...if left alone during the day My boyfriend and I work 8 a.m - 5 p.m. jobs, and there will be no one around during the day, so we need a dog that won't destroy the house or become depressed if left alone for 8-9 hours. I can provide a dog with plenty of attention after work and on weekends. I have two cats that could keep the puppy company, but I doubt the cats will like the puppy, especially at first. I prefer small dogs that are 10-20 pounds maximum. I know that pretty much all puppies need attention. I'm just looking for suggestions on dogs that are more independent than others. I've already looked into this online, but found only dogs that need constant attention. I want advice from someone with experience in this area. Please help. Thanks!

I have two dashchunds (wiener dogs) and they're alone most of the time (9am-2pm) and they're fine. We had to get them to get used to it at first but after a while they were okay with it.

It won't take long for the cats and the dog to become friends, then they keep each other company. Having a dog on it's own will sometimes lead to loneliness and unwanted behaviours, it's hard to tell until the cats and dog make friends and you can see if they'll keep each other company or not.

Adopt an adult dog that needs a home. Your situation is not fair for a puppy. An adult... you will be saving a life and they are past all the potty training and chewing stages. There are thousands of dogs in need of homes.

Hmm... If you crate-train the puppy he'll be fine. He'll be in his crate so he can't mess on your floors, AND dogs have a natural instinct to den, so he'll be comfortable in his crate with a small bed and maybe a toy or two.You could do a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a Dachshund, A I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS!-A-Poo, a Lhasa, poodle, theres a lot of dogs that you could get. I'd suggest a Dachshund or a toy poodle.Every puppy is going to need attention, but like I said crate-training would be a great way for the puppy to become potty-trained and he'll stay out of trouble. I work at a pet store so I have to deal with people that work long hours away from home. Our doxies and poodle usually eat at 8am and 5pm so you could feed them before you go to work and when you come back, and if you get a waterbottle he/she'll have water available.I hope some of my suggestions helped.

I think you should get a pug cause it keeps playing with itself and it is always happy.it gets finewith everyone.its a small and light dog

Just want to give you something to think about that might help you make your decision.
I can appreciate your line of thinking of an independent dog for your circumstance, but on the flip side, in actual fact, the independent dogs often need more of your time than one that is a bit more dependent on your company.
Reason being, an indendent natured dog, is more likely to put up a bit of resistence to training, not because they are dumb, but because they are bred to think a little for themselves. When you have a house hold that works full time, an independent dog could become alot of work for you to train to the point that you would like,because of the resistence that you may have to confront with it, more frequent yet shorter training sessions would be required, and you could come accross many times where a known command is given and the dog may very well just look at you with that "I dont want to do that at the moment" look in its eye.
Bonding with an independent natured dog could take longer too, and is more likely to challenge you for dominance, an indipendent dog is not as forgiving or as flexible when it comes to corrections because they like to do it in their own time, not yours
Also, having an indipendent dog will not mean less destruction, that I can certainly promise you. Just because a dog can be a little more aloof with its human friends doesnt mean that he wont get bored whilst you are at work and chew through anything in sight.
My suggestion is to take the "independent" requirement out of your selection criteria, any dog can suffer from seperations issues, and you wont know if it is happening until you are there. Regardles of the breed you choose, there are ways to ensure that you going to work is not a big deal to the animal.

You can take or leave this information, but I just wanted to throw this thought out there for you to consider.

I crate train all of my dogs. As someone already stated it becomes their den and is a safe comfy place for them. But when I crate train a puppy I have one a bit bigger. I push the bed to one side, and put news paper on the other, so it will have a place to go potty, as puppies can not hold their urine or defacating that long. As he becomes more potty trained, he learns to keep his den clean. Pus he is 'growing into the crate' inforcing more the 'keep it clean'. I don't have to worry about long abscences now though, I am a stay at home mommy to my fur babies
my opinion and what works for me.

I think you should think long and hard about getting a puppy. It sounds like you won't have the time to walk your dog twice a day for a hour at a time to tire them out before putting them in the right size crate for the day. I would not get a larger one than is needed, b/c you don't want to encourage relieving themselfs in the the crate. Not a good idea at all. It takes a lot of commitment to get a puppy. They require a lot of your attention and you have to become the pack leader the day you bring your puppy home. I would suggest getting a book by Cesar Millan on how to become a dog owner. I am getting a puppy next spring, so I have been reading a lot of info about the type of dog I am getting, plus what is required of me and the rest of the family members. I am lucky, I am retired. I went about it all wrong on our last dog and suffered the consequences. So, I am trying to do it right this time. I would not get a large dog, mainly because they need to be walked a lot to keep them tired out and for the bonding that is required. A small dog won't need to be walked as much, sense they have shorter legs and walk twice as much as a larger dog would in the same distance.
I hope this has given you some food for thought.
Good luck

[reeskujo]

The amount of excersise needed by a dog is not really determined by the size of the dog.It is more by the breed of dog.If you have a dog that has working or herding in it's blood line it's going to require more excersise as it was bred to work.Dogs that were bred to be guard dogs normally require only moderate amount of excersise and need to be in the house with the family so they can be protective.They are independent but because of the need to protect can become frustrated if their family isn't around for long periods of time.Large dogs get tired more easily and dont need to be walked as much because they tire out easily from the weight they carry around.Most small breeds require alot of excersise because they have alot more energy then large breeds.Some breeds such as Huskies get bored very easy so need alot of attention and entertainment to keep them busy or they become destructive.I would do alot of research on different breeds to see what their particular temperments require.