# Working full time with a GSD puppy



## loxxee (Oct 12, 2015)

Hey there, me and my husband would love to get a GSD puppy, but as we both work full time (7.30am-6.30pm) we've always thought we wouldn't be able to. We have 2 cats already but would love to add a dog to our family. 

If we were to hire a dog walker how often would we need one, once or twice a day? There are a few options locally also which range from half day doggy day care, home visits and dog walking. If we get one we'd plan it around christmas time as we will both be off work so can spend at least 2 weeks with the puppy. I can also work from home a few times a month (not much I know but its something). We can let it out in the garden for an hour in the morning before work, and then we can do walks and exercise/playtime in the evenings and weekends as we have no other real time consuming commitments. We only tend to do one holiday a year so that shouldn't be a problem, and we do have lots of family locally who do not work so could always help out in an emergency.

We have a spare room which would be the puppies room, and we have a garage which is carpeted so could easily be the dogs room as he/she gets bigger, although it can be quite chilly in the winter so I'm not sure how practical that would be and would maybe need some sort of heating put in. 

Really, I just wondered if anyone had any experience or advice on working and owning a GSD?? Thank you!


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

When we first got Titan as an 8 week old, we hired a dog walker to come in twice a day, I left at 630 and she came at 1030-11 and between 130-230 and I came home around 4-430
As he got older around 5-6 months, we went down to one visit for an hour around lunch. 
When we was around 9 months my husband came home for lunch and let him out and he was fine after that. 
Around a year he was fine in his crate all day.


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## GSDreSearching (Jul 21, 2015)

loxxee said:


> Hey there, me and my husband would love to get a GSD puppy, but as we both work full time (7.30am-6.30pm) we've always thought we wouldn't be able to. We have 2 cats already but would love to add a dog to our family.
> 
> If we were to hire a dog walker how often would we need one, once or twice a day? There are a few options locally also which range from half day doggy day care, home visits and dog walking. If we get one we'd plan it around christmas time as we will both be off work so can spend at least 2 weeks with the puppy. I can also work from home a few times a month (not much I know but its something). We can let it out in the garden for an hour in the morning before work, and then we can do walks and exercise/playtime in the evenings and weekends as we have no other real time consuming commitments. We only tend to do one holiday a year so that shouldn't be a problem, and we do have lots of family locally who do not work so could always help out in an emergency.
> 
> ...


Hi Loxxee,

My husband and I both work full time. When we got our late GSD she was about four months old and we both worked full time then too. That was 13 years ago and honestly, I don't remember thinking about it too much. We crate trained her and I went home at lunch time the first couple of months (maybe not even that long). She was fine. 

This time around I've been doing a lot of research before bringing home our new puppy. I was really surprised actually to see that a lot of people don't think you should get a puppy if you aren't home the majority of the day. Personally, I would really love to be able to stay home with our new puppy! I don't have kids so I joke that I should get maternity leave!  Anyway it it isn't practical to quit my job (and sadly I don't think they would allow me maternity leave :-( ). I had originally looked for an adult dog but after looking for about six months I was having a hard time finding the right fit (we also have two cats and their safety is very important to me). 

so long story short, I've been thinking outside of the box and have come up with a solution (with the great advice that I've gotten here) that I think will work. It does involve having a pet sitter come over once a day for the first few weeks (or months, I'll just see how it goes) but my set up will allow the puppy to go in and outside of the house as needed. You can find my post about it in another active thread that I started yesterday.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I have gone through a few puppies in the last few years and worked full time plus travel time. My son was there to let them out mid-day. Now I go home at lunch and give them a potty break. It has worked well.


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## loxxee (Oct 12, 2015)

Thanks for your responses so far! Very helpful!


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## McCoy (Sep 23, 2013)

I think this 100% depends on the needs of the dog. We can generalize all day and say you can do (enter lifestyle here) with GSDs and get away with it. In that vein, you will find plenty of people who say, "oh sure. we work full time and our GSD is fine with whatever." 

However, when getting a puppy, you simply do not know. If this is the route you want to go, try looking into a rescue first. The foster parents can tell you what the dog requires in terms of exercise, attention, etc. 

