Comments on: Potty training a puppy & have to work all day…?

By: Roy

Roy — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:42:59 +0000

I went through or should I say we went through the exact same scenario a while back. Our dog is also a lab and she is really well trained and happy. I swear that she is so smart some times I think she knows what we’re talking about. I received most of my info from a free site called Puppy And Dog Tips. I’ve left the link below. Hope it’s of some help.

Roy
References :
http://puppy-and-dog-tips.com/

By: Melon

Melon — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:54:59 +0000

I had to do what you are hoping to do… had a friend and/or family member come by to let the puppy out frequently. Depending on activity level, a puppy can need to go every 30 minutes to 2 hours. I also used crate training. A puppy shouldn’t mess in a crate as it’s their "bed". But even a puppy who’s left for longer than they can hold it will eventually do it in a crate. Best not to ever get to that point.
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By: KL

KL — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:04:59 +0000

Plain and simple…you should not be getting such a young dog. The rule of thumb for being able to do proper housebreaking is for however many months old the dog is, that’s how many hours it can be left alone. For example: 2 months old, 2 hours; 3 months old, 3 hours.

With you being gone for roughly 10 hours a day, you should be getting a dog that is already housebroke and at least 10 months old. Even then, 10 hours is still a long time. Hire a dog walker to come in during the middle of the day or think about getting a cat.

If you do end up getting the 4-5 week old puppy, I guarantee it will never be 100% housebroken, but will have many behaviorial problems.

It’s great that you want to own a pet, but with your kind of work schedule, you really shouldn’t.
References :
Humane Society volunteer

By: Jennifer H

Jennifer H — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:50:59 +0000

YES!! i jsut went through this. I just got a golden retriever puppy and I work from 8:15-5:15. Now this is what I did and it worked great for me. I crate trained her, i think its a must. when I am not able to supervise her, she is in her crate. sleeping, when i am at work. now remember dont give your pup a change to go inside. and mistakes will happen so make sure to soak up the pee with a paper towl an set it outside so when she goes outside she can smell it. same with poo. also. they need to go out at that age about every 3-4 hours. its just not possible to hold it they dont have the muscle built up yet. so this was my routine
when i got up 6am - took puppy outside.
5 minute training session (train before feeing this way their food is their reward but keep sessions to 5 minutes long)
feed food and water..get ready while eating, after 20 minutes what isnt eaten take away. give 15 minutes, take out again.
leave for work but put puppy back in crate. (dont make it a big deal you leaving just put her in a go, same with coming home, helps with excitement peeing) during the day like 12am someone needs to walk her and feed her again at this young age they should eat 3 times a day. take her out, walk her, feed her 15 minutes later walk again. i would train again for 5 minutes before feeding but only one person should train the dog so if you cant go home at lunch, dont have whoever is walking her train her, just skip that session. let her play for about 30 minutes to get rid of some of her energy, she needs to be walked again around 4-5ish. take her out, let her pee, dont forget to praise praise praise for a job well done outside. if you can do another training session(sit stay all that) then feed again around 5pm. 15 minutes after eating take her out, letting her play to get rid of energy. while outside if its fenced in…shower do what you have to do onc eyou get homeand have her running around outside. remember anytime you arent home or are not able to supervise your dog, put her in its crate. like you would a child and its crib. remember this is your child! once you are done bring the dog back inside and play with her, spend lots of time with her. they need the love and affection to bond. then no water an hgour before bedtime so no night time accidents happen, take her out right before bedtime. for the first few weeks she might have to go in th emiddle of the night so i suggest placing the crate in your bedroom so you can hear her whine in the middle of the night.

hope this helps, worked for me

as for the crate, get one that will fit the dog fully grown but get one with a divider panel, check out petsmart.com and look at life stages double door crate. it has the divider panel so it grows with the dog. probably the 42" crate would work for a lab. this is not cruel either. dont let anyone tell you that it is. it will be better for the puppy, remember they are creatures of habbit, they need a schedule and stick to it, make sur whoever is going to walk her while you are at work does it EVERY DAY! they cannot skip out on a day. if they cant be dependable, either dont get a puppy yet or get a puppy walker. they shouldnt be too expensive.
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By: K

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:05:59 +0000

Puppy potty pads in a very small room with only puppy chew toys...Good luck
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By: Amy O

Amy O — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:26:59 +0000

Crate train it. Get a crate that is big enough for him to be comfortable but not big enough for him to pee and not have to lay in it. Any time you can’t have your eyes on him at all times put him in the crate. He will learn not to pee in there. Whenever you take him out of the crate go straight outside no matter how short of a time he’s been in there. He will learn not to pee in there and will begin to associate going to the bathroom with being outside. I have a 6 month old Labradoodle and she has responded really well, she still has some accidents but she never pees in her crate. You will have to get a bigger crate as the puppy gets older. I would also look into doogy daycare once or twice a week, they love it! Good luck!
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By: Caroline K

Caroline K — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:20:59 +0000

IF you wont be in all day, don’t bother getting a dog. They need looking after and lots of attention when they are young, and that is a LONG time for any dog, especially a young dog, to be left in alone. Let someone else give the dog a home, someone who has time to look after it.
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By: Suzy

Suzy — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:30:59 +0000

you will need a cage for your dog. dont let anyone tell you this is cruel…it will only take a few "messy" weeks…cage your dog in a cage that is just large enough for him to move around in. as soon as you let him out of the cage take him outside to do his business and wait until he does…then praise him…when you are done playing with him take him out …praise him…make sure you are around all the time he is out of the cage so you can catch him if he starts to make a mistake….take him out often…leave him in the cage when you are at work…make sure you get up early enough to feed him and take him out. most dogs do there business within a half hour of eating….good luck oh the reason for the size of the cage…a dog usually will not mess his near his living space…he will have some accidents but at least he will not be going on the floor and getting use to that without you home and no one to correct him
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By: tumbleweed1954

tumbleweed1954 — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:00:59 +0000

We have a pan called ‘Puppy Go Potty’. You pour ‘litter’ in it called "Yesterday’s News" or "Second Nature" and the dog learns to use it. We bought it at a pet store. It was really worth it.
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By: steph

steph — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:44:59 +0000

i hada little puppy for awhile.. we had him for about 2 months.. and the training went a little slow.. as we left the house before 630 and didn’t come back untill 600
so i tried my best to get him on a schedule when we got up.. he’d go out.. and as soon as we got home.. and then once after dinner and then once before bed..

its hard but good luck
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