Getting a puppy with full-time job

[thefortrees]

The wife and I are thinking about getting a Bernese puppy - somewhere around 10-14 weeks old. The biggest concern isbeing away from the house 8-10 hours a day for work. We've got a fenced in yard that we'd leave the dog in once it is old enough to stay outside. We also have a good relationship w/ a pet sitting service that could check on the dog during the day while it is still young. Doggie daycare is also a short-term option once it is fully vaccinated and 12+ weeks old.

Does anybody have experience raising a young dog being away from home during the day? I don't want to get a dog if it is likely to develop emotional problems from the lack of attention at a young age. I'm pretty sure we can make this work and raise a mentally stable/healthy dog, but it'd be great to hear from those with real-world experience.

[babybear]

Dog door so they can go in and out? That's what we do and they are happy and then you don't have to worry about the weather, etc
I was going to say that I wd also occasionally put the kennel in my car and bring the dog to work, but leaving the dog in the car is probably not much of an option in VA (it's much cooler here so is doable most of the yr)

That breed seems pretty mellow though, so more likely to be ok with the situation vs some other breeds
bernese puppies are cute as heck. my neighbor has one that is a yr old named Maxine haha

[AdironRider]

This seems to be a new phenomenon where the only moral way to raise a dog is to spend every waking minute with it. Growing up you never heard of people bringing dogs to work.

While I just lost my pooch and wish I spent more time with it (man this past week has sucked), you will be fine. I had a Dane/Boxer mix which are both emotional dogs and he handled it. I think humans have a tougher time leaving the dog for the day than the dog does with you leaving.

He'll probably just have a minor rule breaking party, ala:



That vid cracks me up and is exactly what my pooch used to do. Including getting served by the actual cat, despite him thinking he was one.

[thefortrees]

bernese puppies are cute as heck. my neighbor has one that is a yr old named Maxine haha

Cute without a doubt. This is Theo, one of the pups that is on our short list:

[Danno]

I don't think you need to worry about emotional problems (though obviously you would need to spend a lot of time with the puppy when not working). I'd be more concerned with things like making sure the puppy gets sufficient bathroom breaks (and stimulation/exercise). Is a dog walker once a day sufficient when you're gone for 10 hours? And while a dog door can be a life saver for the future, my dogs didn't earn "house privileges" until they were 2 or so. If you're fine with your puppy chewing the shit out of stuff, maybe leaving them out (allowing them to use the dog door) might be an option, but my dogs were in a crate when I wasn't home until they stopped chewing shit up.

[oftpiste]

All puppies should have full time jobs. How else would they earn their keep?

[Name Redacted]

Try crate training. It can actually be good for them. Burnese are pretty chill. I have a friend who has his in the back of his truck every day and she's fine (although this is in CO). Let's her out a few times a day.

Doggie daycare can be a mixed bag. They can easily learn bad habits and get gnarly viruses. Kinda like preschool. Our dog went a few times when we were desperate but I'd never do it again.

[iceman]

We have two Bernese mixes that are great dogs, the one that's a Bernese/Golden mix is such a great smart good-looking calm dog. Consider a mix mainly because Bernese are so susceptible to cancer that they generally die at about 6-8 and it's rough. Our other Bernese mix is 9 and strong and healthy as an ox but we think he might be getting Doggie Alzheimer's, he's really losing it lately. Hasn't started shitting in the house yet thank goodness but he just seems confused and scared much of the time lately. But 10 minutes later he'll seem fine so who knows what's up.

You'll see with Bernese that they absolutely love cold weather and hate the heat. I'd think a backyard in Alexandria would be really tough on one in the summer. All winter he'd be loving life though. The older one hates to come in the house in the winter, he'd rather sleep in the snow. One time it was just dumping out and we couldn't see him and we called him and finally a snowbank got up and moved, it was him under about a foot of snow, he'd been sound asleep under it and happy as a lark.

[wooley12]

GETTING A PUPPY WITH FULL-TIME JOB

So far, I've only found dogs with part time jobs.