Try this scenario...you get a puppy who requires a lot of exercise. You get home after an 11 hour workday. You want to relax, put your feet up make dinner, watch the news.....but Fido needs to run. He's got 11 hours of puppy energy built up. You have to take him out for his run (whether its a leash walk/run, chasing a ball, whatever). 

Everyday.

McCoy is 3 and still has the energy of a puppy. I recently got him involved in Daycare. I love it, he loves it, win/win. The cost does add up, though. 

Explore the possibility of a rescue before you make a decision.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I cannot even imagine how to do this successfully when working full time. Raising a good GSD takes full time for me. Maybe it depends on your goals.


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## Ruben! (Sep 25, 2015)

wolfy dog said:


> I cannot even imagine how to do this successfully when working full time. Raising a good GSD takes full time for me. Maybe it depends on your goals.


Could you elaborate a little bit? What do you mean by good gsd? when you say you cannot even imagine how to do it, Is it because you wouldn't have enough time to spend with the dog? In that case, how much would you need? Is it because the time the dog spend alone regardless of the time training/exercising?


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

We work full time; we got a puppy last year.

I'm lucky enough to live near enough to work that I can run home over lunch, and my husband works from home a fair number of days now. When she was little, I just ran home every day at lunch. She was fine. We then devoted evenings and weekends to playing and socializing and just generally spending time with her. It was a huge change for me, and definitely a big sacrifice. My life before the pup was relaxation and chores in the evening, sometimes going out for drinks, now it's all her. And some chores. (She's more fun than chores, so there is that.)

Had I had a dog walker I trusted, I certainly would have utilized that also; unfortunately we lost our petsitter before the puppy came home, because I learned of some key ideological differences and I decided I couldn't trust the person in my home anymore. When the noon runs home worked out okay, we stuck with that.

I think you just have to look at all the possibilities and decide if you think working it out is truly feasible vs just "possible if XYZABC."


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> I cannot even imagine how to do this successfully when working full time. Raising a good GSD takes full time for me. Maybe it depends on your goals.


Does that mean that those of us who raised a good GSD while working full time are just that much better at it? 

(I kid.)


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Ruben! said:


> Could you elaborate a little bit? What do you mean by good gsd? when you say you cannot even imagine how to do it, Is it because you wouldn't have enough time to spend with the dog? In that case, how much would you need? Is it because the time the dog spend alone regardless of the time training/exercising?


A dog that is social and stable in all kinds of situations, able to follow up commands without being distracted. You could be lucky and pull it off but to me it would be risky to leave a young pup alone for so many hours. You have to realize the tremendous change a pup goes through by being adopted away from the litter to a home where he spends all day alone.
I think it is safer to start with an adult that has had that training and socialization in its formative years and who can spend time alone for long hours. I think it is hard for any working dog though; they are wired to work I think sometimes we forget their welfare in having a dog-on-demand.
I train a new pup to be alone for a few minutes the first week and gradually longer. Deja is 2 years old and can spend 5 hours alone easily loose in the house but this happens once in a while. I don't think I would want a GSD when I had a working schedule like yours.
it's just my personal opinion, nothing offensive.


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## Ruben! (Sep 25, 2015)

wolfy dog said:


> A dog that is social and stable in all kinds of situations, able to follow up commands without being distracted. You could be lucky and pull it off but to me it would be risky to leave a young pup alone for so many hours. You have to realize the tremendous change a pup goes through by being adopted away from the litter to a home where he spends all day alone.
> I think it is safer to start with an adult that has had that training and socialization in its formative years and who can spend time alone for long hours. I think it is hard for any working dog though; they are wired to work I think sometimes we forget their welfare in having a dog-on-demand.
> I train a new pup to be alone for a few minutes the first week and gradually longer. Deja is 2 years old and can spend 5 hours alone easily loose in the house but this happens once in a while. I don't think I would want a GSD when I had a working schedule like yours.
> it's just my personal opinion, nothing offensive.


No offensive at all. Its really good to see different points of view. Thanks  Im not the OP but Im in a similar case, which I described in another post, just in case you are interested: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/589777-plans-having-wl-gsd.html


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

No snark intended, but I'm truly curious about how someone who isn't working full time affords a GSD! My young, healthy dog is expensive - I don't know how we'd afford her without dual incomes.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

WateryTart said:


> No snark intended, but I'm truly curious about how someone who isn't working full time affords a GSD! My young, healthy dog is expensive - I don't know how we'd afford her without dual incomes.


