Proper care for new pup

[Iron Cowboy]

I am planning on getting a lab pup sometime soon and have a dilemma.

My house is empty for about eight hours a day. I know a pup cant "hold it" more than an hour or two. I have a bigger inside kennel where he could go in one area and have room to lay in another but feel its too long a time for a pup to be kenneled up. yet he cant roam the yard free either. I cant be the only working man that has had this issue, what have you guys done or think is the best way to handle this? Any help is appreciated.

[gonefishin11]

I took a week off when I first got my pup. I would recommend that if it is possible. You will have a fun week bonding, you can teach potty training and let the pup get used to its new house.

Also, could you go home for lunch or have a good friend who doesn't work stop by and let it out?

[Ralph Wiggum]

We're getting a pup this summer, too. I plan on going home at lunch to let the fella relieve himself. It's not ideal, but he'll only be home alone for about 3.5 hours at a time.

If you're not close enough for that, I have a friend that hired a service to come let the pup out when it was young.

I'll be interested to hear what others, say, too. This will be our first puppy, so it's a learning process.

[Powerstroke]

Depending on your situation, I had a friend that kept his dog in a kennel in his car while he was at work. It was not outside in the heat or anything. He came down and let the dog out every 2 hours much like his own breaks at work. Of course that means you have to work where you park.

Either that or you could find a neighbor who is home during the day.

[Tom7227]

I've built a 3 ft by 6 ft pen for a new pup. Rip some 2X4 to 2X2 and make the rectangles. I used some small triangles of 1/4 inch plywood in the corners to make them rigid. Then get some fencing 42 inch tall will do. Use some fence staples to attach it to the frame. Wrap the fencing around one long and one short side. Then hold both of these together with bungee cords.

Here's the key - put wood chips in one end of the pen. Maybe 18 inches out from the end. Put a 1X4 or something in the pen to hold the chips at one end. A towel or old rug, a couple of chew toys, and a radio and the dog is good to go. A water bowl that the dog can't tip or chew up is also part of it. Leave a light on during the day if the garage is too dark.

The dog will quickly learn to relieve itself in the chips. Easy to clean and starts getting the dog to realize there's a place to do it.

[giwoyna5]

I agree with taking a couple days off to spend with a new pup or at least a weekend anyway, but I believe a person should have an outdoor facility in place before getting a pup in the first place. This includes a fenced in kennel and shelter. This takes care of having to let them out. I have left all my dogs outside in the kennel while at work(cold permitting) and never had any problems in the past. It takes just a couple minutes to pick up their stool when you get home and the kennel is clean. Then they can be a house dog the rest of the night. Right now I want a new pup bad, but I don't have a facility set up yet because of a recent move. So I am waiting until I get this done. Hopefully soon. My $.02

[Iron Cowboy]

thanks for the advise guys. Unfortunatly I have a 50+ mile commute each way to work so going home at lunch is out. giwoyna I guess I was thinking the same thing, just didnt want to wait that long. I plan on getting an electric fence system set up (wireless petsafe model) I guess they work great. Anyone have an idea of how old a pup should be before letting them learn how the fence works?

[glenn57]

i got a chocolate lab last fall. from day 1 she was in the house. at nite see spent all nite in kennel and only had a few accidents, after the first few days she was good to go. i did have a kid at home during the day to let her out. control there intake and go from there. they say 15-20-minutes after they eat/drink or wake up they need to relieve themselves and that is real accurate.

[Ryan Becklund]

Ask your boss if you can bring the pup in if it is in a kennel. I did this and was fine in a storage room. Also the best thing you can do for potty training is keeping the dog in a small kennel. They won't go in cause they don't wanna lay in it. Good luck. I am going through this right now but on my other two inside dogs it worked great!

[MinnesotaMongo]

Also - keep a pad out of there - they like to pee on that.

[killerloop1]

no water after seven at night, should learn quick

[maros91]

 Originally Posted By: slayer73

keeping the dog in a small kennel.

That is what I did for my pup. I kept my dog in a big kennel for a couple of days while I went to work and everytime he went. Switched to a small kennel and problem fixed immediately.

[tealitup]

I had my dog in a big kennel; but put boxes to make it smaller; just enough to turn around and stretch. After a week, at 8 weeks old, she would not go in the kennel.

[jeff042479]

I am getting my new lab in May and was planning on going home at lunch. I ride the bus, so any form of bringing the dog with me isn't going to work. I also thought about looking into paying to have someone let her out. If I go home at lunch though, I could get a training session in then rather than early in the morning. At what age can a pup hold it for 8 hours?