How long home alone?

[Weezy]

Weve been exploring rehoming a retired greyhound. 

We have children aged 9 and 6. My husband works full time in the week and is out of the house all day (long hours). 

I'm working 3 days a week. Two of these days family pick up my children and bring them home, so dog would be alone for approx. 7 hours but could arrange for this to be 6 if family come to the home first to let the dog out before school pick up.

Theres currently 1 day a week though where I would be out the house for 9 hours (that includes my travel) and i wonder if a dog would be okay with this?

* im currently trying to get a change of work hours to term time only and to be shorter days. It might mean I'm out the house 3-4 days a week for 7 hours. 

 

I'm just looking for advice on our current set up and how compatible it would be for a greyhound? 

 

[MerseyGrey]

It really depends on the dog. My husband and I shifted our hours slightly when we got ours so that he would be alone for as short a time as possible but this still meant that Buddy would be alone for up to seven hours a day, five days a week. I hated leaving him alone for this long… and then we were blessed with a global pandemic which meant that Buddy had a companion most days for about 18 months.

Now that things are returning to normal, and my husband has a new job, we have to leave him for around eight hours a day, four or five days a week, and Buddy copes with this just fine. When I get home from work, we go into the back garden for a play and he will usually have a monster wee before I get ready to take him for a walk, but not always. My husband being at home gave us a chance to see how Buddy spends his day - and I am pleased to say he spends it sleeping, with an occasional change of position or bed. He starts to wake up for my arrival from work an hour to half an hour before I come home (I refused to get a webcam to monitor him because I would spend far too much time watching it).

What I hadn’t bargained for is how guilty I would feel for leaving him for such long periods of time. Before we got him, I thought him being in a home where he was cherished, even if it meant him being alone during the day, would be infinitely better than being in a kennel. I do still think that, but I am constantly plagued by the idea that he could have gone to another home where he is loved as much but where he is not alone as long. It’s a sticking point for me and will influence my decision to get another dog - in all likelihood we will adopt a pair at the same time so they always have a companion 

As a side note, Buddy was almost 8 when we adopted him and we think that he had been in a home for a few years between retiring from racing and us finding him. We think this was the reason why he has adapted so well, but a younger greyhound, straight from kennels, may be more used to constant companionship. Buddy is our first greyhound so those with more experience can give you more accurate information than I can.

Are you in the US, UK, or Australia?

[Weezy]

Thank you for your reply thats really helpful.

We are in the UK. Have made contact with a local greyhound rehoming charity so we are looking forward to hearing back from them.

We did go to a meet and greet event run by another charity to meet a few of the breed and ask general questions and I fell in love with the dogs! 

[EllenEveBaz]

In a large dog like a greyhound, 8 hrs is fine for a healthy adult.  As a comparison, in many American racing kennels, there are turnouts 3 times a day; most retired greys get a chance to relieve themselves more often than that.  I also think 9 hours is fine for a large majority of dogs.   This may change as the dog becomes elderly.  There also may be incontinence and other problems if a dog has more than mild separation anxiety.  If you have an opportunity to work with a program that fosters dog in homes, or if there is a dog who has been returned from a home, this would give you more information about how the dog tolerates being left alone.  (There are many reasons a dog might be returned -- it usually doesn't mean that a dog has a serious behavior problem.)

There are some alternatives, such as getting a dogwalker to come during your long day.  Or, if you have an enclosed outdoor space, a dog door.  These make some people anxious because there is no supervision, but I put in one for my first grey when my work hours changed and I was often away 10-12 hours.  (I also got her a second hound to keep her company  .)  In 20+ years, the only trouble I've had has been in my current location where wildlife enter the yard and the dogs make sure they don't exit.  And then bring the bodies inside.   

Quote

 I fell in love with the dogs! 

It is very, very hard not to,     Keep us posted about your journey! 

[Remolacha]

I now have a dog door (and am retired) but when I got my first greyhound I was gone at work for 9-9.5 hrs five days a week, plus one day a week my schedule was 12-9 instead of 9-6 with no dog door. She was just fine with that schedule, never had an accident. After that, whenever I got a new dog I would come home at lunch for the first week or so and let them out. After a week, or sooner, when I came home they would look up from their beds and say “why are you disturbing our nap?” 

Generally, if they are healthy, anything up to about 9 hours should be fine. Obviously, if there are health or behavior issues, or you have an elderly dog, things could change. 
 

Good luck!

[greysmom]

As said, most healthy, adult dogs would be fine.  Just make sure you talk honestly about your schedule with your adoption group so they can match you with a dog who will be OK at home by himself that long.  Separation Anxiety is a HUGE issue for dogs that have always lived with a large number of companions for their entire lives.  It's probably the number one behavioral issue we deal with here on the Forum.  And the number one reason dogs are returned in the first year.

My question for you would be, given your young family and busy schedule, why you feel you want a dog at all??? 

How much time could you realistically devote to being a good owner every day?  Both you and your husband AND your children are away from your house for 9 hours every day.  Come home - dinner and home work - another 3.  That's leaves precious little time before bed - every day - to spend any quality time with your dog.  And can you spend more time every morning - before work and school - for feeding, exercise, toileting walks??

