Too Long in the Crate

Question
My wife and I are thinking of bringing a miniature schnauzer into the family and want him to live with us in the house. The one big issue that's holding us back is the amount of time he would have to spend in the crate. We both have the same work schedule which means that he could be in the crate during the day as much as 9-10 hours. That seems excessive for an energetic dog (or any dog). Do you have a solution to our problem? Is it possible to train the dog not to be destructive so that he doesn't need to be crated while we're gone?

Answer
Frankly, I think you are both gone too long each day to have a dog (unless one of you can come home at lunch to let it out... or possibly a neighbor could do that).

If you do go ahead and get a dog, it would be best to get an adult rather than a puppy. It is impossible to train a puppy when no one is home. You might consider getting a rescue dog.

Another thing you might consider is using a "doggy day care". Those are *WONDERFUL* for working people! http://dogs.about.com/cs/generalcare/a/dog_daycare.htm