full time job and puppy

[Luvnmyboxer]

I rescued Titan when he was 9 months old- which isn't too old in my opinion. With constant devotion it took about a week to two weeks to house break him fully and get him into a steady routine. In my case- which seems similar to yours, I set my dog up on a schedule that we did exactly the same every single day (which includes wkends). And to this day everything must follow the routine or else he gets out of sync and starts to fall back. Boxers need MUCH affection, time and support from their owners. They love to spend every minute with you. In my opinion, if you can't give basically all your time and attention to the dog (and I would suggest dog not a puppy) when you are home then maybe you need a different breed of dog and not a boxer. Sorry to sound harsh, but I"m also thinkin of the well-being of a future boxer that u might would have. And I guarantee you that it would not be happy without you there most of the time. I believe you need to think long and hard AFTER you get out of school, see how your life is then, and then decide whether you still want a dog or not. Hopefully you will think of the dogs' interest too and not just you b/c you want a dog- or puppy rather.

 

[tasillo]

Lucky

I guess i have been pretty lucky with Nina and potty trainning.
Nina is almost 5 months now and will hold it all night from 12am till 7am
She is fully crate trained(thanks to the breeder...as she crate trains all her pups)
I am a stay at home mom so Nina is hardly ever in the crate during the day...unless i have to go out.She goes out potty...every hour or so and will hold it longer only if crated.
I guess it really depends who you talk too....Many see nothing wrong with crating their dog at night and during the day for 8 hours(with a potty break).
I always knew i could not do that....so we waited till I had the time to devote to the dog. We waited till our youngest child was 3 and the other 2 were in school.
Noone can really tell you what to do or not to do here. But from what i have seen with Nina she THRIVES on people companionship...as most dogs do...and i personally think it just might not be the best thing to have a dog without it for most part

 

[abby's mum]

We all have a lot of opinions and experiences. I hope you go with your gut instinct and learn from a wide variety of experiences. Here is mine. We got Abby at 11 weeks which I highly recomend. She slept throught the night 99% of the time. She has NEVER, EVER gone to the bathroom in her crate. (We had a small crate for her, then graduated to a larger one - read about crate training on the boards) She slept in it at night till she was about 5 months, she now sleeps in the bed with us. She followed the month +1 =to hours rule very well. I was in school and my husband was out of work so she didn't have to be in the crate too many hours but a couple days a week she stayed in it for the maximum. With our schedule, she ussually isn't in it more than 5 hours but can handle longer. When we move and work all day, we will so like Christine - block of a room (probably Kitchen) with her toys, water and crate to sleep in. By the way, she has had access to water in her crate since she was 7 months old. Yes, when loose puppies pee often, you must take them out and watch for the bathroom signs. Still, if we do not pay attention and she really has to pee, she will pee near the door. This happens only once in a while though (maybe every 6 weeks) It is our fault not hers. But it has been a wonderful experience and for us, not that difficult. As long as the puppy gets lots of attention when you are together and excercise- they are happy. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[ladye2001]

After some serious thought and soul searching, I've decided not to get a boxer. Although you guys (and the boxers that I've met) have made me fall in love with the breed, I've decided its not the best choice for me at this time. I will wait until I have a large big yard and am able to be have someone in the house every few hours to give it all of the .

I do still plan on getting a dog, but it will not be a young puppy that is unable to hold its bladder for only a couple of hours, and it will be a breed that is known for being more independent. Being the homebody that I am, I feel as though I will still have plenty of time to devote to my furry companion.

I'm sure that some of you will still think that my being single and working full time will be a bad situation for a dog, but I want to reassure you of a few things.

1. I am not the type of person to make rash decisions based strictly on my emotions. When I do make my choice on a dog and how to raise it, I promise you it will be an informed decision and that the dog's best interest will always be in the front of my mind.

2. I have wanted a dog my entire life and will not do anything that I believe will harm it. I also believe that there are plenty of situations that may not be the "ideal standard" for raising dogs but that can end up working out just as well if not better than the standard. The same way that nonconventional families sometimes raise smarter, more balanced, happy and successful children than your standard mom, dad, and 3 kids families. I really do believe that it depends on the individuals involved.

I want to thank you all for giving me your honest opinions on my situation and for telling me about your personal dog owning experiences. You all have been very helpful and I really appreciate it. I hope you dont mind if I still come around here to get a "boxer fix" every now and then.

Enjoy your furry companions. They really are blessing.

