Puppy Home Alone

[marcoBC]

Hi everybody,

 

Unfortunately my dog will have to spend every Tuesday alone from around 8am-6pm. Its the only day of the week where he'll have to be alone, but I'm still not very happy about it. My girlfriend will be able to come home for her lunch break to take him out for a quick 20 min walk.

 

My plan goes as follows,

 

I will get up at 5am and spend time with him until I have to go to work at 7. Ill take him for a nice work and do training with him, In total, probably an hour or so because I have to get ready as well. After that my girl friend will take him out again for a quick walk before she leaves for the day at 8 30.

 

She will come back again at noon to take him out. After that though, he will be alone until I get back at 6 30.

 

We have a puppy safe room where he will be able to stay in.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions to occupy his mind for the day?

It will only be once a week as I work at home every other day, but I feel real bad to just leave him in a room all day long.

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

[Luana]

My dog growing up was often at home alone.

I had a sitter coming home to take him out in the middle of the day. it should not be a big deal. I also crated him till I was sure he could behave properly in the house.

now he comes to work with me, and he just stays quite in his corner for the entire day.

I think if you provide good exercise/training in the morning and in the evening when you come home, it is fine.

there is also a TV channel for dogs ;-)

[Sue R]

I think most people here would tend to suggest either crating or using an x-pen to confine your pup until he's old enough to be trustworthy and also able to "hold it" for the day, and that's not going to happen for some months, at least for most pups. You may consider a room to be "dog proof" but as long as it has any furnishings, walls, woodwork, a door, etc., there is something a pup can chew up and potentially get sick on!

 

There are things you can leave with a pup in a crate to keep him occupied, including safe chews (like frozen or stuffed Kongs). Since he'll be teething along with growing up, something safe to keep his mouth occupied is useful both for keeping him entertained and for helping him dispel his teething pains.

 

The plan to have a lunchtime bathroom break is a great one and should help tremendously in housetraining (in conjunction with the use of a crate/x-pen). Leaving him loose in a room will encourage him to "go" in the room as it provides plenty of space. Using a crate or x-pen will encourage him to "hold it" if he can until he is taken outside because he won't wan tto soil his space.

 

It sounds like you have reasonable exercise and one-on-one time planned for him. Remember that mental exercise (training manners and tricks) is just as tiring and probably more important than purely physical exercise, so make sure your time with him is a balance of the two, especially now when he is very young and his body is still growing and repetitive and impact activities should be limited.

 

Best wishes!

[waffles]

I think from previous posts, Marco's pup is 7-8 months old, not weeks. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

I think your plan is more than adequate. An hour in the am, plus another walk at 8:30 and again at noon is more than enough at 8 months old.

 

Most people have to work and leave dogs much younger than yours home for 5 days a week. He will adapt and learn to relax while you are gone. I would worry more about teaching him to expect so much exercise vs not getting him tired enough.

 

A crate could potentially save you some headache. An 8 month old alone in a room may not be the best idea. Like others have said, woodwork, even the floor, window sills, you name it and the dog could start chewing on it. We start leaving young ones alone for 30-60 minutes and we how they do. Then work up from there.

[Cass C]

My dogs are alone 8 hours a day 5 days a week during the school year with a quick mid day potty break. They were crated until they were a year old now they are left in the bedroom. I always leave them with a kong to chew on and a biscuit. I don't do a ton of training before I leave in the mornings anymore, but they do have each other to play with if they get bored. However, they sleep most of the time I'm away during the day.

[Sue R]

Sorry if I was off base but I read "puppy" and thought "young pup".

[marcoBC]

Great!

 

I just bought a kong. I'm looking up different recipes to put inside it. Something that will last a long time.

I think he'll be fine with that and maybe a bone. I'm worried he might develop bad habits though, chewing, barking etc.

[GentleLake]

You can stuff a Kong with anything, even feed him his meals that way. It'll last longer if you freeze it. And it can be helpful to have a couple of them to keep in the freezer so he can have one when you leave and maybe another one when your girlfriend leaves after his mid day break.

 

Otherwise, great advice from others about a crate or ex pen. It could be a really great investment.

[Cass C]

 

Great!

 

I just bought a kong. I'm looking up different recipes to put inside it. Something that will last a long time.

