Time Off

[fbaudry]

I was wondering what the consensus was (if there is any!) as to how much time off work one should take to settle in a new puppy.

Working full time here, but I'd be popping home at lunch time at the beginning to feed / play etc...

All input welcome!

[aussielover]

I think a puppy should get used to its normal routine asap.

I'd get it over the weekend, get it used to you and the new house etc and then resume work as normal, otherwise the puppy could get too used having company all the time.

Good idea to come home at lunch and feed and play with it- I see you've aleady thought about that which is great

Just out of curiosity- what breed are you getting?

Edited October 5, 2011 by aussielover

[WreckitWhippet]

I don't think you need more than a weekend to settle a pup in. The main thing is to make sure the pup is eating and drinking, knows it's way around your house/yard or where ever you intend to leave the pup during the day. Ensure your yard or the puppy pen is safe and secure and that the pup is fed before you leave, has a warm bed ( or somewhere shady for summer )water and some safe toys to play with.

I suggest the no fuss approach to my puppy buyers.

[fbaudry]

Thank you so much guys!

That's what I was hoping to hear!

I was thinking along the line of a long week-end. I spoke to the trainer I used in the past and she sort of scared me off saying I should take 3 weeks off, or 2 at the very minimum to settle the pup and get it used to being on its own gradually. I love the idea but I really can't see that happening in real life

The dynamic will be made slightly more complex by the fact that Will (Tenterfield terrier?) proved to be a foster failure and is here to stay. However I wouldn't want them to be together unsupervised for long period of times to start with. Maybe I'm over protective, but I'd really like the pup to be comfortable on his own (with choice of beds and kennels, plenty of toys, boredom busters, pet loo etc).

Pav Lova, would you necessarily want the pup to be fed before you leave? I was thinking that being alone could be made more exciting if the pup had plenty of food orientated activities (kongs, treat balls, bob-a-lot etc). Of course I'd make sure the pup knows how to play with these before expecting him/her to feed off these.

Aussie Lover, I would get an English Cocker Spaniel. It's been nine months since I lost my 2nd one and I keep on finding excuses. I must say the puppy stage is both thrilling and daunting

[melinda10786]

I'd say a weekend and perhaps the Friday or Monday if you feel you may need it? I had five days to settle Monte in and he really didn't need it. I went out over the five days gradually, so by Monday morning when I went to work as normal, whilst there was some crying, he was fine. Me on the other end, was very disappointed and sad I had to leave him at home!! (I'm sure if he came to work, people wouldn't have minded though).

We had him in a play pen for the first day (he managed to scale it) from then on, we just made sure the yard was secure and we used the play pen to section of parts of the garage he wasn't allowed into, he's been fine. Lots of toys and minimal fuss when you leave. I suspect he sleeps for most of the day.

With Ivy, we had her for the weekend, by the Monday they were left together.

There are plenty of places for them to go their separate ways if they need a break, kennel and trampoline bed in the yard, plus the three garden beds to hide in, and underneath our house is a garage with a dog door with a bean bag and massive pillow bed in it. So they're spoilt for choice We also leave a box of toys in the garage which they play with during the day. Each get their own kongs.

[fbaudry]

Thank you Melinda! Fancy seeing you here

I think I have decided against the play pen... I'll have one inside for when I can't keep both eyes on the pup, but I'd be scared the pup might try to scale it in my absence and get injured. If I do end up getting those compost thingies from Bunnings, they'll be to fence off plants more than anything! Might block off the stairs up to the balcony to at the beginning.

The pup would be outside when i am at work with a choice between 3 kennels and a couple of trampoline beds, heaps of shade... as for toys I reckon I've got everything under the sun!

[melinda10786]

Ah you should have known better...

We thought the play pen was a brillant idea, my Dad and OH spent over an hour, stringing mesh along the outside to stop Monte getting through the bars.. So how does he get over it.. By pushing the mesh down to get leverage over it.. I found him in the garage looking very impressed with himself when I got home I immediately pulled it apart, and just blocked off behind cupboards that he could fit behind. Once he discovered the gardens, he was happy.

