Getting a puppy and working 12 hour shifts?

Nurses General Nursing

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I work 12 hour night shifts 3 days a week, and I am going to look at a 2 month old German Shepherd in a few days. I live in a apartment (has a huge dog park) and currently have a two year old yorkie who went through me working 12 hours and he turned out fine, but they were day shifts. I've been wanting a big dog for some time and won't be starting up school for quite a few months so I feel like maybe getting a puppy now and training him would be easier since I won't be in school. My boyfriend said he will help take the pup out but thinks it's a bad idea because I won't be home at night and they are 12 hour shifts.. I'll always work the 12 hour shifts so it kind of makes me feel like I'll never be able get a dog on a nurses scedule... I was just looking for any advice on anyone who has done the night shift schedule and had a puppy.

Sour Lemon said:
Apartments are not long-term housing for most people and boyfriends are not always long-tern, either.

What will happen when you need to move and have difficulty finding a place that accepts large dogs? What will happen if you and your boyfriend separate? Is going back to school a possibility? Could you end up being away from home even more?

I have a younger co-worker who recently put up a picture of her large dog on social media saying that she "couldn't keep her". The dog is not even two years old ...makes me sad and angry. I love animals, but I think that people need to really think before taking them into their homes. Too many do not. :(

:no::banghead::(

Since posting this five days ago, ANOTHER co-worker put up notice about needing to find their dog a new home. They got a new job and "can no longer take care of it".

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Hi! I read that you had a yorkie pup while working 12s. I work nights so it'll be a little different. But how did you go about leaving it for 12 hours? Did you leave it in the crate for that long or put it in the bathroom like with a puppy pad?

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Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

1) Please adopt a dog from a shelter, there are millions being euthanized because they do not have homes!!!

2) Please do not get this dog, it is very unfair for a dog to be stuck alone for 12 hours without a break outside to use the bathroom! Also as someone else mentioned this isnt a tiny yorkie, this is a shepard that requires much more activity and mental stimulation! I think you may come home to chewed furniture and everything else! A puppy cannot hold their pee/poop for 12 hours!!!! (Try holding yours for that long, and see how it feels, even an adult dog, that is unfair!)

Think of the animal and not yourself!!! Don't get another dog. You are going back to school as well which means less time! What will you do if the shepard you bring home ends up a barker, and you live in an apartment??

I get it, I would love a dog too, but I know it would be cruel to the animal, as I too work long shifts!

Annie

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Personally, I wouldn't. Puppies that young usually need to go to the bathroom once or twice a night. They don't like making messes in their crate (if you are planning on crating) but they will if they can't relieve themselves elsewhere. What will the puppy do while you are sleeping? A small older dog might be ok for keeping your yorkie company, but it would have to be a pretty mellow dog that doesn't need tons of stimulation. A puppy is asking for trouble.

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Specializes in Rehab nursing, critical care, tele.

I don't think a nurse's schedule is conducive to having a dog. A cat is fine...but it's not fair to a dog to have to hold it for 13 plus hours while at work. If somebody else is home to let him out or works different hours, that's different....but otherwise, an 8 hour job is better for a dog. I considered getting a dog because I do love dogs and animals, but I realized my plate is full enough, and I don't have enough time for a dog....and it would end up being just "one more thing to do."

In my opinion, too many people have dogs that shouldn't because they don't have any time for them, and they just sit in the house all day and when owners get home, they just get a pat on the head and some dog food tossed in a bowl.

I have talked to several people who wish they didn't have their dog anymore, but don't want to "give it away"...so just think long and hard about whether you have the time to give a dog attention. I have also talked to others who wouldn't trade their dogs for anything....but it just really depends how much spare time a person has, I think.

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I live in a house on 6 acres of fenced in property. I have lots of experience with large dogs. But I would not get a large breed puppy while working 12 hour shifts. I love my dog to death, he is my baby. He is extremely well behaved now and he goes everywhere possible with me. But I hated him as a puppy. I swear there were so many times I wanted to get rid of him. I think I'll be perfectly fine without ever owning a puppy again.

Your question is hard to answer for me because I always imagine people on night shift have very very strange schedules and all they do is sleep on their days off. lol. Maybe if your boyfriend lived with you, but it doesnt sound like he does. And it sounds like he doesnt exactly want the dog. I would not get a puppy and expect to leave it for 12 hours straight. I wouldn't even expect to leave a puppy home alone for someone that works 8 hour shifts. Will the puppy live? Yes. Will your puppy go insane? Yes. Will your puppy drive you insane? Yes. Is it cruel to leave a large breed puppy home alone for the majority of 12 hours? Yes.

