# Havanese Alone Time



## rzj386

Hi, my wife and I have been researching dogs for when we (hopefully someday) get one. We both really like Havanese.

One issue with this breed is alone time. We both work seven hours a day. Is it possible for a Havanese to be left alone for this amount of time five days a week? Do any of you guys have a similar schedule and make it work? Any info/opinion is appreciated.

Let me also say that taking the dog to a doggie day care would not be a possibility, as we probably would not be able to afford that.


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## pjewel

I have worked full time away from home and many people do. Not everyone can be home or work from home. However, I always had more than one dog, so they kept each other company. It's also hard to be away all day in the beginning if you get a puppy. An older dog might be a better option. Also, if you know anyone in the neighborhood that you trust, you might have someone come in to walk the dog in the middle of the day.


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## rzj386

Thanks, pjewel. It would certainly be an "only dog".

I am just doing research at the moment, but I would not want to get a dog if I couldn't give it a good quality of life. If being away from it for seven hours a day is too much, then I simply wouldn't get that type of dog, or wouldn't get a dog at all.


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## littlebuddy

i know lots of hav owners who don't leave their dogs for extended periods of time and others who do. i leave mine at a max of 5 hours (this is by my choice however) but i work for myself and am either at home or at the office which is 10 minutes away so it's very easy for me to go home for lunch, etc.

i also have a friend who is a teacher and leaves her hav. for 8-9 hours. a friend of mine has a Bichon and she works 12 hour shifts, she has had a dog walker since day one who comes and walks her dog and also returns for a few potty breaks. i think the key is to be realistic with your "life schedule" and figure out solutions for your dog before you get one. have you considered 2 havanese? i wish we would have gotten 2 from the get go. it's always nice having a buddy while your owners are away for the day.


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## Narwyn

I work full time. I also have the luxury of working 10 minutes from home, so I can pop home at lunch time, but when things get busy, that can't always happen, so they are alone a little over 9 hours. If things are going badly at work, it's been more hours than that, though not often. 

I do have two, now, but I only had one for a long time. He did fine - I can see that he's happier with a buddy, but I had no major issues.

There are two problems with dogs home for extended periods. 
One is asking a dog to hold its bladder for so long, but, that's actually easy for this breed, as many people use an indoor dog potty. 
The second is harder: making sure you are meeting the emotional/psychological needs of the dog. To be honest, I think you can be home all day and still not do this! Dogs, even small ones, need exercise, socialization, time with their people, training, general attention. If you are committed to doing this in your non-work hours, it can work, with the right dog. A nice walk before work, breakfast frozen into a bone to keep them occupied for a little while after you leave, another nice walk when you get home, a little bit of practice training and going to obedience class once a week (helps with manners AND bonding!), and lots of snuggle time. 

In a lot of ways, it can become a series of small compromises. Drive an extra 20 minutes to go to the dog-friendly beach instead. Go out to eat Saturday night instead of Friday when you've all ready been gone all day. Maybe you can work into your budget to do doggy day care once a week, so they can have some social time. Maybe after a basic manners class, you find yourself interested in a sport like Rally or Agility - even if you never compete, the classes are fun and are great for you and the dog.

I think never leaving a dog alone actually cases problems (there will be times that this is unavoidable, and then it's a big deal), but they are companion dogs. If you need to shoot for quality over quantity, it can work.


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## marlowe'sgirl

I second everything Kat says. 

It helps to have a buddy for your dog. I have a very social, playful cat. They are actually best friends and totally keep each other occupied.

If you can come home at lunch, it's ideal, but make sure you give your pup lots of attention when you are home. The hardest part is when they are puppies and they just can't hold their bladder that long. You really can't leave them crated for more than 3-4 hrs. At 1 yr, my pup has no problems holding his bladder. Even if I'm home all day, sometimes he goes 10 hrs without signalling that he wants go outside (esp if it's really cold).

I work full time, but manage to do doggie daycare once a week, dogpark after work 1 day a week, then for at least 1-2 hrs on weekend days. We've had a lot of fun doing agility classes (even though I've got no intention of competing). And there's daily long walks, training and games as well. I think my pup is quite happy. But your non-work life really should be focused on the dog. 

