What did you do when you got a puppy?

Question

Most adults have full-time jobs, but what do you do when you get a puppy? Please share your experience of what you did when you got a puppy and had to work. Did you put the pup in doggie daycare? Did you take a couple weeks off of work? Then what?

Just to add...I already do have a puppy and work from home every day but Wednesdays. I cannot leave her in a crate all day because she will soil it. Dogs should not go to the bathroom in their crates. Also, my husband and I leave the house at 7am on Wednesdays, and aren't back until about 5:30. We work very far away and cannot take her out for lunch. We also do not have another dog to keep her company. Thanks for everyone's feedback.

Answer 1

I was working full time when i got a puppy and i had to take a couple of weeks off. I can't imagine doing it any other way, because really, it's like having a newborn baby! I know that isn't feasible for alot of people, so i wouldn't know what to recommend otherwise, but for me it was the best thing i could have done. My dog was house trained SO quickly because for the two weeks i was at home, i was crate training him, and taking him out every two hours. (oh ya, and on another note, crate training is THE best way to train a dog!). When i was getting close to going back to work, i would leave him in the crate for longer periods of time, just so he got used to having to "hold" it. If you can, get a dog walker to come to your place once during the day. I don't know if it's possible to keep a puppy in a crate all day long - their bladders aren't big/strong enough to hold it that long. If you are thinking of getting a puppy, just make sure that you read up on it and are really really ready, because it drives me nuts when i hear of people giving their dogs up because "oh, it's just too much work". It's ALOT of work, believe me, but i'm so glad i stuck it through cuz i couldn't imagine life with my little buddy now!

Answer 2

Okay my first mistake was getting a puppy in the middle of winter, which was incredibly hard but I did it. First thing, my puppy didn't like the kennel I had purchased for her all she did was howl. Now, instead of paper training the puppy, I skipped that and went straight to taking her out every hour. When she got the hang of it and did make a mess on the floor, I repremended her (not badly) for it so she knew not to mess on the floor. It was hard the first two months as we had to get up in the middle of the night to take her outside to pee, but it worked. After she got old enough I noticed how much longer she could hold it. I am so glad I didn't paper train her cause once you got the puppy trained to go on the paper, the next step is to train not to go on the paper which gets confusing to them. While I was at work I had her tied outside on her leash, however I went home which was only a 3 minute drive to let her in. LIke I said it was hard and I would never recommend anyone getting a puppy during the winter unless someone will be home most of the time. It was hard, but it was done and I am happy with the results I got from my dog. She is an amazing and smart dog. All the hard work really did pay off. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

I have seven dogs and a doggie door with a secure fenced area. I am now working from home so, it has become much easier. But, when I worked outside of my home and got a pup I always crated it. It really is the best. The pup feels safe and you don't have to worry about it getting hurt or causing damage. Don't let others tell you it is cruel. My dogs actually went in their crates to sleep all by themselves. It becomes a den of sorts to them. Cruel is allowing the pup to run free and swallowing something that will kill it. If you are able to check on it at lunch good. Perhaps you can have a neighbor or friend do it. Good Luck.

Answer 4

I bought a baby play pen and wrapped that mattress in plastic from the material section of a store and put puppy pads on one end and a bed and food and water at the other end. You're gonna have accidents no matter what. Now that my dog is bigger, I hammered a leash to the bottom of the counter in the kitchen and now when we leave he gets put on the leash, and he can only stay on the linoleum. He doesn't have near as many accidents anymore, but atleast when he does a little soap and water cleans it up. Plus the leash is long enough to give him some moving room.

Answer 5

I discovered cyanide in the puppy chow worked wonders....

I'm not serious, don't worry. I'm allergic, I have no need for something else to cause messes and stress, so my way to help the animals is to not adopt them as pets.

I know very few people who actually put their puppies in doggie daycare (I didn't even know there was such a thing), and it's hard enough for most people to arrange a maternity leave for their own human babies. For the most part, putting the pooch outside if it was nice weather, with plenty of room to play, plenty of food and plenty of water (especially in the heat of summer) is what most people I know do. When I was little, we had a puppy, and he was barricaded in the kitchen while we were gone all day, mainly because linoleum is easy to clean.

Answer 6

I got my red-nose Pitbull as a puppy and the first thing I did was I built it a cage and I made it a house all in the same day. I made sure that he had clean water and a clean surrounding, and I fed him some good quality dog food for puppies. I left the puppy there by himself because nothing would really happen to a caged dog with food and water. He's still a puppy although he's a bit bigger and he still stays by himself all day when me and my wife work. You shouldn't be scared to leave the dog by himself if he is safe.

Answer 7

When my dog had 3 pups in December last year, leaving them outdoors was out of the question as I live in a very cold climate. I got a refrigerator cardboard box, cut it in half lengthwise and taped it together. Pups go inside with shredded paper, food & water & Mom dog could jump in & out, but the pups can't. The pups begin to learn to go in the shredded paper corner and away from food/sleep area as the box is not that big. This was down in my unfinished basement though and I would not recommend you do this over a carpeted floor. After a few weeks of changing papers and the dogs could now escape they went back outside.

Answer 8

Puppies should never go to "doggie day care"

When they can not be attended too they should be crated.

As to your comment you are correct they should not soil in their crate but they are going to to begin with. How elsse are they going to realize its not good. I have a 3 month pit right now that can be crated for 8-9 hours without accident. He has a blanket and everything without soiling it. They learn.

I take new dogs in weekly sometimes daily they all learn.

Answer 9

Most people put their puppy outside for the day. Others that live in an apartment would throw down a bunch of newspaper with a corral like pen surrounding it so it has to stay put.

Answer 10

My I left my puppy at home with puppy pads, food, water, and the other dogs. Make sure she/he can't reach anything potential harmful and your good to go. They're more self-suffient than you think!