[Don Juan]

hour?for every day?

[Hunters R Cowards!]

There is no breed that should be left this long EVERY day. For this breed, 4 hours is about the max a good owner would leave the pet regularly. Anything longer would be very hard on this type of dog and will probably create behavioural issues. If you can't provide doggie day care or come home for lunch, consider a cat instead. : )

[incognena]

As long as you exercise the dog daily and let it know you love it, it should be fine. Terriers can be very active and destructive, though, so give it plenty to do, like kongs with treats, chew toys, etc.

[Terri E]

You haven't said how old the dog is so I will give a generic type answer.Dogs do not like to evacuate their bowels or urinary bladder within what they perceive to be their "den". So , if your dog is not paper trained ,then, you need to establish some method of making sure that he/she can do so, sooner than 7 long hours.Having urine sit in the bladder/ kidneys for extended periods is only asking for problems. I rescued a poodle( that had lived just as you are asking about) and he developed bladder stones !Whether the dog is a male or female, the bladder needs to be emptied and flushed ( drinking fluids) in a timely fashion. Over time , sediment settles in the kidneys/bladder and stones start to form. Concentrated urine that sits in the bladder can also form crystals that might pass out of the bladder, but, are something like shards of broken glass tearing at the inside of the urinary tubesStones are extremely painful for a dog to pass! Add to this, the possibility of the stone(s) getting stuck in the tubes ,leading to and/or from the bladder. Stones getting stuck could mean VERY EXPENSIVE emergency surgery will be needed to remove the stones.To complicate your life, sooner or later, your neighbors will start to gossip about the dog being left unattended for so long.This unattended time could be interpreted as "neglect" which is a form of animal abuse. No one wants to find themselves defending a charge of "animal neglect" !If having this dog is a serious matter to you, then a plan to break up "alone time" is essential.Others have already suggested doggy day care etc. so I won't belabor that one. You could however arrange for a friend, neighbor, responsible teenager, and so on to take the dog out for a walk after 3-4 hours of confinement to the apartment. There are always trade offs to doing this ( ie:by offering payment, barter etc.). In other words, you do something for them in return for the dog care.I wonder if there isn't a senior citizen near you who would love the companionship of a dog , but cannot afford to keep one? It would be a blessing for all concerned if this type of person was available to help you out. The walking of the dog would be excellent socialization for the dog and the senior citizen. Remember, the solutions to your problem are only limited by your imagination !Maybe one day you could set up a business to assist people in similar situations. You have lived it ,so you would surely understand the dilemma others faceI commend you for asking this question as it shows that it must have been bothering you ! I dog sit for people who are in a similar situation to you and we have a very companionable relationsip ( the owner and the dog).Good luck!