Need Suggestions for pup while at work

[Jmnhunter]

heres my dilema: I'm getting a pup right after xmas; I'm away from home for 9 hours during the day and dont have enough time for driving back to home for lunch. Where should I keep my pup during the day? -I know your supposed to feed pups 3 times a day for a few months (some days my fiance will be home so i wont have to worry about this or she'll be home by 4). So being colder out I dont want to keep him in the kennel outside during the day and figure sitting in a crate at home up 7 hours is too long for a young pup.

-I do have a topper for my truck so i could check on him every 4 hours, but would i be able to keep it warm enough for him in there (with him in his crate)? -I could invest in a mr. heater buddy heater with a window cracked in the topper.

-And what age can I leave him in his crate all day?

thanks

[Kyhl]

I go by age in months, one hour plus their age in months. At four months I make sure they get out at least once every five hours.

This probably isn't what you want to hear but I'd suggest holding off getting a new puppy until you have time for it.

[rundrave]

I have kept both of my shorthairs in their kennels in the back of my truck with a topper on it, even on really cold nights. If you get one of those kennel covers that is the ticket. There are times where I open the door to the kennel and you feel the heat pooring out of the kennel. If you keep it covered, and in the topper I think you would be fine. Just take him to work everyday and let him out as often as you can.

[Ufatz]

I know you don't want to hear this and it's okay if you want to call me a jerk.....BUT why don't you give some more consideration to getting a pup at this point in your life.

They really DO require a commitment on your part and you are setting yourself and any puppy you might get up for a rough time of it. I KNOW you think you can work around it. Maybe you can. Why put yourself and the dog though it.

Been through many dogs and a variety of situations and just trying to do a favor. For you AND the dog.

[JayinMN]

They make heaters for dog houses. Maybe that would be an option so you could leave him home in his kennel.

[Jmnhunter]

thanks for the suggestions keep bringing them in. ufatz/Kyhl, I wouldnt think those who work full time wouldnt be able to check on their pups every 2-4 hours a day for a couple of months

[Surface Tension]

A pup is too young to be in an outdoor kennel in the middle of winter by itself.

You don't leave a pup in a kennel all day long and expect it not to pick up bad habits like barking all day long.

Pretty hard to get exercise in a crate but if you can go outside on your breaks and at lunch well OK as long as you can run him after work. One big deal there is a pup in a place that isn't a controlled environment. If you do this keep all outside simulation away from the pup. He doesn't need traffic noise or people walking by him all day. You just don't what association that could bring to the dog.

Do you have a neighbor that can let him out of the crate when your at work? IMO that is the best in your situation.

Lastly , Ken has some very good advice on crate training. I'll look for it later.

[hanson]

I don't think its the feeding I'd worry about, its the going to the bathroom.

In that 9 hours, your pup will probably go #2 2-3 times and Lord knows how many times for #1. I was told they can hold their potty one hour for every month old they are. So a 2 month old pup is going to go every 2 hours, a 4 month old every 4 hours, etc... You leave your pup in the crate too long and you're going to be bathing him quite frequently. Nothing like coming home to a dog covered in [PoorWordUsage] in his crate. God I felt terrible when this happened.

Have you owned a puppy before??

I was taking nearly 1-1/2 hour lunches at work the first 6 months I owned my lab pup to go home and let him out at lunch. I arranged this with work and thank God they worked with me on it. Now I can leave him home alone 10-11 hours and he is fine. But I had to get through that initial period and it is a lot of work. The first month or more of actually trying to sleep at night is a nightmare as well.

[gr8icefishinmind]

Puppies require alot of attention and if you are going to leave your new puppy in a kennel 9 hours of the day right off the bat it probably isn't a good idea for you right now!! And as said before, your pup should be going outside every other hour to go #1 or #2, no way it will hold it 9 hours!! just my .02, not trying to be a jerk but it isn't healthy for your pup!

[Acemac]

I would build a 4x6 pen in the garage at least then the dog will not have to go to that bathroom in the same place it sleeps. It is a puppy it will eat sleep and go to the bathroom. Lots of busy people get dogs they are a ton of work but you will figure it out.

when I got my puppy it was a godsend that my wife was home for the summer (teachers...) but going from crate to outside every hour or so had that dog potty trained in about 3 days. I still to this day have never had a #2 in the house.

[FCspringer]

I would build a 4x6 pen in the garage at least then the dog will not have to go to that bathroom in the same place it sleeps. It is a puppy it will eat sleep and go to the bathroom. Lots of busy people get dogs they are a ton of work but you will figure it out.

when I got my puppy it was a godsend that my wife was home for the summer (teachers...) but going from crate to outside every hour or so had that dog potty trained in about 3 days. I still to this day have never had a #2 in the house.

