WORKING OWNERS

Can you work full-time and own a dog? I often read and hear ‘don’t leave your dog for more than four hours.’ I know this is heresy, but I don’t believe this — provided you put in the time.

I am retired now, but I had dogs throughout much of my working life, including a very active Border Collie. True, they were all rescue dogs, and at least 18 months old when we got them, and this wouldn’t be OK for younger dogs. BUT, we set everything up to work before leaving the dog, and we used the canine tendency to be most active in the early morning and late afternoon.

Each day, one of us got up very early, and took our dog for a very active walk of at least an hour, plus we spent a good half an hour in play or training at home — all before setting off for work at 8am. As soon as the first person got home, it was straight out again for another hour-plus walk, with games and training. We would also always fit in activities in the house during the early evening. The secret to a dog who would settle for hours in the day was lots of activity at other times!

We had a dog door into a secure garden so the dog could go out for a wee while we were out. And, crucially, we rehomed each time during a special work holiday of a month between us, during which we built up the separation time, starting from an hour on day one (before the bond was too strong, thereby making time alone a habit from the start). I did video two of our dogs during the day — they mostly slept, and wandered around occasionally for a drink or wee — no obvious unhappiness at all.

I’d be interested to hear if anyone else thinks you can work full-time and still keep a dog happy and fit? Your Dog reader, Oxfordshire.