Maybe look into Rover.com. Im sure they have lots of petsitters around you, but you should find one that you would feel comfortable with before you get your dog. I would recommend either having someone come by your apartment at least a couple of times during your shift to let your dog out, etc. Or you drop your dog off at their house before your shift and pick your dog up after. This would probably fall under "boarding at sitters house" since it is overnight. I would make sure the person has experience with puppies and know how destructive they can be. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs. I love puppies. But I would not want a puppy in my house for long. You don't just want a college person who decided to sign up to rover for extra money. You want someone with experience and patience in positive reward training that will work on training your pup with you.

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I am a rover sitter. I love recommending Rover but there are some sitters out there that are not cut out to do puppies. Set up "meet and greets" with several sitters (its free). You can use my promocode "tailwagginfun20" to get $20 off your first booking.

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Hwills94 said:
I work 12 hour night shifts 3 days a week, and I am going to look at a 2 month old German Shepherd in a few days. I live in a apartment (has a huge dog park) and currently have a two year old yorkie who went through me working 12 hours and he turned out fine, but they were day shifts. I've been wanting a big dog for some time and won't be starting up school for quite a few months so I feel like maybe getting a puppy now and training him would be easier since I won't be in school. My boyfriend said he will help take the pup out but thinks it's a bad idea because I won't be home at night and they are 12 hour shifts.. I'll always work the 12 hour shifts so it kind of makes me feel like I'll never be able get a dog on a nurses scedule... I was just looking for any advice on anyone who has done the night shift schedule and had a puppy.

Hi-

As an owner of a working breed, your post sends up a bunch of red flags.

I'll start with a disclaimer: Maybe you have done your homework, researched the breed, and are ready for a 15 year commitment of putting the needs of a beautiful animal before your own needs. Maybe you did all that, and didn't mention it because all you were asking was for somebody who has done nights with a puppy. FWIW- I have. I am also married to a woman as committed to responsible dog ownership as me.

Referring to a German shepherd as a "big dog" is concerning. You mentioned the least important characteristic of this breed. While they are big, their size is, in some ways, the least important part of the breed. Labradors, bulldogs, and Saint Bernards are all big,but are about as similar in character to a German Shepherd as your Yorkie.

You did XYZ with a Yorkie, and he turned out fine. That's great. (Seriously) Raising a well socialized German Shepherd is a hugely different undertaking. Poorly trained Yorkies are annoying. Poorly trained German Shepherds are dangerous, and are sometimes put down because they didn't get to pick their humans.

A park is nice. Had you mentioned the agility course you are planning to use, and the obedience course you are taking, it would be a bit more reassuring. A working dog needs a job, and a firm understanding of where he/she is in the family hierarchy. And, a lot of exercise. Somebody earlier mentioned 15 minutes a day. Exercising a German Shepherd 15 minutes a day is abuse. Plain and simple.

It is nice that the boyfriend will help, and I wish you all the best. The chance of the relationship outliving the dog is about one in one hundred. Think of a 15 year commitment that will effect nearly every major decision in your life. Housing, job, commute, vacations.....

It is possible to be a responsible working dog owner with 12 hour shifts. I manage it by being married to somebody equally committed, and having options for the dog when we can't meet his needs. We live in a house in the country, with a 4 season doggie door into a fenced yard. A minimal dog walk when we can't get him out for some real exercise is 1/2 an hour, off leash in the woods- he probably gets 5-10 miles of running in that time. Our good friends with a similar energy level dog just had him while I did two back to back 12 hr day shifts while my wife is away. We met at a local closed ski hill today, hiked up it with the dogs and skied down. Twice. Our personal lives out of work revolve around physical activity, and that activity revolves around dogs. We like road biking, but he dog can't come, so we mostly mountain bike. We love sea kayaking, but limit our expeditions because sailing is dog friendly. We hardly rock climb anymore, because dogs are terrible belayers. You get the idea.

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This question is a year old, but I was hoping the OP might come back with an update. Sometimes they do.

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Specializes in LTC.

Get a cat. They are a lot less work and are much cuter (imo)!:cat:

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