New Puppy and Working...

mrsjclmaxwell

We are getting a new puppy soon and I plan on house training him and crate training him.
Im just not sure how to go about doing it since me and husband both work during the day. I work from 7-4 and he is 6-7

I know i will have to get up earlier to take him out and let him out of his crate as soon as I get home. But will it be very effective? Just wanted to get a few suggestions or related situations.

Thanks

formerlyGDaisy09

How old will puppy be when you bring it home?

9 hours is definitely too long to leave a puppy in a crate (too long to leave most dogs in a crate). when we brought our puppy home she was 8 weeks old and couldn't make it much more than 2-3 hours without going outside.  I telecommuted for most of the summer so that she wouldn't be crated for more than 2-3 hours at a time. our puppy is 11 months old now and can make it 8-9 hours without needing to potty, but we still try not to leave her crated much more than 4 hours. 

can you guys get home on breaks? can either of you bring puppy to work with you?

mrsjclmaxwell

I know, it is a long time, i hate to leave him that long. I work almost 30 mins away at a hospital and he is in construction and he never knows where he is working until the night before.

Im going to ask a neighbor if they could maybe come let him out 2 or 3 times during the day..

formerlyGDaisy09

I would only get a puppy if you definitely have a neighbor who can let it our EVERY day.  It's just not fair to leave a baby by itself so long. 

have you looked into rescuing an older dog that can hold it longer? and might be OK only being let out once a day? because if you work 7-4 and it take you 30 minutes to get to and from work you're really talking about leaving this dog by itself for 10 hours a day, that's too much! 

have you looked into doggy daycare?

WildFlower2350

That's a tough one...if the puppy is young, there is no way they can hold "it" that long...and same goes if they are simply not crate trained.  A puppy needs to be let out very frequently, every few hours.  We adopted a dog that was almost 1 year old- still very puppy like but already house broken and crate trained.  Even though she is older now  (I am fortunate) to go home on lunch hour to let her out.  You said you work 30 minutes away, which means 10 hours away from the dog.  Unless you can guarantee a neighbor can let them out at least 2-3 times each day this is probably not the right time to adopt a puppy  

ranzzo

I agree, unless you can guarantee that your neighbor can let him out frequently throughout the day (and if so, this is an awesome neighbor), don't go with a puppy, adopt an older dog.  Or you can look into hiring a dog walker or take the puppy to a doggy daycare (thought a lot of time the puppy would need to be spay/neutered first and have all of his or her puppy shots and sometimes they have age restrictions).  I would recommend a dog walker even if you are adopting an older dog so he or she can at least get a walk in during the day.  If you go that route, do your research and remember it can get pricey.  Puppies are hard work, they are cute and sweet but sometimes people don't realize how difficult raising a puppy can be. 

mrsjclmaxwell

Just to update everone.

Puppy is doing very well, he is doing well at night too. Still have a few accidents in the house, but we are still learning lol. I have a family member that comes frequently and lets him out to potty.

Thanks everone!

formerlyGDaisy09

GL! our girl is 11 months old and I still don't like to leave her more than 4-5 hours in the crate. she can make it 7-8, but she's a wild-child when she finally gets out. 

chrisnjay05212010

so glad its working out!!!!  Every dog is different. Our guy was crated only til about 6 months before we could trust him alone in the house. He hated the crate during the day and potty trained easily and was holding for long hours quickly.  He is a giant breed though so could be part of it. In the very beginning i did have my dad check on him and let him out when my DH and I worked longer hours.