I do doggie daycare on the days I know it's going to be 12+ hrs (ie work and then evening booked). My pup is so tired from playing all day, he barely moves from the couch post-daycare. A couple times when my evening got shortened and I came home early, I couldn't get him to fetch or play games even with him favorite treats. Most folks around me with small dogs and full time jobs spring for daycare once a week and plenty of dogpark time. It's a worthwhile expense.


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## JANEOC

I am home with my 2 Havanese but my daughter has 1 Havanese that is 4 years old and she and her husband have worked outside the home since the dog was a puppy with no problems. However, I am trying to persuade her to get another just for the company they provide each other.


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## krandall

rzj386 said:


> Thanks, pjewel. It would certainly be an "only dog".
> 
> I am just doing research at the moment, but I would not want to get a dog if I couldn't give it a good quality of life. If being away from it for seven hours a day is too much, then I simply wouldn't get that type of dog, or wouldn't get a dog at all.


If you can't have more than one dog, can't do doggy day care or can't have a dog walker come in to spend time with the dog in the middle of the day (which also can be expensive) I don't think a Hav is the right animal for you. I actually think it would be unfair for any dog.

Have you considered a cat? Cats sleep about 20 hours a day, and can be very good company for a working couple in the evenings. The whole time my husband and I worked full time we had first one cat and eventually two. They were great pets! We still have one cat along with our Hav.


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## rzj386

Krandall - I get what you are saying.

What does everyone think about a Havanese alone with a cat for seven hours a day? I have had dogs and cats that have gotten along great in the past. 

FYI - I'm not on the verge of getting a pet. This decision would not even come for another year or so. Just doing preliminary research after spending some time with a friend's Coton de Tulear (which seem like a slightly more expensive version of a Havanese).


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## krandall

rzj386 said:


> Krandall - I get what you are saying.
> 
> What does everyone think about a Havanese alone with a cat for seven hours a day? I have had dogs and cats that have gotten along great in the past.
> 
> FYI - I'm not on the verge of getting a pet. This decision would not even come for another year or so. Just doing preliminary research after spending some time with a friend's Coton de Tulear (which seem like a slightly more expensive version of a Havanese).


There are several people on the board who have cats who are great friends with their Havs. If you can get the right cat, that might be a great idea. That said, cats are not all alike... Our cat HATES our dog and won't give him the time of day... Just a swat on the nose.ound: I don't think she's very good company for him!:biggrin1:


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## TShot

We have one Havanese no other pets, my wife and I both work.
I work Monday - Thursday, my wife works Monday - Friday We both leave the house at 8:00AM and my wife returns at 3:15 PM so Petunia is home alone for those hours during the day. My wife doesn't work when school is out, so she is home with her during the summer.

I assure you she is very well adjusted to this schedule and is very happy and healthy. Yes she is very attached to us and never leaves our sight when we are around. Petunia has free run of the house at all times, we leave a pee-pad for her but she usually waits until we return home to do her business outside
.
Here is our typical work day routine.
We wake at 6 in the morning Petunia goes outside to potty. After getting dressed and breakfast, I take her for a short 10-15 minute walk then feed her and leave for work. My wife get home a little after 3 PM and I come home at 4 PM. When I get home Petunia is super excited, after a 5 minute crazed greeting we set out for another walk around the neighborhood or along the levee. We usually walk for 45-60 minutes in the evening, sometimes at a very brisk pace and others we stop and socialize with neighbors and their dogs. Petunia loves it and has become very popular with the people in the area LOL! 
Before bed usually around 10:30 PM I'll take her out for another short walk.

On Fridays I play golf in the morning and spend the afternoon at the "City-Bark" dog park with Petunia. We have a world class dog-park here in our city, it's awesome.

On the weekends we have a very busy household, my daughters and son-in-laws are usually around and that keeps us all occupied, Petunia loves company and all the attention. She is very SPOILED.....

We have never left her with day-care or a sitter, she does go to the groomer every 6 weeks and has no problem with separation.

