How much time do you spend with your dog?

[Rose30]

Just wondering how much time everyone spends with their dogs. I live alone, so i take him out in the morning around 8, im usually back home around 6pm when I take him out again and i usually stay home on the weeknights because I don't want to leave him alone anymore than necessary, then he goes out for a short 10 min walk at night before bed.

 

Is this normal? sometimes i feel really guilty for not being able to give him more attention

[LDRohnos]

It's about normal. I do the same, walk in the morning and she generally follows me around until I leave for work. I usually try to include her as much as possible since I live alone as well. Usually at night I'll take her for another walk or take her on errands with me...when I get home she's usually sitting there basically with the leash in her mouth ready to go. Weekends I usually do something activity wise with her in the park or I'll goto the track with her in the summer and she can play in the median while I do laps.

 

There's only so much you can do if you live alone!

[Crazyaboutdogs]

Dogs just like being around you. I spend evenings and weekends at home and do my own thing. However from time to time I go over and play with the dog and shower him with attention.

[duke nukem]

Whenever I'm home I have him hanging out next to me. Every so often I take him out, maybe throw his favorite mini-tennis balls around for a half hour or so to wear him out. Or play tug of war with him. Luckily there's other people at my house so he gets plenty of attention.

[petite]

Before we started living together my fiance felt guilty at times for leaving his doberman alone all day whilst he was at work, but he did spend enough time with her and she was never neglected. Now he either takes her for a ten minute walk in the morning and then I run with her for however many miles I am running that morning, I usually tell him once I'm up if I'm taking her out and if I don't then he will take her on a longer run of abut 30 minutes. Because he leaves before me in the morning he comes home quite early around 4pm so he takes her out as soon as he gets home and then we go out later in the evening for another walk together or if I'm working late he will take her out alone. She definitely gets heaps of time outside, and on weekends we take her to the dog beach and she interacts with my parents dog too. He was away for quite a while these past two months and I looked after her, I did feel bad when I worked some late hours but I always made sure to leave her with plenty of food and sometimes my mother would walk her or my sister and her boyfriend whilst they walk his dog too. Our main concern was her bathroom but we would leave the garage door open from inside the house and taught her to go there if she needed during the day, and she has only gone a few times. We also leave the tv on for her, and air-conditioning in the summer, heat in the winter. She is great and happy dog, loves to sleep and play with her toys.

[Circe]

I'm at home a lot and spend a lot of time with him. I'll usually be able to take him on walks 3 times a day (unless I have a full uni schedule - and then its twice a day) but then walking is a bit of a hobby of mine. We're both with him almost every weeknight. However - he doesn't see very much of us on weekends. We take him with us when we can on weekends but that's when he's alone the most.

 

But there is no "normal" - my vet told me that a lot of people spend very little time with their dogs because of long working hours and it's not ideal - but.. it's how it is. What you do sounds fine!

[Rose30]

thanks guys, feeling less guilty now.