Will I be able to do anything non-puppy the first couple weeks?

As you might be able to tell, I'm a planner and the closer it gets to puppy-time the more I'm trying to plan how to schedule life around pup (instead of pup around life).

4 days a week I work from home, for myself so I have flexibility but I need to plan for it. (On Fridays I work but dh works from home that day).

Do they really need to go outside every 15 minutes? Plus after naps, after meals, after play time? I'm going to wear a hole in the tile by the back door going in/out that often

Will I be able to escape for an hour or two once or twice a day to my basement office or should I plan on only doing computer work in puppy safe room for the first couple weeks? (once i can trust him on carpet for an hour or two I'll bring him to the basement with me in a playpen) If I need to stay in the room with him then I can, but I'll have to arrange for my assistant to come in extra hours that week(s).

Looking at the calendar we will have a couple of basketball games (16yo son plays) late the first week/early second week that pup is home. The games are close so I can pop home half way through for a quick pee break, we're usually gone about 3 hours total. I think that'll be ok, right?

I don't think I was this worried when I was having human babies, but for them you just put a diaper on and stick a nipple in their mouth and they're good to go. Puppies aren't quite that easy I think once he's potty trained I'll be a little less stressed, it's those first couple weeks I'm worried about.

 

And relax ! Pups can be hard work , but the initial period soon flies by . I used to put my pups out about every 20/30 mins , after every meal and every nap . It seems a lot and it is a lot, but early vigilance really does pay off, honestly it does ! Loads of praise when you get a result of course , its also helpful to use a cue word ( like go toilet , pee pee or something along those lines ) so that pup soon associates with what he is supposed to be doing . Escape for an hour or so should be fine , in fact it will give him an opportunity to get used to being left for short periods , whereas if you stay with them all the time , they can become reliant on this which can spark separation anxiety later on . Good luck , it soon passes !

 

I think this is something you can't really plan for.. every puppy is different.

My puppy couldn't be left at all. He had a breakdown every time a person wasn't in sight. We had to build the time up very gradually and we couldn't really leave him until he was 16 weeks.

I know other puppies that were happy to be left for a couple of hours straight away. I'd just go at the speed your puppy does.

Good luck! It's hard work but worth every second!

 

Every pup is different.

But they all sleep a LOT.

Plan to be flexible and work when he sleeps and you’ll be fine.

Peeing? More than you could ever imagine!

.

 

PS Puppy pads are great for wiping up widdles, I cut them in four.

 

Hope for the best; prepare for the worst... Each puppy is different, and you can't be sure beforehand how your pup will be! One thing is sure - whatever you are expecting, it'll be different... But those wild early weeks pass quickly, and your puppy will soon get into a routine. Good luck - looking forward to hearing more about your puppy...

 

LOL, I'm not sure how comforting this is.....sounds like it could be pure hell.....or maybe not

I haven't even met the pup yet (soon, he's 3 weeks this week!) but the breeder sent us a video and I know he's cute (simply because they're all cute ) and I finally got dh convinced to go with a yellow (we were debating yellow or black), still need to come up with a name. Gotta be a good one because I'll be saying it.....a lot!!

I'll begin preparing for the worst.....and hoping for the exact opposite (and I'll stock the liquor cabinet either to celebrate....or not)

 

We did fit our lives around our pup for the first couple of weeks to be honest - the trips to the back garden seemed never ending, but it was soon over and normal service resumed. Pups sleep a lot - so much more than I ever imagined - 20 mins play and a 3 hr snooze was not unusual for Bailey. And yes we were outside after every nap, every feed and as soon as he woke up - but after a couple of weeks the only accidents inside were when we were not paying attention to his "Children of the Corn" stare - we were slow learners .

Now Bailey is nearly 2 years old and all I can think of is how time has flown.....he is such a little character, the days of the dash for the door are long behind us but some days I do miss them

 

Stocking up on the alcohol is a grand idea ! And just remember , when he arrives and you feel like your life has changed forever , yes it has but in the very best way ever x

 

Sorry, didn't mean to post the message twice !

 

Despite having a six year old lab, I wasn't prepared for how much support our puppy needed and still needs. She really can't be left for more than five minutes but she's only 11 weeks so I'm sure that will change. We've had to pretty much take shifts between a family of four! But as someone's said, each puppy is different. Having said all that we adore her and have no regrets.

 

I'm lucky when I had Ella at Christmas I had near 3 weeks off work that helped a lot still make sure you have some time to yourself it will do the puppy good to have some time alone even if its only a few minutes at a time and good luck it is fun honest

 

Hi @eileen2664, I did find my life revolved around my pup in the early weeks and there's no way I would have been able to work, but partly that was because I was so shell shocked and knackered! I needed to sleep when she did, just like when my son was a baby.

