dogs also work full time......and have perfectly happy pooches......

wouldnt do it with puppy to be fair you would definately need help here...for all the reasons already mentioned

older/rescue would be more suited to your lifestyle possibly and with all summer to train and build up routine all is possible.........and once friends get checked out by those cocker eyes you may be surprised just what offers of walking you get....
ps, just remember ther are 2 types of cocker..working and show.

[Nicola]

yes.....(not a reply you will get to often)
 
working full time and having dog can and does work fine for lots of people,not everyone will agree but if everyone is honnest they will know people who have dogs also work full time......and have perfectly happy pooches......

A lot of people on this thread have said that yes it is possible to have a dog and work full time   However the point being made is that it's only fair to the dog that some sort of provision is put in place for breaking up the day for them. Of course people can and do have dogs and leave them on their own 7 or 8 hours a day with no breaks but that doesn't mean that they should do it or that it's the best thing for the dog.

I do agree that an older rescue dog may be a much better bet in these circumstances but no reputable rescue will rehome a dog to a full time working home unless there is some provision put in place for them during the day be it friends, family, neighbours, a dog walker or doggy daycare. When I worked full time my dogs went to daycare from 9-5, it cost a fortune (I had 3 working Cockers at the time) but it was the price I paid for being able to have dogs.

[Tillys Mum]

I remember having this worry - wanting a puppy and knowing we could give it a great home but that we worked full time.  I delayed my decision to finally get a puppy for around 18 months because of this but then contacted a dog walker.  It cost me £200 per month and was worth peace of mind, but because we were having regular holidays I was also paying £320 every few months for Tilly to go to pet sitting for her hols, and along with grooming, food, pet insurance etc I felt it was a massive expense for a pet we adored obviously, but that we were still struggling to fit into our evening / weekend routine.
I think what I'm trying to say is that I personally do not know how people work full time, plus travel time and have the stamina to deal with a dog's needs day in day out, in addition to family needs, household chores, shopping etc.  Our dog walker was providing the bulk of the walking through the week and our walks were short and sweet other than on a weekend, so if I'd had to walk Tilly 'thoroughly' on a morning and a night on top of everything else, it would have been too much for me. 
I hope you can sort this out, there is a way.

[Cino]

Many thanks to everyone for the replies, it has really helped me to hear from people who have experienced this problem. Much as I would like a cocker, I think the sensible thing to do is to wait until circumstances mean that we can spend more time in the day with the dog. I can't really afford the expense of a sitter every day at the moment. So, looks like we'll get cats again as they suit our current lifestyle better. But, in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, 'I'll be back!'

[Roslyn McConnell]

Awwwww I really feel for you......Im in the exact same position as you, I would LOVE to have my own wee cocker right now and I looked into doggy day care and altho there are some fab ones near me I wouldve been really struggling with the cost and part of me thought whats the point in getting a dog and paying someone else to walk it, to me the walks are the best bit, its when they are at their happiest and the fall in love with the 'walker' so I would prob get a little jealous if my dog loved the dog walker more than me 

Plus I had such a fab cocker before who I was inseparable with from the ages of 10 to 21, he really was the perfect dog and soooooo easy to train but I know that was only because I spent so much time with him we could read each others body language, something I might not be able to do if I was a 'part time' dog owner.......that not to say other people who work full time cant, I just know I couldn't 

So Ive realised that for me I'll just have to wait a few more years, but in the meantime I stay on the forum to see all the cute cocker pictures! plus these people are the only ones who will let me ramble on about spaniels.....and actually be interested! 

[PennyB]

yes.....(not a reply you will get to often)
 
working full time and having dog can and does work fine for lots of people,not everyone will agree but if everyone is honnest they will know people who have dogs also work full time......and have perfectly happy pooches......

A lot of people on this thread have said that yes it is possible to have a dog and work full time   However the point being made is that it's only fair to the dog that some sort of provision is put in place for breaking up the day for them. Of course people can and do have dogs and leave them on their own 7 or 8 hours a day with no breaks but that doesn't mean that they should do it or that it's the best thing for the dog.

I do agree that an older rescue dog may be a much better bet in these circumstances but no reputable rescue will rehome a dog to a full time working home unless there is some provision put in place for them during the day be it friends, family, neighbours, a dog walker or doggy daycare. When I worked full time my dogs went to daycare from 9-5, it cost a fortune (I had 3 working Cockers at the time) but it was the price I paid for being able to have dogs.

Couldn't agree more with all this + the early years of a cocker can be quite challenging even for those who have more time and you really do have to adjust your life to have a dog and its often not just a case of them fitting in with your plans all the time (I know my mum says when she became 'single' again and we'd left she still had Sam our cocker to consider so she couldn't go to (straight) after work events a lot of the time because she knew she had to go home to feed and walk her - she didn't resent it but she carried on with that commitment that she'd drummed into my sister and I throughout our lives) - there is room for compromise though but there has to be a good balance where a dog is not wanting.