is an EBT right for my family?

josefix

Greetings everyone. Newbie to the forum here. I really need your help. I'm a true dog lover without a dog for 12+ years. Go figure! I always had dogs as a kid. But as a young adult, hard work and partying took up most of my time. I know I really didnt have time for a dog then. Now, I'm married. 2 kids. 10 and 7 years old. The partying is over. Its all about the family now. We've been wanting a dog for quite some time but here's my concern - We're dead set on an EBT, but I'm worried about our weekday schedule. We live out in the sticks, no neighbors, and are gone from 7am-5pm weekdays. The dog would get lots of love in the evenings and weekends and will stay inside, but would be alone during the weekdays. Is this acceptable? If not, then we wont get an EBT(We want to do the right thing. I'd rather not get one if its detrimental to the dog). If it is ok, where should we keep it? Does anyone give their EBT full range of the house when they're gone? I understand that if you leave them inside your house will be destroyed! Lol. I'd really love to fence in our large backyard, but I've been told for a number of reasons not to leave a bully unattended in a yard for that long. I can't bring myself to crate a dog for 10 hours a day. So, I feel like my only option is a good sized outdoor sheltered kennel. Opinions? Thanks so much for your help.

philsergeant

I realize that it is a hard decision to need to make when your work schedule is tough..... (easiest choice is to vote for better government so we can all escape slave labour and not need to kill ourselves on the long road to death.:-)).... But in truth the question is the same for virtually any dog, not just a Bullie.  Yes, when most dogs are young, if left alone they might tear up their sleeping bed or the carpet out of frustration, my son has had that problem with various breeds while we have not with Bullies. And most young dogs can be rough on the inside of the house whether you are there or not, until you have them trained.  But we have had Bullies that needed to stay home, not 10 but 6 or 7 hours un-attended and they'd just sleep, mostly on our bed. The main thing with a Bullie is that you should start them young on a good exercise routine and long as you can take them for a 20 minute good run, or a 40 brisk walk in the mornings before you leave, you'll be okay as long as all the other house training aspects come together...But that goes for most dogs.  Bullies are fabulous with kids, especially ones yours' age.

tazmaniandevil

I had the same concerns before we got vinny. I was very aware that bull terriers need lots of stimulation and attention and get very bored when left alone for to long. Me and my girlfriend are out of the house from 7-4 monday-thursday and we also live out in the country with a big back yard that is fenced in. Vinny is 11 months now and feel perfectly happy leaving him for the day because he is used to the routine. Many times i have come home early or for lunch and every single time he is fast asleep. It has taken a while to realise the right way to "contain" him and it was all trial and error. My first idea was to fence off a big section of the garden and have a dog flap into our washroom. However, coming home everyday and spending 30minutes filling in all the craters in the garden soon wore thin. The next step was to just lock him in the wash room which is quite big but again i couldnt relax because there was still potential for trouble. Like opening the washing machine and eating the rubber seal. I eventually bit the bullet and layed a 50sqm concrete slab on the side of the garage and caged it in then built a bomb proof room inside the garage with a flap inside. He now loves it in there and most nights will dissapear outside to sleep in his room rather than in the house in his bed. I think i did it the right way from the start tho. He always slept alone in the wash room and i never gave in to his cries. Im no expert at all but ive learnt the hard way and i can honestly say, dont give him the run of the garden. To much space to get into trouble. I highly recomend a good size run with an indoor area to sleep. Once vinny hit the puberty stage he seems to take great pride in guarding his cage, running outside barking and then back to his bed. The first 6 months were very difficult as this was my first dog but its got so much better. Once they learn the routine its fine.

Quinnofhearts

Just my personal experience...
When I got Quinn as a puppy, I didn't have the same job I do now and I was home more often and could even take her to work (I worked at a pet hotel). She had such a regimented routine, she knew when things were supposed to happen and if they didn't happen it would throw her off. I think having such a good routine contributed to her quick potty training and (for the most part) her general lack of issues. When I was gone, she would be crated, but it would never be more than 6 hours. She would be crated at night when she was very young, that was 8 hours, but I was there. Once she got older, I allowed her to be free in my bedroom while I was gone. Had a few mishaps with a phone cord and some shoelaces, but in general she did well.
Once she was mature and we moved into an apartment where I now live alone, she has free reign of the whole place when I am not home. She has been known to chew on corners of blankets, and if I leave any kind of book, notebook or paper material where she can reach it, she'll chew that too, but she does very well otherwise. I used to leave her alone with no contact for just under 9 hours. But I took a promotion and this keeps me away from her for 10 hours a day, and I hired a pet sitter. They come during the day to walk her for 30 minutes, and honestly she is much more relaxed and pleasant when they come. I personally don't think it's fair to leave a dog alone for 10 hours. 8 should be max, if you have to.

It's impossible to know how your dog would handle being left alone that long, but I think if you get a puppy you would really need to consider hiring help or taking extra effort to come home at lunch. Once the baby matures a bit this can stop, but my dog is 3 years old and I am so thankful for my sitters...

philsergeant

@josefix, seeing as a few others agree with me.... If you can't (and I know if we could live our lives our way, we'd be with our dogs 24/7), but if you can't get someone in to walk for 30 minutes halfway through the day, (there are many services) then it would not be fair to leave any dog for 10 hours... EBT or chihuahua.

josefix

Thank you all so much for your insight.