How to handle a puppy while working and going to school alone
Raising a high-energy dog entirely by yourself while juggling a busy job, school, and other commitments creates overwhelming daily pressure and heartbreak. The constant guilt of leaving a stressed, lonely pet home alone while you are away often leads owners to seriously consider rehoming.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Rehoming the dog to someone with more time and willingness to train herDid this help you?
- 2Buying a dog training book and using reward-based potty trainingDid this help you?
- 3Keeping personal belongings out of the dog's reach and managing supervisionDid this help you?
- 4keeping the cat confined to a private loft areaDid this help you?
- 5relying on parents who work and cannot always provide needed attentionDid this help you?
- 6Considering becoming a foster parent for cats through a local shelter to test lifestyle compatibility and ease into budgeting.Did this help you?
- 7Managing allergies with medication.Did this help you?
- 8Using a chain instead of a standard leash after the dog bit through multiple leashesDid this help you?
- 9Forcing yourself to overcome a phobia of dogs out of necessityDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“i want to keep her but i also want to rehome her. I am a senior in high school and i’ve been raising this puppy for about 6 months and shes 9 months old, a golden retriever x golden shepherd and she’s the cutest thing ever.”source ↗
“i just think its a lot of responsibility due to me having a job and i’m pursuing boxing and i am the only one who takes care of her and the only want who actually wants a dog.”source ↗
“i need advice because i am considering rehoming her”source ↗
“mocha gets very lonely when im not home. he meows for hours ( literally. hours. i have a camera )”source ↗
“i know he’s really stressed from being alone. it breaks my heart hearing him on camera”source ↗
“I want a couple of cats so badly, but I’m so terrified I won’t be able to financially do it especially as they get older.”source ↗
“I am allergic to animals so I can’t just go adopt a cat. I have to purchase certain breeds.”source ↗
“I’m just so conflicted and it worries me a lot. I’m also very lonely.”source ↗
“My parents and my brother stay outside most of the day and I am the one who stays back home all the time that ment in there absence the dog will be my responsibility”source ↗
“My brother would return late and only play with him while for my part i only got the responsibility and all.”source ↗
“It's just a frustration that I was forced into doing something I never agreed to at first place.”source ↗
“I was taking him to a walk and God knows what happened to him he suddenly ran with his all might my left shoulder got dislocated he pulled me so hard along with broken tissues 💀”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 8How to survive pet crate rest without losing your mind
- 30How long can you safely leave a dog alone at home?
- 3How to handle cat care and travel during school breaks
- 4How to care for an adopted senior dog when you've only had farm dogs
- 23How to move abroad or travel without leaving your pets behind
- 36How to handle a young puppy alone during sudden schedule changes