K-911 Dog Training Information

The Situation:

Hi Jessi,

Our children desperately want a dog/puppy. We have a fenced yard, the kids are old enough to take care of a dog. Everything’s ready, except this:

We’re worried about getting one dog, especially a puppy, and leaving it home alone all day. Won’t it be sad and lonely? Are there some dogs that mind being left alone less? Is it better to get a dog than a puppy? Dogs are pack animals. It seems cruel to leave a dog home alone all day while the family is at school/work.

What do you think?

Brenda

The Answer

While it would of course be ideal to have someone around all the time, the simple fact is that very few households are occupied during the day. The majority of modern dogs do stay at home all day while their owners are at work or school, and cope quite well with it.

Think of it this way: at this very moment, there are millions of dogs living alone in cement runs at animal shelters (many have resided for months or years in no-kill shelters), just dying to go to a spacious, comfortable home with a family like yours.

Most dogs will be quite content if left alone with room to exercise and an ample supply of interesting dog toys. Boredom is the most common problem with “home alone” dogs, but it can be overcome. See my “Other Articles” section for tips on creative use of dog toys.

In your situation, I would recommend an adult, housebroken dog over a puppy. Puppies require a substantial amount of round the clock time and effort. They need someone at home to train, housebreak, and socialize them properly.

There are some dogs that mind being left alone less. Active herding/working breeds such as Border Collies and Labrador Retrievers tend to do very poorly. Less active breeds such as Rottweilers and Greyhounds will fare much better.

In general, the calmer and more stable the dog, the happier it will be to simply curl up and go to sleep while you’re gone. The more excess energy he has, the harder he will be to keep entertained.

One trait you should be careful to avoid is seperation anxiety, an emotional problem which affects certain dogs, causing them extreme distress and anxiety when left alone even for a short period of time. Dogs prone to seperation anxiety tend to be the extraordinarily affectionate, somewhat shy with strangers but follow their owners around like a magnet, rather submissive, and often have traumatic pasts (history of abuse, neglect, or have gone though many different homes).

Your best bet would be an adult dog, housebroken with no destructive chewing problems. As far as personality, you are looking for a fairly calm, outgoing dog who is friendly to everyone but not overly “clingy” or frantic for attention (i.e. will say hi to your family, but then also be interested in wandering off and checking out his surroundings) without a history of severe trauma or neglect.

Choose your new pet carefully, and you should end up with a happy dog who enjoys living with you as much as you love him!

This article written and copyrighted 2001 by Jessi Clark-White. All rights are reserved, and this article may not be duplicated in any manner without written permission from the author.