Need some advice - Page 1

Hi,
I'm new to this board and I'm looking to purchase a GSD within the next couple of months(hopefully). I'm a police Officer and I work 12hour shifts, 7pm-7am(keep in mind that i have to sleep at least 5 hours when i get home). Because of the hours, i only work about 3-4 days a week(I have plenty of days off). I live alone in a house with a nice-sized back yard. I plan on purchasing a GSD around 1 year old. I know that i dont have the free time that a puppy requires. My questions are

1) Given my work schedule, do i have enough free time to own a GSD?

2) If i do purchase a GSD, where should I keep him when I'm at work(Kennel, crate, etc...) 

I would ideally like to keep my dog indoors and have him protect my home when I'm not around.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and please keep in mind that I'm still learning about GSD's and if my questions sound stupid, it's because I just don't know any better. I refuse to make an uninformed decision which would be unfair to a dog.

Thank you

Hi Gsrookie, i am too working 12hr nights and currently own 3 GSDs and a schnoodle. When I had a pup coming I tried to take some time off from work. Looking at a 1year old is a good decission of yours, yet if you can still try to take some time off so you get to know the dog better and can adjust if necessary.

At 1year old the dog should be able to hold it the entire time you are gone, but better would be if you live close enough to your work that you would be able to check on him. Or if you do have a good fenced in yard (6') then you could install a doggy door, or similar. But to do this you would have to trust the dog not to digg or jump the fence, so maybe crating at night until you are able to trust the dog is the best thing to do.

If possible you could split your nights up, so you dont work 3 or 4 nights in a row, at least in the beginning. When I come home from work I let the guys out and play ball with them for at least 30 min, then feed them, and let them back out in the yard. Usual i go to bed at 9.30 for a 6 hour sleep, and they are ok with that. All 4 are house dogs, only my oldest GSD has the run off the house, the other guys are crated. They kinda know when its "sleepy time" when I put the bathrope on...lol Of course it helps that I do SCHH training with them on my days off (3x a week), akc obedience and go on the fields/woods with them.

And of course everything will be easier if you have some family who could jump in, or a friend/colleg, or even a dog sitter/walker. Just make sure that the dog you are looking at is house broke and crate trained, as well as is of sound temperament and has no phobias (thunderstorms, seperation anxiety ect.) Good luck to you!

Elkoor,
Thank you very much for the advice. Would i leave him in the crate when i go to work(12-13hours) or would i just leave him in the house? I was concerned with leaving the dog in a crate for that long but have gotten several different opinions on the subject. I don't work close enough to my job to let the dog out and I dont have anyone who would be able to let him out. Although I have looked into dog walkers(I'm just not a big fan of having a stranger in my house when im not around).

Thanks again
GSRookie

I understand :). Guess everything depends upon the dog itself. Are you able to trust the dog to leave him the run of the house while you are gone? Will he get into mischieves? The more confined they are the less the likelyhood they soil into the house until they cant be fully trusted. If its possible in your house you could also confine him into one room at first until your are able to judge him better.

A one-year-old is still a puppy....I sure wouldn't leave one uncrated in my house! Best thing about crates is that they stop the bad habits before they begin.

You can get one of those giant crates and he'll have plenty of space. Assuming he's not a giant GSD. 

Sharing my home with my dog, I've come to find the crate to be a "must-have".  Your best option is to make sure to give your dog a good dose of exercise daily.  I give Ares two or 3 20 minute walks daily and usually stop off at a schoolyard after dark to have him chase down balls.  It helps with his temperament, conditioning and tractability.  If you get a 1 Y.O. you are getting a dog that may already be house-broken.  I'd look into "doggie daycares".

Just a thought......
If you want to let your dog have the run of the house, how about an electronic dogie door with a small fenced area for your dog to relieve its self while you're gong? The e-door will only let dogs with a special e-collar in and out. Your dog will be able to stay comfortable and be able to protect your home. The fence within a fence will keep the dog out more out of sight and will contain the dog waste to a certain area.
http://www.americas-pet-store.com/details/prodid/1725.html

OH I highly recommend a "doggie doo drain" for really quick and easy clean up, I just installed one and its great!
http://litterboy.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=558&category=0&gclid=CLr8mZqLrJ4CFSWjagodZQ8elA

Thank you guys so much for the info. Does anyone think that 12-13 hours in a crate is too long??

I do think it is too long for day after day.  Once in a while, yeah ok but I really like SitasMom's idea about the e-doggy door and small fenced area.  A friend of mine has a doggy door leading into a spare bedroom and that is her large GSD's room.  He has access to outside and her fenced yard has a hot wire on it that keeps him from making an escape.  He can come and go as he pleases.  If you are going to crate him for any length of time you really need to take him somewhere and let him run his legs off chasing a ball. 

13 hours day after day, can't that lead to urinary tract difficulties? We try to limit our dogs' continuous confinement to 8 hours. My husband and I were able to stagger our jobs, we're lucky, it works for us.

Another ideas is what a friend of mind does, she's hired a  dog walker to come in at mid-day to give her dogs a break (or is it brake???).