for people that work, what do you do about your dog?

[amz155]

I walk my dog in the evening before going to bed. but if Iam going out of town, I left my dog on my neighbor paying them of course.

The OP is talking about a daily occurance ie when he goes to work. Not about going out of town. Also I don't think hoping that a future condo neighbour will watch the dog is reasonable.

It very much depends on the dogs. But personally I would never under any circumstance abandon my dogs or any pets in the dog-sitting service and let some stranger to feed them. Because it is really hard to find someone trustworthy. So I would prefer to leave your dog to stay in your own home with your family member.

OP won't have family members living with him. He mentioned his going to move out on his own. How is dog daycare considering abandonment??

I suggest you do as Shaner said, train your dog to NOT chew things as it’s unacceptable behavior. I love my dog but I have boundaries as to what is acceptable and what isn’t. Chewing things is not acceptable behavior to me and a sign your dog is 1) bored 2) mad (my dog destroys things when he’s mad) 3) has anxiety issues. You can always train your dog to the way you want them to act because no dog is un-trainable. It might just take you longer because your dog is older and has formed habits already but it’s very doable. You’ll have to find your own arrangement that works for you and your dog while you’re at work.

I agree that the dog is not untrainable. But it is difficult to train the dog not to do something when it only exhibits that behaviour when you are not home. For example, our crated dog chews her crate liner...only after she gets bored in her crate and only when we are not home I think I'll just have to resort to removing the liner completely.

[redgrandam]

Age is irrelevant. A dog can be trained at any age. Good tips in this thread.

I'd crate train for sure. Starting with at night when you are there to train. Be ready for a few nights of little sleep, but most dogs get used to it quickly. The crate should be treated like a 'den', it's not jail.

[rob444]

If you're going to train the dog to stay home all day, make sure you do it before you move to the condo to be sure its possible. As i said, the last thing your new neighbours will want is to hear is a big dog barking and crying all day, not to mention if you ever go out at night and leave the dog, he'll be barking when people are trying to sleep. You don't want to become instantly hated in your new condo!
I've seen this situation before in condos and it is not fun for anyone, and usually involves management warnings, fines for violating noise bylaws, and a final resolution to get rid of the dog or be forced to move.

[Shaner]

Definitely start crate training. Also, find out what causes the destructive behaviour. If it`s boredom, that`s an easy fix and just requires more exercise and mental stimulation when you are home, including in the morning before you go to work. If it`s separation anxiety, that is a bit more work and will take time, but it`s definitely fixable. It`s very likely one or both of those things, as a six year old dog likely isn`t destructive just for the safe of being destructive, like a puppy would be.

Exercise the hell out of your dog one day and give it tons of mental stimulation. Then leave it home alone. If you come home and find there`s no damage, that`s a pretty good indication that your dog isn`t getting enough exercise and mental stimulation.

[setell]

I agree that the dog is not untrainable. But it is difficult to train the dog not to do something when it only exhibits that behaviour when you are not home. For example, our crated dog chews her crate liner...only after she gets bored in her crate and only when we are not home I think I'll just have to resort to removing the liner completely.

Like shaner said, there has to be a reason why your dog does it when you're not around. For a puppy they do it for shits and giggles but an adult dog don't. I know exactly why my dog chews tissues and leaves me a mess when I go home after a bad week of him being alone for a long time. He is mad and pissed off at the lack of attention he gets from me. I give him the attention he wants and he don't destroy things.

I don't know if I'm an oddball but I don't lock my dog up in his crate anymore. He only gets locked up when we're on vacations at a hotel. He also don't chew any of his crate beddings as to him it's HIS and you don't dare mess with his bed and blankies (yes, my dog still have his blankies since he was a wee puppy). Maybe try giving your dog a chew toys while crated? or train your dog to have negative associations with chewing inside her crate?

I am trying to fix food aggression my dog recently developed. I haven't had time to find out why he does it and then undo the damage because I don't like that type of behaviour.

[amz155]

Like shaner said, there has to be a reason why your dog does it when you're not around. For a puppy they do it for shits and giggles but an adult dog don't. I know exactly why my dog chews tissues and leaves me a mess when I go home after a bad week of him being alone for a long time. He is mad and pissed off at the lack of attention he gets from me. I give him the attention he wants and he don't destroy things.

I don't know if I'm an oddball but I don't lock my dog up in his crate anymore. He only gets locked up when we're on vacations at a hotel. He also don't chew any of his crate beddings as to him it's HIS and you don't dare mess with his bed and blankies (yes, my dog still have his blankies since he was a wee puppy). Maybe try giving your dog a chew toys while crated? or train your dog to have negative associations with chewing inside her crate?

I am trying to fix food aggression my dog recently developed. I haven't had time to find out why he does it and then undo the damage because I don't like that type of behaviour.

