I'm after some advice regarding a puppy and full time working. I obviously understand the constraints, issues, morals, etc. of this, and I am still grappling with those myself, but I'm trying to get a complete picture before we make the plunge into puppy ownership. We have a supportive family who want to help, and have potential plans in place for when a dog can be left 3/4 hours without a toilet break (retired parents and in-laws), but my concerns are with the first few weeks/months. I plan to take the most time off work I can get, which realistically would be 3 weeks. Depending upon when a puppy arrives, my wife may be off work for a few weeks after this too. I want to be sure that they and I fully understand the commitments needed during the first weeks and months after a puppy joins our family. So my questions! How old would a puppy be when you can begin to leave him alone, and by what age do you think they could make 3/4 hours alone? Assumption is that upto 12 weeks, he would have to be kept inside or carried when outside. Is that correct? Are there any concerns over someone other than myself, spending a large amount of time with the puppy? I'm sure I'll think of more too, so thank you all in advance.
Yes, it can be done with much planning beforehand , and so I`m pleased to read that you`re doing this planning now ! Take as much time as you can when puppy first arrives , its a special time for building bonds and getting to know one another .Young pups have very little bladder control , so expect accidents , even after being left for short periods of time ! Until he/she has had the second vaccinations , then yes, apply caution , play in the garden is fine, but carried off premises is advised until a week or so after the second vaccinations . Don't worry about friends/family helping out , your puppy will still be your puppy , as long as the time you spend with him is quality time , play and gentle very short periods of training . I`ve been lucky in that I haven't ever had to leave any of my pups , other than shopping trips , but many people leave pups for 3/4 hours, and very successfully too if left in a roomy crate or playpen , as long as its not much more than this for a youngster . Good luck , lots of good reading on this site for new puppy owners !
Hi Graham - I agree with Kate that this needs to be carefully planned, so good on you for not rushing into things. Just a couple of points - Puppies can be tough and relying on family and friends can sometimes wear thin, so considering an alternative paid dog walker/minder is a good idea too (even just as a contingency plan). Depending on how elderly/fit your parents and in-laws are depends on what they may be able to do. Also, some puppies settle really well on their own (mine did) but others are complete attention-seeking anxious souls and suffer with not having constant human company. They are all so different. Also, if you are out working longish hours, then consider having your dog sleep close to you at night as I am sure that companionship will help with your bonding. jac
Hi! I also agree that it's great you are thinking of this ahead of time. I completely understand wanting a puppy, so take this with a grain of salt, but have you considered an adult dog or older puppy? There are shelter/rescue dogs are that are tough and require a lot of work, but others that honestly are a breeze and would be fine being on their own for several hours after the initial adjustment period. If you are set on a pure-bred lab, there are rescue groups specialising in Labradors. Also my understanding is that breeders sometimes have older puppies or adult dogs that they need to re-home. Again, just another idea to consider.
Hi. I spent the first 2 weeks at home when we got Harley and I started leaving her from day 1, starting with just a minute and building up through the week. Week 3 and 4 I worked, but only 2 hours a day. She was crated when I went to work and had a wee pad in the crate but never used it. I then went back to work properly (I worked 16 hours per week then) and never had any problems. She would be left for a max of 2/3 hours as I live 5 mins from my work so could pop in for wee breaks. By the time she was 5 months old she was left 3 hours at a time. By 6 months she was decrated and left in the kitchen. I had a webcam so would check in on her and she mainly slept. By 8 months I employed a dog walker as my hours increased. I would leave home at 8.45am, dog walker had her 11.30am-12.30pm, then I would be home at 3pm. This worked really well for us. Harley is now 4 years old and I currently work 35 hours PW. My routine is: Monday I work 1-9pm. Dog walker has her 1.30-3pm. Hubby is home at 5.30pm Tuesday I work 9am-12pm, have 3 hours off to walk her etc, then back to work 3-7pm. Hubby is home at 5.30pm Wednesday & Thursday I work 9-3.30pm. Dog walker has her 11.30am-12.30/1pm. Friday I work 9am-1pm. I can do some of my work hours at home, hence that not adding up to 35 hours. It costs me around £120 per month in dog walking, but it is worth it to me for her to get stimulation and company when I'm at work. She. Also sleeps upstairs with us.
