A different take on the same old...

[Cheza]

So,

I know that people here work during the day.

My question is, how did you go about house training a puppy while you worked? I got lucky with Cheza as I wasn't working (couldn't) when she came home.

This is for my own knowledge, with the upcoming puppy, I'm not sure what to do. I will crate again (lifesaver) but I don't want to leave her crated while expecting accidents, if that makes sense.

Any ideeeas?

Thanks!

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Can you or someone you know come and let her out midday or for regular intervals during the day?

 

[Cheza]

Well, we just moved into a new house so we might know some neighbours by the time she comes home...


We're also planning to come home at different lunchtimes to let her out. I believe the longest she would be alone for would be about 4 hours.

 

[lizzybeth727]

With 4 hours, you're probably safe. But you have to remember that there are going to be times when you're running late for work and she just doesn't realize why you're anxiously waiting for her outside. Not to mention getting up in the middle of the night to take her out, as well as taking her out several times a week for socialization.

Have you considered an adult dog? Shelters and rescues are full of 8-14 month old dogs, they're past that "cute" puppy stage and people realize they don't have time for them anymore. But, many times they're potty trained and crate trained, and they can hold their bladders longer, so no getting up in the middle of the night. Personally, I'll probably never get a puppy, knowing how much easier adult dogs are (I got my current dog when she was just over a year).

 

[Cheza]

Been there done that with our first dog. I'm not concerned with the rest of the puppy stuff, like getting up in the middle of the night for a little while, just about having to leave her at home while we are at work.

I will get up early to take her out, etc, and it's not a major problem if I'm a little late for work either.

There will be times when I run late, yes, but my husband is actually not allowed to stay past 5 so he will always be pretty on time (barring say, an accident on the interstate!) to get her at the end of the day.

 

[glasgow]

I left my pup for 3-4 hours when I went to work, I just left him with some food in an activity cube and a kong stuffed with treats. I couldn't crate him as I have an older dog who is allowed free run of the house and it made the pup howl the place down if I tried to crate him while he watched the other dog run around!
It is amazing how fast the will fall into your routine.

 

[Sch3Dana]

I'm lucky to not have a regular job- even when I go to work I can take my pup with me if I need to. Still, there are times when I want to go away and not take the dog. I am a big fan of the puppy-proofed yard. Fence off a section, buy a free standing kennel run or give them the whole thing (for those of us without nice landscaping). Puppy proof, provide a yummy marrow bone to keep him occupied and now you can leave without leaving him at home with his legs crossed

 

[Angela's mom]

Well I'm a teacher. I teach in a school 25 minutes away from my house. My only breaks are 30 minute lunch and 40 minute planning time. There was no way to run home and let Molly out. And I don't think 9 hours in a crate is appropriate for any dog, especially a puppy.

So, Miss Molly has her own room. It is about 20 feet by 30 feet. It has wood laminate on the floor so if she does pee or poop it cleans up really easy. I paper trained Molly. Now it is called paper training but you are really not training the dog to go on paper. You're just using the paper to help clean up the mess.

Start by papering the entire room. At first the puppy will go everywhere. But after about a week or two you will notice that he is going to a particular spot to do his duty. Begin taking up papers that are farthest away from the chosen area. Each day you use less and less papers narrowing down the covered area: aka the chosen potty area. If puppy goes off the papers on the floor then just put out a bigger area of papers the next day. It will take about a month for him to get the idea that the papers in his room are covering his potty area.

Meanwhile when you are home do the outdoor training. Puppy needs to go out after every feeding, every play session, every nap and every time he just starts sniffing around. He will learn that when you are home he goes outside to do his duty but when you are now around the papers are a safe place to do the duty.

We had great success with this method. I got out for the summer on June 13th. We got Molly on March 10th and began paper training right away. She is now 5 months old and only occasionally has an accident in the house. That is usually my fault for not watching close enough. I don't even use the papers during the summer. She just goes outside all the time. I have left her in her room for up to 6 hours while I go shopping or whatever and she holds herself until I come home. Now I will put the papers back down in Aug when school starts again. It gives her a safety net.

Good Luck!