 

[Chris79]

I got my Zeus when he was 10 weeks old and I was in the military at the time (working 8 hr days). I crate trained him and I came home during lunch to let him go potty. I would feed him 3 times a day once in the morning, lunch and dinner time. I never had any problems with him going potty in his crate ever. I am still working full time and he still spends his day in the crate because he cannot be trusted out of it and alone in the house yet. I am not sure about the whole sleeping during the day thing. I had a friend that got a puppy and worked nights she had a problem with her neighbors complaining about the puppy crying all night while she was gone. The puppy also wasn't willing to sleep during the day with her. I think you could do it if you really want to it just takes a lot of getting up and letting them out. When I first got Zeus, I was up on and off all night long. It was a happy day when he finally slept all night long. Now he gets up with the alarm.....no snooze button for me Good luck!

 

[Stacy W.]

I just wanted to say that, I, like you, am single with a full time job. When I baught my house, I wanted a dog. I had two cats, but was use to having a dog around (I have had dogs at my parents house and even when I was renting, my roomate had a dog). Someone I knew talked me into going to the local SPCA and looking at the dogs. I had gotten my two cats from the SPCA, but was not so sure I wanted to get a dog from there. I was looking into rescues. Well, one day, prompted by a friend, I went to the SPCA durring my lunch. I walked down that isle of dogs (many puppies, many pit bulls and labs) and really did not see a dog that I thaught was a match for me. They were all either too young, or too yappy. Then I got to like the last cage and there was this 1 year old boxer just sitting there pritty looking at me with those huge eyes.The card said her name was "Shelby" and she was given up by her owner when her owner had to move. She was not the most attractive dog there, but something just called to me. I had them take her out and I took her into the play room. I played with her for a little while and asked the attendant how she did with cats. The attendant took the dog into the cat room and all she did was sniff the cages, she showed no signs of aggression. I asked if I could take her outside and walk her around. They said sure and I was very impressed at how good she was on the leash. She was so playful and full of energy, yet she listened so well. Of course I wanted to take he that day, but I had to work and I knew that I needed to go home and think about it. I spoke to the staff and they assured me if I came back and she was not there, that would mean she was adopted, nothing else. But it was hard to leave. I went back to work and then home. Right away I started doing research on the Boxer breed (that is when I found Boxerworld). I went back on my day off, which was two days later and completed the adoption. It was the best decision. Shelby is the perfect dog for me. I did ntohave to go through all of that puppy stuff that I really did not have time to do right and she is a great dog. She is currently taking agilty classes and I have reciently sent in to get an ILP number from the AKC so that I can take her to agility shows (crossing my fingers that that goes through). She did very well in both obediance and agility classes and currently she is in a more advanced agility class where all the other dogs have earned at least a novice title, and we are holding our own very well. I take her everywhere that I can with me. I just can't express how great of a dog she is.
My point is PLEASE CONSIDER ADOPTING AND ADULT DOG. You can go through a rescue or to your local shelter. These dogs deserve another chance at a good life. It sounds like, like me, you don't have time for a puppy, but maybe you can offer a good home to an adult dog that needs one. They still need lots of your time and attension, but you can find a dog that can handle being home while you are at work. Please at least think about it.

 

[LeahR]

When I got Mason I lived in an apartment style condo and worked two jobs. While it it very easy for everyone to say it can't be done and be done well I think ( and know) otherwise. What i will say is that you have to be ready to make a pup your number one priority outside of work. I got up 2 hours before I had to leave for work for a nice walk, breakfast and cuddle time. I rushed home on the days I was bartending after my day job to walk and spend time and I paid someone to walk mason every day. I bartended 2 or 3 nights a week, getting home around midnight, then I walked Mason again. Needless to say I was exhausted ( and skinnier ) alot but it was well worth it. I also hadly had a social schedule and made it a priority that on weekends or my days off, those were masons days off too and I would not leave him alone, if I wanted to do something socially I found a dog sitter. It is very important that a dog have a schedule ( i.e. eat at sames times every day) so you will have to make sure you can accomplish that. BTW, it makes no difference what schedule you make or what shift you work, your pup will get used to your schedule. It would be crazy to think that anyone not working a regular shift could not be a great puppy parent. It can be done but some here had a great suggestion of rescuing an older dog already potty trained. Good luck, just think long and hard about the commitment that you are making!

 

[kt_brandy]

i would say if you work between midnight and 8am your puppy would sleep for that time anyway and the paper training would help if he wakes up before you get home he could go then he'd probably go back to sleep- our pup tigger slept the whole 8 or 9 hrs we did, then he'd go outside and go, then he'd go back to sleep.

you could play with the pup when you got home - tire him out and then he'd go back to sleep when you did, i've always found that my 2 sleep when we do. during the day when we are at work they sleep alot anyway and are very playful when we get home. i really don't think you'd have a problem, you may find that the pup wants to play when you want to sleep sometimes but they do learn and if you don't mind them snuggling up with you then you really wont have a problem as they love to snuggle into you and sleep.

karen, brandy & tigger (the sleepy head)