Hi and welcome to the forum! Me and my OH also work full time so I know where you're coming from. I completely agree with Jac about the type of puppy you may get. We had it all planned - family and a dog walker popping in. My puppy had other plans - he screamed the house down even if you were in the house and he couldn't see you. I couldn't go to the toilet/take a shower/sort the washing or anything without an absolute meltdown. Let alone leave him for 2 hours until someone popped in. I took a week off, then my OH did. Then it was left to the inlaws to sit with him, 4 days a week. And it grew old for them, really quickly. They'd been more than happy to help, but they basically had to give up their lives too. Once he had all his shots and was a bit bigger - 4.5 months we sent him to daycare. But we had to start building the time up he could be alone from 3 seconds (no joke!). He's completely fine now - doesn't mind being left. But he still goes to daycare a few times a week. The other days my in laws pop in to see him and take him for a walk. I should add that me and my OH work different shift patterns. I'm your basic 9-5. Whereas he does 7-3, 3-11 or 11-7. Obviously the 3-11 is no problem as he's only left for 2.5 hours before I'm home. The other shifts he's still realistically only left for 6.5 hours with a 2 hour nana and grandad visit in the middle and I give him a good run before I go. So there's only really 2 hours for him to contend with either side. I wouldnt leave him for 4 hours then a walk then another 4 hours cos I think that would be too long for him and he'd get bored and frustrated - so I'd send him to daycare. Sorry it's sounded so negative - I just wanted to be realistic with you that some puppies seem to take in all in their stride while others take much longer to adjust. I spend up to £200 a month in daycare bills some months - but he's worth every single penny and getting him is definitely the best decision I've ever made.
Hello and welcome. I can not add to the great advice you have already be given, just wanted to say welcome.
Thanks for all the responses so far. Definitely some food for thought. Currently I'd say the house is empty 7.30 - 17.00, although my wife does get home earlier most days but as she is a teacher this varies depending on various things. Our parents look after our daughter who will by in preschool when we would be thinking of getting a dog. This would mean she would be dropped off at 12.30 and collected at 15.30. Conveniently, the preschool is opposite our house so the afternoons are covered with potentially two visits, its just the mornings that worry me. I think right now, this is the biggest barrier to us getting a dog.
It would mean pretty stressful mornings, I would think, trying to get everyone ready and out of the house by 07:30 is bad enough, but having to walk and feed the dog as well would make it quite difficult. Also, it's not just that your dog cannot be left for long without food, water and companionship - you need to have time to train a puppy/dog. I'm very glad you are considering this so carefully; too many people don't, and then wonder why things go wrong. I'm not saying it CAN'T work for you, but it would take quite a lot of logistics, I think.
It can be done. Bullet points based on our experience: - Being home for the first weeks is great, it makes toilet training so much easier (we took 5 weeks holiday with the new pup). But most important was (as Naya states), is getting started with being alone right from early on. It's temping to want to spend as much time with the new puppy as possible, but sometimes you need to drag yourself away from home for short periods as it's better in the long run. - We try to stagger our working hours. I try to get to the office at 6am, so I can leave much earlier. My wife goes later and of course finishes later. This drastically shortens the alone time. I can also work from home sometimes, and this is sometimes difficult because the boy just doesn't want to sleep whislt people are around. - Webcams are great. Not only do they give you peace of mind, but we also realised that the boy chews the frozen kong for 1-2 hours, and then sleeps for the rest of the time. If I get home too early, he's actually sometimes grumpy as he hasn't slept long enough. Happy to see me, but grumpy yes - Did I mentioned frozen kongs Honestly, once the frozen kong is on his mat, he couldn't care less about his puppy parents - We've tried to avoid too many emotional goodbyes or hellos. I think this helps him not to strees too much about comings and goings. - Home alone for some hours worked fine for us from the age of about 13 weeks. - If you use a puppy walker or helpful family member, make sure they are "trained" too, and that training them will not cause offence. Lay out the ground rules from day one. e.g. if you are training your puppy not to pull on the leash by standing still every time he pulls, then make sure your dog walker follows the same routine, otherwise you need to re-train your four-legged friend. We had this experience and it's amazing how quickly your good work can come undone - Finally, if this is your first puppy, be prepared for a challenging first couple of months. Whilst puppy sleeps, read this forum to keep you sane - it's so fully of kind, friendly, experienced, genuine "dog people". I learn something every time I log on.
