Hello Everyone, this is my first post. I have a 5 months old lab. Here is my problem. Despite the fact that I work from home full time, may days are most often very busy. I have several phone meetings each day and I need to focus on my work. Obviously, the little rascal does not see it that way. He wants my attention all the time, play, play, play. I feel inadequate. How would you handle my situation? I want to give him adequate care but without risking loosing my job for lack of productivity. Thanks a lot!
Hi and welcome ! I think most pups and adult dogs thrive on a structured day , a routine if you like . I would work out the best plan for both of you , how much time you have to devote solely to your pup , whats his name by the way ? Then , set your stall out , but making sure that the " puppy time " is quality time , time which not only tires him physically but also mentally . Invest in some kongs , fill them with tasty morsels which he will have to work hard to extract , things like fish paste, peanut butter etc . Make sure that when " his time " is over , he goes into his crate or somewhere of his own ( play pen ) , and give him a kong to occupy him until its his time again . Even if you weren't working , he would have to learn that he doesn't get full attention all day , our routines go on as before with adaptions of course !
Hello and welcome to the forum from me and my two Fred and Annie. Kate as given you lots of good advice. I am sure other members who work from home will also help you with their ideas too. What is the name of your puppy?
Hello there and welcome to the forum. I also work form home, and have a puppy, so I can sympathise! The thing to remember is that it's just as unfair to ignore your puppy all day when you're home as it is if you were to go out to work for 8 hours and leave him. So, you need to come up with a plan that allows him to have social interaction. That may mean that you take the odd fifteen minutes away from your desk every now and again, and make them up at the end of the day or at the weekend, or even have a dog walker come in and see to him as you would if you were out at work. Of course, he still does need to learn to settle down between times, and stuffed frozen kongs can be a real help for this. Snuffle mats with kibble hidden in them will give you a break, and work his mind, as will scattering a handful of kibble around your garden. Five minutes of training here and there (say, every time you go to the toilet or to make a cup of tea) will work his mind and wear him out a bit.
Hi Eric, just to add to the good advice already given, I also work full time from home, so I can sympathise. If you haven't already, you'll need to schedule in some time to take him out for walks and a bit of play, to tire him out and give him some mental stimulation so that he doesn't become destructive. I walk mine (10 months) first thing in the morning, which consists of time on-lead, time off-lead, and a bit of training. After this he's pretty much out for the count until lunchtime, when I have some free time again to give him some attention. A fun game we do is I show him a chew, have him wait out of view, and then go and hide it somewhere in a room, and then tell him "find!". He rushes in and finds the chew and settles down with it Another idea mentioned is to feed your pup from a frozen kong. If he doesn't know what to do with a kong yet, it's easy to train your dog into being a kong-lover with some yummy things stuffed inside. Then you could start feeding him his meals (frozen) from them as well, which would keep him busy for a good while. If he's had exercise/play/training, food, bathroom, and is still pestering you, then he needs to learn to settle. My lab used to shove his head in my lap (cute), or nibble me (not so cute), until I taught him to settle. Basically I would turn my back on him, and after some failed attempts to get my attention, he would go lay down in a bit of a huff, and then I would reward him for being calm. After several sessions of that, he will go settle himself now. In fact he's doing it right now Basically, a good management system includes walks that tire him out both physically and mentally (in other words, walks that involve training, the first one at the start of the day, then next sometime mid afternoon to early evening - depends on your pup and your schedule), frozen kongs, and teaching him to be calm. It might seem like a lot to do, but it pays off huge. You and your pup will both be happy
Yup..it's tough working from home and having a pup. Lot's of good suggestions above A routine is essential, I used a crate and worked in the kitchen instead of the office upstairs. Whenever pup had a break from the crate, I did too, quick coffee, a few minutes training, a short potter round the garden, stuffed frozon kong in her crate whilst I got on with a bit more work
Thank you all for your replies. Kongs appear to be a unanimously acclaimed distraction. I will get some for Socrate. I should also establish a more predictable routine. I do train him during the day. He learned quite fast the basic commands. I'll need to put my hands on a list of fun commands to teach him. Freezing his meals could be a good idea as well since he literally swallows everything in less than 10 seconds. I'll keep on browsing the forum for additional ideas. Thank you all for your answers and encouragements.
How much time can a dog spend in a crate during the day? At the moment, I put him in his crate at night and not very often during the day. He is always around me, or outside in the garden. But this too is getting out of hand. Barks to come in, barks to go out, in , out, in , out.... If I want to keep my sanity, a structured schedule is a must. But I do feel guilty putting him in his crate while @ home.
Hi Eric, lots of good advice above. I work at home probably half the week and had naive notions that my pup would nestle contentedly nearby while I worked! It was such a shock to realise that she would need so much attention. I found myself grabbing moments of work time standing up in the kitchen whilst she careered about my feet interspersed with wee breaks, running about in the garden and short training sessions. My work definitely suffered initially. I spent a fair amount of time on the phone to work, picking up poos and kicking a ball in the garden all at once! It helped once I enlisted a dog walker and started to use doggy daycare. My pup is now 8 months and is so much calmer (at least for now!) and has been for probably a couple of months. I work downstairs instead of upstairs and she now settles nearby once she's been fed and walked. She potters in the garden and I also break regularly for cuddles etc. She still goes to doggy daycare on occasion and walks with a walker on occasion. I also give her something to chew on occasionally like a fish skin or small marrow bone. I don't crate her anymore but when I did it was probably for two hours at a time. Now she wanders about freely downstairs which I wouldn't have imagined when she was 5 months!
My puppy is 6 months and the only time she is in her crate is at night, for her early morning sleep and when we have our evening meal so she leaves the older dog alone! Also if we have to go out but this is rarely and never for very long. We have been in this routine now for quite a few weeks. I have done a lot of work on her settling on her bed - she has one in the kitchen and one in the sitting room. I will give her a frozen kong and several chewy toys. I also say 'good girl on her bed' - I used to treat her for settling. Whilst I don't work I do have other commitments - my DH works from his office here at home and so when I have to go out, she is in the kitchen alone but he does take her out for the toilet and playtime. I either hand feed her or use a feeding ball so she has to 'work' for her food. Establishing a routine and structure to the day has made a big difference to me - when I am doing other things she just sits and watches. She doesn't play much with her toys on her own but is happy to sit or lie on her bed.
