Hi all, After loosing our 14 year old Black Lab, we would like another one. The problem is, I work full time and my wife works part time, ( about 4 hours a day). This was not a problem wth our old Lab but I wondered if that would be too long for a pup. The last time we had a pup ( 14 years ago ), my wife did not work so this is new territory for us. The puppy would have someone with it constantly for the first 3 weeks as I can arrange some time off. After that it would be into the work routine. Any advice would be appreciated. I would be interested to know other peoples situations etc. Thanks, Chris
Re: Leaving a new puppy. Hi Chris, I appreciate absolutely what you are going through. We got our puppy in May, and as of around now we are both back at work (though with slightly staggered work times). We arrange it so that I go in to work early, my partner puts the pup in her crate at 10, I come home for lunch at 12:30 and put her back in at 13:30, then I come home from work around 4pm. I also have my nice cleaning lady who will come over and let the dogs out (I also have an old lab). I dont think four hours on its own is too long for a pup, but you would have to introduce the crate carefully, and at least at first it would be very good if you could break the four-hour period up. I am sure others will be able to give you their experience and advice too. But dont forget there will also be times when the pup is suddenly sick (just like a toddler!!), or something else gets in the way... I have been lucky over the summer, as my boss allowed me to bring the pup in to the office for a while as well. It's worth finding out if there are others in the neighbourhood who can help you with dog walking for when the pup is older - you probably already have friends with dogs who might be able to help out. Good luck!
Re: Leaving a new puppy. Hi Chris and welcome to the forum It is difficult to predict, but most puppies sleep quite well in the mornings after a good breakfast. My current pup has her longest nap then (she is snoring happily now ) and would probably be ok now, at 3 and a half months, to be crated for up to four hours after breakfast. But the honest answer is that it isn't ideal. And that some young pups can get quite upset if left alone for more than an hour or two. Also at eleven weeks, some puppies still don't have great bladder control. If you could arrange a dog walker or pet sitter to come in mid morning for the first three months, you might find it all goes more smoothly. Also, some rescue centres have older puppies from time to time, which might be an option? Pippa
Re: Leaving a new puppy. Hello. We are preparing to bring home a new chocolate lab pet at the end of this month. He will be about 6 1/2 weeks old when he comes home. The breeder assured me that the puppy would be ready by then. My question is about leaving him home alone while my spouse and I are away at work during the week. We don't want to crate him 8-4 Monday-Friday and have considered doggie daycare and perhaps setting up a play pen area for him while we are away and having someone come by once during the day. Can anyone offer any advice that might be best for a puppy so young? Thanks so much. Sarah
Re: Leaving a new puppy. Hi Sarah, Welcome to the forum Six and a half weeks is very young to bring a puppy home. Have a look at this article for more information You are right to be concerned about leaving the puppy from 8-4. The honest answer is that it isn't very practical or kind to leave a young puppy alone for an entire working day, even with a visit. It is unusual for a breeder to let a puppy go before seven and a half weeks, and many breeders would not home a puppy to a house where there was no-one at home all day. For that reason I wonder if your breeder is very inexperienced? I hope you won't be offended if I recommend you read up on the health checks she should have carried out on your puppy's parents. Some dogs seem to cope with being left for long periods of time, but your puppy will be very lonely, may bark and howl quite loudly, and it will be difficult to house train him. Doggie daycare would be a much better option. Small puppies do need a lot of attention I'm afraid. I hope you manage to find a way to have your puppy minded whilst you are working. Sorry if this seems a bit negative Pippa
Re: Leaving a new puppy. Welcome to the forum Sarah, and I hope all goes well with your new puppy! I do understand and applaud you for trying to work out how best to make life comfortable for your new family member and for yourselves. But a new puppy is very like a human toddler, and as such really cannot be left alone all day, even with a visitor once a day. That is just a recipe for disaster. And six and a half weeks sounds terribly young to be leaving the rest of the litter... I know from experience what I am saying, because when a teenager, I had my first labrador. We didnt know what we were doing, and left him at home while we were at school and my parents were at work. He became very destructive in the house, and would rip apart the kitchen, chewing through the u-bend of the sink, ripping up the kitchen bench - even chewing holes in the walls. He also became quite aggressive to other dogs, and an expert at escaping and running away, and although we loved him very much and kept him to the end of his natural life, he was never an 'easy' dog. Quite honestly, it is not very kind to leave a puppy for so long. You would probably need to take several weeks off work, to slowly work up the time you can leave him alone. As Pippa says, doggy day care is probably the best option - but then remember, someone else will be training your dog, not you... I'm sorry, this does sound terribly negative, but labradors despite being charming, affectionate and wonderful dogs, are also really quite demanding of your time and energy - and this is true for several years, not just for the first few months! Best you know this now, rather than having a horrible shock later! Good luck - I really hope you manage to work out a solution that works for all of you!