What happens if your dog gets sick or injured or has behavioral issues?  Are you willing to give up kid soccer or club ball on the weekends for training classes or activities?  Or commit to taking your dog with you on errands?  How is your dog going to get exercise every weekday?  How is your dog going to get exercise on the weekends?  Are your kids old enough and committed enough to take routine responsibility for the dog's daily care - because otherwise you're going to be doing it all.

In my opinion, getting a dog as a companion animal and then leaving them home alone isn't a good life.

And yes, I am deliberately emphasizing this.  Many families have schedules and dogs just like yours and manage to make it work.  But you really do need to think about the purpose of a dog in your household, not just the fact that you love them.

[Weezy]

43 minutes ago, greysmom said:

As said, most healthy, adult dogs would be fine.  Just make sure you talk honestly about your schedule with your adoption group so they can match you with a dog who will be OK at home by himself that long.  Separation Anxiety is a HUGE issue for dogs that have always lived with a large number of companions for their entire lives.  It's probably the number one behavioral issue we deal with here on the Forum.  And the number one reason dogs are returned in the first year.

My question for you would be, given your young family and busy schedule, why you feel you want a dog at all??? 

How much time could you realistically devote to being a good owner every day?  Both you and your husband AND your children are away from your house for 9 hours every day.  Come home - dinner and home work - another 3.  That's leaves precious little time before bed - every day - to spend any quality time with your dog.  And can you spend more time every morning - before work and school - for feeding, exercise, toileting walks??

What happens if your dog gets sick or injured or has behavioral issues?  Are you willing to give up kid soccer or club ball on the weekends for training classes or activities?  Or commit to taking your dog with you on errands?  How is your dog going to get exercise every weekday?  How is your dog going to get exercise on the weekends?  Are your kids old enough and committed enough to take routine responsibility for the dog's daily care - because otherwise you're going to be doing it all.

In my opinion, getting a dog as a companion animal and then leaving them home alone isn't a good life.

And yes, I am deliberately emphasizing this.  Many families have schedules and dogs just like yours and manage to make it work.  But you really do need to think about the purpose of a dog in your household, not just the fact that you love them.

I appreciate the points raised.

However, I am not out the house every day. I am part time and only 1 long day out the home. And as I mentioned I am aiming to reduce my working hours even more so that I am off when the schools are closed and giving me shorter days when I do work. 

We don't have a very busy schedule of clubs and groups so this also isn't an issue for us. We prefer to have flexible time to choose what we do rather than have fixed schedules for clubs etc. We enjoy country parks and walks weekly and live in a rural area so very much enjoy being outdoors which I hope would be a good fit for dog life? We are aware that there would be adjustments and compromises and are certainly weighing up this with the idea. I do feel we can give a greyhound a good home and would love to but I appreciate that family life is busy too.

[HeyRunDog]

Greyhounds have as many different personalities as people do as you probably realise looking through these forums so there should be one to suit you as long as you are honest with the adoption agencies and are prepared to wait. Dogs are returned for many reasons perhaps like my Guinness they turn out not to be cat safe but otherwise is a lovely bomb proof dog.

Also consider the costs involved. Are you going to take it on holiday with you or put it in kennels/get it looked after by friends or relatives? And to give you an idea of the basic ongoing monthly costs of owning a greyhound in the UK. Food £20+, insurance £30 to £40+ depending on the age of the hound, vet plan to include annual vaccinations, worm and flea treatments and a 3 monthly check-up £18. Plus the cost of collars, leads, crate, bedding, toys, raised food and water bowls etc.

Non of us here are trying to put you off and we would love to welcome another greyhound owner to our world and yes I believe you would be able to give a greyhound a loving home. Just be prepared to welcome an adolescent into your life who needs a bit of guidance.

Edited April 4, 2022 by HeyRunDog

[Weezy]

12 hours ago, HeyRunDog said:

Greyhounds have as many different personalities as people do as you probably realise looking through these forums so there should be one to suit you as long as you are honest with the adoption agencies and are prepared to wait. Dogs are returned for many reasons perhaps like my Guinness they turn out not to be cat safe but otherwise is a lovely bomb proof dog.

Also consider the costs involved. Are you going to take it on holiday with you or put it in kennels/get it looked after by friends or relatives? And to give you an idea of the basic ongoing monthly costs of owning a greyhound in the UK. Food £20+, insurance £30 to £40+ depending on the age of the hound, vet plan to include annual vaccinations, worm and flea treatments and a 3 monthly check-up £18. Plus the cost of collars, leads, crate, bedding, toys, raised food and water bowls etc.

Non of us here are trying to put you off and we would love to welcome another greyhound owner to our world and yes I believe you would be able to give a greyhound a loving home. Just be prepared to welcome an adolescent into your life who needs a bit of guidance.

Thank you, I appreciate all the comments and honesty. Its best to know everything beforehand and the information about cost is really helpful too so thank you. 

[HeyRunDog]

I forgot to add that the costs are the basic minimum. To keep costs down I buy food and treats in bulk, four 15kg sacks of kibble at a time from the Greyhound Trust, gravy bones (Pedigree Biscrok) in a 10kg box, dental chews in a box of 100+ when on offer and I buy biodegradable poo bags 1000 at a time. My entrance hall looks like the local pet shops storage room . After the initial outlay for one off purchases I estimate it costs me £1000 per year per dog, and I've got two.