During The Day...

[macdog3]

We plan to keep our puppy (9 weeks) in the laundry while we are at work...which he absolutely hates.

I have two questions...

1./ Is there anything we can do to stop him from going beserk in the laundry when we leave? Or is this something he just has to get used to?

2./ How long should it be before we let him stay outside whilst no one is home? That way he can explore and run around the yard, whilst also having is bed undercover...

Thanks for your help

[Bellatrix]

I had lucy in the laundry for the first week of having her. Didnt like it very much either, i gave her some toys (kong with stuffing) etc.. I was out for maybe 4 hours max.. Our laundry is quite small though and she was very tiny at that stage..

I dont leave her outside yet because im just worried she'll eat something she shouldn't etc (im just paranoid though hehe), so when im out i leave her inside downstairs with the stairs blocked off. I just leave out plenty of toys! You will find that the puppy will sleep most of the time though.

What kind of puppy is he?? Lucy was and still is quite behaved when we go out. You could probably leave your dog outside if the weather was nice though and he had plenty of shelter and a nice warm place to sleep. It also depends how long you will be out for too.

[macdog3]

He is an Stumpy tailed cattle dog, we rescued him from a shelter. At max he will need to be in the laundry for a max of 6 hours...

Is there any age where they should be let outside or does it not matter? I'm sure he would prefer to be in the yard exploring and running around with his toys...

[raeviel]

We left our puppy inside while we were at work from approx age 8 weeks - 12 weeks. The laundry was far too small for her so we sectioned our kitchen/dining room and left her to roam in there.

In retrospect I think this was too long to leave her inside. She got used to going to the toilet indoors without discipline or consequence and that mindset is hard to reverse. Instead of holding on, Brodie still happily pees/poos inside if we are not around to let her out and it's very hard to untrain her now!

I'd say as long as your yard is safe, there is some shelter and somewhere warm your puppy can retreat to it should be fine to leave him outside. Just get him used to being out there while you're around as much as possible, perhaps?

[indigirl]

My new goldie pup arrives in a few weeks. I plan to keep him in a large puppy pen out on the back verandah while im at work while he is still a baby. Its a big hexagonal thing I bought off ebay. When he is a little bigger (maybe 10 - 12 weeks) he can go into a large dog run (3m x 2.4m) while I am at work, and when hes bigger still, he can go in the dog yard with the other dogs. I dont like leaving pups unsupervised with bigger/older dogs as they can easily be injured. I also dont like leaving them indoors as it slows down thier toilet training if they are allowed to toilet inside during the day. The puppy will be crated indoors at night.

I realise not everyone has dog runs/separate dog yards etc, but most ppl could afford a puppy pen - from memory it was about $140. It is 8 panels all rigid about 90cm wide and 90cm high each panel. Also has a door in it. For a goldie pup it would be too small in 3 weeks or so, but for smaller breeds it would be ok for a lot longer. Of course I will be putting lots of different toys and kongg in with him each day to keep him entertained plus a trampoline bed so he can sleep. Would actually be a good whelping pen, as the door starts about one third the way up the panel, high enough to keep young puppies in, but low enough for mum to get out easily.

[Zombie Bait]

Both of my dogs have been outside whilst we are at work from 8 weeks old. It kinda helped that both of them were bought in the warmer months so it wasnt cold outside and they had adequte shelter, water etc.

We just made sure the backyard was escape proof and no nasties were out there for eating etc.

As long as you have a sheltered area with somewhere for him to sleep, get out of the sun/rain etc, water and the fences are good I dont see a problem with it.

JMHO!

[~Aimee~]

We have left our puppy outside when we've been out from 8 1/2 weeks old. The first few times were very short only one hour max and then we slowly increased it. She's 10 weeks old and stays outside for about 6-7 hours a day when we are at work. I come home at lunch time to check on her. She's usually always asleep in her kennel when we get home. Our neighbour is retired so he is at home all day and has been checking on her every now and then and he said apart from the first couple of days when she did cry a bit, she has been fine. We have a kennel for her with lots of blankets and a hot water bottle to keep her warm and plenty of toys to keep her occupied. When we are home she spends most of her play time outside anyway. She loves it out there. We have the sliding door open when we are home so she can come in whenever she likes, but she stays out there for ages exploring and playing. We have been really lucky as the days I have been at work, the weather has been nice and sunny. If it was cold or raining I'd keep her inside and just section off the carpeted areas. Most of our house is tiled anyway. I work part time so she's only by herelf 3 days a week.

[jillybean]

My beagle pup was outside through the day from right from the time I brought her home. I just had to make sure that all gaps were well blocked and that any plants/furniture etc that I didn't want destroyed was moved.

[Dogsfevr]

When we have our litters our pups run the acre from 6 weeks.(they are the size of a chi at this age)

If your yard is puppy safe(no holes etc etc) then size depending you can safely leave out.The routine you set from day one is what the pup adjusts to the best.

I would dare say your stumpy baby will go crazy in the laundry & is more the big enough to be outside with the facilities to suit.

8-12 weeks is when there at the most curious stage & at this age they thrive on exploring with all there senses.