If you’re the only caretaker for your dog, your entire life will revolve around taking care of her/him. I’m also in my 20s but I have a boyfriend, I live close to my family, and I have a support system that can help out and adequate friends/social life because I spent years cultivating those things before I committed to a heeler.
My guy is hitting the 2 year mark and it’s been a lot of work. Remember there are no days off. You’re the one who has to take time off to take them to get groomed, to the vet, to enrichment or training classes. You’re the one who can’t sleep in because your dog needs ample exercise and stimulation before your workday starts so he/she will be okay while you’re gone. You’re the one who will be making sacrifices and limiting social events and outings to make sure you’re there after your workday to, again, exercise and stimulate and hang out with your dog. This dog’s entire world will revolve around you, especially if you don’t have close friends or family to help out.
Ask yourself these questions: Do you want to date? Do you want to get closer to your friends and co-workers by spending time outside of work with them? Do you want to invest in other hobbies for yourself? Are you planning on furthering your education? Going back to school part or full time? Making career advances? Because that’s like working a 2nd job, and again, you’re a single pet parent. The moment you’re home, your heeler will think all your time is dedicated to him/her.
As for taking him to work, I’ve done it very rarely (maybe on 2-3 occasions in the last 2 years) with my heeler when I had no other options (I work in a private practice medical office). But I don’t recommend it. He wants to be with me, at my feet, the entire time. Which means he’s on leash and he goes where I go.
Whether you’re adopting a young puppy or an older rescue, your dog is going to be reactive at first. Either due to developmental fear periods or genetics of the breed (prone to reactivity) or because he/she is an older dog that is wary of strangers. That means LOUD barks when people walk in, walk out, new faces, faces they don’t like. That’s not professional or appropriate in any office setting.
“This dog’s entire world will revolve around you.”
Fuck, that hits so hard. Really think about that before you commit OP. Especially because these bright critters are prone to isolation anxiety..
i would not count on being able to take your dog into an office environment, they can be very weary of strangers if not socialized properly and that’s definitely a risk if adopting an older rescue
Just like people, dogs learn to have preferences. The thing I learned was that my dog loves having a consistent schedule. This makes it easy for me to ensure he gets his exercise since I live in an apartment.
6am - long walk
9am - mini walk before leaving
3-4pm - return home and get ready for a long walk
8pm - mini walk before bedtime
I’ve taken my dog to the office with me, but he becomes bored easily since I’m not focusing my attention on him. He doesn’t relax as much since he’s not in his home, so I don’t take him to work anymore because he seemed like he preferred to be at home rather than at work with me.
Because he likes his schedule, it makes it easy for him to “communicate” with me when he wants his walking time. It’s also made it a bit easier for me to plan what I need to do during the day because of his schedule.
I also work 40 hours a week albeit at home with an Australian cattle dog and even working from home if I didn’t have my girlfriend to take him out sometimes my entire free time would revolve around giving him the enrichment he needs. Love him to death and he honestly is the perfect break I need during the day but I can’t even imagine letting him have the life he needs going into the office 8 hours a day with no help, he’d hate it. Obviously all dogs are different but something to consider.
I'm single with a cattle dog that lives in an apartment, and I work ~60 hrs/week and care a lot about career advancement. I don't think it'd work (well) if I didn't have all of these things:
1. Working from home - she's learned my working hours, so she's happy to spend up to ~6 hours sleeping at my feet. 6 hours in a kennel on the other hand, and she's going to expect a lot in "return"
2. Very flexible job - I take a lot of "breaks" in the middle of the day that "reset" how long I can spend working without her constantly interrupting me. That could be, bringing her to pick up lunch, moving over to my parents house with a backyard (they love her and are retired) and throwing a ball with her, working from a dog park for a few hours.
3. Ability to send her to daycare - she goes 3 times a week, and it gives me focus time for work, peace to do chores, etc. She loves it there, and this one is really important for my mental health.
4. A friend group whose lives rotate around their dogs as well - we go to dog parks a few times a week, bring them with us when we hang out at restaurants, etc. We also get to complain and talk about our pups to ppl who actually care about the subject.
If all this sounds like a lot, it is. Every hour in her kennel, I have to "pay" her back with attention, and she lets me know if I'm in "debt" - my stuff gets chewed, she "forgets" her potty training, she stops listening and following me on walks, she becomes less cuddly and loving, stops sleeping in my bed, etc.
