# Anybody work 12 hr shifts??



## DieselDog (Oct 16, 2012)

I don't work 12 hour shifts but know numerous people who do... What about a pet sitter/dog walker? There are people who will come to your home and play with the pup, let him out, take him for a walk, etc... You could ask the daycare if there is anyone they would recommend. Or maybe a close friend or family member. Someone you trust or who comes highly recommended


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I have adult dogs that survive my 10 hour shifts well. I have a half hour lunch breaks and am able to give them a quick off leash run then.


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## Wafer1141 (Mar 12, 2013)

DieselDog said:


> I don't work 12 hour shifts but know numerous people who do... What about a pet sitter/dog walker? There are people who will come to your home and play with the pup, let him out, take him for a walk, etc... You could ask the daycare if there is anyone they would recommend. Or maybe a close friend or family member. Someone you trust or who comes highly recommended
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App


Well Id be able to come home for 45 min during the day to play with him, let him eat, etc.. And most dog walkers I know of charge for every half hour so Id be home more than the dog walker. So is that enough if he is only crated 2 times a week? I cant get him out of bed until 9:30 am on my days off even though I get up at 8. So I know he would sleep until at least then. I could come and let him out around 2:00-2:45 then crated until I get off work at 7. Is that too much or would he be better off at daycare?


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## Wafer1141 (Mar 12, 2013)

Oaklys Dad said:


> I have adult dogs that survive my 10 hour shifts well. I have a half hour lunch breaks and am able to give them a quick off leash run then.


Are they crated when you are gone?


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

No, They do fine uncrated at their ages. They were crated as puppies though.


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## Dani&Marlow (Apr 2, 2012)

My partner and I both work long days - me 10 hrs 4 days/week and him 12 hrs 3/week with the occasional extra day - but our schedules only overlap 2 days a week. We crated Marlow until she was 6 months then left her out with (knock on wood) no issues. We too work less than 5 minutes from home so she gets 2-3 pee breaks per day with two 45 min walks, however there have been days with emergencies at work....we're social workers....and she's been left for 6 hours. Daycare was a life saver for us and she typically goes from 7am-6pm at least one of the days we're both working. Not only does she have a blast but I know she's not lonely, we don't have to worry about taking her out and the best part, after work she's exhausted and we get to put our feet up. If you find a knowledgable daycare you like and trust you won't have reservations about bad habits or bullying. Go check a few out and get a feel for how they run.

A bonus too is having a place to take your dog on a day off when you want a little "me" time without feeling like a jerk for leaving them home while you have fun.


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## drofen (Feb 2, 2013)

One thing to think about--daycares may have an issue with him if he is unaltered.


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## ally1h (Nov 27, 2012)

I work 10-12 hour shifts. I took my pup to daycare from the get-go. And on other days I had friends come by and take care of him. Other days still, I take an extra long lunch to properly give him exercise and then work a little later. A few things I have learned:

1) not all pups are immediately ready for daycare. The owner of the daycare said my pup would be allowed on a "trial" basis for a few days to see how he did. Being so young and so new to my home, he was not easily redirected and the owner of the daycare asked us to return in a month once he has learned his name and began to learn some manners. After that it was no big deal.

2) continue to train your pup going to/from daycare. The employees mean well, but I've learned the hard way. Leash training has been super hard because when he goes to daycare they didn't work on waiting and not pulling on the leash. So he unfortunately gets reinforcement that pulling on the leash is okay every time he goes. Not cool. It's been a battle.

3) he has learned how to "jump" on people while at daycare, which has been a pain to train out. Like in #2, he gets reinforcement every time he goes there. It's much better now, but its still a bit of a problem.

4) I was pressured into neutering him early. The daycare I take him to don't allow dogs older than 6 months that haven't been neutered. Check with your place on this. I ended up waiting as long as I could, but this meant I couldn't bring him to daycare.