I got Aspen when he was 8 weeks, he is now 16 weeks. When I brought him home, it was a Thursday night, and I had to go to work the following Monday. I only had three days with him! Luckily, I only had to work short shifts - 4 hours. He could sleep through the night (9pm-6am) so we tried our luck at crating for a few hours. We are lucky we got a dog who was basically potty trained by the breeder/seller. If I were you, I would definitely take that time off and then maybe once you are done with all the time you can take off, your wife takes off. I know it isn't the same as both of you being there, but that is what would be best for the puppy in my opinion, especially if you have the option to do that.
1-2 hours?! That's brilliant! Stanleys figured a frozen kong out in 20 minutes. When I go for Sunday dinner at my mams it's a race to finish my dinner before he finishes his kong
Hi Graham, As others have mentioned above, there is some really good advice already given and I too think it is good that you are doing the thinking/planning part before you take the plunge. We are just coming up to having Pippa at home for 4 weeks now. Luckily my wife was able to take 4 weeks holiday and I will be taking over for the fifth week whilst she goes back to work. So far I can confirm that having this time with our puppy has been a very rewarding experience for all of us. It is a big learning curve and is very hard work but the bond between the three of us is going from strength to strength. After the fifth week we will both be back at work and we will be enrolling Pippa into a dog Kindergarten. Luckily this is very close to where my wife works and we have friends who also use it for their Labs too. Of course this isn't free, but it's the only option that will work out for us at the moment and I hope that Pippa will enjoy her day in the company of other dogs. Maybe this could also be an option for you too? It could help to lighten the load with your parents & In-laws etc and would give your pup some variation in the routine? Good luck. Jason.
There are a few different versions. I had a webcam built in on my laptop so I downloaded a free app on my phone, connected the two up so I could log in and check on Harley during the day. The other version is one that you buy from a shop and can link your phone to. They are really useful things to have.
I think you're right, my colleague has something like this set up and, one day at work, all we could see of her Vizsla pup was his bottom half, little bottom and legs sticking out, but still we couldn't take our eyes off him!
Sure! I use this model (I have a number of them ) https://www.amazon.co.uk/UCam247-Se...e=UTF8&qid=1504193220&sr=8-1&keywords=ucam247 And the company's homepage: http://www.ucam247.com/ The model I use is an outdoor model, but I heard that it is more robust than the inside model. I got my first a year ago and it's been running constantly outside (from -35°C to +30°C). Worked so well that I bought more. The camera is wireless, so you need to have a wireless modem/router at home, which is constantly on (i.e. connected to the outside internet and your home wireless needs to be switched on). The camera needs to be plugged in to the mains. The camera is fairly easy to set up (although depending on your network, you might want to give each camera a unique IP address. This IP address thing took me a couple of hours to figure out, but I'm not so tech-savvy.) The camera can record (either stills or video, or both) to a storage location. This can either be an on-board SD card (I use this) or a remote box somewhere in your house or to the cloud. The camera can be set up to email you still images from your camera, either when it detects movement or just periodically (my wife gets pictures of Nelson every 5 minutes during the day. Sometimes she's even managed to change sleeping position in between ) The company also supply two methods to remotely view the live camera image: a free standalone program (for windows) and an app (I have it on an Android phone). The App works 90% of the time, the windows program about 95% of the time. I have the windows program on my work computer, running all day. Having a quick look at the boy can be a breath of fresh air during long, dull meetings. Only problem is, it does make you want to grab your car keys and go home for a ruffle I'm sure there are other good camera options out there. I did a lot of research last year before settling on this brand. I haven't been disappointed, but as technology moves so quickly, it might be worth shopping around to see if there are better options available today. PS for the email images, we found that Gmail works best. We just set up a new account, which we use solely for the boy's pictures.
[QUOTE=" Once he had all his shots and was a bit bigger - 4.5 months we sent him to daycare. But we had to start building the time up he could be alone from 3 seconds (no joke!) [/QUOTE] So when did you do this training, in regard to building up the time to learn to be alone? (I work 34hrs a week)My pup probably needs help with this too...she's 4mths..
