How long do you leave your cocker for?

[vixen]

I'm pleased you took up mooching's suggestion about getting to know fellow COLers on a meet.
Fingers crossed for you that you meet someone who will help with the  Cassie/work situation. 

[Petepreston]

All I can offer is that you make sure there is a stimulating and tiring walk in the morning and as soon as you get home in the evening. This must be a minimum for a young working cocker. I know that putting an ad in the shop or local paper or whatever seems a bit daunting but if you don't have any luck with neighbours or COLers you won't have much option if the professional help is too expensive. 5 days a week would be far too much for such an active mind, let alone body.

If you speak to neighbours and anybody else you know (they don't need to live close - just know other people that you don't) you may find the answer you need. A friend or neighbour's kid who goes to school nearby or something like that.

I really hope you get it sorted because it's not nice for you to be doing this to your little puppy. Situtations change and we have to deal with it as best we can, which sometimes means getting out of our comfort zone. Almost anything must be worth a try before you end up looking at rehoming. 40 hours a week alone isn't really workable for a pup.

Good luck. Sorry I can't help more.

[Sarah1985]

Its also worth having a chat with your place of work. Lots of places offer flexi time. If you and your OH could stagger your shifts its soon knocks the number of hours down that cassie is left alone

I asked at my place of work before getting a dog and Im now in work for 6 am but home to make the most of the afternoon, as well as avoiding rush hour so spending alot less time traveling. It also means that by the time everyone else starts I have delt with alot of my departments night shift dramas which normally would have been left till 9am so my boss loves it.

 Obviously not all jobs are so flexable but its something to think about.

[Liz F]

Hi, I work full time and understand totally the dilema you are in.  I have 2 show type cockers, Diesel 3 year old and Olli 2 year old.  I walk them in morning,  feed them using puzzle balls to stimulate mind and give them something to do for 15 / 20mins, go to work (about 4 hours) come home at lunchtime, its only a short walk at lunchtime about 15/20 mins, then back to work (about 4 hours) On an evening we have our main walk. After lunchtime walk I leave frozen kongs to keep them  occupied.

I dont go out on an evening if its a workday, evenings & weekends are totally dedicated to them. 
I was very worried at first as to how they would cope and must admit I have on occassions left cam  corder running and watched what happens  all fine,  slept alot more than they do when im in.  On occassions when I have had to go away with work for the day my neighbour is only too eager to give them their lunchtime walk, so im lucky there.

Doggie day care is not really an option for me as Olli can be a pain in the bum with some dogs  , Diesel on the other hand is the perfect little  (and it is very expensive)

Hope you find a neighbour or COLr that can help, if not a registered dog walking service may be the answer, try googling for your area and do your homework on them, ask if you can go along with them on a couple of walks so that you can get a feel for them and the dogs they walk.

Good luck

[Chris_J]

Well, spoke to one of my neighbours today who is very friendly and I have done quite a bit on work on her house in the past. As luck would have it, she absolutely adores dogs! So, I'm going to introduce Cassie to her tomorrow and she said she would do her best to take her out for 15-20 minutes every afternoon during the week.

This is perfect! The only unfortunate down-side is that she has actually got her house on the market and could potentially be moving in a couple of months.

I'll have a chat with the other neighbours and get myself to some COL meets for when she eventually moves on.

 

[Petepreston]

That's excellent news. 

At least you have some help in the meantime and when she eventually goes you'll have had loads of time to meet all the other neaighbours and looked into other options. Even just a little bit of company can make a difference to a puppy. Having so much time completely alone could be laying the foundations for problems later on otherwise.

Start looking at toys that require mental energy to get the treat to help prevent any destruction. We're lucky that Posie settled very quickly and we now let her have the run of two connected rooms instead of being stuck in her large cage. She also gets to sit on the windowsill and watch the fairly busy street. We still never leave here for any more than 4 hours but tha'ts by choice as I work from home (or will do soon).

Good luck with the rest of the options.

[nking25]

I leave my boys for 8 hours a day, before we got our first cocker I researched leaving them for so long and asked my vet and he said that if thats all they know then they will be fine with it and ye my oldest boy has no problems being left.  Our new lil chcocolate is only 4 months so he is still getting used to it but he has his big brother to play with and seems to be getting along fine.
We always leave them kongs and hide treats round the room so they have to spend time searching, not sure how long this keeps then busy but it seems to work. 

[Chris_J]

Interesting.