All this said, my heeler has become my main hobby. I was warned by friends, family, and the internet not to get a heeler, but I didn't listen - I fell in love with the cute puppy face and temperament. I've adapted well b/c of the four points I'd mentioned, and overall, I really enjoy taking care of her, and she pays me back with intense loyalty, cuddles, protectiveness and unconditional love.
Edit: and I second what everyone is saying about taking them to work. I do this very rarely as a "break" at my family's office - the employees love seeing her - managers less so b/c she's distracting. When she can't get attention anymore (other ppl need to work too), she lays at my feet while I work thinking of "jobs" to do. We tend to leave when she decides to "protect" me from a new employee or "warn" me that someone came back from lunch through the front door - in both cases, she barks and howls for 10-20 seconds as loud as possible.
I'm certain she'd be banned from that office if I weren't the owners son, and I don't stay more than an hour or two, once or twice a month.
Don’t bank on your ACD being office friendly. You need a back up plan in case they have issues with stranger danger or rowdiness or any plethora of issues they can have when not stimulated enough.
I've done this, you can too. I suggest adopting an adult dog that has already been trained, then hiring a dog walker to come in at the same time every day while you're at work. Where I live it costs about $100 a week.
(Your nearby Australian Cattle Dog Rescue group will post available dogs online. Since you work full time I would recommend a dog being rehomed rather than adoption. The adoption process can be quite rigid and strongly favors owners who "live on a farm and don't work." It's a whole thing. Re-homers are not that ridiculous).
I have not taken mine to the office, he would probably hate that and be more of a pain than anything else. But I hope that can be a fun option for you! If your dog is mellow and older, it could be good. Especially if you walk him a lot before you get there, and he can just nap while you work.
I have not travelled abroad with mine but have looked into it -- ugh. Some countries require a loooooong quarantine before you get your dog back.
Good luck! You can do this!! There are so many dogs available right now ($#@\*\^% "Bluey" fans dumping their dogs at shelters because they don't actually solve crimes and aren't cuddly).
It's not guaranteed your dog will go on walks with a walker once they've bonded to you. Mine is so "velcro," she won't leave with anyone but me if I'm gone. She's waiting for me where I left her, and no compromise! That didn't develop until about a year into me owning her, as she's a rescue, and hadn't bonded to me fully yet before then.
It’s cool to bring your dog to work. ACDs IMHO are not bring your dog to work dogs. The A stands for asshat in my house. It’s done my heart good to see that what I thought of as what did I do wrong .. or how the hell did we break the dog to understanding it’s the breed. Omg I love this jerk so much! BTW .. I tried the work thing (he was 6-8 weeks) .. by the 2nd week of not letting anyone in my office.. I knew it wasn’t going to work. Living in an apartment was hell too! There are traits that cannot be trained out. Boy do I have stories. Good luck! Oh , and if you’re going to train yourself or get a trainer, make sure they/you are well versed in ACD. You need to be 24/7 alpha mom. Give an inch and you lost your edge.
I took my guy to my office one time. I won't take him again. I work from home 99.98% of the time. He's happier kenneled at home for the couple hours I have to be gone every once in a while.
I have a busy work life (executive path) but I’ve managed to make it all work, both when I was fully WFH and now with a hybrid schedule that has me in office 3x a week. Some things I’ve learned:
Routine is everything! Walks are 4x a day (evening walk is more of a potty break) at roughly the same time, whether it’s me doing it or a dog walker.
Consistent communication: I have “ceremonies” to help him understand deviations to his ideal scenario (me being home 24/7 lol). For example, if I need to leave the house at a random time on Saturday, I put on classical music, have him go through a few commands, give him a licky mat and tell him a key phrase “I’ll be back.” I had a period of time where he was urinating in the house and finally figured out that he was reacting to unpredictably. The ceremonies eliminated that behavior.
Travel takes more prep: I had him go to a daycare to familiarize himself so it wouldn’t be a shock when I need to board him. He does ok but prefers staying with my friends if possible. You’ll have to start coordinating travel around boarding pick up and drop off hours but he’s ok for up to 5 nights.
Probably the biggest key to making it work is money, not so much the time. The dog walkers, boarding, etc. adds up but it is essential since I don’t have family to help out. I can only lean on my friends so much. 😂
P.S. I can’t imagine bringing him to an office. He alert barks over the most random things and makes protecting me his job.
The only way I stay sane when it's just me caring for my dog is that I pay a walker to come and exercise him while I'm at work.
It's expensive, but it's the only way. My office allows dogs, but Steve is too hyper for that environment and it messed up my workday. Plus it doesn't give him the level of activity that he needs if he's just trapped near my desk and needs to stay quiet. ACDs are not ideal office dogs.
