Getting a puppy and will be taking it too work- questions

[Walescardiff34]

Hi all,

Firstly may I say that this is a great forum!

I've grown up with dogs and have wanted to get my own for years but as I live alone and work long hours it's has never been fair to get one. However, my new company will allow me to bring the dog to work (in fact they wanted to get an office dog before I joined are very supportive of it) so I wanted to see if anybody else had experience of raising a puppy in this way.

Some details that might help:

It's a small office with at less than 10 people.

There will be space for the puppy to relax and get away from it whilst still being within sight (I will also crate the puppy for certain periods of the day)

At this stage there won't be other dogs there although this may change

The dog will always receive daily exercise (I am lucky to have access to a dog friendly beach .

I'd be happy to hear people's views on the positive and negative aspects of raising a dog like this especially with a view as to whether it would be acceptable for a puppy to spend the working day at an office.

Thank you in advance for your views!

 

[lurcherman]

it all sounds good to me but the only downfall will.be if you lose your job, anyway the possitive is a beach so do your training as normal with exersize and food to relax your dog when working, what work will it be may i ask????.

 

[Walescardiff34]

Hi,

It's office based work so I'll be there most of the time

Thanks for your response - any advice re bull breeds for an office environment anyone?

 

[lurcherman]

a bullbreed for a office hehehe what sort of bull you thinking off? ive got a american bulldog x american mastiff that i walk daily and hes a biggy, prob too big for a office, but it will need very good training as lots of people are still scared of many bull breeds.. lucky for me big floyd is a well behaved big boy..

 

[eingana]

I know someone who takes a huge GSD x Tibetan Mastiff in to an office every day. She's a financial advisor and he's there to meet and greet the clients. I can't imagine anybody taking a bigger dog into an office, if only because you'd need something rather bigger than a simple office to house him!

I think that having a dog in an office is likely to be a lot less problematic if :

1. It's 'normal' to go in to the office and you have a routine which is very carefully maintained. You may struggle to toilet train unless it's OK to keep nipping out of your office to access a garden, but if you start as you mean to go on with routines then there's no reason why a dog wouldn't be just fine with being present but not having every moment of your attention.
2. You are careful to ensure that your pup doesn't get physically or emotionally bored. The last thing you want is a pup that's making a pain of themselves and disrupting the workplace. Can I suggest that you get a pigeonhole board with different toys in for each day of the week so that the pup has something different each day (and that also helps to reduce toy aggression if toys are played with in sessions and are then put away after a game).
3. You can also train your colleagues so that they know that lunch is not shared with the dog, and neither are afternoon biscuits. That would result in a very overweight pup who begs constantly, and that's really not good for either pup or the office.

I hope that you can make it work. I know of several people who take rescue dogs in to work, but I don't know many people who have managed it with puppies, just because being cute and lovely to play with prevents humans from focusing on work!

 

[poppy2714]

I have been lucky enough that I was able to bring my pup into the office - they even let me sit close to the door so that when she wakes up after a nap she is straight outside to the toilet. She does have a crate in the office but she also has bed under my desk.

I am lucky as my colleagues are dog owners as its like having extra trainers and extra pairs of eyes.

Have you decided what breed you want to get?

 

[Hagrid]

I owe my own business and I have my boy Theo with me everyday - everyone on site knows not to feed him and it has allowed him to be very social which is great as he is a Great Dane and a lot of people dont like the breed as they seem them as agressive.

Have you thought anymore about the breed you want?

 

[Walescardiff34]

Thank you for all of the feedback - its most appreciated!

I'm considering a staffy or a bull mastiff (although my colleagues may need some convincing due to the size!). My logic is that with good socialization it will be very people friendly and have a relaxed almost lazy temperament. That said I will also be checking out the local shelters as would like to give a rescue a chance if I can find a dog of any breed that has the right temp.

Thanks again guys, I'll keep you posted!

 

[lurcherman]

taking a rescue bullmastiff or staffy in.my view into a work place could be and i say COULD be a massive gamble, i bet your work friends are on the quiet very worried. i wonder what your safety rep thinks???

 

[poppy2714]

Have you visited any of the rescue centres? They will most likely be able to find you the perfect partner in crime for the office as you don't want a dog that barks all the time as you need to work. You may also want to check with your work friends they are actually happy with that breed as it may make some feel uncomfortable.

 

[Raven oaktree]

Hia, I love that you are gonna take your dog to work..much better than leaving him home all day in a crate . I take my dogs to work but I work on a smallholding and it works really well. Staffys are the most amazing friendly loving dogs ever who just want to please you. They are only medium sized dogs and as long as they are walked are quite happy to slob about on a bed with a few tummy rubs. They are also very overlooked in shelters and there are hundreds of them looking for homes. They have all been assessed in shelters so tell the shelter what you are looking for in a dog and let them.show you what they have that best fits in with your life!! I love that you want to rescue..and I love you are taking your fur baby to work!..keep us up to date

 

[Parly]

No experience / knowledge and I've never heard a whiff of there being such a thing as an office dog so nothing of substance or help to offer I'm afraid. Just slightly bewildered at the idea but intrigued and have more questions on the subject!

What's the situation when other staff (whether existing or new starters) don't like / are frightened / allergic or just take issue with having one in the office every day and don't want to have anything to do with it?

Also curious to know what the set-up is in terms of health and safety and how assessing risks for working with and around a dog in the office actually work?

First thing that springs to mind is how would you assess, reduce and monitor risk in an employee's own dog that comes to work every day? I don't see how you can but if it's a thing and not that uncommon in offices, there must be some way so I'm dying to know.

What do you do as and when other dogs start joining the team and working 9-5? Christ Almighty the thoughts my brain is coming up with as I type this! :unsure:

I'm really genuinely interested now.