A healthy dog from sound lines is not expensive to maintain, just the purchase. Besides the initial cost of the purchase I have not found a GSD to be more expensive than the average mutts we have had. Classes, travel to shows etc. can be spendy but I don't do these. Good food maybe expensive but is an investment in health. It also depends on your job. Some people earn a lot of money with little hours put in.
And keeping them on pet insurance saves a lot too.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> A healthy dog from sound lines is not expensive to maintain, just the purchase. Classes, travel to shows etc. can be spendy but I don't do these. Good food maybe expensive but is an investment in health. It also depends on your job. Some people earn a lot of money with little hours put in.
> And keeping them on pet insurance saves a lot too.


Healthy dog, sound lines, we have pet insurance (check, check, and check). We definitely feed expensive food (check).

In all seriousness, I know we _choose _to spend a lot of money on her, between extras and classes and all that, and we wouldn't have to in order to provide adequate care. It's more that I wonder how I'd maintain her in a style I personally deemed acceptable without both incomes.

I'd like to find one of those jobs that pays as well as what I do now without all the hours. Right now I'm thinking that's a myth in my line of work.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I'm lucky that, while I do work full time, I'm a groomer in a tiny shop and have always taken my puppy to work with me. Russell was my latest puppy, and I took him outside probably every hour. Plus playtime in the empty dance studio next door. He learned to potty on lead, and the grooming shop atmosphere was really good for him. Everyone wants to see the puppy! Our shop is on a really busy road, with ambulances, bicycles, people walking, etc, so the noise and bustle is normal to him. It was super easy to housebreak him too.

They ARE expensive! Just normal vet stuff, plus classes, equipment, etc. Add in dog shows, and the costs go sky high! I didn't get to show as much as I wanted because I just couldn't afford to go every weekend. I would have loved it though, lol...


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## osito23 (Feb 17, 2014)

Lots of people work full time and have GSDs. Most people have to work - it would be nice not to, but it is what it is. My husband and I both work full time and our GSD turns 2 this weekend. With a puppy I would try to take some time off when you first bring it home to help it settle in, then I would have someone let the puppy out for potty breaks during the day. You could also go the adult route, but I would be very careful which adult you get since you already have cats.


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

Just because you get a dog from a reputable breeder, doesn't mean it will be healthy. You have to be prepared that things might cost money and time when you first get the pup. 
My pup ended up having health issues and despite wanting a low drive dog, I ended with a high drive one. 
So that took up most of my time after work was training, playing, and exercising. On top of his issue, it was straining on my relationship with my husband while we worked out kinks in Titans schedule, the vet bills, all of the training classes, etc.
It's doable, but it is a huge commitment


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

I have 3 Shepherds (sport/working dogs) and 7 other dogs (show Poms, companions).

I work full time away from home - it is HARD - but c'est la vie! I should say though my dogs are high, high drive working dogs. NEED lots of work every day!

I spend an hour every morning, my lunch hours and my evenings split between my family (son and husband) and my dogs. It is definitely a lifestyle. I don't have a lot of friends, and only a few that don't train dogs for sport or work. All of my closest friends train/work dogs passionately. So when I am having a social life 99% of the time it is based around my dogs.

With that work schedule I would personally be looking for a VERY low drive young dog who is maybe a wash out from a service program or something along those lines. A dog who has purposeful breeding and prior imprinting on obedience and socialization.

Then I would be prepared to dedicate at least 3 nights a week to more obedience and socialization, in addition to the time spent on weekends. 

A tired dog (mentally and physically) is a happy dog - so make sure you choose a dog you can realistically give whatever exercise is necessary.


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## Kirkiko (Jan 17, 2015)

I work full time and I got a pup. She's nearly 6 months old and she is the most well behaved girl. But I have someone who let's her out to go toilet and have a quick play. I work from 9.30-5.30 so my hours aren't as long as yours. Also my girl is a white shepherd and she is a very calm and low energy girl.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Do ya all think MWDs and Police dog pups are working 18 hours a day with their handlers? C'mon, they have KENNELS. The dogs LIVE IN KENNELS from puppy on up, until a green dog is sold to a department and then their handler KENNELS them when he is not working with them. Sometimes the dog gets some inside time, sometimes not. 