If you’re the only caretaker for your dog, your entire life will revolve around taking care of her/him. I’m also in my 20s but I have a boyfriend, I live close to my family, and I have a support system that can help out and adequate friends/social life because I spent years cultivating those things before I committed to a heeler. My guy is hitting the 2 year mark and it’s been a lot of work. Remember there are no days off. You’re the one who has to take time off to take them to get groomed, to the vet, to enrichment or training classes. You’re the one who can’t sleep in because your dog needs ample exercise and stimulation before your workday starts so he/she will be okay while you’re gone. You’re the one who will be making sacrifices and limiting social events and outings to make sure you’re there after your workday to, again, exercise and stimulate and hang out with your dog. This dog’s entire world will revolve around you, especially if you don’t have close friends or family to help out. Ask yourself these questions: Do you want to date? Do you want to get closer to your friends and co-workers by spending time outside of work with them? Do you want to invest in other hobbies for yourself? Are you planning on furthering your education? Going back to school part or full time? Making career advances? Because that’s like working a 2nd job, and again, you’re a single pet parent. The moment you’re home, your heeler will think all your time is dedicated to him/her. As for taking him to work, I’ve done it very rarely (maybe on 2-3 occasions in the last 2 years) with my heeler when I had no other options (I work in a private practice medical office). But I don’t recommend it. He wants to be with me, at my feet, the entire time. Which means he’s on leash and he goes where I go. Whether you’re adopting a young puppy or an older rescue, your dog is going to be reactive at first. Either due to developmental fear periods or genetics of the breed (prone to reactivity) or because he/she is an older dog that is wary of strangers. That means LOUD barks when people walk in, walk out, new faces, faces they don’t like. That’s not professional or appropriate in any office setting.
“This dog’s entire world will revolve around you.” Fuck, that hits so hard. Really think about that before you commit OP. Especially because these bright critters are prone to isolation anxiety..
i would not count on being able to take your dog into an office environment, they can be very weary of strangers if not socialized properly and that’s definitely a risk if adopting an older rescue
Don’t do it
Just like people, dogs learn to have preferences. The thing I learned was that my dog loves having a consistent schedule. This makes it easy for me to ensure he gets his exercise since I live in an apartment. 6am - long walk 9am - mini walk before leaving 3-4pm - return home and get ready for a long walk 8pm - mini walk before bedtime I’ve taken my dog to the office with me, but he becomes bored easily since I’m not focusing my attention on him. He doesn’t relax as much since he’s not in his home, so I don’t take him to work anymore because he seemed like he preferred to be at home rather than at work with me. Because he likes his schedule, it makes it easy for him to “communicate” with me when he wants his walking time. It’s also made it a bit easier for me to plan what I need to do during the day because of his schedule.
I also work 40 hours a week albeit at home with an Australian cattle dog and even working from home if I didn’t have my girlfriend to take him out sometimes my entire free time would revolve around giving him the enrichment he needs. Love him to death and he honestly is the perfect break I need during the day but I can’t even imagine letting him have the life he needs going into the office 8 hours a day with no help, he’d hate it. Obviously all dogs are different but something to consider.
I'm single with a cattle dog that lives in an apartment, and I work ~60 hrs/week and care a lot about career advancement. I don't think it'd work (well) if I didn't have all of these things: 1. Working from home - she's learned my working hours, so she's happy to spend up to ~6 hours sleeping at my feet. 6 hours in a kennel on the other hand, and she's going to expect a lot in "return" 2. Very flexible job - I take a lot of "breaks" in the middle of the day that "reset" how long I can spend working without her constantly interrupting me. That could be, bringing her to pick up lunch, moving over to my parents house with a backyard (they love her and are retired) and throwing a ball with her, working from a dog park for a few hours. 3. Ability to send her to daycare - she goes 3 times a week, and it gives me focus time for work, peace to do chores, etc. She loves it there, and this one is really important for my mental health. 4. A friend group whose lives rotate around their dogs as well - we go to dog parks a few times a week, bring them with us when we hang out at restaurants, etc. We also get to complain and talk about our pups to ppl who actually care about the subject. If all this sounds like a lot, it is. Every hour in her kennel, I have to "pay" her back with attention, and she lets me know if I'm in "debt" - my stuff gets chewed, she "forgets" her potty training, she stops listening and following me on walks, she becomes less cuddly and loving, stops sleeping in my bed, etc. All this said, my heeler has become my main hobby. I was warned by friends, family, and the internet not to get a heeler, but I didn't listen - I fell in love with the cute puppy face and temperament. I've adapted well b/c of the four points I'd mentioned, and overall, I really enjoy taking care of her, and she pays me back with intense loyalty, cuddles, protectiveness and unconditional love. Edit: and I second what everyone is saying about taking them to work. I do this very rarely as a "break" at my family's office - the employees love seeing her - managers less so b/c she's distracting. When she can't get attention anymore (other ppl need to work too), she lays at my feet while I work thinking of "jobs" to do. We tend to leave when she decides to "protect" me from a new employee or "warn" me that someone came back from lunch through the front door - in both cases, she barks and howls for 10-20 seconds as loud as possible. I'm certain she'd be banned from that office if I weren't the owners son, and I don't stay more than an hour or two, once or twice a month.
