going back to work

[michelle and findley]

hi we have had our 11 week old cocker Findley a week and am going back to work on Tuesday really worried that he is going to cry and become stressed any suggestions ?

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

What arrangements have you made for anyone coming in to walk him/take him out for wees/poos?

I'm also going back to work (probably Wednesday), but my pup's nearly 16 months, so is used to being left on his own! I'm getting someone to come in to take him out for 2 hours between 1 and 3, so he'll be on his own between 9am-1pm-ish and 3-6.30pm-ish. When I leave him I plan to give him some treats (I've bought a 2kg bag of fish4dogs round fish skin treats) and will also stuff kongs with salmon mousse and freeze this - takes his mind off being left and gives him something to look forward to when being left.

A young pup is bound to cry when he's left - we didn't leave ours until he was 5 months, and gradually worked up the time we left him and videoed him to see how he coped. Is your pup left in a crate or a pen?

[michelle and findley]

Hi and thanks, we are investing in a crate although do we leave the door open or close him in, fortunately the jobs we do he shouldn't be left any longer than 4 - 6hrs of a morning as we both start really early.

[Maisydaisy]

Are you clicker training Findley? We've been clicker training Stanley using Kikopup's videos on YouTube - this one focuses on training your pup to be left happily in a pen http://dogmantics.com/2010/06/19/how-to-train-your-dog-to-be-left-alone-clicker-training/

[Poppsie]

Hi and thanks, we are investing in a crate although do we leave the door open or close him in, fortunately the jobs we do he shouldn't be left any longer than 4 - 6hrs of a morning as we both start really early.

.

I'm sorry if this sounds a bit harsh but that is a long time to leave a small puppy on it's own  can you not get anybody to come in and let him out and play with him for a wee while ?? x x x

[JamiesGirl]

Agree with poppsie I don't leave my seven and a half year old alone for more than three ish hours normally! Even if somebody could just come over around lunch time ish to let him go to the loo and have a small play?

[Walshies]

4 - 6 hours on his own is way too long. He will need to be let out. 

[Cayley]

The breeder should have asked about your work. You are leaving him for far to long, they should be taken out to the toilet roughly every 20 minutes while awake.

[butterflywings21]

I have to agree with everyone else, my breeder ask what jobs my husband and I do. Tilly gets left at max for 2 hours, but as hubby is a shift worker it's never everyday.

[Nicola]

I have to agree with the other posters, I wouldn't leave my adult dogs for up to 6 hours every day let alone an 11 week old puppy, it's just too long. Although mine are fine being left and there is the occasional longer stint of 5-6 hours the most I'm happy with leaving them regularly is 3-4 hours. With such a young puppy it would be much less than this though, apart from needing to be let out to the toilet and fed regularly pups also need human company, and they need to be accustomed gradually to being left for short periods so that it doesn't cause them distress. I would really try to arrange a neighbour/friend/family member to come and spend time with him regularly while you are out - at least every 1-2 hours - or failing that get in a dog walker to do the same (a lot of them offer a service whereby they spend time with young pups in clients' homes, they don't actually have to go for a walk).

[Ldavies38]

Luckily my pup goes to my parents wed thurs fri the rest of the days were home, but I go shopping etc. the longest is 2 hrs and I drive like a looney home. People must notice me running through the town centre shouting my dogs name " MAE... mummy's COMING"!!!!!! Try and get someone to pop in and check or try and get home on lunch breaks, My breeder didn't ask about my hours.. He should of and I had the story ready to tell. But he knows we're decent people keen to learn.   

[Helly D]

Personally I would have arranged some day care before getting a puppy. Puppies do not thrive if left for long periods of time alone and it will be extremely difficult to house train him. A puppy should be left for no longer than a maximum of two hours. If you have no one to come in like a neighbour then someone else has suggested a dog walker. This is what I plan to do when we get our next puppy. They will come in and play with the puppy and continue with basic training or even investigate a doggy day care facility in the early days where he will be looked after in some one else's home while you are at work.

[Robbie34]

I'm amazed that you are leaving a puppy for so long, and your breeder never questioned you about your working day. 

I was recently thinking about another puppy, after losing Charley, and the breeder was adamant that she would not sell a puppy to anybody who left a dog home alone.  Puppies need companionship and certainly should not be left for more than an hour or so.

[butterflywings21]

Luckily my pup goes to my parents wed thurs fri the rest of the days were home, but I go shopping etc. the longest is 2 hrs and I drive like a looney home. People must notice me running through the town centre shouting my dogs name " MAE... mummy's COMING"!!!!!! Try and get someone to pop in and check or try and get home on lunch breaks, My breeder didn't ask about my hours.. He should of and I had the story ready to tell. But he knows we're decent people keen to learn.   

glad i'm not the only one 

[Miadanu]

I'd echo what the others have already said.  In addition, you could try the following:

- If using a crate then I think it would be ok for an hour or so to leave the door closed if they are comfortable sleeping in it already.  You can cover it with a blanket if that helps stop any crying.  I wouldn't leave an 11 week old pup locked in a crate for more than that if you were out myself.

- You could invest in one of those puppy play pens, or if you have a room with a tiled or hard floor that you could pen off then I'd recommend doing that.  In our case when I first returned to work on a part-time basis we kept Merlin behind a babygate in the kitchen with his crate, toys, etc.  As he got older we eventually let him also have the lounge.

I think it's key that you control what they have access to when you aren't around so that they don't get into bad habits when you aren't there to redirect the behaviour.

- If you haven't already, immediately start building up time away from your pup so they get used to you going and coming back.  Start with as little as 10 seconds out of sight, build up to longer, then go back to basics on time but put your coat on as if going out, head out front door, wait 10 seconds, then go back in etc. Rinse and repeat multiple times daily until your pup gets used to you leaving without crying about it. 

As others said, you can support this by providing a frozen kong, frozen teatowel, etc. to help keep them busy.

I can't stress enough how important it is to have a dog walker or someone coming in regularly when you are not there with a young pup.  If this doesn't happen you are likely to find that toilet training takes longer, etc.  I hope you find someone suitable

For your own peace of mind you could also setup a webcam as cctv focused on the area that you'll limit your pup to; we found this very helpful when training Merlin to be by himself and still use it now to check in on him