Yeah she gets two chew toys and a stuffed frozen Kong every time I leave for longer periods ie 4 hours. Most of the time she doesn't chew her blanket but sometimes she does. This is in addition to getting a half hour walk, 10 minutes throwing the ball around, and the stuff in her crate. She is one and her breed tends to mature out if its puppyhood behaviour at about 2 years. 10 months to go, lol!

[Catherine111]

I think its depends on age and how well trained your dog is. My dog stays in house well when i am gone outside. But if your dog is not trained then you can leave it on a closed in patio or in a crate.

[TheRequiem]

Crate trained from the day we brought him home. He sleeps in his kennel while we're both at work (normally only about 6-7hr overlap).

[thrifthunter]

All of my dogs I have ever had have had free run of the house when I am not there.

[dealseeker2011]

I have two dogs. I left them at home whenever I go to work. At first it was really a dilemma. It was really a mess. But as day passed they will definitely get used to it. Now, I could just leave then and not worrying about them breaking anything at home.

[milhaus]

In all honesty, big dogs in small condos is not nice. I recommend finding a condo reasonably close to your parents house, and leaving the dog at your parents with the big yard.

So wrong. A Great Dane is a fantastic condo dog, as long as it's walked and exercised properly. They just sleep the majority of the time. A big yard is useless to a dog with no one to play with, and often becomes a crutch for lazy dog owners.

[jandumm]

So wrong. A Great Dane is a fantastic condo dog, as long as it's walked and exercised properly. They just sleep the majority of the time. A big yard is useless to a dog with no one to play with, and often becomes a crutch for lazy dog owners.

+1111111111111 Most large breeds make fantastic apartment dogs - they're lazy, most never bark and don't need as much exercise as alot of other breeds. It's an uneducated myth that bigger dogs need bigger spaces and more exercise.

Leaving a dog in a yard for 8 hours is cruel in my opinion, especially in this type of heat. My dog tries to run inside to the air conditioned house and her big bed these days. Our neighbours have 3 little dogs who they leave unsupervised in the yard for hours on end - they never get walked and bark all **** day long. It's borderline abuse leaving them outside all day in winter or summer without shelter or stimulation. The dogs would rather be inside.

I have a 120 lb. bullmastiff - crate trained her for the first year and she was allowed full run of the house without the crate after 1.5 years. At first I felt bad leaving her home alone for 8 hours.......then stayed home a few times with her and realized that all she does is sleep - moves around to different parts of the house following the sun to sunbathe and nap. I feel like she's annoyed when we are home because we bother her and make noise and she's so used to the routine now.

Once 4 pm comes, she's up and at'em - she wants to get her eat on and then needs her daily exercise/activity for the rest of the evening. Try to stimulate/exercise her to tire her out so she's still tired the next day

As others have recommended, I'd definitely start crate training - make it their home and you'll find the dog eventually goes in just to nap and hang out. I'd also recommend a routine if you don't already have one so they know what's expected of them. It helps with scheduling/bathroom. Ours goes something like this:

6:30 am - wake up and short walk for dog, morning poo and pee
7:00 am - dog eats breakfast, gets cuddles - get ready for work
8:00 am - leave for work, dog is already napping in sun coming from back window
3:30 pm - other half arrives home from work, feeds dog and lets her out for afternoon poo and pee
Evening - walk/hike/play with dog, dog hangs out with family, etc etc.
10:30 pm - let dog out for last poo/pee of the day
11:00 pm - sleepy times

[Spidey]

Huge dog run in the back with all the things they like. Lots of shade, 2 dog houses, toys, etc. 2 dogs. We live outside of the city so one of the benefits to that

[rob444]

So wrong. A Great Dane is a fantastic condo dog, as long as it's walked and exercised properly. They just sleep the majority of the time. A big yard is useless to a dog with no one to play with, and often becomes a crutch for lazy dog owners.

Yes i shouldnt have made that a blanket statement as every situation is different. I think this is really is a case-by-case basis. I was going off my own experiences of having a family german sheppard (living with my parents with a big backyard outside the city and getting walked multiple times a day), and having to babysit the dog once in a while in my 550 sq foot condo in the city with no nearby offleash parks. In general i would never want to have my family dog living there permanently.

In the end though this has to do more with correct training of the dog, and more importantly the lifestyle/dedication of the owner to make sure their dog is happy. Remember MANY condos that allow dogs have a very strict "no big dogs" rule, and that rule exists for a reason. Though i think its more to do with other condo residents possibly being scared of big dogs. And infortuantely the few bad dog owners that dont train their big dogs properly dont make it any easier for the responsible dog owners.

[manyapples]

Shaner, do you have any suggestions on how to mentally stimulate a dog? Thanks.