My family is interested in getting a puppy but no one is home during the day from 7am to 4pm four days a week. We are home the other three days. Is there any way to keep the puppy in a kennel when we are gone? We don't mind cleaning up where it goes to the bathroom. Puppy would have enormous attention at all other times. Do you have any suggestions how best to do this apart from leaving the puppy at a dog day care? We would rather not get a puppy if it means dropping it off at dog day care. We could wait until summer when school is out and then someone is always home. Your ideas? thanks.
2006-10-26 08:24:19 · 16 answers · asked by Lighthearted 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
im so sorry that you are the worst potential pet owner ever. DO NOT get a dog.
leaving it alone all day long will cause serious aggression, and your puppy will not bond with you.
dogs are PACK ANIMALS. they need to be social.
you need to train it immediately how to go to the bathroom outside, otherwise its entire life it will relieve itself in your house and you will sit on your butt and wonder why you have such a bad dog, when in reality, its your fault.
dogs are like children. would you leave your child home alone from 7-4 four days a week at 8 weeks old? no. you wouldnt.
wait until summer to get one and train it. but what happens after summers over? back to being alone? it will become destructive and aggressive and angry.
you need to wait until your family situation allows for a dog to be cared for, its just like another person.
2006-10-26 08:36:10 · answer #1 · answered by strawberryblond 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please wait until the summer!! A puppy is a BABY, it needs training and lots of attention! It would be better for all of you to wait for the summer when someone will be there to train it right from the start and to give it the attention it needs! A puppy can only hold it a very short time, like an hour for every month it is old. They don't like to go, where they eat so even in a crate it won't work well! It is cruel to leave a baby puppy alone all day for 4 days a week and it will be much harder to train. It also needs to be socialized by being around lots of people. You can still crate train it, but it would be better to wait. Thank you
2006-10-26 08:28:56 · answer #2 · answered by wish I were 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you don't want your puppy to get in the habit of relieving in the crate/cage/kennel you will be using. It's their safe haven and bed and instinct tells them not to go where they sleep. A puppy will need to go out very frequently until they are a bit older, every 30 minutes to 2 hours at least.
If you can't be home, maybe confining puppy to a kitchen, where the flooring isn't carpeted and using puppy pads is an option. But I would say your best bet is to arrange for a puppy right when school gets out... you will have the whole summer to work on potty training (which is always easier in nice weather... um, we get snow here for winter). Hopefully, by the end of summer, you're puppy will be old enuf to go longer periods in a crate without the need to potty and you will only need to ask a friend to help out during work/school days a few months until the pup can make it that long.
2006-10-26 08:30:09 · answer #3 · answered by Shadow's Melon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely wait until the summer. I know it is not what you wanted to hear but a puppy can only last an hour for every month old they are plus one before they have to go out. It is unusually cruel to leave a small puppy crated for almost 8 hours. I also would definitely recommend crate training, it seems cruel but puppies actually thrive on it because it resembles the way they live in the wild.
2006-10-26 08:32:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best suggestion I have is to wait until summer to get a new puppy. That way when the end of summer comes, the puppy will be able to be in a crate all day and will have learned how to control when it uses the bathroom.
2006-10-26 08:27:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've been crate training my puppy, and she has grown to love her little "home" while I'm away at work. It's also a good way to house train a dog, because they naturally don't want to use the bathroom where their sleeping area is. But because they're bladder muscles are not fully developed, I've read that puppies can really only be left alone in the crate for 6 hours before the start making messes on themselves.
2006-10-26 08:28:08 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you really want to potty train your pup, you will need to have someone come in once or preferably twice during the day when you are away to take him out. Otherwise your potty trained will be greatly slowed down. The first several weeks in a very young puppy's life is the most crucial time for training, so being there nearly all the time is important in order for you to be able to take him outside to go potty. If you do this consistently, he should be nearly potty trained within a few weeks. For more info, join yahoo group Clicker Solutions.
2006-10-26 09:01:32 · answer #7 · answered by sim24 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you really want a puppy I say wait until summer. Not only will someone be home to train it to go where you want it to go but someone will be there to stop if from chewing on things that it shouldn't chew on such as electrical cords.
If you don't care if you get a puppy or not, I would suggest looking at the local animal shelter for an older dog. They are usually already trained to go outside and they know not to chew on things that are not good for them.
Good luck with your new dog.
2006-10-26 08:37:05 · answer #8 · answered by tbears43 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a kennel and put him in it, or put him in a small room like a laundry room during the day and line it with papers. Take the puppy out before leaving and after you get home.
2006-10-26 08:32:30 · answer #9 · answered by redhotboxsoxfan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What about a home sitter? They'll come to your house during the day and take the puppy out and spend some time with him.
2006-10-26 08:32:14 · answer #10 · answered by BVC_asst 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