emma08 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hi All, We have had our 8 week old Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy sice Saturday. During this small amount of time, I have been able to be home with him all day. We have left him in the bathroom for 2 hours while we went shopping, and I was stressing out aboult it, he seemed fine. Problem being that I have to go back to work tomorrow. My husband is working a split shift at the moment (he doesn't normally, but we have staff away) Puppy will be by himself in the bathroom, from 7-10am in the morning, and from 3.30-6pm in the evening. Ordinarily, he would only be by himself in the morning session, as husband would be home the rest of the day. I am a bit worried about leaving him for these times by himself. Will he be okay? Does anyone else have any other ideas? He gets a LOT of stimulation when we are here..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 my dogs were both left alone for 9 hours each day when i first got them while i was at work You are talking about 3 hours in the morning, and 2.5 in the afternoon. Pup will prob just sleep the whole time, i wouldnt be stressing at all. My dogs are now home 10 - 12 hours when i am working, they both are fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emma08 Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Thanks Teebs, he will be in the bathroom for now, but once we get the bloody fence fixed GRRRRRR, I would like him to stay outside in the morning as he has more room and he seems to LOVE it out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireybell Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Teebs is right, puppy will more than likely sleep while your away. I was able to be at home with mine for the first week then it was back to reality. Gone every week day from 7:30am until 5pm. They're pretty good. I leave a heap of toys for them which I rotate every few days and sometimes I throw cereal on the lawn as they spend hours searching for it. Try not to stress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Not too much time alone IMO, certainly not as much as many. The fact that you're worrying about it is a good thing! Just a thought though. I would not be leaving an 8-9 week old puppy outside when there is no one home. Too easy for him to be stolen & too easy for him to get into trouble. You might think you've puppy proofed your garden but unless it's a sterile concrete courtyard I bet it's not Stafford proof! If he's fine in the bathroom leave him there when you're out - if you want to crate train him this is a good time to start. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emma08 Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Thanks for that!! Puppy is crate training at the moment and going really well!!! He sleeps in the crate and uesterday took himself off to it for an afternoon nap!! However our bathroom is kind of small and the crate is a bit big to fit in the room with the crate door open.... Fits, but doesn't leave much space. Is that okay? We won't leave him outside until he is a bit older, as we have a p[ublic walking track at the back and I was VERY worried about what may happen. We are hoping to section the backayard, so he has the garage, gazebo and a small patch of grass to do his business, but haven't found any fencing suitable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 However our bathroom is kind of small and the crate is a bit big to fit in the room with the crate door open.... Fits, but doesn't leave much space.Is that okay? If space is what you think your pup needs, is there some (safe) way that you can put the crate in the bathroom doorway - just outside the bathroom (with the crate door hooked open). This way, the crate won't be taking any of the floor space in the bathroom. Also, if you have a slippery tiled bathroom floor, you might want to think about putting down something non-slip for your pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen21 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I was so anxious about going back to work after I got my pup too - so I sympathise. I was a bundle of nerves for at least the first couple of weeks worrying about him being home along for 9-10 hours a day. I had about 14 days off work when I got him, and tried to condition him a bit by putting him outside for small periods of time building up for longer and longer each day in the second week, so he probably coped better with the separation than I did. Make sure your pup has some toys, somewhere comfy to sleep and maybe something to chew on, and he will nap most of the time and be totally fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emma08 Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 Hi all, Today was our first day of going back to work.... My husband got home at about 9am and said that Buddy was fine.... He was awake and happy to see him, but otherwise fine!!! No crating this afternoon- he is off to my MIL's who is happy to look after him until hubby can grab him..... She likes the company, so thinks we are doing her a favour!!! :rolleyes: Thanks all for your responses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claireybell Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Yay! Thats great about your MIL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emma08 Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 Yeah- We are lucky!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black sooty Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 R pup accidentally shut herself in the toilet the other day for about 20mins before we noticed but she thought it was great and made a great mess with the toilet roll (ironically enough, she is a lab, just like the Kleenex ads!) so puppy proofing the room is essential! I do 5 hour shifts so our pup was left a lone in the sunroom but we found as long as the room is puppy proofed and we give her a few chew toys and she's fine. My life saver has been the puppy kong filled with peanut butter and dried dog food! she doesn't even notice me leave her! or a lamb's ear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now