But, like everyone says, pups sleep a lot and you could likely grab some time to work when your pup sleeps.

I had 10 days off work when she first came home and by the time I returned she was able to settle in her crate for a couple of hours so I could go out to work. I have to say, I was unprepared for the attention she needed when she was awake. My work definitely suffered in the first few months because I couldn't 'not' attend to her or she would have had hoolies all over the place!

It all settled but at the time it was horribly stressful.

All pups are different obviously and I don't want to be negative but perhaps forewarned is forearmed?

 

I work from home. After the first few weeks with my puppy, my sister asked how much I had got done compared to normal. My generous guess was about 3% of normal productivity.
That said, I was on my own looking after her and had two other dogs who still needed walking, so had a bit more going on there. They also hated her, so I spent a lot of time sitting in the puppy pen with her because she couldn't be out loose with them, except when I was being super vigilant. Oh, and she was a menace with water; I couldn't leave a bowl of water in her pen because she'd dig it out everywhere, so as well as the toilet trips (which were even more of an effort because the house we were staying in was upside-down, so I had to carry her down the stairs) I had to ensure she had plenty of opportunities to drink. Yeah, it was tough and when she was eventually old enough to travel back to my home in Andorra, I basically slept and left everything puppy to my husband for the first week

My first pup wasn't anywhere near as difficult, though.

 

I'm my experience.... Toilet training was easy. Yes you have to take them out after 15 mins, every time they wake up, eat, stop playing etc but within about two days our pup was already asking to go out himself.

He couldn't be left alone quite as quick as you're hoping though. It was a gradual increase to three hours over about 6 weeks. I would also plan to work in the same room as him for the first few weeks at least, they do sleep an awful lot though! 20 minutes play, 3 hours sleep sounds about right!

Good luck!

 

I think it's really important to remember that all pups are different. From being on here over the past 4 years I have read a lot about the struggles some people have, but I've also read about the pups that have been quite easy. My girl only had about 4-5 accidents in the house, but I did take her out as soon as she woke up, after food / drink and after play. As she started to wee outside I would say 'go wee wee' and really celebrated when she went. She picked this up really quickly. She was quite bitey for a week or two, but we kept putting soft toys in her mouth whenever she done this. Again, this stage only lasted a few weeks and wasn't very bad. Crate training didn't go to plan - she hated it if I was home, but would settle happily if I went to work (I watched her on webcam). I took 2 weeks off work and built up the time if her being alone for 2 hours. The next 2 weeks I worked reduced hours and popped home after 2 hours for an hour, then back for 2 hours. At 12 weeks she came upstairs to sleep with us and slept 11pm-9am the first night, and often slept 10 hours from then on. When she slept in the crate she hardly slept unless I led by the crate which wasn't practical for long.
I'm saying all of this just to let you know that some pups are a bit easier than others as I often hear the struggles and not so much of the good ones. Patience, consistency and love will help.

 

I likened it to having a new baby, I literally did nothing else but look after puppy for the first couple of weeks and the house looked a mess!! If she fell asleep, the minute I went off to try and do a couple of things she was right behind me!

To be honest we didn’t use puppy pads as I was at home I went for it with toilet training. Although it’s full on to start with try and put the time to bonding with your pup, toilet training etc. as the sooner they’ll settle in and you’ll get to know what they need and when they need it. I’m really pleased I did as I’ve got such a lovely girl (apart from when she eats = )!!!!

 

Learn to take power naps. The first few nights you will need to get up when puppy cries. Take pup out for a toilet break, no play, no attention, then back to bed. This teaches them that night is for sleeping, not playing. However, broken nights are exhausting. Try to get little naps whenever you can.

 

Life is never the same once you make the decision to share it with a puppy, or rescue dog. Although you may eventually get some non puppy/dog time , your first thought when making plans, whether for a meal out, a trip to the cinema, is the care and well being of your four legged family

 

One thing is almost guaranteed , which is this . After all the chaos and disruption that a new puppy brings with it , the laughter and tears , tiredness , frustration and at times those " what have I done ? " moments , you will have the best friend in all the world . He/she will be non judgemental , loyal , trustworthy with your secrets ,dependable , loving to the point of obsession and will become the very centre of your world as you will be his/hers x

 

I honestly found a puppy much, much harder than a baby for the reasons you describe - you can't stick a nappy on a puppy and go out for a stroll/supermarket/café etc. They also pee an ungodly amount. When Xena was small she was every 15-20 minutes at best. The worst was 5 wees on the kitchen floor over the course of an hour, which resulted in me sobbing on the floor with regret. Just be prepared for no housework to get done for a few months and say goodbye to free time because a puppy is all-consuming. It gets better, but it's a massive shock to the system.