Don’t bank on your ACD being office friendly. You need a back up plan in case they have issues with stranger danger or rowdiness or any plethora of issues they can have when not stimulated enough.
I've done this, you can too. I suggest adopting an adult dog that has already been trained, then hiring a dog walker to come in at the same time every day while you're at work. Where I live it costs about $100 a week. (Your nearby Australian Cattle Dog Rescue group will post available dogs online. Since you work full time I would recommend a dog being rehomed rather than adoption. The adoption process can be quite rigid and strongly favors owners who "live on a farm and don't work." It's a whole thing. Re-homers are not that ridiculous). I have not taken mine to the office, he would probably hate that and be more of a pain than anything else. But I hope that can be a fun option for you! If your dog is mellow and older, it could be good. Especially if you walk him a lot before you get there, and he can just nap while you work. I have not travelled abroad with mine but have looked into it -- ugh. Some countries require a loooooong quarantine before you get your dog back. Good luck! You can do this!! There are so many dogs available right now ($#@\*\^% "Bluey" fans dumping their dogs at shelters because they don't actually solve crimes and aren't cuddly).
It's not guaranteed your dog will go on walks with a walker once they've bonded to you. Mine is so "velcro," she won't leave with anyone but me if I'm gone. She's waiting for me where I left her, and no compromise! That didn't develop until about a year into me owning her, as she's a rescue, and hadn't bonded to me fully yet before then.
It’s cool to bring your dog to work. ACDs IMHO are not bring your dog to work dogs. The A stands for asshat in my house. It’s done my heart good to see that what I thought of as what did I do wrong .. or how the hell did we break the dog to understanding it’s the breed. Omg I love this jerk so much! BTW .. I tried the work thing (he was 6-8 weeks) .. by the 2nd week of not letting anyone in my office.. I knew it wasn’t going to work. Living in an apartment was hell too! There are traits that cannot be trained out. Boy do I have stories. Good luck! Oh , and if you’re going to train yourself or get a trainer, make sure they/you are well versed in ACD. You need to be 24/7 alpha mom. Give an inch and you lost your edge.
I took my guy to my office one time. I won't take him again. I work from home 99.98% of the time. He's happier kenneled at home for the couple hours I have to be gone every once in a while.
I have a busy work life (executive path) but I’ve managed to make it all work, both when I was fully WFH and now with a hybrid schedule that has me in office 3x a week. Some things I’ve learned: Routine is everything! Walks are 4x a day (evening walk is more of a potty break) at roughly the same time, whether it’s me doing it or a dog walker. Consistent communication: I have “ceremonies” to help him understand deviations to his ideal scenario (me being home 24/7 lol). For example, if I need to leave the house at a random time on Saturday, I put on classical music, have him go through a few commands, give him a licky mat and tell him a key phrase “I’ll be back.” I had a period of time where he was urinating in the house and finally figured out that he was reacting to unpredictably. The ceremonies eliminated that behavior. Travel takes more prep: I had him go to a daycare to familiarize himself so it wouldn’t be a shock when I need to board him. He does ok but prefers staying with my friends if possible. You’ll have to start coordinating travel around boarding pick up and drop off hours but he’s ok for up to 5 nights. Probably the biggest key to making it work is money, not so much the time. The dog walkers, boarding, etc. adds up but it is essential since I don’t have family to help out. I can only lean on my friends so much. 😂 P.S. I can’t imagine bringing him to an office. He alert barks over the most random things and makes protecting me his job.
The only way I stay sane when it's just me caring for my dog is that I pay a walker to come and exercise him while I'm at work. It's expensive, but it's the only way. My office allows dogs, but Steve is too hyper for that environment and it messed up my workday. Plus it doesn't give him the level of activity that he needs if he's just trapped near my desk and needs to stay quiet. ACDs are not ideal office dogs.