5) I love, love, love daycare overall. He comes home exhausted (like I do) at the end of the day. The daycare staff has helped with some training, such as waiting for meals and at doors until given permission. 

6) ask these questions as I have found it makes a difference: ask about their training methods, cleaning methods (and cleaning products), kind of floor surface in their dog areas. Ask how the dogs are separated (by size, temperament, or other), and ask how many staff members to a pack group. Ask how many dogs in a pack. Ask if a flea/tick preventative is required. Ask if vaccines are required. Ask if you will be notified if another dog is ill or an employees finds fleas/lice on another dog. Ask if they have additional services like grooming or boarding. Ask about the qualifications/training of the staff. At my daycare I know there are a number of new high school students working there for the summer. They don't know what they are doing. But I also know the owner and a few other full time staff members are very knowledgeable and have specialized training.



Overall, I love taking him to daycare and he loves going there. I cease to exist once he knows where he is going for the day. Yes, there have been some struggles with a couple training issues. But those training issues were my mistake. You can avoid them by asking whether you can train your dog there to behave. 


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I worked 10 hour days for most of Tesia's life. I had wonderful dogwalkers who came in halfway through the day and took her to play and run. As I'm writing this, I am remembering that the first two years of her life, I only worked 8 hour days. While your pup is still so young, could you have a walker come AND go home yourself, and stagger the hours? She is still crated, yes? She WILL be okay. I would suggest taking her for a good run in the morning before you leave her, then take her to run at lunch (when I say run, I mean, play ball with her for 20-30 minutes) and then a walk when you get home at night. It IS doable. If she gets lots of exercise, she is more likely to sleep while you're gone. But I am a big supporter of dogwalkers - finding a good one is like finding gold.


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## n0x315 (May 16, 2013)

I work 9-10 hour days, and my pup is 17 weeks old. We keep him crated at home during the day, but we have a nice situation. My father lives 5 minutes away (and is retired), so he plays with the dog for 30mins to an hour mid morning. I come home at lunch 4/5 days, and play with him then for another 30 mins. The longest he's in the crate now is about 4 hours, maybe 5. He has a bit more energy when I get home, but that just means a longer walk and playtime for him when I get home. 

I also offer an incentive when I leave and crate him during this time though. He gets a kong with either Peanut Butter or a bit of Yogurt in it. He actually runs in to the crate now as he sees me prepare it, so he's adapted to it well.


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

I work 12 hours night shft, 7p to 7a. This started when he was about 2 years old. I live alone, so its just me having to work things out. I find that he does just fine when alone. My routine: get up around 4pm, walk or ball throwing or training, feed/water, out for 5- 10 minutes before I leave. I'm back around 8am, pup goes out, 30 minutes of hard exercise, feed/water, out for a little to pee, them I'm off to bed. He sleeps in the room with me. I have made sure to never reward him if he tries to wake me up, because I need to sleep. He can chew a bone or just hang out. I sleep at least 6 hours. When he was younger, he was crated when I was gone or sleeping. I figure if he can sleep throught the night in a crate, he could survive during the day during my sleep. Honestly, switching to nights has made it a whole lot easier. More daylight when I'm not working 

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## Wafer1141 (Mar 12, 2013)

ally1h said:


> *4) I was pressured into neutering him early. The daycare I take him to don't allow dogs older than 6 months that haven't been neutered. Check with your place on this. I ended up waiting as long as I could, but this meant I couldn't bring him to daycare.*
> 
> 
> 
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I am definitely feeling the pressure about neutering him at six months. The day care does require dogs to be neutered at six months or they cant come. I also signed a contract with my breeder that id get him neutered at six months. Makes me sad. Anyway, I called the daycare and asked some more questions and I feel more comfortable taking him there. They are even going to let me drop him off before they open (someone is there with the boarded dogs) so I can get to work on time. They just had it re-landscaped and put in pools, fountains and agility equipment so Im sure he will like it. So I think that I am going to take him to daycare the days I work.


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