My wife and I are thinking about adopting a 1yo German Shorthair Pointer. The biggest impediment at this point is no one is home during the day to walk it. I want a dog, but not one that will cost $20/day for a dog walker. I think the dog would be home alone for about 9hrs/day. Is this too long? I get the sense from the adoption application that this may be highly frowned on. I actually wonder if they would even let us adopt the dog if we told them we were going to crate the dog for 9 hrs/day. My last dog was a cocker spaniel that I got when I was 12 - we routinely crated (is this a word?) him during the work day, but I get the feeling that this is not “PC” anymore.
How much of a language barrier will there be with the dog being Germanl?
We crated our dog during the day until she was almost 2. Now that we know she wont eat shoes when left unattended, she is free to roam the house.
Our dog liked her crate. It was her “bedroom”. she slept in it at night with the door open and she would put herself to bed in it. we’ve seen the cat sleeping in there too. my father put a chandelier in it.
9 hours is a long time to leave a puppy home alone everyday. especially when you first adopt him. do you have a retired neighbour or someone who could let him out during the day?
Excellent…LMAO
.
My husband and i have two german shorthaired pointers so given our experience i would HIGHLY discourage getting that dog/that breed if you’re going to leave it home 9 hours a day 5 days a week. German Shorthaired Pointers are smart and very active dogs so leaving it in the crate for that length of time is somewhat cruel and just asking for trouble. I imagine it would be like unleashing a tornado at the end of the day with the amount of pentup energy and frustration the dog would have. This is a breed that is bred to be in the field with hunters/ranchers/etc all day - not sitting home alone in a crate.
As for our two dogs, I work from home three days a week so I’m able to take them out (they get around four to five walks a day) and let them play in the backyard. The two days I work out of the home I take them to either a doggie daycare or have a dog walker come in who takes them to a park for half the day. On top of all of that my husband and I take them for runs - ranging from 3-5 miles - approx 4 times a week. They are wonderful dogs and we can’t imagine our life without them but this breed - or really any of the sporting breeds - requires much much much more work and activity then most people anticipate (and thus, that’s why so many sporting breeds end up being given up to shelters).
How much of a language barrier will there be with the dog being Germanl?
It’s young, so I think it will learn English okay.
My husband and i have two german shorthaired pointers so given our experience i would HIGHLY discourage getting that dog/that breed if you’re going to leave it home 9 hours a day 5 days a week. German Shorthaired Pointers are smart and very active dogs so leaving it in the crate for that length of time is somewhat cruel and just asking for trouble. I imagine it would be like unleashing a tornado at the end of the day with the amount of pentup energy and frustration the dog would have. This is a breed that is bred to be in the field with hunters/ranchers/etc all day - not sitting home alone in a crate.
As for our two dogs, I work from home three days a week so I’m able to take them out (they get around four to five walks a day) and let them play in the backyard. The two days I work out of the home I take them to either a doggie daycare or have a dog walker come in who takes them to a park for half the day. On top of all of that my husband and I take them for runs - ranging from 3-5 miles - approx 4 times a week. They are wonderful dogs and we can’t imagine our life without them but this breed - or really any of the sporting breeds - requires much much much more work and activity then most people anticipate (and thus, that’s why so many sporting breeds end up being given up to shelters).
Thank you for the response. How many miles per week would you say your dogs could (would like to) run?
GSP’s are not long distance running dogs but are well known in the ski joring world for being one of the fastest breeds at the 5 mile distance. They really are more of a ‘middle’ distance running dog. They need about an hour of vigerous exercise a day which, according to our vet, can include letting them run free at an offleash park or other offleash area.
I would say that assuming they weren’t going to daycare/the park with the dogwalker, they would probably want to run 5-6x a week for 5 miles (though in the summer they seem to heat up really quick and prefer a 3mi run). We can definitely tell if we haven’t taken them running in two+ days with the amount of pentup energy they have. When it comes to combining it with tri training, my husband and I will typically do the 5 mile lap with the dogs and then drop them off at home before heading out to finish our longer runs. They probably could run more than 5 miles without too much of a problem but our older dog is 9-10 years old (rescue) so we are being very watchful of her hips and general health and want to make sure that she’s always enjoying the run.
funny you should mention that - I have German friends who also speak English as well. Their dog is also bilingual - but they speak German to him when they really mean business.
GSP’s are not long distance running dogs but are well known in the ski joring world for being one of the fastest breeds at the 5 mile distance. They really are more of a ‘middle’ distance running dog.
Hmm, this is not consistent with the information I have. I was told they could do long runs. I guess more investigation will be needed.
