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Time Alone

I am planning on getting a Mini Aussie but am concerned about the amount of time she will be home by herself. I work 10 hour days 4 days a week. I will be able to come home at lunch to check on her but only for a short period of time. I will be taking her on daily hikes and walks but am concerned about her being home for that long. We do have 2 cats that are indoor and would be with her. Would I be ok getting a Mini Aussie even though Monday thru Thursday she will home alone for ~10 hours? Thank you!

Comments for Time Alone

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honestly
by: Anonymous

honestly, I would say no. Its not fair to the dog, that requires alot of exercise, and is very people oriented; nor would that be good for your two indoor cats. I have 2 cats, and they mostly spend their time during the day, in the 2nd floor of our home, away from the dogs(mostly the toy Aussie, which is 7 months now); at night I revese it, the dogs go up to bed, the cats come down. We have 3 dogs in total, one is already 4 years old, and the other is 2, but the one that has given me the most run for the money is the toy aussie. We love him he's funny, fun, affectionate, but..when ever we go out, we literally have to empty the living room of everything, because he has destroyed a lot of things. I have no doubt he will get better, but its only when we go out. we leave him with toys, plus he has the 2 year old to horse around with, we take hm for walks, etc and still. sometimes, we weren't even gone long..so if I were you, I would re think it. I'm an a big fan of he Aussie, all types, and sizes. I think they are the best...but if you're going to be gone 10 hours a day...maybe at least an older one, no a pup.

Agreed
by: Anonymous

We have three blue merles, two males and one female. It really took a lot keeping them occupied. Don't think they would have turned out as good as they did if my wife was not a stay at home mom.

Getting a mini
by: Debbie

The only think that i can think of is hiring a dog walker or taking it to a day care while your at work. aussie have to be socialized and thats a good place to do it.

thank you!
by: megan

thank you all for your info! i really appreciate it! i definitely will need to think about who i can get to watch my aussie during the day if i decide to get one. good things to think about! thanks again!

Re: time alone
by: Anonymous

Being an aussie owner myself (for the last 25 years) I think you should wigh your options. Aussies DO have a tendancy to destroy things,tear things up, have anxiety issues etc.if not given the proper excersise. It is also not fair to confine your dog(a kennel/cage) for that period of time as a puppy. If you have a yard, I would not recommend leaving her out as she may start to jump the fence, or bark continuously or possibly dig(typically they are not diggers) As your dog ages she SHOULD do fine, however, as a puppy/young dog I would consider other options. I am the LAST person to discourage someone of getting an aussie (the best dogs in the world)BUT, they are a high maintence breed. Maybe as the other comment suggested a dog walker or maybe even doggie day care during your four days of working.

Is this a reasonable situation?
by: Anonymous

I'm also thinking about getting a mini Aussie, but am wondering about the logistics. She would be home alone for about 4 hours at a time except on Mondays, when we would all be gone for up to 9 hours. We do have someone who can come over and let her out during that time. We also have a house rabbit who lives in a cage but is allowed to run free in the house a few hours a day. Obviously we would never leave them alone together out of their cages/kennels. The dog I'm looking at is a little older, almost a year old.

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