Re: Leaving a new puppy. I thought I would be a bit more positive and share my experience for what its worth (being a working mum). I know its not quite the same, we got Lilly when she was actually relatively old (11weeks - we had been on holiday and the breeder kept her for us for a bit longer until we were home and organised) and had her at home for the first 4 weeks or so with the kids who were on school holiday before the "leaving alone" phase really started at around 16weeks. Kids were 11 (dog obsessed) and 14 (bit ambivalent). She took to the house training part brilliantly - ok, so there are always a few hiccups - and we had her crate trained from the beginning. My husband came home at lunch for the first couple of weeks, and kids were home from around 3.15 to let her out. Hubby stopped coming home when he noticed she was just after a play and didn't always go out for a wee or poo at lunchtimes. To begin with, 4 hours in the day was about our maximum, but we did build up to it before school started, and she was crated for at least 6 hours overnight. As things developed we started leaving her crate door open at night, then for short periods when we were away during the day, and since she was just over a year old (I think), she has pretty much had the run of the house. She follows what sun we have around the house to find the best snoozing spot! We still have her crate - its her "haven" if she's ticked off or just fed up - disappears in there any time there is a raised voice! Not that she's the one that gets bawled at! She has only two or three times really chewed anything, and interestingly they were whilst we were in the house but not paying her any attention! Only if she is clearly not well do we have any wee accidents. OK, so there is a major difference in the ages that we are talking about, and I think thats the main stumbling block, not the fact that you plan to leave your dog alone during the day per se. I think one of the things that made me join this forum rather than others I have been on is that the people on it seem to be a bit more balanced and realistic. Love their dogs but not completely obsessed (probably!). I have always found the advice really sensible (unlike some other sites) and put a lot of stock in what I have learned. Lilly is a wonderfully contented calm reliable house dog. Yes, her recall is still appalling and she pulls madly on the lead - high prey drive? - where's that book got to Pippa? But it works for us! Be cautious about the age of the pup you are taking on is my very inexperienced and limited opinion. You will undoubtedly need some neighbourly support in the early days. I feel about Lilly the same as I did with my children though - why have them if someone else is going to be bringing them up? Teaching them all the essentials and missing out on the important developments? Yes, we have to work - just not all the time - share the "childcare" with people you know and trust. I wish you luck! Jacqui
Re: Leaving a new puppy. Welcome from me too Sarah Its always good to hear both points of view , I guess a lot would depend on the nature of the puppy , a more anxious one would maybe not adapt so well to being left as a more confident one ? My boy Sam who is now 14 months old was an anxious pup, not nervous but anxious , he cried when left even though we had another dog to keep him company, its taken some time to improve his confidence and now he is fine . Your puppy is very young to be leaving his siblings , this may make it harder for you . I do hope that you can work through this and find a good compromise with a dog sitter, please let us know how it goes
Re: Leaving a new puppy. My copy arrived a while ago now, but that came air mail. I presume the bulk have come by ship (they are assembled abroad) So it should be any day Sorry for the wait, and thanks for putting another point of view on this tricky subject. Pippa
Re: Leaving a new puppy. Thank you all for the kind and honest advice. We are bringing our little one home in a week and are eager to have him as a part of the family. We have no intentions whatsoever of locking up a puppy so young all day. I had a labrador growing up and she was the most wonderful dog in the world. We have spoken with many other labrador owners and have come up with a positive solution that will be best for the puppy. I believe that you can be a dog owner and have a full time job. I was raised that way with dogs all my life and they all were wonderful and amazing animals. We plan to take our little one to my parent's house during the day. They have a labrador that is about 5 or 6 years old and several other dogs. Being with family and other dogs will be perfect for our little one and we have already made steps to make sure that training is done the same way while we are work. I realize every dog is different and we intend to do what is best for our puppy no matter what. Thank you all for the help and God bless.
Re: Leaving a new puppy. That sounds like a perfect solution! Good luck with your new puppy, hope you will tell us all about him!
Re: Leaving a new puppy. That sounds like a great solution, our parents dog-sit when both Ben and I are out for long days. The only problem is I think both sets of parents would take him off our hands permanently given half a chance Lots of luck with your puppy, hope all goes well.
Re: Leaving a new puppy. Oh well done, that sounds like a great solution! If only all prospective dog owners would put as much thought and care into the well-being of their puppy as you have, there would be far fewer abandoned dogs languishing in rescue centres. I wish you much joy with your new little Labrador friend; may he give you many, many years of companionship and love! Karen