Nice dog. Needs to work. Think outside the box. Buy the dog. Give the dog to someone else who lives nearby and pay all expenses. Have the surrogate owner agree to bring the dog to you for use during the hours that you are not working.

[Timberridge]

Consider a mix mainly because Bernese are so susceptible to cancer that they generally die at about 6-8 and it's rough.

You'll see with Bernese that they absolutely love cold weather and hate the heat. I'd think a backyard in Alexandria would be really tough on one in the summer.

This is good advice. My SIL and another friend of ours have had 4 purebred Berners between them and did a lot of checking on the family bloodlines for issues. They all got cancer around 8. You have to make sure they don't jump around a lot when they are teenagers or they will end up with back leg issues too. And they hate the heat as iceman said--shed like m-fuckers in it. Dog hair tumbleweeds everywhere. Other than that-- really mellow, but not the brightest dogs--so you don't need to entertain them much.

[BeardMech]

Adopt a child to look after it. Not to young though or they cant even handle a cat as Ive found out. Once you get the child you may need to hire an au pear to avoid the responsibility of taking care of them.

[Mazderati]

I think it was Hugh who likened the Bernese breed to Audi.

[iceman]

Sounds Hughian.

speaking of whom, I checked on him a couple months back, he's still over on that wooden boat forum and seemingly hardly full of hatred and condescension at all. I mean there's a little, of course.

[Timberridge]

BMills would love to hear that if he was still around here. Anybody ever hear from BMills?

[hawkgt]

This is Charlie, bernese and great pyrenees mix, great dog.



we crate trained him for a couple months and he was in it for some time when we were both at work. Once he got too big for the cage we put a dog bed on the floor and "walled" him off with chairs and blankets which he could easily break out of, never did. Couple months after that we got rid of the chairs.

When we tell him to "go to bed" or "time for bed" he will instantly move over to the dog bed in the same location and hardly ever moves except to lay on the wood floor if he is too hot. It was a great way to train him and he is a great dog, best dog I have ever had. I belive that by starting with crating and creating a "safe" place for charlie it helped him.

our biggest problem wiht him now is that he will bark at the neighbor until he comes over and pets him. funny as hell but my neighbor cant sit on his back porch in peace. good thing he loves dogs.

EDIT: Heat, be careful about the heat. In the summer we fill a plastic kids pool with water. He loves sitting in that and then run around the yard. after a walk he will instantly go lay down in it, or any dam mud puddle or lake.

[concretejungle]

Crate training, then dog door with nothing left for them to destroy.

[KQ]

I do see where the AKC lists the Bernese under the "working group" so looks like a good choice for a dog that can hold down a job.

[Name Redacted]

Get a saddle and ride 'em to the ski area. Uber-dog!

[KQ]

Get a saddle and ride 'em to the ski area. Uber-dog!

When I was a kid my neighbor used to hook their St. Bernard up to a cart and drive him to the corner store.

Like this:

[AdironRider]

When I was a kid my neighbor used to hook their St. Bernard up to a cart and drive him to the corner store.

Like this:

One of my other pups is a Pyrenees. Apparently this is a thing for them as well. I'm also going to do that pool thing, as she seems to dislike anything over 70 degrees.

http://sonic.net/~cdlcruz/GPCC/library/carting.htm

[Supermoon]

^ Dogs Love jobs!

[iceman]

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is very similar and related to a Bernese but much shorter coat and I believe much less susceptible to cancer.

[ThreeRidges]

Fyi, when we don’t have someone home all day, Your Dogs Best Friend on Rt 1 has been good for us. Staff loves dogs, and a 70 degree warehouse is way better than a 98 degree day. Ours loves to play and comes home totally tired out.

[muted]

One of my other pups is a Pyrenees. Apparently this is a thing for them as well. I'm also going to do that pool thing, as she seems to dislike anything over 70 degrees.

My dog is half pyrenees, acts like a full-blooded one. He would just lay down and go to sleep after being rigged up. When he was younger I could see him maybe going a block with that thing on.

[hutash]

When I was a kid my neighbor used to hook their St. Bernard up to a cart and drive him to the corner store.

Like this:

This is the kind of job you want to get a dog with.