Inconsistent work schedule

[Bec]

Honestly I don't see the problem if it's only a rare occurrence and not every day. There have been the odd occasion when my dogs have been left that long and they are totally fine.

I don't crate my dogs when I am out, they always have access to the yard so can toilet themselves etc. Honestly they spend 90% of their time lazing around anyway, as long as the dog has enough mental and physical exercise I don't see the problem with it on occasion.

[jayjay060708]

Oh gosh if we let Akira free in the house for 20mins she will have something all chewed up lol. she is luck that she is so cute and we love her so much ! She has chewed up the carpet in our living room and bedroom, side tables, money, remotes, game controlers, a leather couch, cell phones, pretty much anything else that is at her level that she can get ahold of hehe. And they do it because they are bored so she has to be kenneled when we are gone and can not bring her along. Usaly the longest is 4 hours. And huskies are escape artists that why most people would not let their husky out side alone expecialy for 10-14 hours, There are those angel huskies out there though that stay out of trouble but I can tell you now that mine no matter how sweet she is would totaly destroy our house in 10 hours lol.

[Bec]

I don't have angel dogs but my yard is secure enough that I know that my dogs cannot escape out of it. Sibes can be escape artists but I knew that before we bought ours home so we've just always ensured our yard is secure enough to hold him.

[Val (Zebedee)]

I agree with Bec & others who say, as long as it is a rarity & if possible there are people who could pop in on those days, then a husky should be fine being left - remember, we think like humans (I wouldn't like to be left that long, etc) but they don't, if they have mental stimulation & physical exercise when you are with them, (and I strongly recommend crate training to be safe) they should have no problems

[wolfmyth]

It really depends on the dog also. I think that as long as they are never totally alone too long they are fine. Akina is on the balcony at night when I'm at work for ~ 10h however she has the company of our other dog usually. I think you should be fine, as long as you can be sure to have finances for the house and for when things go wrong. I wouldn't have a dog unemployed, vet bills can cost a lot of something happens. If you can, also try to get at least two weeks+ full time at home with them as they do require a lot of care in the beginnings and it will drain all the energy out of you (taking it potty _every_ hour does that). I remember when Akina would go to sleep for 2-3h and I was soo happy to be able to have a brake

[mrbrycel]

Another question.. Would working these long hour days (but walking before/after, and getting someone to check in and walk them which I was at work) make training a puppy harder? I know that it's not exactly the same as raising a child, but on a smaller scale it is..

Say I work an average of three 12 hour days per week. On those 12 hour days, I walk him before/after work, and get someone to come check in/walk him while I'm at work. The rest of the days I am free to spend time with him. Obviously one wouldn't be able to do this with a child, but with a husky pup, how would this work?

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

yeh it can do because puppies need to go out atleast every hour/two hours to empty their bowls

[mrbrycel]

How long does the lack of bowel control last?

[wolfmyth]

How long does the lack of bowel control last?

They gain about 1hour per month of age they are able to hold it in I remember hearing. Though it depends on the situation also, if they are sleeping all night they can usually hold it in for much longer then normal, and the opposite, if they are playing around they need to go more often.

[elenamarie]

Hi Bryce--

I've used daycare for Sarah. Believe it or not, it's a lot cheaper than kiddie day care! I was surprised how affordable it is. So when the time comes, develop a relationship with a good doggie daycare so you can call on them when needed, even at the last minute. The day care here is run by great people who are fine when I call them on a last-minute basis, though I try to not do that.

I wouldn't leave Sarah alone that long, she simply would not handle it well and both she and the rest of my house would be in serious danger of significant damage. But she's a puppy. It really depends on the dog you have, his/her personality and training, etc.

The most important thing is that you're thinking about these issues now, before you have your dream friend. That's a GOOD thing!

[elenamarie]

Another question.. Would working these long hour days (but walking before/after, and getting someone to check in and walk them which I was at work) make training a puppy harder? I know that it's not exactly the same as raising a child, but on a smaller scale it is..