But you do not need to be with your dog 24/7. 

Yes, yes, baby puppies are used to their litter and they might feel very lonely for the first couple of days. But they are a creature of habit. Yes they are. They will learn your routine better than you do. They will happily go into their day-time area and let you go to work. 

You can leave a radio on for them, or if you have another dog or cat, it is often easier because then they are not all alone. But they sleep a lot of the daytime away anyway. providing them with exercise (not just out in the garden with you) before work, and then spending the whole of the evening with them, the pup will be fine. It will adjust to your schedule.

These dogs do great with our left-over time, and our left-over money, and our left-over space, and our left-over food. If the dog cannot manage such a schedule, than maybe you should check with your reputable breeder and awesome lines, because these dogs really should be able to handle living in home with two people who work for a living. 

Dogs are happy when you come home, sure. They will be happy when you come home for 10-12 years with luck even more. They are always happy to see you. This does not mean that they are deprived of a decent situation.

Make sure you do stuff with your dog when you are home. Take him to classes. Take him for walks. PLAY with him in the garden. Play with him in the living room. Make meal times a time for him too -- just make sure he does what you want him to during meals and not bad habits -- no reason he can't stay by your side or lie by your feet. Watch TV with the pooch as part of your evening ritual, or work on your computer while he is baby-gated into the room where you are. There are all kinds of ways to make living with your pup a joy for him and for you, while still having a pretty long schedule away from home. 

Once the pup is potty trained, give him the run of your room at night. Just make sure the room is puppy proofed and make sure he has a nice place to lie and maybe something to chew. That way he is only crated or kenneled completely when you are at work. 

I agree that crating a dog for 11 hours while you are working and traveling to and from, and then another 6 hours while you sleep is a bit much for a youngster. At least put his crate in your bed room at night. And during the day, it would be best if he has a kennel area, where he can drink and potty as well. In your fenced garden maybe have a small kennel -- 10x10 or 10x 15, and then give him just a small are of the garage with a dog door to his outdoor area. 4'x4' x-pen would be plenty -- no extra heat, they have a double coat and like it chilly. Give him a dog house in that area if you are worried about it -- just make sure it doesn't hang up on the doggy door -- might have to make the inside area 6x4'. Make sure he cannot get into any chemicals like antifreeze. 

And if he starts chewing the carpeting, that could be bad for him. Better give him an area without carpet if at all possible. 

In the evenings, you will be house training him, and he will learn not to chew on things inappropriately, but for the first couple of months, for his own safety, and hygiene, and to facilitate house training, carpeting or bedding is not a good choice.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

There are many (MANY) different lifestyles and scenarios that result in a thriving, happy GSD/owner.... as evidenced by the responses you're getting. 

In my opinion, the bigger question is whether or not you're willing to make that puppy an absolute, concrete, priority in your life. Regardless of weather, regardless of how tired you are, in spite of a headache or the flu or a bachelor party weekend, these dogs must have interaction, exercise, and training. Especially when they're young. Other things (social events, tv, sometimes even sleep) will need to be postponed or canceled because the dog needs you. I'm sure just about everyone here would agree, there are sacrifices.

If you're willing to make that commitment, to both the small things (coming home every day for lunchtime potty) and the bigger things (sacrificing nights or weekends for training classes, and the financial side of large breed dog ownership), you're probably on the right path to start researching potential dogs. If you take the plunge and fall in love with a shepherd, you may very well end up like many of us, spending time around other "dog people" and loving it.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