We use baby gates and wooden play pens to block things, they seem to work a treat and are handy to use inside the house for blocking off certain rooms and areas. With stairs, make sure they can't access from any angle. Cockers are good climbers, and I've seen them climb from underneath the step to get up if something looks really good further up the stairs.

[Stitch]

You can get exercise pens with wire lids over the top for just such situations!

[fbaudry]

just thought I'd add a little poll to see what DOLers' thoughts were on this...

[Tara8430]

Glad to see this, i was wanting to know this as well.

Would love to stay home for weeks with the new pup cause there only little for such a short time but wouldnt then want to have it expect me to be home 24/7 forever cause that would only cause problems.....

[Jessca]

I took 4 weeks part time off (normally I work 5 days but for 4 weeks I worked 2 days) and she came to work with me untill she was about 4 months old.

[WreckitWhippet]

I suggest to feed the puppy before going to work, to make sure that the pup is indeed eating his/her meal. It's important to set a routine and for pups to get used to eating when provided. Save the kongs and games for lunch time.

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Glad you started this as if/when I get my next one I can't have as much time off as I did for the last one (job change!!).

With my current dog I was lucky enough to have 5 weeks off work when I got here (school hols!). This time there certainly won't be that long, and there will be some long days at home but there also is the likelihood that they will be able to come to work with me a couple fo times a week. So it would be almost a situation of day at home, day at work, etc. Unfortunately only 1 can come to work at a time, so it does mean the other left at home is home on their own.

But I was also thinking maybe a long weekend to settle or a week off work to do this!

[**Super_Dogs**]

I think if you can be with your pup for a long weekend this is enough. I usually take a long weekend, but this is more so for me than the pup

You will want to feed your pup in the morning before you head off to work. Puppies get up very early, and also it will have been a long time since dinner so your pup will be very hungy! You may want to put lunch in kongs, treat calls etc???

I agree you do not want to leave your puppy unsupervised with your other dog at first. When you are comfortable they are playing nicely and safely togethe then you can put them together. Some people do not put their pup with their other dog for some time as the pup annoys the other dog!

Good luck

[fbaudry]

School holidays...... that seems so long ago now I know that would be ideal, but short of a sudden career change

Thank you Pav Lova, that does make sense indeed. It's probably easier to settle with a full tummy.

I wasn't really planning on getting a pup so quickly, but an older pup (13 weeks) came up from a breeder whose lines and breeding I like a lot. Decision decision... I'm so hopeless at making up my mind...

[melinda10786]

Oh.... Go for it Photos are obligatory then!!

[fbaudry]

Very tempted to go for it.... timing is not ideal (but it will never be), and I'm slightly apprehensive at the "older" part, with whatever baggage / bad habits it may imply...

[Simply Grand]

I took a week off with Saxon, my first puppy. I'm glad I took that time, it was great fun for me! I think it was good for Saxon too but he was only 6.5 weeks when he came home and stuck very closely to me. He seemed like such a baby

Having said that, he was totally fine when I went back to work the next week. The first couple of days I popped home at lunch time to check on him but he was just fine so then I just left him for the day. He did sleep on his own in the bathroom then the laundry from night one with no problems and didn't have any problems when I did go out during that first week, so who knows, maybe he would have been fine on his own anyway

With Riley I just had the weekend and went straight back to work. He was 8.5 weeks though and seemed much more grown up and independent than Saxon. I left him fenced off in his own area in the house for the first week I think, as he and Sax got to know each other, then left them together, they were fine.\

Next time I'd prefer to be home more than I was with Riley because of toilet training! I couldn't give him consistent training while he was settling into the house and routine, being at work, so it's been a slow process. No big deal though

[Esky the husky]

I was unemployed then practically unemployed when we got Esky.

At first I worked a few nights and OH worked days so there was always someone around.

Then we both moved and unfortunately took longer than expected to find jobs.

So I was home for the first 8 or so months we had Esky

Our next dog won't have that much time

[Bubitty]

I took two weeks off.

It was good for me in terms of toilet training because I woke up three times a night to take her outside.

During the day I had a normal routine and kept her alone for a few hours with toys, treats etc as if I were not home!

I would imagine it would be tough to toilet train a puppy all night and then work the next day.