I’m a huge animal lover. I’ve dreamt of having a little dog ever since I was a young girl. As I live in a flat, I’ve been researching different dog breeds that are suited to flat living.
I’ve fallen head over heels for the Pomeranian. They are just such adorable little balls of fluff!
However, I don’t want to rush into anything without being absolutely sure I’m making the best choice for the animal.
As I’m a student, I’m rarely at home during the day on weekdays. My family are also out at work. Can a small dog like this cope with being left home alone all day?
Of course, I plan to take him out as much as possible, including getting up earlier in the morning.
I’m worried he might be unhappy or get into mischief while we’re out.
Thanks in advance for your help, it will be much appreciated!! 3
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I’m not sure what @valvy decided in the end, but given all the advice, I’d like to hope she went with the pet sitter option – and you should definitely do the same for your future dog! ^^
Hi there, I was just wondering if you ended up getting a dog in the end? If so, how are they getting on? etc.
Hi everyone! 👋 I’m a huge animal lover. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of having a small dog. Since I live in a flat, I’ve been looking into different breeds that are suited to flat living. I’ve totally fallen for Pomeranians; they are just such adorable little balls of fluff. However, I don't want to rush into anything without being sure I’m making the best choice for the animal. As I’m a student, I’m rarely at home during the day on weekdays. My family is the same as they’re all out at work. Can a little dog like that cope with being left alone at home all day? I’d obviously make sure to take them out whenever I can, including getting up earlier. I’m just worried they’d be miserable or get into mischief while we’re out. Thanks in advance for any help, it really would be much appreciated!! 3
I find myself getting a bit worked up when I read that some dogs can't cope with being alone while others handle it "perfectly fine". What does "coping well on their own" actually mean? Does it just mean they aren't getting into mischief? It’s a far cry from saying a dog is happy to be left alone all day! Dogs are social animals. Being left on their own for 8 to 10 hours a day, plus the 8 hours their owner is asleep... that’s 18 out of 24 hours spent doing absolutely nothing except waiting for their owner to come back! What a thrilling life!
Hi there,
A dog's ability to handle being alone doesn't really depend on the breed; it’s all about the individual dog. A friend of mine had a Brittany who couldn't stand being left by himself, but I have one who handles it perfectly fine.
What’s the maximum number of hours your dog will be left alone each day?
Whatever you do, I’d avoid getting a puppy as it’ll be far too much to handle. You'd be better off choosing an adult dog, perhaps from a rescue centre! Many of them are already used to being left alone from their previous lives.
That said, you’ll still need to make up for it with plenty of long walks and playtime...
Any dog can learn to cope with being on their own, provided you take the time to train them and don't leave them for the entire day. However, in your case, it’s going to be quite difficult; if there’s no one to look after the dog during the day, your plans are looking a bit tricky. The dog is likely to be quite unhappy. Plus, a puppy is a massive amount of work. An adult dog might be a better option as they can cope for longer, but you’d still need to hire a dog walker or have family or friends pop in to take them out at midday. Without that, it really would be better not to get a dog.
