full time job and puppy

[cody&duke]

In my opinion 8 hours is way to long for a puppy.

I think the rule of thumb is the puppies age in months plus 1. So if the puppy is 3 months old when you get it, it can hold it for 4 hours.

Maybe you could find someone who can let the puppy out, or can you leave to let the puppy out during work?

I also have read that several people have taken vacation time when the puppy first gets home to get them adjusted.

 

[Erica&Riley]

I also agree that a petsitter would be a great idea until the puppy gets housetrained...I didn't start leaving Riley in the crate for a full 8 hours unsupervised until she was like 7 months old. A petsitter would also be a great way to get the pup some exercise to tire it out...a sleepy puppy is a good puppy!

I would not try leaving the puppy gated into a part of your house when you're at work either. I tried gating Riley into my kitchen when I was home so that if she went to the bathroom it would be on the tile, but she managed to scale 3 different types of fences that I constructed. Nothing was able to hold her!

Good luck!
Erica

 

[BoxerRock]

I'm sure many people here that have or have raised a puppy, also have full time jobs and require a little shut-eye. Your situation isn't so different, just the hours. I would guess that your pup would get used to your schedule and would learn to sleep during the day when you sleep. You'd need to find a way to keep the room dark at sleep time and if you work close enough to home, you could come home during your lunch (dinner?) time to let the pup out to go potty. Like I said, yours in the same situation as many other people, just odd hours! A puppy is a lot of responsibility and hard work, at least for a little while. If you know it's what you really want and you're willing to make some sacrifices, I'd say go for it. Good luck to you.
The Rocks and Carley

 

[sherri0121]

I know exactly what you mean. I'm very sad to see everyone suggesting it cannot be done. I was a full time student and worked almost full time and I did get a puppy. Granted I did live with a family in their basement. Of course they would come down let her loose to play with the puppy then never take her out (didn't put her back up either). I guess that is why I had so much difficulty house training her.

I would not leave food or water for the pup while your gone. I'd feed it on a schedule twice a day and put water down every few hours and no water 4 hours before bedtime or when crating an extended period of time. I'd go to bed about 11PM and I would let Jasmine drink after 7PM. If at all possible, on a lunch break come home to take puppy out. When you get home from work then you've get to spend quality time with puppy. Maybe you both can attend a training class as well or at least a well deserved walk.

I sincerely believe dogs adjust to your sleep patterns. A crate will definately help. I admit potty training maybe difficult, but I think the puppy will learn to hold it. I'm probably going to get blasted for this post, but I would imagine that alot of dog owners work full time jobs and weren't able to come home to let a puppy out. I say good luck and if you feel your ready to take on a time and financial responsibility of your very first puppy than MORE POWER to you. I also wish you lots of LUCK and patience!

 

[PawPrintBoxers]

My husband and I work full time. Our hours are slightly staggered thankfully. But I do not crate my dogs for long periods. I have a well secured yard. When I have a puppy, they are only crated for short periods. For longer periods such as me going to work, they have the run of my kitchen. I put up a kid gate, give them water and a bed as well as a ton of toys.

While I do believe in crate training, I just don't like the idea of extended crate time. I am assuming you mean to crate the pup when you sleep at night also. So when you add it all up, that is alot of crate time with most of it being unsupervised. Had you thought of perhaps using your kitchen as an alternative area?

 

[rog1006]

:eek: 8hrs is too long for most human adults to hold their bladder! (for me especially!! :D) Think about how many of us get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, how often you use the restroom during your work day, etc. Yikes!!!

I wish more people in your situation asked this question because it shows that you are trying ro be a responsible pet owner. Can it be done? Can you leave your puppy for a whole day? Many people do just that and tell themselves that it's not a problem, but it sounds like you want to do what's BEST for the puppy and I think most of the people that posted agree that 8hrs alone isn't best.

