So it has been about 6 days now with my puppy, we spent friday-sunday hanging out at the house getting her used to the new environment and playing here and there. I left sunday for about an hour to try and see how she would do alone in her pen. She was also alone in her Pen while I would shower. Now I am back at work and she is alone for about 3 hours at a time during the day. I have a walker come at 10:30 and 3:30 to fee her, take her out and play for a half hour. I come in around 1 to do let her out and play for a little. I am home around 6 at night. I have a camera to check in on her and she barks most of the time it seems while I am gone with some breaks here and there. I try giving her a kong before leaving but it doesnt seem to appease her for long. I did freeze the kong filling last night hoping that helps. The other issue is she tears up the puppy pads still doesnt potty on the floor just the pads if she does go. Think this is more to working her self up then really having to go. I have been trying to make the pen a pleasant space while I am there, feed her in there, I have been doing sit training in there to help limit the distractions in the other part of the house but she still either tears up the pads or barks for while. Any help to get her used to being alone would be appreciated. Thanks, Josh
Hi Josh, How old is she ? It sounds like you've given consideration and set up a good rota to break up her day ,but......if she is a 8/9 week puppy ,it's too much too soon to leave her for 3 hours.....you need to work up to that gradually and that's going to be hard for you to do if you have had go straight back to work.... Does she understand what to do with a Kong? Again ,with my assumption that she's very young ( I might be wrong) a solid frozen one might be too difficult for her and loses interest? If she races through a unfrozen one ,I'd defrost one a little bit to make it a challenge for her but not so challenging she gives up.... A bit of background noise may help like a radio but it's no substitute for a training schedule to help her cope with your absences ..... My battery is going to go on the iPad but I'll try and link in a couple of Pippa's articles to help .....
http://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-cope-with-a-crying-labrador-puppy/ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/combining-a-labrador-puppy-with-full-time-work/
Hi Josh, My pup was quite settled in the day but I think they are all different and take differing amounts of time to settle. Re the kong - my pup wasn't interested when she was tiny, it was probably when she was about 12-13 weeks that she really got the measure of the kong and even now she will only play with it to get frozen food out.
She is 10 weeks today. I have read a lot of those articles and tried the suggestions. No Crying just barking. She gets the Kong likes the food inside just kinda bounces back and forth between barking and then doing that. Maybe short attention span lol. Even when we are playing or just hanging out she will start to chew on a toy then go and try to chew my shoes or the table and back and forth. I figured it is more of a time thing and keep doing what I have been and eventually she will get used to it, and calm down. I start working with a trainer on Feb 13th. -Josh
Barking,crying,whining....all can be saying the same thing.....just not happy being alone. It's not ideal or desirable for a 10 week old pup to be alone for 3 hours.....that's the root of the issue,it's too much too soon. I can only advise you revising your rota a bit ....can you get someone else to go in to break up that time period? When she's fully vaccinated ,you could consider a daycare arrangement for her.You'd need to choose very carefully for a puppy that age ,to make sure it was appropriate for her. You could leave her several kongs, basically feed her her meal allowances in them ....they find chewing bithnsatisfying and comforting,they may be periods where she would chew herself to sleep ......