When I'm home Petunia never lets me out of her sight. 
She likes my wife but absolutely LOVES me. In fact I'm sure Petunia wishes that my wife would leave me, so she can have all my attention for herself.
LOL!!!!

Seriously, you must be ready to give a lot of attention if you are going to bring a Havanese into you home...
But it can be done. I see no problem with the hours you describe.


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## rzj386

TShot - I am glad you took the time to reply, because my schedule is the exact same as yours. Being a teacher, I also have the summers off and I leave and come home the same time as you do.

Not all of you agree on this, but it is very helpful to see the different opinions because they help me form my own.


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## krandall

rzj386 said:


> TShot - I am glad you took the time to reply, because my schedule is the exact same as yours. Being a teacher, I also have the summers off and I leave and come home the same time as you do.
> 
> Not all of you agree on this, but it is very helpful to see the different opinions because they help me form my own.


I think the important thing to keep in mind is that whether this will work is very much dependent on the personality of the specific dog. Obviously it's working great with Petunia, but many Havs would be miserable under the same circumstances.

I think that if you DO decided to do it, you should pick your breeder very, very carefully (you should do that anyway, but it's even more important in a situation like yours!) then you have to be very honest with the breeder and have them help you pick the right puppy for your needs.

You might also want to coincide bringing your puppy home with the start of your summer vacation. I am an educational advocate, so although my school year schedule is more flexible than yours, my work is also tied to the school year. Getting Kodi at the beginning of the summer allowed me to completely devote the summer to getting him well started on potty training, develop a great bond with him and also work on getting him used to being left alone for periods of time.

In your initial post, you didn't mention that you were a teacher... I think this makes a big difference. Working full time means different things in different professions. When we were younger, I worked in banking and my DH worked for a major accounting firm. Between demanding jobs and commute time, we were regularly both gone 10 hours a day, year round. From Jan. Thru mid-April, he was gone 12-14 hours a dat and all day Sat. With that kind of work schedule, I just don't think it would have been fair to a dog, no matter how much we wanted one.

Different people are able to find different workable solutions to dogs and work schedules, but as someone else posted, (and you are clearly doing by asking the right questions) it's a matter of thinking things through ahead of time, coming up with solutions that will work for you AND the dog.

I think the most important thing to remember is that adding a dog to your family isn't just "getting a pet", it's a life style change. Particularly if you are away from the dog a good portion of the time, you need to be committed to spending as much quality time as possible with your dog the rest of the time. That doesn't necessarily mean organizing outings and activities every minute of your free time... Dogs love just hanging with their people too! But it does mean that maybe on Sat. You choose an outing where your dog can go with you rather than one where he needs to stay home.

I work from my home office a good portion of the time, and am out at schools typically, no more than 3-4 hours per day. If I have morning and afternoon meetings, it's rare that I can't at least come home for lunch. So I spend a lot of time with Kodi. But still, if I need to run errands, given the choice, he'll ride along, even if it means waiting in the car for me, rather than be left at home.


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## clare

Yes it depends very much on the character of the pup.Our Dizzie is a very sensible and self reliant little dog, although he loves us madly,we could easily leave him all day each day,but on the other hand, Nellie would become distressed, and possibly destructive.So you would have to go into the character of any potential puppy with a reputable breeder.We also have 4 cats, 2 of which get on very well with the dogs and they sleep in their beds together, and play together, so yes they are company for each other.


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang

Definitely plan your dog's arrival for the start of summer so you can spend all summer adapting it to your lifestyle. This will allow you to give it a good start on potty training, being alone for incrementally longer periods, and basic training before you head back to school.

You need to find a good breeder who will choose a pup with the right temperament for your lifestyle. There are occasionally older pups or young adults available through breeders and one of these might be a wiser option for you. 

Your home life will change drastically and you need to be up for that and committed to the work involved with having a companion animal. The Havanese is a companion dog and does require ample attention, affection and grooming from its owner. You may not need to exercise it as much as a sporting breed, but it will need daily exercise and play interaction.

It seems like you're doing the right thing by researching early...I wish you the best of luck in your search.


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