Say I work an average of three 12 hour days per week. On those 12 hour days, I walk him before/after work, and get someone to come check in/walk him while I'm at work. The rest of the days I am free to spend time with him. Obviously one wouldn't be able to do this with a child, but with a husky pup, how would this work?

I am on the back-side of potty training (thanks be to God!) and in our case, Sarah would not have progressed as quickly under those circumstances. If at all possible, I'd plan to be at home on vacation or leave for at least two weeks if you get a new pup. The first week Sarah was here (she was 9 wks old) I was up taking her out every three hours round the clock, it was very much like when my kids were newborns. If you have the time you can get that foundational training which is SOOOOOOOO important.

[HeatherZeman]

+1 to putting the pup in day care or hiring a dog walker for the days you're stuck working long hours. Or even leave him with your gf for as long as possible on those days (it's probably good if your pup spends some bonding time with her too...as long as you're serious about her ).

+1 to taking a vacation for a few days to spend those critical first few days with your puppy to get him assimilated to you and his new surroundings, and to begin training! Training is the most important part with a new pup, they need the daily mental stimulation!

Have you considered adopting a slightly older dog at all? Like 1-2 years? Plenty of Huskies in rescues that need good homes!

I see that you're located in Long Beach. I know it's pretty warm there, so I'd be hesitant going with the "leave the dog outdoors" route, especially during the summers. Huskies overheat really quickly!

If you do decide to adopt a pup, I recommend reading this thread, definitely helped me prepare for my 8 week old bundle of joy/trouble/fluff:

http://www.husky-own...-to-your-rules/

[mrbrycel]

+1 to putting the pup in day care or hiring a dog walker for the days you're stuck working long hours. Or even leave him with your gf for as long as possible on those days (it's probably good if your pup spends some bonding time with her too...as long as you're serious about her ).

+1 to taking a vacation for a few days to spend those critical first few days with your puppy to get him assimilated to you and his new surroundings, and to begin training! Training is the most important part with a new pup, they need the daily mental stimulation!

Have you considered adopting a slightly older dog at all? Like 1-2 years? Plenty of Huskies in rescues that need good homes!

I see that you're located in Long Beach. I know it's pretty warm there, so I'd be hesitant going with the "leave the dog outdoors" route, especially during the summers. Huskies overheat really quickly!

If you do decide to adopt a pup, I recommend reading this thread, definitely helped me prepare for my 8 week old bundle of joy/trouble/fluff:

http://www.husky-own...-to-your-rules/

Thanks for the info!

I have thought a lot about a rescue, but I'm a little scared. My gf's dog is a rescue that came from an abusive home in the first year of his life (we got him at about 1 year old, and have had him for 5 years). We love him, and wouldn't trade him for anything in the world, but he has a lot of aggression toward humans (especially of the ethnicity of his first owners), and whenever we take him out, we worry about him biting someone (and getting sued, Americans sure love an opportunity to

sue). He's a little Pomeranian, so his bites can't do as much damage as a Husky's bite could.

I DO want to get a rescue, but am scared of getting and falling in love with a dog that I can't handle, and I figured if I get a puppy I will have more control training. I hope I didn't word that in a way that sounds terrible.

I am currently shopping for a house, and am looking for a good sized back yard, but would definitely not want to leave him outside when I'm gone, not only because of the heat, but all I've read about their escape techniques! I was thinking about giving him/her a dedicated empty bedroom for now, and keeping it cool. What do you think?

[Celestial Echo]

My boyfriend and I both work retail.

We are lucky because he almost always closes, so

he works 12-9 5 days a week, and usually has 1 weekend

day off.

I am in school for a few hours Monday and Tuesday, but

in the afternoons I am home with Echo, and Wed/Thursday

I am home all day. I work Friday-Sunday whenever I am

scheduled. This weekend I closed Friday/Sat and I am working

tomorrow 6am-7:15pm (but luckily Brandon is home from

work tomorrow!).

