The Student Room Group

Dogs and University?

Hey guys,

Next year when I move out of halls I will be in my own apartment and I am considering getting a dog as I love dogs :biggrin:

Is it a good idea though? I mean the dog may need to be left on his or her own for up to five hours and I don't know if that is fair on the dog, I am considering a Chihuahua, Dalmatian or Rottweiler.

Any suggestions on whether I should do this or not?

Cheers :smile:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Please don't. I love dogs too but I don't have the time for one and as a full-time student neither do you.
Chihiuahua, dalmation or rottweiler? That's a pretty wide selection, haha.

I wouldn't get anything that requires loads of exercise, because you probably won't have a garden.
Reply 3
Original post by Einheri
Please don't. I love dogs too but I don't have the time for one and as a full-time student neither do you.

The problem is that I only have a couple of lectures a day (4 hours max), now I know this will change but from what I have been hearing it won't change by much which is why I thought I could maybe do it :smile:
Original post by tehFrance
Hey guys,

Next year when I move out of halls I will be in my own apartment and I am considering getting a dog as I love dogs :biggrin:

Is it a good idea though? I mean the dog may need to be left on his or her own for up to five hours and I don't know if that is fair on the dog, I am considering a Chihuahua, Dalmatian or Rottweiler.

Any suggestions on whether I should do this or not?

Cheers :smile:


It is possible, but i would come up with a backup plan if you are unable to look after it in the future (a family member or something who is able to take it off your hands)

Rottweilers are ok to be left alone, but not as puppies and it would be well worth your time to invest in some training lessons to stop any disruptive behaviour forming (don't wana come home to a wrecked flat)
Reply 5
Original post by Darth Stewie
It is possible, but i would come up with a backup plan if you are unable to look after it in the future (a family member or something who is able to take it off your hands)

Rottweilers are ok to be left alone, but not as puppies and it would be well worth your time to invest in some training lessons to stop any disruptive behaviour forming (don't wana come home to a wrecked flat)

I was thinking about getting a dog walker for the days that I have a full day and cannot get back to the flat for an hour or so and if I can no longer look after him/her my mum said she could take him/her in so in a way I have the looking after bases covered, right?

Well no dog is okay to be left alone as a puppy, no matter which breed I intend on putting him.her through a puppy training class. Is there a reason that a Rottweiler is okay to be left alone more than say a Chihuahua or Dalmatian being left alone for the same time frame?

Cheers for the reply :smile:
Original post by tehFrance
I was thinking about getting a dog walker for the days that I have a full day and cannot get back to the flat for an hour or so and if I can no longer look after him/her my mum said she could take him/her in so in a way I have the looking after bases covered, right?

Well no dog is okay to be left alone as a puppy, no matter which breed I intend on putting him.her through a puppy training class. Is there a reason that a Rottweiler is okay to be left alone more than say a Chihuahua or Dalmatian being left alone for the same time frame?

Cheers for the reply :smile:


Np :smile: that sounds great, dog walker is a good idea for longer days.

Just speaking from personal experience about Rottweilers, had one when i was younger and he was at home on his own for about 5 hours during weekdays and we had no trouble with him (they make fantastic guard dogs as well, brother had one when him and his wife had a baby and the dog never left the baby alone and was really paranoid about outsiders holding her ect, they seem to develop a fantastic pack instinct)

Not a fan of Dalmatians, always found the breed to be slightly unpredictable in their behavior but thats just from the few i've seen, can't see any problems in leaving it alone though, no idea about chihuahuas sorry but have never heard they are a particularly needy dog.
Reply 7
Original post by tehFrance
:smile:


Have you really thought this through? I don't mean just in terms of leaving the dog to go to lectures, but what the dog's situation will be like for the next ten years? I'd say it's a bad idea, for the simple reason that, as a student, your life for the next five to ten years is going to be unpredictable. You don't know what your circumstances will be in a few years' time, so getting a dog is a massive commitment at this stage in your life. You won't be as free to travel etc, you'll likely be moving across country for jobs, and you don't know what your financial position will be like either, in terms of being able to pay for vet's bills, food, and (possibly) kennels.

I would advise you to wait a few years. I know the idea of having a dog is awesome; I want one too. But I know my life isn't 'settled' enough yet, so it wouldn't be fair to the dog. I'd say just think about these things a bit more first.
I remember my 1st year in halls, there was this poor dog that just ended up getting abused by drunken students.
It's a really bad idea and because of the different dogs you are talking about, you clearly have no idea what is involved in dog ownership. As a starter I would suggest you offer to help out at the local kennels during your leisure time - a commitment of a few hours per week - so you can learn what is involved.

If you don't do proper research before you get a dog it will likely end up needing rehoming. Totally unfair imo.
Original post by tehFrance

Any suggestions on whether I should do this or not?


Most rented accommodation will have a "no pets" clause in the contract, so you may not get the choice.
Reply 11
I would wait until you have a secure job and a stable life first. Dogs are a hell of a lot of hard work to begin with.
Reply 12
I love dogs too, but I would really advise you against it, for now anyway.

