To the working dog owners? How long if you do at all keep your dog in its cage while your at work?

I take my dog to work with me. Not so many years back when I had several dogs at a time, I had to crate them all every work day, until they were grown up and trustworthy enough not to chew things up or pee/poop in the house. My husband and I both worked 8 hour days but I started work before him and he got a chance to come home every day at lunchtime. So, the dogs were never locked up for more than 6 hours at a time.

Nowadays, plain crating is no longer recommended. It does save lives and keep your floors clean but the new way to do it is to place an open crate in the center of an ex-pen or puppy playpen or your laundry room or someplace where the dogcan do no damage and get into no trouble. Cover the floor with newspaper or pup pads. Give the dog a bowl of water, some safe to chew up toys (antlers are good, split antlers for little dogs)and maybe a toy like a Kong that your dog can't destroy. This can be boring for a dog or puppy, too, but at least it can move around some, get a drink of water, take a nap in the crate if it chooses to, play with a toy or gnaw on an antler. Plus it keeps your pet from killing itself by chewing electrical wires, eating poisonous household things, or chewing up cloth and gettimg a deadly intestinal blockage.

No need. Mine are trained and know which rooms they are allowed in and what they can and can't get up to when I'm not there.

Its called a kennel or a crate. I have kenneled dogs for 8-10 hours daily while working, with zero problems, all working dogs live that way, kennel, work, kennel.
I will not own a dog I cant use so I have never had a "pet" to crate or kennel, but, 99% of people have to work, so...

My dogs have not been "caged"since they've been potty trained by six months of age.

In the UK the RSPCA would not home a dog with anyone that is out for more than 4 hours a day for this very reason.
It is not OK to ask your dog to hold it for longer than 4 hours in the daytime or mess on itself.
Here, working dogs have a secure kennel and run. A crate is not a kennel.

Get a dog walker in or go without a dog.

We have 3 adults living here now, 2 work shifts with odd hours including nights and one works from home. Theres always someone here. So in that way we are lucky.
For emergencies, we have reciprocal arrangements with 2 neighbours who also own friendly dogs.

I have to say, judging by replies here, FAR TOO LONG. And not only that, I strongly believe that no dog should be left alone at home for much over 4 hours, and certainly not in a crate. Yes, people have to work, but people don't HAVE TO have a dog. A dog is a luxury not a necessity. Again for me.

I had to go back to work, full day for 3 days a week. I started coming home at lunchtime but felt this was upsetting them more than anything - I could only spent a max of 15 minutes at home before I had to leave again. So I laid newspaper in certain areas of the house and as soon as our circumstances went back to normal, stopped working again. And they did have company as we were running numbers at that time.

Otherwise it's down to getting somebody to come in during the time you are not there, or finding a good day care centre.

The whole time you're at work. Dogs like dens. They should be fine with being crated that whole time. Unless it's a small yappy dog with a small bladder, then,.. I dunno.

I've never put a dog in a cage. That whole crating thing started after I was out of college sometime. I don't know anyone who crates.

I don't

Mine have never been caged by me... I'm a Shepherd they come with me to work my sheep

I haven't used a crate on my dog at all ( nothing against them, just never needed to use them). She's more than capable of not causing trouble and not making a mess while I work

My dog is in a secure yard when I'm gone, unless the weather is bad. She would never be happy in a crate. It's been in the feed shed since she was 4 months old.