i am thinking about getting a puppy, but it would be left on its own for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week..?

Question

does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep the dog in the house without it destroying anything?

Answer 1

4 hours is not too long to be away..either baby gate a safe area, or use a crate/kennel...
If you feed your puppy and walk him 5-15 minutes (depending on age) after feeding him, until he poops, he is likely to sleep the 4 hours..just keep soft music palying so he doesn't hear outside noises so well..

Answer 2

By the look of what everyone else is sayin you shud deff get a crate an yeah there right cuz the puppy will cry but after a while just like everyone is sayin your dog will get used to it. As for destroying your house you will never stop him/her from not chewing on this and that 100% cuz all puppys do really. But i read in a magazine a while ago that a wet flannel put in the freezer for a couple of hours so its hard wen it comes out will amuse a puppy very well. And its very good for when the puppy is teething. My dog is still in the puppy age but wen he was very young and teething i tried the flannel thing an it worked really well. An good thing bout it is you can shape it into a bone or a ball or summin. My dog still enjoys it today. Any way its just an idea k. Good luck

Answer 3

hey, well first of all if u are getting a new puppy u really shouldn't leave it alone until he/she gets used to the new living area. If i were u i would take some time of work or whatever you are doing in those 4 hours and stay home with the new dog... or u could get a family member to stay with the dog until it's used to the new home. when the dog is comfortable with its home you can block off an area where the dog can stay for the time you are gone or you can put him in a room like a washroom or anywhere there is tile and make the room puppy safe. before u leave ur puppy home alone u should have the puppy house trained and should leave some music playing so the dog doesn't feel alone

Answer 4

You can't leave a new puppy on its own ....... you'll need to take some time off work to train it etc. If you can't do that, then may be you're not in a position to get a puppy yet :O(

Tilly (my dog) now gets left at home for several hours at a time but as a pup, I had the summer to train her and get her use to being alone for varied lengths of time - from 30 seconds to most of the day!

Leaving a pup home alone is a tad cruel and asking for training problems! Locking it in a cage (crate) isn't really a solution as that might stop the pup chewing stuff of yours but it would make for a sad little dog.

Crate training does work for some people but as a training method and not a method of restricting the movement of the animal!

Answer 5

Crate train the puppy. That is a reasonable amount of time for a puppy to be left alone in the day in a crate. If you don't like that idea, you can buy puppy exercise pens. They fold up and can be made into different sizes depending on how much room you have in your home. You could leave the puppy in the pen with some paper and a bed.

Answer 6

I HIGHLY recommend crate training. I have 3 dogs all of which I bought while working full time. Using the proper training techniques and a weekend worth of training worked fine. Now at ages 6, 4, and 2 my dogs literally run for their crates every morning for their cookie and goodbye. They chose to sleep in the crates at night and the big bonus is that I never have to worry about them getting into something that could hurt them during the day. The crate training also makes traveling with them safe and easy as I just throw their crate in the car and off we go. We took a 10 hour driving trip last weekend and I didn't hear a peep out of them (except at potty breaks).

Answer 7

If the puppy will be left home alone for 4 hours at a time, DO NOT get one that is under 4 months of age. If you do, you will have HUGE problems house breaking it and training it. The rule of thumb is: for however many months old a dog is, that is how long it can stay home alone with the max being 8-10 hours.

If you don't have the proper time for a puppy, don't get one. You'd be amazed at how many 6-12 month old dogs come through my shelter because people think "Awww...a puppy," and don't consider the time it takes to raise and train them. Some of them end of being euthanized because their behavior is so bad and they fail their temperament test.

Again, IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR A PUPPY, DON'T GET ONE!

Answer 8

I would suggest that you took your puppy out for a long walk before you left for work to make it sleepy and relaxed while you away from it, you can also buy a really good item from Pets at Home called a Worry Toy, you pop bits of dry pet food and biscuits inside it and your doggy has to try and get them out, it intrigues them so much they spend hours trying to get the food out and it stops them chewing and destroying things round the house, but failing that most kennels have day boarder facilities and a lower price than normal kennel fees, so maybe you could look at that option, good luck and hope you enjoy having a new puppy around.

Answer 9

most people work and have this problem, kennel training (crate) is the answer. Make sure you get a proper size kennel. The puppy should be able to stand and turn around in it. If you get one too large they tend to go to potty in the corner and lay up front. You will probably end up buying a couple sizes by the time your dog is full grown. Beware getting used kennels, as they can carry parvo diseases which can be lethal to your dog. Kennels help in the potty training. Don' t use the kennel as a form of punishment for them when they are bad. Then they won't go in them. Most dogs love the kennel as their space, and know when they are going on trips in the vechicle and get excited. Talk to your local pet store, or a dog trainer.

Answer 10

Look up CRATE TRAINING. It's the best way to train. They live in the crate, pee when you are there. Unless you can offer a doggie door, but I would still impliment crate training. CT offers consistency and keeps your house safe. Get the dog when you have a long weekend. Train him HARD those days, be totally consistent.

Next, leave the tv on for people sounds.

Do NOT give in to anything when he barks or whines, or you will never get him to stop barking when you are gone. Do not encourage barking.

Answer 11

Use a small crate of kennel. The dog will quickly learn not to go potty when you're gone and it won't tear up your house. We got a puppy and that's what we did. Also, give it a treat before you leave. It will be fine if you take it to the bathroom immediatly when you get home.