I think he'll be fine with that and maybe a bone. I'm worried he might develop bad habits though, chewing, barking etc.

I love feeding a mix of frozen wet and dry food in the Kong. I use it as part of their breakfast to avoid over feeding.

[teresaserrano]

I'm worried he might develop bad habits though, chewing, barking etc.

That's where a crate comes handy, as the dog doesn't have space to move or inappropriate things to chew and tends to just sleep till you come home. He should be used to his crate of course and feel relaxed in there.

[urge to herd]

If the kongs work for your dog, get at least 4. Make up your mix - soaked kibble, kibble mixed w/wet food/cottage cheese/a dab of peanut butter, what ever - and freeze them all at once. Put the emptied out kongs through your dishwasher at least once a week, they do tend to get nasty inside without this.

 

Good luck!

 

Ruth and Gibbs

[Gloria Atwater]

I think most people here would tend to suggest either crating or using an x-pen to confine your pup until he's old enough to be trustworthy and also able to "hold it" for the day, and that's not going to happen for some months, at least for most pups. You may consider a room to be "dog proof" but as long as it has any furnishings, walls, woodwork, a door, etc., there is something a pup can chew up and potentially get sick on! ...... Leaving him loose in a room will encourage him to "go" in the room as it provides plenty of space. Using a crate or x-pen will encourage him to "hold it" if he can until he is taken outside because he won't want to soil his space.

 

 

This. At 7 or 8 months old he's still very much a puppy. He may or may not be able to hold it for 6 hours, so you don't want to accidentally train him to pee in the house. Plus he's probably still teething, so you do not want him to have any access to carpets, walls, door frames, etc. I have a friend whose youngster chewed a hole in a sheet rock wall! Not even trying to escape, just randomly chewed a hole in the wall. Her husband patched the hole - and darned if the pup didn't do it again!

 

So, you might consider putting him in an X-pen at least for a while. Give him toys that give entertain him, give him safe things to chew, and you've also got great ideas here for treats. But I think an entire room for an 8 month old pup might leave him with a little too much leeway for mischief. At our house here, we have a former hot tub room that someone obviously left a dog locked in some years ago, because the edges of the window sill are scored with teeth marks ...

 

Gloria

[terrecar]

I prefer a crate for safety, but I wanted to add that I always made sure to remove a pup's collar before confining it in an ex-pen for the day (or in a crate, for that matter). This is to avoid any possibility of the collar somehow getting caught and choking the pup. Call me a worry wart, but I felt so much more comfortable during the work-day, knowing that my pup was safely crated. Besides, I had a young German Shepherd do a remodeling job on my back door moulding when I gated her in the utility room.

 

Just sharing what has (and hasn't) worked for me.

[Roxadee]

Gracie was put in the laundry room and couldn't get behind the washer or the dryer, she chewed the drywall in 4 different places. I was amazed but we are house flippers so not a huge deal! Our bad for thinking she was okay in there for a few hours, she is now crated through out the day where she doesn't get into anything that will hurt her in any way, she has water and a bone and food. She is fine!! I had issues with leaving Grace as well for hours on end and through the generous advise of these well informed BC owners I learned that routine is a great thing and having a crate is a must for some time, I still feel guilty after a few hours but it's unwarranted, I come home and she is always fine!

[chrisandgabe]

I prefer a crate for safety, but I wanted to add that I always made sure to remove a pup's collar before confining it in an ex-pen for the day (or in a crate, for that matter). This is to avoid any possibility of the collar somehow getting caught and choking the pup. Call me a worry wart, but I felt so much more comfortable during the work-day, knowing that my pup was safely crated. Besides, I had a young German Shepherd do a remodeling job on my back door moulding when I gated her in the utility room.

 

Just sharing what has (and hasn't) worked for me.

 

Yes, thanks for mentioning this. A young dog in our former neighborhood passed away this way.

[marcoBC]

Ok so it seems that a crate/play pen is not only good for keeping your dog out of trouble but it is also a good way to keep him safe.

I will get one ASAP. Because I was with him 24/7 I could alway keep an eye on him. He didn't have a chance to get into trouble, so I didn't really need one. He just has his bed and when he's tired he goes there and sleeps.

 

Thanks everyone!

[teresaserrano]

You will have to work with him on liking the crate and being comfortable there, before you can leave him there for extended periods of time.