You are a student, what if you get offered work experience and have to move, or want to go on holiday - even if you have other people to look after it it's not really fair to be moving it around all the time. I think you should wait until you have finished your degree and have a more stable place to stay etc.
Reply 13
Original post by the_alba
Have you really thought this through? I don't mean just in terms of leaving the dog to go to lectures, but what the dog's situation will be like for the next ten years? I'd say it's a bad idea, for the simple reason that, as a student, your life for the next five to ten years is going to be unpredictable. You don't know what your circumstances will be in a few years' time, so getting a dog is a massive commitment at this stage in your life. You won't be as free to travel etc, you'll likely be moving across country for jobs, and you don't know what your financial position will be like either, in terms of being able to pay for vet's bills, food, and (possibly) kennels.

I would advise you to wait a few years. I know the idea of having a dog is awesome; I want one too. But I know my life isn't 'settled' enough yet, so it wouldn't be fair to the dog. I'd say just think about these things a bit more first.

Moving across the country shouldn't be a problem should it? I would of thought it was similar to how humans deal with it, in it is nerve racking at the start and after a while it gets better? :smile: I can drive and I only really travel to France so on the PETS I can still travel, financially I have a great outlook as I have a stable job along side university.
Original post by Someone's mum
It's a really bad idea and because of the different dogs you are talking about, you clearly have no idea what is involved in dog ownership.

Because I like three different breeds, I know nothing about dog ownership? as a family we have owned three dogs which I have helped train (couldn't do all three by myself but one on his/her own I can).
Original post by Good bloke
Most rented accommodation will have a "no pets" clause in the contract, so you may not get the choice.

That is true :frown:
Original post by Ham22
Do you know what looking after a puppy involves?- you are going to end up with ****e and urine all over your house. It may also chew things. I think you have a rather romantic idea of what dog ownership is like.

Yes I know what is involved in looking after a puppy, as a family we have had three dogs in the last couple of years, I don't think I have a romantic idea at all.
Original post by Hollie21
I love dogs too, but I would really advise you against it, for now anyway.

You are a student, what if you get offered work experience and have to move, or want to go on holiday - even if you have other people to look after it it's not really fair to be moving it around all the time. I think you should wait until you have finished your degree and have a more stable place to stay etc.

Fair point.
Reply 14
From experience, if you leave a rottie pup alone. It WILL **** your house up.
Original post by tehFrance
Hey guys,

Next year when I move out of halls I will be in my own apartment and I am considering getting a dog as I love dogs :biggrin:

Is it a good idea though? I mean the dog may need to be left on his or her own for up to five hours and I don't know if that is fair on the dog, I am considering a Chihuahua, Dalmatian or Rottweiler.

Any suggestions on whether I should do this or not?

Cheers :smile:


I wouldn't suggest getting a big dog that needs a lot of exercise because I don't expect your apartment is going to be huge. But sure, with adequate house training, a dog can be left on its own for 5 hours. Like others have said, getting a puppy is a bad idea though - you really need to be there 24/7 to make sure it's trained before you can leave it, even for a couple of hours. If you insist on getting a dog, consider getting a rescue one - perhaps an older one that will be content to sleep all day and not tear your house apart.
(edited 12 years ago)
I'd really, really advise against this.

I'm 25 and I got my first "own" pet a few months back - a kitten. Cats need A LOT less attention than dogs, and for the first 3 months we've had her I've been unemployed. However, supply teaching work is starting to pick up now and sometimes both me and OH are out from 8 til 5. I feel so bad about the cat being left alone in the house all day :frown: but she's not been neutered or microchipped yet, and we don't have a cat flap so even when she is I'm not sure I'll let her out when I'm out - she'd have to be out all day. We do have a "summer house" (shed) in our garden which I'll set up for her but it's so cold!

I get that you're a student, and when I was a student i was home more. But 3 years time, you'll (hopefully) have a job, and quite possibly one that means you're out for longer than 8-5 (realistically those are fairly short working hours including travelling) and a dog does need more attention. Worse, you may not get a job after uni, meaning you won't be able to afford the food or vet bills for the dog.

On top of this, every house I've lived in before this one has said no pets in the contract. On this one, we negotiated having a pet, and even then most places we asked said no dogs, and we had to pay £200 pet fee for the privilage. Other places wanted double the amount of deposit (baring in mind the deposit on our 3 bed house was over £1k, that's a lot). Also, who will you live with? Are they happy to have a dog? A friend of mine lives with someone who got a dog a few weeks back. Thankfully they're both moving out really soon cos she absolutely hates the dog - whenever her housemate is out the dog just barks and barks. her housemate is a paramedic working 12 hour shifts. Fun and games!
Original post by Bowman.Hath
I remember my 1st year in halls, there was this poor dog that just ended up getting abused by drunken students.


Abusing? If it was bad you should have kicked the crap out of them.

Abusing dogs is just wrong - people should get serious punishments for it.
Reply 18
I think that you should first study what are the needs of the particular dog breed that you want, dogs are pack members so if the dog is going to stay alone a lot of time then is not advisable
There were plenty of dogs at my uni, they'd always be hanging round the union bar at the end of the night trying to get you to buy them drinks.

Oh, that kind of dog.

Quick Reply

Latest