When I got my first boxer puppy, my sister and I lived together and were both working full time and going to school. We had to rearrange our schedules so that he never was alone more than 3hrs at a time. We literally worked our class schedule around HIM. It was truly exhausting making sure someone could come home and let him out, making sure he was walked multiple times a day, etc. Now that I'm settled and my hubby and I work different schedules, we would be fine to get a puppy time wise, however, we've both decided that the work of a puppy is just not what we want to spend all our time doing. Hence, we adopt dogs that have already gone through the "puppy" stages and we are happier for it.

Just as a side note, when we have puppies in the rescue, we will not adopt to a family where the puppy will be left alone any longer than a couple hours a day. Most reputable breeders won't either as it is not in the puppy's best interest to be left unattended for hours on end as an "infant".

Good luck on your decision, and again I commend you for asking such a mature question.

 

[Anna Begins]

I spent the better part of 4 years preparing my life for a dog- and let me tell you, that wasn't even enough! I've seen so many posts on here about how hard it is- no, it REALLY is. I mean, really.
You'll never be fully prepared until you do it.
I moved 5 minutes away from my work and have been very lucky that my work allows me to go home for lunch and skate out early most days. I work 8 hours (7 on early days). I start my morning with Luka and he demands most of my attention- the only "my" time in the whole day I get is in the shower (and he still sits outside it). Every action, every plan I have revolves around Luka- if I go out for drinks with my friend from out of town- who will let Luka out? If I stop for dinner after work- He's been in his crate all day- how can I put him in there any longer? I should feed him now, so he can use the bathroom and then we can go to the store...

I guess my main questions are how long can a puppy go unsupervised? How often do they need to be fed? Also, I am currently working midnight-8am. If I got a puppy, do you think it would sleep all morning while I'm at work or do you think it would become more nocturnal and sleep more during the day like me? Ummmm...I think that's all of the rambling I can do in one post. Thanks for any opinions.

Unsupervised? About 5 seconds. Luka has only been out of my site once and he swollowed a nylon stocking :eek:
I fed Luka at 7a and 5pm with treats in between. But as a young puppy, mostly, he was too excited to eat for about 3 days. Most puppies should be offered 3 meals a day.
In my expirence, puppies don't normally sleep one long stretch. They mostly follow your lead- if you're sleeping, they will too. But they usually play hard for a 1/2 hr and then sleep for an hour. They also need to go outside to use the bathroom- alot. Sometimes 2 or 3 times an hour.
You really need to think about it like having an infant- are you prepared for a baby?
I also took a week and 1/2 off when I brought Luka home. My mom helped out for awhile. Then a few weeks later, the holidays so I have been relaxed at work- he's come with me a few times. I've also had some 1/2 days. He's been with me almost 2 months and we're just now getti9ng settled. He still needs to use the bathroom every 3 hours (and that's pushing it- if I'm 20 minutes late, he goes in his crate). Luka is 5 months next week.

 

[beausmommy]

DO NOT GET A PUPPY!!! I got my first pup when I was a junior in college. I was going to classes full time and working 1-2 part time jobs. It took 2 YEARS to housetrain him. Puppies need to go outside really often. My 10 month old boxer still needs to go out every couple of hours to avoid accidents. The old saying that a dog won't use the bathroom where he sleeps is false. Bailey would pee, poop and vomit in his crate as often as daily for the first year. Unless you are willing to come home to a smelly house and give your pup (which will get big pretty fast) a bath every day-I would hold off on getting a dog. On the other hand-my brother has a Jack Russell Terrier who can hold it for 10 hours or so. He was trained in 2 days. My brother works 11pm-3am and sleeps 5 or so hours when he gets home. His dog is completely happy with the situation. Everyone will give you a different opinion. You have to decide if you think it is fair to leave a puppy alone for 8-9 hours at a time. Another thing---do not leave food out for the puppy all day. They will need to poop about 15 minutes after they eat. If they eat on and off all day-there is no telling how much poo you'll need to clean up when you get home.

 

[Zannie]

it is great you are asking these questions i feel dogs are pack animals and in my opion i don't think it is fair to the puppy or an adalt to be left alone for that long i think it would be better if you wait for your life to settle down abit


good luck ..........

ann

 

[Andi20]

Try getting a kitten that's the exact same age. It's like having two dogs but not quite as expensive They would keep eachother great company.

Andi