This makes the most sense of all the posts.To tell a guy to forget getting a dog because he has a job is a little goofy if you ask me. Get your dog, you have a job, it is easier for someone like him to provide a good home rather then some one who can spend all day home but can't afford proper care. Yes you need to plan for it. But it is not as bad as may seem. You can do as said above with the pen. You can pick up a piece of rubber roofing at Menard's to lay on the floor. Get some sized pine shavings and spread them out a few inches deep. rig up a heat lamp with just a regular bulb inside a nice dog house insulated and bedded well. You can do the same over a water pail and leave plenty of food so not to worry about that. In a short while feeding once a day is fine. The pine will absorb more then you think and can be changed out as needed.The rubber roof can be rolled up taken out side and shook out. It can be cleaned and disinfected easy out side if warm enough or in the basement or shower otherwise. The [PoorWordUsage] will be caught up in the shavings leaving little to scrub, more a disinfecting then any thing.Your dog will be cleaner then most other peoples. Now, you can set this up in the basement as well which I would prefer.But it would be a fine home, spend some time with him training in the morning and a whole bunch when you come home, just leave him with something to do and some country music playing soft . When you come home you can bring him in and do crate training after work. But try to do all this in the basement if possible, pups don't have the greatest ability to regulate body temp so your heat method would have to be full proof out in the garage, unless it is insulated and heated as well. Any use of bulbs should have protective measures with barriers and steel screen or another way to avoid breaking and glass spilling into the pen. There is a coffee can heater that works well. You rig a coffee can with a bulb socket and some holes on the side, as the bulb is on it heats the can and the surounding area of the house. And if one breaks the glass is still in the can. A bulb gives off a good amount of heat. You can also buy some of the ready made heat sources and heated bowls. I would just make sure of any cords being chew proofed.

[Jack Peterson]

I'm usually away from home for 8 hours, and my puppy does just fine. If I can make it home for lunch, then he gets some bonus play time. Otherwise I spend an hour before work/school playing with him, and 2-3 hours after I get home.

He is a little over 3 months old, and he already holds his potty and #2 over night for 7-9 hours. Just start making good habits, and he'll eventually get used to them.

Should have no problems leaving him at home while you're at work.

Just make sure to play with him before and after work. It's pretty easy to "forget" to play with dogs in winter because of the darkness and cold weather.

[Hd Wtr Hillbilly]

I made a small pen in my garage with an insulated dog house that was plenty warm with just body heat....then I put a doggie door outside to a 4'x12' fenced run so she could go to the bathroom...didnt have any problems and I got my pup a few years ago in November.

Like FC springer said, its unreasonable to advise someone not to get dog just because he works full time...I spent plenty of time before and after work with my dog and in my opinion has a great home and life

[shnelson]

This is a good topic, I'll be sure to follow it.

Trying not to take away from the OP, but what do you guys leave your pups to keep occupied with while you are away? I've been using the kong treat dispenser, but he's got that one figured out. Most toys we leave he'll tear apart in a matter of minutes and I want to avoid expense surgeries. I'm getting more concerned with this as he exherts more of his boredom to chewing up the crate walls and his bed. I have him in a 8x10' area and typically only for 6-7 hours or less.

[Ufatz]

Don't be too harsh boys. I only recommended that he wait because perhaps a better time might be a little later in his busy life. There is more involved here than the physical facilities you can provide a young dog. The right mind set is also important. A dog that comes to be seen as a "bother" and an annoyance (and it can happen) is a dog that perhaps doesn't get all it deserves.

I will ALWAYS come down on the side of the dog fellas. It has been my experience in life that too many dog owners don't deserve the dogs they get. And too many dogs don't deserve the owners they get.

Otherwise, ya'll fellas carry on. Oh....and I am casting no aspersions on the folks involved in this particular discussion.

[311Hemi]

This is a good topic, I'll be sure to follow it.

Trying not to take away from the OP, but what do you guys leave your pups to keep occupied with while you are away? I've been using the kong treat dispenser, but he's got that one figured out. Most toys we leave he'll tear apart in a matter of minutes and I want to avoid expense surgeries. I'm getting more concerned with this as he exherts more of his boredom to chewing up the crate walls and his bed. I have him in a 8x10' area and typically only for 6-7 hours or less.