I wonder if, by getting my neighbour in, I'm teaching Cassie that someone will be there to take her out every day? Should my neighbour not arrive one day, Cassie could become quite stressed?

Maybe I should ask my neighbour to only spend a short while with her, maybe to just have a wee and put her back?

[Sheepscheeks]

Interesting.

I wonder if, by getting my neighbour in, I'm teaching Cassie that someone will be there to take her out every day? Should my neighbour not arrive one day, Cassie could become quite stressed?

Maybe I should ask my neighbour to only spend a short while with her, maybe to just have a wee and put her back?

I used to come home for Freddie at lunchtime but don't any more - again I built this up gradually by not coming home one day a week then 2 days, now 3 days a week. He seems to have adapted. OH does usually work from home one day, though.

[Cockertime Blues]

A long shot but - what sort of work do you do?  Have you asked if Cassie can go to work with you? Or to your partner's work?

[Sarah1985]

Interesting.

I wonder if, by getting my neighbour in, I'm teaching Cassie that someone will be there to take her out every day? Should my neighbour not arrive one day, Cassie could become quite stressed?

Maybe I should ask my neighbour to only spend a short while with her, maybe to just have a wee and put her back?

I used to come home for Freddie at lunchtime but don't any more - again I built this up gradually by not coming home one day a week then 2 days, now 3 days a week. He seems to have adapted. OH does usually work from home one day, though.

Same here. We did it by moving OHs lunch back, then I used some flexi hours to finish abit earlier. So lunch moved from 1 to 1.30 for a week, then 2pm. Then I made sure I was home by 2.30 for a week, until they could cope with waiting till I was home.

My advice is to see about getting your neighbour to vary the time they vist. It means that Cassie isnt expecting someone to come at a particualar time. Dog get most stressed in the time just after you leave (which kongs and hidden treats can help with) and at the time of day when she expects someone to come home.

[Chris_J]

We're both now in office based jobs, so there's not much chance of any of us being able to take Cassie with us and although my place claims to be 'flexi time' orientated, eyebrows still get raised if you come in at 9:30 one morning.

My advice is to see about getting your neighbour to vary the time they vist. It means that Cassie isnt expecting someone to come at a particualar time. Dog get most stressed in the time just after you leave (which kongs and hidden treats can help with) and at the time of day when she expects someone to come home.

Are dogs really that time concious!?  I was meaning more like if Cassie got used to someone coming over between me leaving and arriving home, she could start to become dependent on this?

[Sarah1985]

My advice is to see about getting your neighbour to vary the time they vist. It means that Cassie isnt expecting someone to come at a particualar time. Dog get most stressed in the time just after you leave (which kongs and hidden treats can help with) and at the time of day when she expects someone to come home.

Are dogs really that time concious!?  I was meaning more like if Cassie got used to someone coming over between me leaving and arriving home, she could start to become dependent on this?

Ive always though so. Try feeding Cassie late one time and see how time concious they are 

 My girl Clover sits by her food bowl at 7.30 on the dot every day irrespective of what has been going on throughout the day. Both mine go and get in their beds every morning at about 9.30 as thats when my OH goes to work. Its quite funny that at weekends they are both sat there waiting for us to leave in the morning. 

[Sheryl]

I would have said yes about the time conscious thing too.  Kali sits on my chest at 4.45pm to remind me to feed her and then at 7.30pm she sits in the hall waiting for her Daddy to come in!

[Pudding]

its very hard to know what to say.... when you are not in this situation....
I am lucky that i take Bob to work with me... and i hope this will never change...
This is how he spends his day....
In the summer ..or when it lighter we get up and go for a free run in the woods for about 45 minuets
we get to work for about 8.00am he say hello to the other staff and then has his breakfast
he is then sleeps.... we have our tea brake at 10.00am and he is up and about to see whet every one is up to
and what they are eating... he has a chichen wing... he then gos back to his bed
he is up next at around 1.00pm when he gos out for a walk for about 30 minuets.... then its back to bed
he is up again at 3.45 tea brake and he has a biscuit.... we then go home and he gets an evening walk
we also do a training class and an Agility class after work......

so as long as you can take him out before you go to work for a nice long walk...
and when you come home..... it would be nice to get some one to take him out in the middle of the day
there must be a way.. you can get someone to take him out for you... i meet a lady on FB the other day
we have a Black show cocker in commen now we are friends and have meet up.... she some times meets us in the afternoon and walks with us.... so it is possible to meet new people who may want to help...
I do hope it works out for you and you dog... I would go and meet some of the COLers they are alway will to help if they can...