There are also many puppies that are alone all day who grow into difficult dogs and provide trainers with a job. I see them all the time; the dogs on demand. Don't kid yourself that everyone can raise a GSD pup or any dog for that matter, that is alone 10 hours a day. Nobody complains because the entire neighborhood is at work and the dogs bark their heads off in the yards. Honestly heard this on a visit. Just because they (the dog/pup) don't complain when you come home doesn't mean that they are happy during your absence. I am not talking about a few hours at a time but about 10 hours a day.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

i just don't find it difficult to do this. I have multiple dog that are happy, socialized and great dogs and I have done the last couple on my own(by myself) working full time. My goal is to get them out of the crate as early as possible because I wasn't fond of all day and all night in a crate. All of my GSDs were out of the crate by a year old and the oldest was Midnite(he came to me at about 8 months or so) and he was in a crate for only about a month until I got to know him. Robyn was done with crate at night at 4 months(she was 3 months when I got her) and out during the day at about 7 months. My youngest GSD has been out since about 5 months, he was hardly ever in it to begin with because he went to the bathroom in there like clockwork and potty training was difficult, once out of the crate he hasn't had an issue with potty training at all. They have all gone to at least 3-4 obedience classes and dabbled in other stuff like agility, dock diving, and rally. If they like it we do it. We go hiking., Swimming and to dog events. Any of them can go wherever I go at any given time. They can be left alone between 8-10 hours without issue, but I rarely do that, it's usually 5 hrs max. On my days off when I have nothing to do, they sleep, which is pretty much what they do when I'm not here. When I come home and they don't hear me they are all sleeping, they meet me at the door stretching and yawning.


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## loxxee (Oct 12, 2015)

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond. I appreciate all the advise! Our plan is to have a dog sitter/walker, they will visit twice a day 3 times a week, and the other 2 days will be spent in doggy day care. I wouldn't dream off getting a puppy to just leave it alone all day because we have long work schedules. Owning a dog will most definitely mean a change of lifestyle for us, but hey, I'd swap slouching in front of the tv anyday to spend quality time with a dog, come wind rain or snow! 

With regards to crate training, We'd like to only leave the puppy/dog in a crate during the daytime when we aren't home, both our cats sleep with us at night so we would take the same route with the puppy too. We may need a bigger bed though! As soon as the puppy is housetrained I would remove the crate. Any further advise on this would be appreciated. 

We could easily put down flooring in the garage rather than carpet, which I'm pretty sure is where we will home the puppy.

Our cats are one of the reasons we think a puppy would be more suitable rather than trying to introduce a grown dog to them. One cat in particular is challenging, he has a huge personality, in fact he's more dog than cat aside from the meowing. 

I know we can make this work and if we do this if wont be done on a whim, we both have good jobs so can afford to provide day care etc, Many of our friends have dogs so socialising wont be a problem either.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

loxxee said:


> Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond. I appreciate all the advise! Our plan is to have a dog sitter/walker, they will visit twice a day 3 times a week, and the other 2 days will be spent in doggy day care. I wouldn't dream off getting a puppy to just leave it alone all day because we have long work schedules. Owning a dog will most definitely mean a change of lifestyle for us, but hey, I'd swap slouching in front of the tv anyday to spend quality time with a dog, come wind rain or snow!
> 
> With regards to crate training, We'd like to only leave the puppy/dog in a crate during the daytime when we aren't home, both our cats sleep with us at night so we would take the same route with the puppy too. We may need a bigger bed though! As soon as the puppy is housetrained I would remove the crate. Any further advise on this would be appreciated.
> 
> ...


Check out rules of doggy day care, most require that vaccines are up to date and complete, which means the pup will be 4-6 months old before allowed. Most will require rabies, distemper/parvo and kennel cough vaccines. Depending on how long you want to do doggy day care for, spay/neuter will most likely be required at a certain age.


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## loxxee (Oct 12, 2015)

Thanks, good points! I'll be doing all of those whether we chose day care or not. Initially we'll start with the puppy visits twice a day 5 days a week, once the time is right we can then decide whether to introduce doggy day care.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> There are also many puppies that are alone all day who grow into difficult dogs and provide trainers with a job. I see them all the time; the dogs on demand. Don't kid yourself that everyone can raise a GSD pup or any dog for that matter, that is alone 10 hours a day. Nobody complains because the entire neighborhood is at work and the dogs bark their heads off in the yards. Honestly heard this on a visit. Just because they (the dog/pup) don't complain when you come home doesn't mean that they are happy during your absence. I am not talking about a few hours at a time but about 10 hours a day.


Well, I'm glad you get to do what works for you.

The rest of us are glad we get to do what works for us and our dogs!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I work full time and have always let puppies out twice a day. Usually I took my lunch break early 10:30-11:30 to go home, and then I paid a college student to come over between 2-3 PM to let my puppy out and play for a while. 