I guess my point is.. we try to make it work, and most of the

time ONE of us is home, and the longest she is in her crate

is 9 hours (Brandon's work shift). My FIL does come and take

her one the weekends if we are working the same shift most

of the time, however, so we do minimize the amount of time

she is alone.

The only problem with our schedule is she doesn't have one.

We don't have a specific time we feed her or walk her. A lot

of people give us hell for this, but because our schedule really

varies day to day and week to week, a daily/hourly schedule

for our dog is not possible. We take her out as soon as we

wake up, feed her, play with her, get ready for work, and then

crate her until we come home. We keep her out of her crate at

night, and she has a million toys to play with. When we have

free days off, we try to include her in what we do, even if we

just lounge around the house with her.

We are blessed because she is VERY tolerant of our lifestyle.

She has finally caught on about going outside, and she is very

patient with us in the mornings. She has started holding it until

we wake up, and open the gate to our room. If we go to the

bathroom before we take her out though, she has an accident

so we have to immediately take her outside.

Dogs are very adaptable. We provide Echo with things in her crate

to chew on while we are at work; a toy and a rawhide usually.. and

we give her a treat for going to her crate immediately. We have NEVER

had issues with her being destructive. She has so many toys we

just switch out what we crate her with.

With the above said... 14 hours is a long time for a dog to hold their

bladder. If there is someone that could come over at like.. lunch time

and at least let them go potty in the middle of the day, that would be

ideal. We work too far away from home to be able to take Echo out

on our lunch breaks...

Echo has her own room, our bed just happens to be in it. We have

our room on the opposite end with all of our stuff. When we are

cooking or doing something we need to keep her out from under

our feet, we tell her to "Go to Bed" and she goes to her room, and

we put up a baby gate.

+1 for doing your research before diving in to owning a husky. They

are absolutely amazing companions for the right people. Good luck

with whichever you chose; puppy or rescue. We got Echo from a

breeder as a puppy, and raising her from puppy to adult is an amazing

and rewarding journey.

Kayla

[HeatherZeman]

Thanks for the info!

I have thought a lot about a rescue, but I'm a little scared. My gf's dog is a rescue that came from an abusive home in the first year of his life (we got him at about 1 year old, and have had him for 5 years). We love him, and wouldn't trade him for anything in the world, but he has a lot of aggression toward humans (especially of the ethnicity of his first owners), and whenever we take him out, we worry about him biting someone (and getting sued, Americans sure love an opportunity to

sue). He's a little Pomeranian, so his bites can't do as much damage as a Husky's bite could.

I DO want to get a rescue, but am scared of getting and falling in love with a dog that I can't handle, and I figured if I get a puppy I will have more control training. I hope I didn't word that in a way that sounds terrible.

I am currently shopping for a house, and am looking for a good sized back yard, but would definitely not want to leave him outside when I'm gone, not only because of the heat, but all I've read about their escape techniques! I was thinking about giving him/her a dedicated empty bedroom for now, and keeping it cool. What do you think?

With any rescue dog the organization should give you a full background detail! A lot of rescue dogs don't necessarily come from abusive homes, many are in need of re-homing because their owners: died, fell on hard times (foreclosure, recession), had a baby, developed allergies, or got a Husky puppy without doing research and determined it was too "high energy". And many times they also have puppies that were born at high kill shelters that just need a home (that's how I got Lily!). As long as you find a reputable rescue organization, you should have no problem finding the perfect dog!

A dedicated room can be good, but a bored puppy is a naughty puppy. They can chew holes in walls, floorboards, carpets, etc.! They still thrive on human interaction. So I still strongly recommend crate training plus assistance from a dog walker or puppy day care for those long days. At least til the puppy is old enough to be trusted alone for an extended period of time.

Good luck!