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jakethesnake

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Hi everybody, I just need some advice. I really want to get a dog, probably a boxer or a staffy, but i'd feel bad leaving it at home all day when i'm at work. How do your dogs go when you're at work? Do they just sleep all day and wait til you get home, do they get distressed? How do you get around it? Get two dogs so they keep each other company?
Thanks guys!
Jake
 
I have a purebred Labrador, he chills at home while me and my mrs are at work and he amuses himself, tries to chase the birds or just sleeps, good thing is he is always happy to see me when i get home, so its not all bad
 
i have two dogs, deffinately recommend it! one dog will get bored and runs the risk of wrecking the house with boredon and stress. two dogs will keep each other company and keep you on your toes :D two boxers would be great as they're wonderful family pets, but i'm not a fan of staffies so can't offer any advice there. good luck!
 
Beware of having 2 dogs! It sounds like the obvious solution but sometimes ends up causing more trouble.

We got a kelpie x whippet puppy last year (we were told she was whippet x mini foxie... if we'd known she was kelpie we wouldn't have got her because we don't have a massive back yard). At the time my partner was only working 3 days a week, but he got a new job a few months later and went back to full-time. She was quite distructive when left alone because she was bored and smart and very energetic, so we got another puppy to keep her company (whippet x greyhound). Now they're like partners in crime, they destroy things together, dig up the garden together, try to escape together (and have succeeded a couple of times), and what's worse is they play really rough (apparently a whippet trait) and they bark and growl at each other when they play. The neighbors hate us.

I think they'll grow out of it when they get older, and I think they appreciate having some company when we're not home, but 2 dogs can do twice as much damage as one dog. Haha.

The only think I've found that really helps is walking them before work, so that they're tuckered out and sleep most of the day when you're away. But I think that technique would work just as well with one dog.
 
Yeah, shooshoo, I think boxers are the way to go...I know it'd be fine for now, as the folks are here all day, but i'm moving to Queensland in a few months so I need someone to keep me company!
 
Haha they sound like ratbags badger...I guess I need to research some non destructive dogs then, does anybody know how boxers in particular go?
 
boxers dont require much exercise, but do need a good walk once a day. they are family dogs so need company but are very smart so need training (as do all dogs). if you set the ground rules early and get them trainined (well, i did it myself, and my two are little peaches) then you shouldn't have any problems. i don't think it's very nice for them to be left alone during the day, but i'm a fulltime student so not home much, but they tend to sleep all day and then go crazy when i get home. like badger said a walk in the morning is best to wear them out, but it all comes down to what they're used to, make sure they wont suffer from seperation anxiety as otherwise they will become destructive. other than that, provide lots of stimulating toys like kongs, treat filled rolly-balls and a comfy bed to sleep the day away in. all dogs start out like little demons though, chew chew chew, bark bark bark, comes down to your commitment to their training, its hard work but the rewards are a best mate that knows the rules, and love you to pieces!!
 
my cousin has 2 Staffys which are at home alone most of the day so aslong as they have plenty of toys and things to keep them occupied they should be fine. my 2 dogs are also home alone a fair bit.
 
my dogs older now so he sleeps most the day but bones/pigs ears are really good keeps them chewing all day and good for there teeth
when its a pubby have lots of toys so it doesn't have to find other things around the house as toys
and when you get home make sure to give them lots of attention
 
Im not too sureabotu boxers and staffied but orginally i started off with one male german shepherd, and he was a destructive littel bugger, up until the age of about 4, and then we brought home a female shepherd when she was a coupleof weeks old, and he started to settle down alot more and she just lazes around until we come home.
If you only want the one, beware, dogs also come with the terrible 2's, up until theyr about 2 years old, depending on the dogs personality they destroy most things forfun...
 
Get a staffy :)
Time goes a lot slower for dogs, two minutes to us feels like a half hour to them, so you can imagine they get bored pretty quick if they don't have something to amuse themselves with. It's probably not a good idea to get two puppies at once as they will most likely end up bonding with each other rather than with you. Staffies and boxers are especially active dogs so if you're going to get either one of those you will need to provide it with a variety of challenging toys to keep it entertained while you're not at home.

Also, having two dogs doesn't always work. My mum's two poodles hate each other and are only kept occupied by chasing the cats up and down the stairs.
 
I guess what i'm most worried about, is separation anxiety. I don't know much about it, but there's a labrador that lives next door to where I work and he cries all day when he's alone, even though he has a dalmation friend. Somebody I know also said he had to have his pooch put down due to separation anxiety. I'm prepared to put in hard work, so how is this avoided?
 
I guess what i'm most worried about, is separation anxiety. I don't know much about it, but there's a labrador that lives next door to where I work and he cries all day when he's alone, even though he has a dalmation friend. Somebody I know also said he had to have his pooch put down due to separation anxiety. I'm prepared to put in hard work, so how is this avoided?

Teach it from an early age to be alone. Crate training works well for this.
 
Cool, thanks guys, I really appreciate the advice. Sounds like toys, training and walks is the go. I might consider a less active breed as well...
 
Get a boxer, good friend (matt fromt his site) has one, and she is adorable !!

The best dog ever, 100% trustworthy with kids.

Youve seen my nutter dogs, love them to bits. Although i dont recommend them (border collie x kelpie) to people who do not have time to walk them and get them out for a run.
 
Haha, yeah i've seen how much damage your dogs have done Taryn, Don't know if I could handle that just yet!
Oh and how do you teach them to love wildlife like you do?! My parents dog Mojo is a terror, if he got hold of jake the snake, it'd be all over in an instant, but i've seen big dogs getting along fine with turtles, chooks and cage birds just fine...
 
get a shelter dog ;) give'em another chance.

just make sure you do heaps of research into the breed before you get one, find some registered breeders near you and find out what their dogs are like, that way you'll get an idea of the requirements for the animal. it seems to me you want a companion animal that doesn't require too much exercise but is a lazy bugger when given the chance. I wouldn't recommend a 'toy' breed as they generally don't wisen up with age, they stay silly. a poodle mix with a spaniel or lab makes a great family animal as they don't shed, have the brains of a poodle (the larger poodle types are actually very smart if given the training) and the laziness of a lab/golden retriever, or the small size of a spaniel that are all great family dogs and very loyal.

staffies and boxers are known for their amazingly powerful jaws, so will wreck furnitue in minutes if they turn their minds to it. just make sure you assess the breed you're thinking of for it's suitability to your needs and your ability to provide for the animal. my most important bit of advice is make sure the animal KNOWS YOU'RE THE BOSS. i can't stand to see badly trained and/or disrespectful animals that won't let their owners do what they want, take their bowl away, pat them while they're eating. disgraceful behaviour unless the animal has reason to be that way IMO. oh and when feeding, give them their bowl of kibble an donly give them 15 minutes to eat, don't let them leave food in their bowl, remove the bowl so they only eat when you say so and don't treat you like a walk-in diner :) seen it and it doesn't end up pretty well in most cases...
 
i would go with the boxer, i had two some years back, my favorite was called gordy after gordon tallis, you looked into his eyes and you could see his tail.
give it a milk crate, a bucket and when it gets bigger a plastic garbage bin, mine used to stick his head in the bin bark and push it round the yard.
i now have a staffy he is a great dog, thrives on companionship, have had to run three strands of electic fence around the yard inside the 6ft timber fence to stop him eating the palings and escaping.
go the boxer.
goodluck.
cheers:)
 
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