If you're already taking an extended time off when you first get the puppy, that will go a looooong ways as far as crate training and house breaking.

I've always worked full time and have even started raising puppies for other people. During the day, the main thing is potty breaks so you are encouraging house and crate training. Puppies sleep a LOT and I am involved in so many dog activities, my puppies get plenty of work and exposure. The last puppy I started for someone else had traveled to 3 different states before he was 14 weeks old. Working full time does not automatically mean a puppy is locked in a crate alone for 10 hour stretches. As I said, I pay people to come in and spend time with my puppies (not just a 10 minute potty break, but playing tug, a walk, actually tiring them out) during the day and I come home from work myself. Legend my last puppy just came to work with me. He's 2 next week and still comes to work with me quite a bit.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

loxxee - I think you are going a bit overboard with this. My dogs (pups or dogs) have been fine at home for 9 to 10 hours a day without humans -- pups after 16 weeks. (until then they got a lunch time break - but lunch time break was it and it was a toilet break - no time for anything more.) Old dog that needed to toilet mid day got the same treatment - out at lunch for a toilet break. My lunches were pretty short.


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## ODINsFREKI (Jul 30, 2013)

You don't need that kind of stress in your life if you are both working. I have two great kids. One at home with me, the other is in Kindergarten. I have an 8 week old female at my feet. It's my 4th GSD and they have all been highly trained to push bear, cats, track and guard the handler and family. All of them were calm and intelligent with good stock. The reason they worked out so well is because of the time and effort I spent with them. This is my second pup and the first two were adopted. I also adopted an Airedale somwhere in there and that is another goofy story. The time I spent with the puppy developed them into a very desirable protection dog. With that attention, the puppy will turn into a nervous wreck and may even develop health issues from not working their mind and body.

I work nights so we both work and dont have to do daycare with the kids. Our family has time for each other and time for the puppy. Your breeder may even interrogate you or check up on the pup to see how things are going. They don't want a pup to be kenneled all day when they should be developing.

A child's most important development happens from 0 to 3 years old and will mold their personality and capacity for the rest of their lives. A GSD is smarter than most kids these days and develops in the pack and when you take them home and start integrating them to your family pack. The first year of a pup is critical if you want the GSD that sparked your interest in the first place. 

May I suggest you adopt an adult GSD to see how it works out for you? If you give him or her a good life, you will be ready for the puppy and can have them help you with development if they are good enough. Lots of 1-2 year GSD end up in pounds and that's a G-d **** shame since it's totally the owners fault for not being able to commit. First thing I ask people when they ask me about my dogs is do they own their home. If not, you may have to give the dog up if you move and finding a dog friendly place is not easy these days. Do you have the time to raise a child? Then you have the time to properly raise a GSD. It's not rocket science but it is a huge commitment.

Adopting will help you understand the breed and wont interfere with your relationship and work as much as a puppy would. It would help the neglected dog out and the karma you get will be applied to your puppy some day!

Best of luck.

N


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## ODINsFREKI (Jul 30, 2013)

middleofnowhere said:


> loxxee - I think you are going a bit overboard with this. My dogs (pups or dogs) have been fine at home for 9 to 10 hours a day without humans -- pups after 16 weeks. (until then they got a lunch time break - but lunch time break was it and it was a toilet break - no time for anything more.) Old dog that needed to toilet mid day got the same treatment - out at lunch for a toilet break. My lunches were pretty short.


Plural (S) is what I see there. Isolated puppy is not kosher. What do your dogs do for work? Are they just companions?


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

I work all day. I'm out of the house at 6:30 in the morning, and back at 4. 

Before I got a regular dog walker, I spent 30 minutes outside with her in the morning - she was 9 weeks. We did a little walk, she did her business, we played for a bit, brought in the house, she ate, we went back outside, repeat. 

Left the house at 6:30, had someone come over from 11:30 - noon, then I was home from 4o on. 

I'm not married, I don't have kids. 

So I then had the next 6-8 hours (depending on who got tired first) EVERY EVENING to spend with my puppy. 

I fail to see how me working full time didn't provide my puppy with everything she needed.


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