Potty training puppy and working full-time?
13 Feb 2010
What is the best way to potty train my 7-week old puggle? I try to leave her in her create while I am at work (9-hours a day, but I come home for lunch from 12-1), but she cries and disturbes the neighbors. What should I do about the crying and the potty training?
She needs to be in a doggy day-care.. They will actually get much of the training done for you..Otherwise, at her age, she can only hold her bladder function for 1 hour per month of age, so that would be only 2 hours.. to ask or expect more is futile. She can’t go beyond her physical development..any more then a toddler can potty train before she is mature enough..
The doggy-day care where I work costs about $10 per day for a small dog…Well worth it in terms of damage to your home, and for yours and her peace of mind..and she will learn to walk on a leash well, and be well socialized…Be certain that the one you choose is strict about vaccinations and good hygiene..And be sure to get her all of her shots as soon as your vet recommends..Most good daycares will require a recent vet exam..
11 Responses
2010 Feb 13
Those do not go hand-in-hand. Sorry. Puppies are so much like babies. They need a lot of time, patience, routine, playtime, love and don’t forget about the learning/teaching!
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2010 Feb 13
I have no idea why people get a dog they do not have the time to devote to. A seven week old puppy is not mentally ready for going 4-5 hour stretches. It is bored, it is lonely. It was nice and secure with it’s littermates and now it gets proper attention for a few hours a day and you expect it to be OK with that.
You should have gotten a cat or a fish. They are more independent and can handle long periods alone…and not have to spend the better part of a week in a crate.
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Vet Tech/dog breeder
2010 Feb 13
Not a good match, you have to spend time and enrgey with your dog, if you are serious aout getting a dog don’t get a puppy get a dog from the animal shelter that is already potty trained. Don’t get a puppy thenm neglect it, its not fair to the puppy.
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2010 Feb 13
i potty trained mine fast. i caught them and chased them out of the house. they learned in a hurry. i didn’t ever touch them. keep the t.v. on for him and see if that helps. then maybe he won’t feel so alone.
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2010 Feb 13
The crying is part of having a dog. Your dog has bonded to you and is upset at being left alone. Try giving her toys and treats in her crate while you are there to help occupy the dogs time. Try giving the dog a treat and not allowing the dog to eat it anywhere but in the crate. After you do this a few times the dog will love going into the crate and think its fun time. As for potty training, get some pee pads (you can find them at your local pet supply store) and put them in the crate with the dog. 7 weeks is not old enough to expect a dog to be potty trained.
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2010 Feb 13
You can still potty train a puppy and work full time if you’re willing to put in all the necessary time evenings and weekends. It’ll just take a bit longer.
As for the crying, this is a baby who shouldn’t even be away from his mother and litter mates yet. He’s lonely, bored, scared and you’re not going to stop him from crying. He needs attention.
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2010 Feb 13
Since 7 weeks is still very young, I’d suggest asking someone you know to come by for an hour or so midmorning and midafternoon. You could depend on friends to a degree but might do better to hire a professional dogsitter or a trustworthy neighbor for at least a month or so.
Dogs are such social animals, the crying is very natural to them. Try leaving a radio playing softly. Kong toys or other safe goodies can be given to her just as you leave for work. Or maybe you could take her to someone’s house while you are away at work, with her crate since most people can’t completely watch a puppy.
If you think of the people you know, you might well find someone who would love to help out: perhaps a retired person, or someone a bit lonely.
As for potty training, for now do have a separate part of the crate where she can do her stuff.
References :
http://training-dogs.com/potty-training-dogs.html
is a page from a website of mine, giving more tips on the process.
2010 Feb 13
She needs to be in a doggy day-care.. They will actually get much of the training done for you..Otherwise, at her age, she can only hold her bladder function for 1 hour per month of age, so that would be only 2 hours.. to ask or expect more is futile. She can’t go beyond her physical development..any more then a toddler can potty train before she is mature enough..
The doggy-day care where I work costs about $10 per day for a small dog…Well worth it in terms of damage to your home, and for yours and her peace of mind..and she will learn to walk on a leash well, and be well socialized…Be certain that the one you choose is strict about vaccinations and good hygiene..And be sure to get her all of her shots as soon as your vet recommends..Most good daycares will require a recent vet exam..
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dog breeder since 1968
2010 Feb 13
Some doggie daycares don’t allow such small puppies. At mine they have to be six months old. You could find a pet sitter to come spend some time with your puppy. I had a pet sitter come to my house once per day for $17/visit for my cat when we went on vacation. It would get expensive but until your pup can go to daycare it might be worth it.
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2010 Feb 13
i have a 10 week old puggle, got her at 8 weeks…. I have found putting her in the crate works… but you have to remember they are babies, they can’t hold their bladders more than 30mins-2 hours depending on how active they have been….she could be crying to go out, or because she misses you…. I found with my little one, that I try to leave her in a play pen so she can play if I will be gone for more than a couple hours until I am sure she can hold it… and i find that if i am gone too long she gets ansty and when i get home she is mad at me, and will flip things upside down until i open the door and get in the house (she can hear the garage door opening, she knows when I come home)…. but you could try playing with her more in the morning and making her very tired for when you go, but walk her for a long time after, and the let her calm down…. or she will get all hyper and her bladder won’t hold……since you can’t come home b/c of work, maybe try someone coming in and checking on her a little, tile she is older….she may be scared, and she also maybe can’t hold her bladder to much yet…. my puggle cries when she wants to go outside….and i put her in a play pen w/ pee-pee pads so if she has an accident she will be OK… but if i am only leaving for a couple hours, I put her in the crate….but as babies the main things is they need attention for most of the day (my vet office told me esp since they are small dogs, they are needy) and they can’t hold they little bladders, so they need to go out every couple hours, but it decreases w/ time…. I dunno if i helped, but…. if you have any questions, let me know….
References :
http://perfectpaws.com/crt.html
2010 Oct 27
My partner and I just recently purchased a puppy and we both work Monday through friday 9 to 6. We have had great success with crate training so far. We do go home from 1 to 2 every day to let the puppy outside and to play with the puppy in the middle of the day.
I think the thing that has really helped us is the fact that our puppy is already 14 weeks old. She is not quite as young as most puppies when their owners get them. She has really picked up on the housetraing very well, and does not seem to mind staying in the crate while we are at work.
We spend a ton of time with her on the weekends and in the evening, and we also let her sleep on her blanket at the end of the bed in the evenings. She gets PLENTY of attention and exercise and is a very happy puppy.
I think you can definately have a puppy and a full time job. Most people that have dogs work a lot. You just have to manage your time well and make sure you get to spend a lot of time with the puppy when you are not at work.