Help please

[Jenny wood]

Myself and my husband are brand new owners to a 6 nearly 7 month old cocker spaniel who we absolutely adore but we can’t help feeling guilty for him when he spends the day asleep I generally finish work at 4 and my husband about 5 so then we play with him and walk him for a few hours and then by 7 ish we want him to settle down again for the evening so we can chill out for a bit as well !!
Can any one help ease our guilt and tell us that they do the same thing or does everyone keep going with their pup until it’s time for bed ???

 

[JudyN]

How long is he left alone during the day? Do you know that he sleeps/relaxes the whole time, or could he be stressed, crying, playing with toys, or whatever? Does he settle willingly around 7pm?

And how much time do you spend walking, training, playing with him etc. during the day?

Dogs do need and deserve plenty of attention and mental/physical activity, particularly when they're young. Have you considered getting a dog walker who could take him out during the day when you're at work?

 

[Jenny wood]

Hi thanks for your quick help , I work from home so he is with me all day and we have a camera so I can check on him when I’m upstairs we also leave the door downstairs open so he can come up and be with me if wants to and I have a bed up there for him to lie on he occasionally trots up to see me but most of the time he chills out downstairs and whenever I look on the camera he’s fast asleep somewhere
we also walk him in the morning then I have a break for 15 mins twice during the day and an hour for lunch and then we walk him again in the evening before tea we are just worried that we aren’t doing enough for him and we want him to be happy

 

[JudyN]

I think if he seems calm and relaxed, then he's getting enough for him - he does sound like a very calm dog! I'd just aim to make the most of your breaks during the day - throw a tennis ball, play hide and seek (which can involve several skills - I would show my dog an object, tell him to wait while I hid it in another room, then call him to find it, then he'd bring it to me for a treat), do a sniffing game, whatever. Maybe set up a mini-agility course in the garden and do a quick lap... or just do a bit of 'sit, stay, paw' type practice.

 

[CoCo2014]

Myself and my husband are brand new owners to a 6 nearly 7 month old cocker spaniel............. then we play with him and walk him for a few hours and then by 7 ish we want him to settle down again for the evening so we can chill out for a bit as well !!
Can any one help ease our guilt and tell us that they do the same thing or does everyone keep going with their pup until it’s time for bed ???

Please don't walk your puppy for hours, he is still growing & his bones will not be fully formed & his growth plates will definitely not be closed & can be(and are)damaged by over exercise.
Puppies naturally spent a lot of time resting as do adults nothing unusual or cruel.
Rather lots of walking & playing, you should do some mind training, as well as basic obedience. Have you considered a training class for you to learn how to train him ?

 

[Jenny wood]

I think if he seems calm and relaxed, then he's getting enough for him - he does sound like a very calm dog! I'd just aim to make the most of your breaks during the day - throw a tennis ball, play hide and seek (which can involve several skills - I would show my dog an object, tell him to wait while I hid it in another room, then call him to find it, then he'd bring it to me for a treat), do a sniffing game, whatever. Maybe set up a mini-agility course in the garden and do a quick lap... or just do a bit of 'sit, stay, paw' type practice.

Thank you that makes us feel a whole lot better and will definitely try the hide and seek with a toy as we haven’t tried that one yet xx

 

[Jenny wood]

Please don't walk your puppy for hours, he is still growing & his bones will not be fully formed & his growth plates will definitely not be closed & can be(and are)damaged by over exercise.
Puppies naturally spent a lot of time resting as do adults nothing unusual or cruel.
Rather lots of walking & playing, you should do some mind training, as well as basic obedience. Have you considered a training class for you to learn how to train him ?

Thank you for your help we definitely don’t walk him for hours it’s generally 1/2 in the morning and a little more in the evening that’s good to hear as we were worried he shouldn’t be sleeping so much !! I generally do some training with him on my lunch break and in the evening if he seems a little restless and we have done some puppy training classes but will definitely do some more when they start back up again xx