I’m sure they “could” do long runs but ours definitely start to lose momentum if they go too long or it’s too hot. But that first five miles they run like there’s no tomorrow. I can probably hold 5min miles when attached to both of them b/c they run with a definite purpose (and the younger one HATES to be passed by other people/dogs so will surge ahead if necessary).
In truth, they are wonderful dogs but everything you read about them having seperation anxiety and a reputation for tearing up couches/etc if left alone too long definitely seems to be true given our small sample size. But when well exercised, intellectually challenged, and around their humans they are wonderful and loving dogs.
1 hour per month in age minus 2 or 3. So 12 months should be around 9-10 hours. This is the guideline for bladder control though. I would highly discourage you from adopting if you’re leaving a young GSP crated for that long though. Unless you’re able to return home during lunch to run them.
Once a dog is mature, it can handle 9 hours straight without a problem. I think the bigger issue, is leaving a 1 year old dog alone for that long. The dog is liable to go stir crazy, and pick up a lot of bad habits.
It is somewhat dependant on how much exercise you give the dog. For example my pup, gets a 30 to 45 minute walk in the morning, plus 5 to 10 minutes of fetch time. So when I leave for work in the morning, she’s somewhat drained (although she does have endless energy!), but she has no problem napping. And I come home for lunch, which she gets another 30 to 45 minute walk. Plus I exercise my dog a lot at night and on the weekends, lots of walks, fetch, letting her chase me around on the ball field.
If I got up, let the dog go the bathroom for a few minuets, got ready for work, put her in her crate, let her out for a few minutes at lunch, and then came home at 5, I would not feel like a responsible owner, and would likely give my dog up.
Crating is very popular–more popular than NOT crating, which I think has become the un-PC option, if there is one.
Our dogs (who are 2 and 8) routinely stay home alone from 6:30 to 5:30 or so. They are fine. Of course, this depends on the dog’s temperment and activity level as well…but we have one active dog and one sedentary, and they both do okay. FWIW, our younger dog was crated during the day for quite awhile after we got her…then she got “upgraded” to the laundry room. Now she has free reign, along with our older dog.
ETA: I just re-read, and saw you were looking at a GSP (forwhatever reason I was thinking Shepherd). They are VERY active dogs…and could get bored (read: destructive) if left alone for a long time. That is something you should consider, as well–beyond just the being able to “hold it” factor.
We adopted adult dogs specifically because we can’t provide the level of activity on a daily basis that a puppy requires plus they will be home alone for 9 hours a day when I’m not working at home.
The two we have now are too old for running with me but they do sleep all day so no destructive habits
Our next dog will be around 3 years old because we’ve found that is young enough for the energy to run with me but is past the puppy stage. Breed has a huge influence on who we adopt as well. We have become very fond of Cattle Dogs but they can be big trouble so only an adult one in our house. I also love Golden Retrievers but they are also serious trouble makers as puppies so adult only too.
x2. i’m big into senior dogs that people throw away as soon as they develop arthritis, cruciate ligament issues, other $$ ailments. can’t believe the way peeps treat their old dilapidated doggies. our recent addition is 8 year old basset izzy, who has gained 20 lbs and feeling great. she stays outdoors all day with 2 of the labbies, but DH is also home. never crate anybody unless they have to go to doggy day care while we’re outta town. maybe it’s un PC, but i wouldn’t crate my kids & i don’t like to crate the doglets, neether!
Left alone, dogs get bored. Bored dogs chew things. Your call.
Eric–you are getting a dog bred for hunting. If that is not your lifestyle, or you don’t have a large area for him/her to run, prly not the best breed.
I fostered a Siberian Husky–also bred for an active purpose–and my standard poodle and I barely survived four days.
You equate dog crating to children crating? This is a misconception that too many people have.
You equate dog crating to children crating? This is a misconception that too many people have.
Indeed. Dogs actually enjoy the security and close confines of their crate - it is like the Den in the real world of wolves or wild dogs. Many people find this cruel to dogs, but it is the complete opposite. Many dog breeders and trainers who know what they are talking about will reccomend that your dog be crate trained and that any time that you are out of the house and at night for the first year of the dogs life - that they are in the crate. Of course this assumes that at other times they are getting enough exercise and stimulation. And also that the crate is not used as a form of punishment - this may, as you would assume, turn the dog off the crate.
We did this with our dog and even after the first year - after we let him wander on his own around the house, his favourite place to lie down or sleep was in his crate.
This made for a well adjusted and behaved dog that was easy to travel with - via airlines or by car. Hotels that have a No Dog policy sometimes do change their minds when they know that the dog is crate trained and that any time they dog is in the room he/she will be in their crate.