IMO, nothing. The pup does not have (need) a bed, blanket, or any soft toys or bones that could be chewed up and swallowed or choked while they are kenneled (unsupervised). A kong or something similar would be fine. Then again, my pups were in a kennel in the house for the first 1.5 years when we were not home and I went home to let the pup out on my lunch break when they were younger.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Trying not to take away from the OP, but what do you guys leave your pups to keep occupied with while you are away?

My great dane has destroyed nearly every "indestructible" toy out there. The only thing I ever left in his crate with him were Nylabones and Kongs (and I am sure he'd destroy the Kong, but he generally ingnores it).

[Jmnhunter]

thanks for the ideas guys! and as of right now, the pup would be alone at home maybe 3 days a week with my fiance having a temp job right now. so I'm thinking of making a 4x6 pen in the basement, with a house (or can i use my crate?) and food/water and pine shavings...

[FCspringer]

Your crate will work fine. Then you can at the same time, be working on that crate training thing. Thats great you have room in the basement. Good luck with your new pup.

[Boar]

Cool topic, an great ideas. I'm getting the pup in the Lab/pointer thread an my deal is I work in town a mile away from home, our current lab is inside cause she is ten years old an arthritic, she is well traind an stays where she is supossed to while at work without wandering around the house, I come home at lunch an let her out an pet an praise an let her back in to her blanky. The ideas of a sleeping hut an a area to potty in the gareage is great an I can quickly build that, what I was wondering is if I should block of a portion of the entry way where rosie stays an let favre stay there as well with her bed, the entry way is linolium an have menards rubber roofing material, favre will have company with rosie an an easy clean up of mess with the rubber roofing material, I think rosie would be a good role modle for favre, The kids dont know about favre yet, getting her on sunday, In all the excitement I hope rosie dosent get waived. Boar

[badfisherman]

I have an 11 year old springer spaniel. Last thanksgiving I got a 8 week-old springer. Things have been going really well except the puppy likes to torments the old dog. I do everything I can to stop it but the puppy wants to play all the time and will take his energy out on the old dogs ears and legs. Don't leave them together unattended. Your old dog with arthritis will not like getting chewed on by the little monster your going to bring home. Also my old dog got super jealous of the little guy and seemed to get depressed and even lazier. 30 min after picking up the pup my old dog took a [PoorWordUsage] on my bed. Try to do everything u can to make your old dog feel like he's not getting replaced g/l

[Trapr]

When I got my lab pup it was already March, so wasn't as cold. I had a medium sized kennel and put a cooler in the back to make it smaller and so she didn't want to go to the bathroom in the kennel. I took her to work with the kennel on the back seat inside the cab, and brought her outside every couple of hours to go to the bathroom. I purchased a waffle grid for suspended cealing florescent (sp?) lights to keep her off the floor in case she went potty, so she wouldn't be laying in it. On the cold days I put either a water bottle wrapped in a blanket or one of these wheat stuffed fabric things you can warm in the microwave inside the kennel to keep her warm. She did just fine. After 2 or 3 weeks I left her at home and went back at lunch to let her out. Never had a problem. Oh yeah, she had a small nylabone or other toys to keep her busy between outside romps. As she got bigger, and was potty trained, I took out the cooler to give her more room. The frequent potty breaks and puppy bumper play times helped build a very strong bond with my dog, she loves to please and loves to retrieve.

Best of luck with your new pup. Building a friendship caries a lot of responsibility, but has great rewards.

[jakemcarroll]

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is adopting a young dog instead of getting a puppy. My wife and I have now adopted to chocolate labs, both were between 1-2 years old when we got them, which meant while we were in school and now working (prob never gone more than 6 hours at at time between our schedules) we didn't have to worry about getting home as frequently as necessary as with the puppy to let them out to use the restroom. We are able to run them at the local dog park and backyard for excercise and in the summer I rollerblade with them a lot too. Just something to consider. I have had a couple buddies do the garage pen and it has worked well for them!

[mcne0101]

The perfect case scenario is to build a dog run from your garage. Build a 4x6 pen like the previous poster suggested, install a doggy door then install a dog run outside. Its really not as hard or as expensive as you would think. Buy crate with a cover then put one of the heated dog pads underneath the kennel. He will be plenty warm, get the stimulation of being able to go outside, and you wont feel rushed at all times to get back to your pooch.

Also, maybe not for the OP but consider buying a started dog. $2500-3000 would seem to be the average for a good started pooch, it sounds like a big ticket but when you add up $500-1000 for pup, vet bills, year of food, bird and gun intro, etc. it really ends up potentially being cheaper. Just my two cents, it depends on the person. For someone getting a puppy on a whim I would advise them to reconsider tat would be pretentious for me to assume though. If you really really want the pup you'll make it work and you'll love every second of it!