This year, I became the owner of an Aussie mix that I am slightly obsessed with. He will be a year old at the end of this month. I have had him since around March, and worked from home the entire time.

On the rare days that I was unable to WFH, he was crated. Other than that, he goes pretty much everyone with me. I don’t really go places I can’t bring him super often, so I’ve never had to figure out what to do with him when I can’t be there to supervise for long periods of time.

The company I worked for recently pivoted and has ended work from home. I will be working on site 8-10 hours a day, 5 days a week. I may be able to come home on lunch to let him out, but due to the nature of my role, I don’t want to rely on that. We go on a 1.8 mile jog every morning, and I hope to keep this up after the return to office in early January.

I posted this previously in the incredibly helpful Aussie group, but I am unable to update the post, and thought that I may be able to get some diverse answers here, as well! What do you all do with your hyper ones when you go to work?

I’m not comfortable leaving him uncrated (he’s really got those “I-Like-To-Scare-Mom-By-Eating-Things-I-Shouldn’t” and “You-Didn’t-Think-I-Could-Shred-That? Watch-Me” genes). 

There is a doggy daycare near my job, but it’s out of my budget for all 5 work days.

I live in a fairly rural area, so hiring someone to walk him isn’t an option. I live alone, so a roommate/spouse/ect is not an option either. 

So far, I don’t really have a *good* option. I probably would not have a dog if my job had ever implied WFH would be canned, so pretty please spare me the lectures. 

This is the best one I have, and I’m hoping to either get some reassurance, ways to improve, or better suggestions:

I have about a 1/4 acre yard that is fenced with 4ft tall woven wire. The gaps are probably around 1x3 inches, far too small for him to get between. He has never tried to escape before, but he has always been supervised when outside.I live by a busy highway and if he did get out… I don’t even want to think about what would pretty much immediately happen. Someone suggested that I run a solar-powered line of electric around the bottom of the fence to deter digging/climbing and start getting him use to the freedom now. The fence is against my house and I could also install a doggy door and put a dog fence inside the door so he can get inside at-will. I also have a camera that can see my entire yard from my phone as well as an indoor one that I could point at the fence. All my cameras are motion activated and I can set areas that will alert me if movement is detected. 

Pros: 
-Freedom to run around a bit and not be trapped in a crate 
-Could escape from the weather with the doggy door
-Nearly inescapable with the woven wire fence he’s used to creating a physical, visible boundary. 
-Cost Effective (I thought about burying the fence, but that doesn’t feel like a long-term option. Research seems to support that it degrades quickly and isn’t easy to maintain along with being difficult to install.) 
-I have two months to get him use to it and ensure that he respects the boundary. 

Cons:
-Even if it isn’t a shock collar or something that touches him, something about electric makes me feel..icky. He’s pretty sensitive (I think most Aussie mixes are), and I worry about him getting shocked. I have been looking at ones graded for smaller animals, but still. 
-The aforementioned busy highway. I know adding the electric would negate this, but…
-I live in a pretty trustworthy area, but before I had the fence, I had a lady try to pick him up when she didn’t see me outside watching him. He’s a cutie, and very steal-able with how friendly he is. I do have a camera that points toward the road and should pick up anyone pulling in, though. 

Please don’t suggest anything that I’ve already stated is off the table, but anything else please throw at me! I’d love adjustments to my plan, reasons why it won’t work/I shouldn’t do it, or alternatives! 

Thank you! 
Including some images because I’m obsessed with this silly little guy. Thank you so much for any help!

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