blithespirit Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Hello DOLers, I am doing some research into getting a new pup. This is something I've been looking forward to for a long time, and I want to do it right. This is a lifetime companion I'm talking about. I live in an apartment and work during the day. I exercise each morning and when I have a dog my plan is to walk/play with the dog before work, and again when I get home. However I know that particularly for a pup, being left alone for 8 hours a day is a lot, and will take some getting used to. I have friends who have a happy and well adjusted Staffy who is left during the day, and they said when they adopted him as a puppy, they were advised to go straight back to work on the Monday, so he got used to their routine right away. I'm not sure how practical this is - I don't want to traumatise the pup, and I don't see how she could go with out a toilet break for 8 hours! Can anyone share what breeds they've succcessfully reared this way? ie what age they got the pup, how they trained it to be alone during the day, etc? I am leaning towards a cocker spaniel (One day when I have a place with a big yard I hope to also get a retriever). But if you have any advice on other breeds which might be better suited, please say. If it's just not possible to leave her for a full work day, I'd also look at getting a dog walker to visit during the day. When my lease runs out next year I also want to move to somewhere with a yard so the pup can be outside during the day. Thanks in advance for any advice or stories you can share. blithe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charli73 Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 We had 2 weeks off work when we got our GSD puppy and shes alone while we work. In the first 2 weeks we went out for an hour to start with, then the next day 2 and a few hours the next day to get her into a routine neve making a fuss when we left or returned we ignored her until she calmed down and she has adjusted quite well although always excited to see us when we get home. We also walk her in the morning and at night.. Im not sure I could leave her inside ever but a smaller dog would be ok.. If thats what the pup is used to then it should be ok.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 It is good that you are already thinking about this and it was the one thing that concerned me and my wife before we got Aubrey, our Mini Schnauzer. We got her when she was 13 weeks old and picked her up on Tuesday night and then took the rest of the week off work to have her settle, so she had 5 days with her to get her used to us going out. Fortunately my wife works not too far away from our house so she was able to come home at lunch times for the first few weeks.... although I think that sometimes that coming home at lunch time got her excited and she was worse when we left to go back to work after 1/2 hour. We have lots of toys for her and rotate them daily, we also leave a treat ball and a stuffed kong for her to get some food from during the day. The turning point though was last weekend we got a doggy door and she took to it straight away, so we know she can go in and out of her area of the house to the garden when she wants - of course we made sure the garden is very secure and she can't dig her way out! My wife went home at lunch time yesterday and snuck around the back to check on her, rather than going through the door which she hears... she was asleep in her bed.... just goes to show, they don't get up to much all the time My advice, make sure it has plenty of toys, rotate them and also knows an area where to do its "business" and has water etc. Play with it each morning and evening, and spend lots of time with it at the weekend (down at the park, in the garden or just on walks). Good luck Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMD² Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 When we got Oscar we took two weeks off work... Not practical for some.. But it was great for us and Oscar.. Especially for Oscar.. In this time we left him at home alone for short periods (so he would get used to it)... Over the 2 weeks we increased the time away etc. It was great.. I would also look into crate training as it can help with toilet training etc Best of luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I would not recommend getting a puppy and leaving it alone all day. Others will flame me here but it is not fair on the dog and asking for problems. Your friends have been very lucky. I rehome dogs for a rescue organisation and we simply wouldn't rehome a puppy to this situation. A mature dog, yes, but puppy, no. Puppies chew and need extra meals, stimulation etc etc, they can whine and bark if lonely. Your neighbours won't be pleased if that happens and you aren't in a good position to provide all the things a puppy needs, you are simply out for far too long. It is good that you are thinking very carefully about this situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianPup Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 We were fortunate enough to be able to take time off with our pup but even a short time if you are able to help the pup settle and as others have said leave it for short periods to help it get used to your absence. our pup arrived with her own plush teddy bear toy (the breeder brought it from teh op shop.) She still snuggles up with it now at 8 months old. Tis a poor replacement for litter mates but we think it helped ease the transition a little. Of course some pups will simply have great fun ripping the toy apart and chasing the mess around the house... we were also advised to remove eyes or other smalls things our puppy may chew and swallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianPup Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 (edited) We were fortunate enough to be able to take time off with our pup but even a short time if you are able to help the pup settle and as others have said leave it for short periods to help it get used to your absence. our pup arrived with her own plush teddy bear toy (the breeder brought it from teh op shop.) She still snuggles up with it now at 8 months old. Tis a poor replacement for litter mates but we think it helped ease the transition a little. Of course some pups will simply have great fun ripping the toy apart and chasing the mess around the house...we were also advised to remove eyes or other smalls things our puppy may chew and swallow. EDIT accidental post :rolleyes: Apologies if anyone knows hopw to delete a post could they explain to me please so I can remove this? Thanks Edited July 11, 2008 by BelgianPup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I would not recommend getting a puppy and leaving it alone all day. Others will flame me here but it is not fair on the dog and asking for problems. Your friends have been very lucky. I rehome dogs for a rescue organisation and we simply wouldn't rehome a puppy to this situation. A mature dog, yes, but puppy, no. Puppies chew and need extra meals, stimulation etc etc, they can whine and bark if lonely. Your neighbours won't be pleased if that happens and you aren't in a good position to provide all the things a puppy needs, you are simply out for far too long. It is good that you are thinking very carefully about this situation. In theory maybe, but in the real world I (and many others) have to work full time so I can pay the bills, including the dogs food, vet and training. I brought my pup home at 8 weeks, I had part of the week off as I'd also just moved house. Whenever I left her for any period of time, she got a raw bone to chew on so me leaving was actually a good thing. Some would cringe at giving a bone to a pup when unattended but they were always of the "safe" variety, never anything she could swallow. She also had plenty of toys, a nice secure place to sleep and a very secure and safe yard to play in. She adapted to this routine brilliantly with no barking or behavioural problems. She's now a brilliantly behaved 2.5 year old who is a joy to have around. To this day she still gets her brekky bone as the last thing I do before I head off to work. She sleeps most of the day and waits for me to come home from work to give her a good run and maybe some training. Take too long to get changed though and I get a big whingy sigh from the back door to remind me to hurry up :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSDhandler Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 im a shift worker, adn my partner has a regular job. we got koda at the start of a weekend so we could start toilet training her right away, then the monday i had to go to wrk, but came home in between my shifts to check on her. i start ewarly and finish early so when my partner leaves she has still had him for company for about 3 hrs. she doesnt spend long alone. she is ok with it, as she is used to it. i got help up though yesterday and could see what a routine she was in, as i was 30 minutes late, adn that 3o minutes was enough for her to turn our tiels into a swimming pool. tiles is better than carpet though a lot of people are recommending puppy training pads to me, so maybe an option to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blithespirit Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thanks for all the responses everyone. I am looking at breaking my lease early so I can get a place with a courtyard or yard. I'll also be sharing with a friend who's studying so hopefully the pup will have company for at least part of the day while I'm at work. I think this will be a much better situation for the pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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