Hi We are after some advice about getting a puppy. We have read lots of advice on Internet asked around and read the Labrador handbook. We are hoping to get our first puppy soon. The plan is as follows; We have our names down with a reputable breeder and our puppy will hopefully be born this Friday. Providing all goes well on meeting breeder parents and puppy and everything ok we will be picking him up at 8 weeks old. I will have 2 weeks off with him as I am a teacher and will be on Easter holidays. After that I will need to go back to work. My husband works alternate week of nights and week of days and so every other week will be at home in the day. Our thoughts is that we can have a crate and a puppy pen in our long kitchen diner. This way he can wonder out but still be safe. The days that we are both at work we have arranged a dog walker to come and let out play and feed to make sure he is ok. Initially this would be twice a day then once older he will go out for an hour walk in the day. Would this be ok? Will our puppy be ok left from 7.30 until around 10.30 and then again from 11.00 until 2.30 as long as he has got his pen? Any first time advice much appreciated. Thanks
Hi and welcome to the forum It appears you have done a lot of research and planning which is really good. I think being home for a few weeks will really help the pup settle in. I would start training to leave pup after the first few days for short periods (few mins to start with) and slowly build up the time they are left alone. I work and Harley is never left for more than 4 hours at a time and this has worked for us. I have a dog walker on the 2 days I work 9am-3pm. She goes out those days from 11.30am - 12.30/1pm and is fine. Having a pen with a crate area would really benefit you all if you have the space. Fingers crossed pups are born on Friday. Do you know if you want a boy or a girl? Have you thought of names?
Hello there, and a very warm welcome to the forum. Well, I wouldn't leave a 10 week old puppy for 6.5 hours a day, with just one 30 minute visit. I'd say that's far too long. At 10 weeks I'd be getting a puppy used to being alone for 10, 20, 30 minutes at a time and that would be about it. That said, lots of people do, and do a lot worse - we have stories of tiny pups being left in bathrooms for 8 hours when people are at work etc. Which I think is just awful. I work, and I worked when I got an 8 week old puppy. I managed by using a puppy creche, a future dog walker doing pop ins, juggling my working hours, and my partners did the same, and in the end - when the juggling just got too much - I shipped my old Dad in to stay with us until my puppy was old enough to be left alone. 6.5 hours a day with only a half hour break is more than my adult dog does now. He might do 6 hours with an hour's walk before and an hour's walk by a dog walker in the middle. I'd say if you can make alternative arrangements until your puppy is about 5 months old that would be ideal. Do have a look around - you might find all sorts of solutions in terms of services or people to help you out. Working and having a dog is perfectly possible, but those first few months do require extra effort to make sure your puppy is cared for, and well adjusted for the future. Best of luck with it.
Hi Thanks for advice. he will be having 2 30 minutes visits and so will only be on his own for 3 hours at a time max. This will only be every other week and for 39 weeks as year as when it's school holidays I'll be home with him. I'm hopes get that will be ok. I am also looking into day care option too if the visits aren't working. Does anyone know how old they have to be to go to day care? I want to make sure I can do everything possible to make sure he is ok. We lead a very active lifestyle and think we are ready for the commitment and think he will have a really good life with us. I realise the puppy period can be tricky and Just want to make sure he gets the best start in life as possible. Luckily we have a nice big kitchen diner which will fit a good sized crate and pen. Naya we have decided on a boy and his name will be Memphis! Thanks again
When your boy is older, that sounds fine - you just have to get over the first few weeks/months. I found a puppy creche, which was a large fitted out garage attached to the offices of the local dog training school. They took a maximum of 4 puppies at a time and it was ideal. They got cuddles, playtime, snooze time, little carries out etc. and a few short trots out to get used to a lead. They took them from a week after the second jab if I remember correctly. You definitely don't want to be sending a tiny pup to standard daycare though. Charlie still meets 2 of his puppy creche mates now, time to time, they are the very best of friends, and go nuts to say hello and play together.
A puppy crèche sounds ideal. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any around near me! At what age do you think he would be ok to go to day care? I really don't want to frighten him when he is too young? Thanks
It completely depends on what kind of day care..... I have never sent my dog to day care. I looked, and I looked, and I was just not happy with any model I found. I was not happy to have him run free in a field with a pack of adult dogs when he was a puppy - terrible learning, and terrible for growing joints. I was still not happy for that when he was an adult! Ideally, you want a day care with dogs playing in controlled and supervised small groups, with lots of impulse control training, down time, settle on mat time....etc. Whether you can find that though...I never managed to find it. I think other forum members have been luckier though. I rely completely on trusted dog walkers, which haven't been easy to find. But I managed. He goes out mainly on individual lead walks, which are a mix of relaxed sniffing and training, and once a week he gets to go out on a mad hoolie with "his girls" (he is an intact male and walks with a group of girl dogs ).
Do look around, and ask around. Another solution I found, for days when I couldn't get him into the puppy creche, was a young mum on maternity leave, with a new baby, in the next street to me - the dog walker recommended her. She brought her baby and her young toddler round to my house, and played with them all in the garden (or kitchen when wet). She was happy to earn some money, and was really good with my pup. The added advantage is he is now super good with small kids, having had fabulous socialisation when he was tiny. When I went to puppy school, people were organising themselves into swapping puppy care time groups (I didn't have any time to swap, so it wasn't for me) but it also seemed ideal... I am lucky, I guess, and I live in an area with a lot of dogs, and a lot of dog services. But still, you never know until you ask around....
I was very lucky when I found my dog walker as they also do day care. They only has a max of 6 dogs at day care and they are in her house. She does short training sessions with each of them during the day and they are spread over 3 rooms which they can roam in for part of the day, but are settled at intervals in the sleeping area. They also get to go on a group walk with her and her husband every day. We used daycare from 6 months old. At 10 weeks old I left Harley for a max of 2 hours, popped home for 30-45 mins, then worked another 2 hours max. I also had a webcam so I could watch her whilst I was at work. My neighbour would look through the window every half hour and would leave her if she was sleeping and would go in for 5 mins, let her out for a wee etc before going again. It gave me reassurance that she wasn't alone for too long. I only work 5 mins away from my house and I'm out in the community a lot so can pop home a lot and sometimes take her to work with me. Do you have a neighbour who might be willing to pop in to check Memphis is ok whilst your husband is at work? I think it depends on what your dog is like being left, what you are comfortable with and having back up plans in place. Fantastic name .
I'm just stopping by to say hi.We didn't get Dexter until I wasn't working so I didn't have to consider the arrangements you are facing.I can see some of our members that have dealt with this situation and stage in your puppy's life very successfully have replied to you ...all I would say it get it right at the beginning and you will be rewarded with a confident young dog that is happy to be left for short periods without any stress to either of you. Let us know when you go to see Memphis,I love hearing about puppy visits and enjoy all the puppy shopping you will be doing for his things x best Wishes Angela x
