how long can a shi tzu puppy stay unattended?

Question

me and my mom are interested in getting a shi tzu puppy. preferably mixed with a yorkshire terrier or mini poodle. from what ive read online, it doesnt seem like it could be left alone while my moms at work and im at school. the puppy would be in a pen that is big enough for him/her to walk around a bit and we would obviously make sure it had enough food and water. would this be doable or not, be honest.

ok i forgot to mention that we will train it to do its business on a "puppy pad" kinda like a litter box for dogs but not exactly. so it wouldnt need to go outdoors to go to the bathroom

Answer 1

sure ,as long as it carnt hurt itself & u dont have close neighbours,will take a while before it stops crying,Why not get 2 then they can play 2gether

Answer 2

I think your dog will be fine. I have 2 black lab mixes and a white Shepherd. The 2 labs stay out of a cage because they are fully grown and won't destroy anything. The Shepard is still acts like a puppy so he stays in his cage. he has food and a nyla bone to chew on, and a rug to lay on. They are good about being alone, although sometimes the bark for a couple minutes when we first leave. My dogs are house trained and before the last person leaves, the dogs go out for a potty break. Make sure you give your dog a bone or a toy to play with so he/she won't be board. I think that your shi tzu puppy can be unattended during the school day, but allow some time after school to play with and train him/her. Good luck with your new puppy.

Answer 3

hi, getting a puppy is a big committment.
You can train any dog to be left alone even when they are puppies. Some methods which might help.

1) Confine your new puppy in the place with papers (if thats where u want him to eliminate) once you bring the puppy home
2) Avoid playing too much or spending too much time with the puppy right from the start because they might get used to it and expect it. Just spend couple of mins with him, then put him back in the pen or even go out of the house for a while (both of you), let him get used to not having humans around
3) Get a clock and place near his bedding or beside the pen. The ticking sound of the clock reminds him of his mummy heartbeat and may ease him.
4) Put your clothes (your worn day clothes) in puppy pen to give your new puppy assurance as your scent is there when you are away.

That's all I can think of....juz remember, be patient with any new puppies. Train them with consistent methods and commands is one sure way to make yur puppy and your life happy and easy!

Cheers!
Veronica
http://www.dogcarezone.com

Answer 4

i honestly think that if trained young enough a puppy can learn to be in a cage/crate for that period of time. But, I would like you said make sure it has plenty of water, make sure it can't get hurt on the cage/crate, and if your close to your neighbors I would let them know that they may be hearing some crying or whining until the dog gets used to it. But my best advice is to start out training the dog as soon as you get it. With my dog, when he was a puppy, if he fell asleep we would pick him up and set him in the cage (with the door open) so it become a safe place to him. Still to this day, if he gets scared he runs to his cage. Good Luck!

Answer 5

I have a Yorkshire terrier and when we bought him we couldn't leave him alone...the reason being is that small puppies may not eat and drink properly at first...we were advised that someone should stay home with the puppy for the first few days just to make sure that it is eating and drinking...

Answer 6

I have a five month old Yorkie-chi. She is pad trained. We leave her at home alone. She does great. We just make sure that she has plenty of food and water in her area. We also have a wide arrange of puppy toys to keep her company while we are gone and a doggy bed so she can rest well.

Answer 7

hey there,
i am a shih tzu breeder and had to weigh in on this subject.

first of all the good news is shih tzus are not topically clingy dogs... they are a little independant.. so this will help with being left alone.

second only feed the pup at morn and maybe as soon as you get home from school and then dinnertime.... cause about 20 to 30 min after he/she eats she will need to poo.. and then you can train her/him to use the pads.

I use pads for all my young dogs as well as have a doggie door to the outside... but some of them refuse to use it....so i think pad training is great!

love on your baby when your home... she will need to be socialized as a youngster or you'll have behavior issues as she grows up. make sure you don't make a big deal out of leaving the house in the mornings... pat her and tell her goodbye.. then walk away...
she will get used to this routine and accept it as normal within a few days.

do... put a article of clothing (that you have worn) in with her.. the clock is a great idea... toys... etc....

shih tzus don't need alot of exercise but you will need to let her st reach her leggs at night ... just be firm about the pad usage... maybe put a pad as well in the area you have her confined in... get the scented puppie pads...

good luck!

Answer 8

I do think that all day is too long for a puppy to spend without people attention. But I thought of one way out--get two puppies. They'll entertain themselves, not be so lonely and you'll be happy to have the puppies to love. Twice the $$, twice the vet bills, twice the food, but a happy puppy who doesn't miss mama all day.

Answer 9

Once he or she is potty trained he will be fine as long as he has some toys and stuff to keep him from getting bored. You might consider leaving the radio on for him or her also so there is no dead silence. I leave mine alone in the daytime sometimes for 5 hours or sometimes a little more and they are fine. They don't even want to go out right away when I get home sometimes. That amazes me

Answer 10

generally speaking, the length of time you can leave a pup alone AFTER it's crate trained, is the number of months of its age, plus one. so, if the pup is 3 months, you can leave it for 4 hours.
but, you have to have it crate-trained before you do that. if you just throw it into a crate without teaching it to regard the crate as its own personal space, you're going to have trouble.
water should always be provided, but if you are going to be gone for a long period of time, you might want to rethink the food. is there no one who could take it out for a break while you and your mom are away? I bet you go to the bathroom more than once while you're out. the dog deserves the same oppurtunity.

Answer 11

How long are we talking here? 5 hours? 8 hours? 10 hours? isn't that a long time for your dog to be "holding it"? Is someone going to be able to come home in the middle of the day and the the poor baby out to relieve itself? and maybe a short walk? While they are pretty inactive indoors, they still need proper excersize to be healthy happy pets. Even if the pen has enough room to walk around, you don't want your dog to relieve itself where it walks around. Thats gross, and unhealthy.