Work arrangments

[lauraoc1]

Well the time has come for me to return to work after 5 week break. I have been home with Harvey for the whole time since I have had him (5 weeks) He is 16 weeks old this Thursday and I am in a dilemma about what to do with him. I hope you all can help with your own experiences/preferences.

Option 1) Leave for work at 7.30am and Harvey goes into his crate. Dog walker/carer arrives at 9.45am and takes him out with her until 12 midday for walks etc.
12 midday- Harvey back home- fed lunch and then crated by walker until 2pm to sleep/rest
2pm- walker collects him again for 2 hours ish and drops him home at 4-430pm and I get home approx 4.30-6pm and walk him etc.

My problem with this is when to feed him in the morning so that I am not confining him during the time he needs to poop and thus will be so anxious if he has to go in his sleeping crate. The same problem with feeding him at midday and locking him up. Having got to know him now, he either poops midway between his food or doesn't poop for 1.5 -3 hours after.

Option 2

Leave for work at 730am and carer picks him up at 9.30 ish and doesn't drop him home until 4.30pm Her issue with this is that she said he is way too young to be with her all day walking etc and needs rest (I agree) and thus she would have to crate him in her car to rest whilst she walks the other older dogs for longer.  what should I do? Your advice would be so welcome.

[lauraoc1]

forgot to add that apart from at night, Harvey screams his head off when crated in the day. I try and leave him for 20 mins -1 hour per day in there at the moment with toy, tv, kong etc but he still cries the whole time.

[lauraoc1]

help....anybody there???

[bajoleth]

Do you live alone?, will he be totally on his own when dog walker not around? Sorry for the questions but it will help get a better picture, not sure I have any advice though as it will be tough for a pup that has had human company constantly so far and doesn't like being crated, suddenly expected to adapt to those circumstances . I really don't want to sound harsh but what were you planning on doing with him? you must have had a plan when you bought him?

[lauraoc1]

Thanks for the reply, yes I do live alone and my plan was to have him at doggy day care all day. This particular woman though has said she would like to drop him back to rest. I think I should say that she needs to have him all day but then he will never, ever learn to be alone! eek!

[Karma]

I would go with option 2 - if he is howling when you leave him, you need to address this as a training issue, but it will take time (search on here for Separation Anxiety for some good threads on how to deal with this!) - so just suddenly leaving him will make this worse.

Although with option 2, he's still being left for long periods, which isn't ideal until you have solved the SA... 

[lauraoc1]

ok, thanks for your advice...what does everyone else do on here that works?

[luckypenny]

We got Penny 2 weeks before last years summer hols. I left for work (three days a week) at 6.30, my husband left  at 8.45. She was left in a six sided puppy pen with bed, toys, newspaper and a drink. My husband came back up at 11.30 and stayed for a hour covering feeding, play, toileting etc. I got back for the day at about 1. Through the hols we were around most of the time and if out for a couple of hours popped her in the pen, which she seemed to quite like (she was still sleeping a lot). After, we were able to carry on with much the same routine, although I gradually got a bit later, and now get home about 1.45.

Will Harvey be able to have peace at the carers to have a snooze if he wants one? 

[Sheepscheeks]

We got Freddie just before Christmas and started getting him used to short periods on his own straight away. After the school hols we had the snow disruption so OH worked at home a bit, I work 4 days in a school so left at 8.30, home for half an hour at 12.15 then home for the day at 3.15. He has always been left in the kitchen with crate to sleep in, radio on and a kong and/or treat ball. OH went in a bit late for a few weeks then I split my day off to work 3 full school days, one morning and one afternoon. OH works from home 1 day a week on average but he is upstairs and Freddie is down so Freddie, although not alone, doesn't have direct company all the time on that day.

Personally I am glad that Freddie is used to being on his own for a few hours - it means we can go out and do things that are not dog friendly. He is 10 months old now and is a well adjusted dog so I think we have got the balance right. 

[Emma xx]

Does she have to be in her crate, or could you put some sort of puppy pen around her crate with some newspaper/puppy pads down? This way if she needs to go to the loo she can without the stress of going in her sleeping area. Since day one Alfie has been left with Meg in the kitchen with the radio on, and for the first month or so there was newspaper down for him too (until he started to rip it up!). You could also scatter some kibble on the floor before you go out or buy her a treat ball which will distract while you leave. I would also start leaving her a couple of times during the day before you go back to work on Thursday for 30 mins or so at a time so you're not throwing her in a the deep end. Just a thought- good luck xxx

[Sarah1985]

I worked when we had pups. Me and the OH had seperate weeks off each with the new pups. Followed by a further 2 weeks of one of us doing half days.

As this was always the plan for them to spend time in their crates in the day I did a lot of crate training and crating them throughout the day to prepare.

We then went back full time with OH coming home at lunch where they'd be fed and pooed (he warned his work he might need to have a longer lunch and work the time back at the end of the day) and Id be home for 2.30.Now adays they are left straight through. I leave for work at 5.30am. OH gets up at 6.30 feeds and walks them and puts them in at 9.30am. I come home at 2.30. The whole thing was more stressful for me than it was for them. I spent the whole day at work worrying at each ne stage.  

Id go with option one personally. If he cries in his crate at home hes almost certainly not going to like being crated in a strange crate with things going on around him. If hes had a very stimulating morning hes very likely to settle very quickly during the afternoon. If you cover the crate up and go through a similar routine to what you do before bed he'll soon start to generalise to day time crating.

As you have a few days left off work  try and fit in a bit of crate training so that hes a bit happier about it. Has he has a trial with the dog sitter to see how he takes to it? might be a good idea so that hes familar with things before the big day

[mooching]

forgot to add that apart from at night, Harvey screams his head off when crated in the day. I try and leave him for 20 mins -1 hour per day in there at the moment with toy, tv, kong etc but he still cries the whole time.

Are you staying in the house when you crate him in the day, or are you going out? (I was guessing that as you said he screams the whole time, you're staying in, but I just thought I'd check)

[Ian Wright]

How long is the dog walker walking her for 

I believe The rule of thumb is 5 Min's for every month old.

[Black Red + Yellow]

How long is the dog walker walking her for 

I believe The rule of thumb is 5 Min's for every month old.

We've always been led to believe this until a dog is fully grown too.

[Poppypuppy09]

When Poppy was a likkle one I had a week off from work and started crate training from day one....she used to get up at 6am and we would do all the usual, I would pop her in her crate at 7.45 and go to work, return at 11 til 1 (I worked an extra hour at the end of the day) and then the OH was home at 2.30. Poppy took to the crate straight away and was no problem in there whatsoever....however this only happened for about 5 weeks, the OH has been off work sick since November and the plus side to the awful situation is that the girls aren't left alone at all.

Good luck, I am sure you will get it all sorted soon