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How long did you leave your 8, 9 & 10 week puppies alone in house?

17 replies

mintchocchick · 05/09/2013 13:55

We have a 8 week puppy coming home on Saturday. I do the school run on foot (puppy too heavy to carry and too young to walk) and it takes nearly an hour.

I've just got my head round that time out the house twice a day, leaving puppy in his crate and to start with I'll rush home so it will be more like 45 mins. If I felt this was not going well I could get a lift or send DS with neighbours, so I have a Plan B!

But DSs teacher asked if I would be available for reading at school this term as I used to hear children read several days a week for first 15 mins of day. So only adds on 20 mins to my home time. Maybe this would be OK by week 3 when puppy is 10weeks?

How long did you leave your puppy in first few weeks and how quickly did this increase?

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mintchocchick · 05/09/2013 13:59

Also meant to ask, if you leave treats in a kong for a very young puppy, do you stick to their weighed out kibble feed, or use puppy treats?

I'm bit worried that with treats for being left in crate, treats for weeing outside, treats for being taught commands, etc. we could end up with a very overweight puppy!

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Bowlersarm · 05/09/2013 14:01

I think an hour a day is fine to start with. Make sure he goes outside to toilet and try and play and interact with her for a whole beforehand so he's tired and sleeps.

I think in modern day living with so much going on outside thr home, puppies need to get used go being left for short periods.

Leave toys in the crate (non destructible). Not hide chews. Kong toys are good.

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SunnyL · 05/09/2013 14:01

I left mine for about an hour in her crate but I worked up to it over a period of weeks. The first week it was about 15 mins and I gradually increased it.

What kind of puppy do you have that you can't carry? I have a lab cross but took a beach bag out with me and when she got too heavy I'd pop her in that. It was a slouchy over the shoulder bag similar to the baby slings so she was kept close to my body. Could you try that?

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Bowlersarm · 05/09/2013 14:03

...i used to smear some of the squirty stuff you can buy for kongs inside, then a little of their food as well. Then they spend hours licking it (well my greedy Labradors did!)

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mintchocchick · 05/09/2013 14:05

It's an Old English Sheepdog puppy who will weigh 7/8 kilos.

The walk is 20-25 mins each way with hanging round at gate for 10 mins so I couldn't carry him, even in a bag. It's also up a hill on way home.

I think I have to just do it, but rush as much as I can and might pass DS onto someone else on the school run once we're halfway there - there are always several people we know walking to school.

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mintchocchick · 05/09/2013 14:07

A baby sling is a great idea, I wonder if I can borrow one!

I'll try a beach bag as taking the puppy on a bit of the walk would be good for socialising. Just don't want to wreck my back!

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Bowlersarm · 05/09/2013 14:10

Don't forget he needs his vaccinations before you walk him outside.

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Bowlersarm · 05/09/2013 14:10

Oh did you mean you were walking but he is in beach bag??

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mintchocchick · 05/09/2013 14:14

Yes I meant before second vaccination I would carry him out for bit of walk. At least we can start socialising early. But I can see DS persuading me to walk for longer than I'm happy to and him getting upset if I don't make it all way to school. Especially with puppy to show off to friends!

I could get the bus home to save my back. Think I'm just suffering from pre-puppy anxiety!

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fanoftheinvisibleman · 05/09/2013 14:16

My school run is 15 - 20 mins each way with 10 mins hanging around and I left mine sometimes. He was fine. By 10 weeks I knew his routine and knew he snoozed whether I was home or not so morning wise I was ok till about 11. I didn't do it much but he slept till lunch even when I stayed home.

I think you'll be fine carrying pup for a couple of weeks too. My Border Terrier is 7.5 kg and I can carry him easily (self confessed weakling too!)

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Bowlersarm · 05/09/2013 14:17

Aww it'll be fine. Hard work to start with but gets much easier quite quickly.

You'll find a good routine you can work with.

I wouldn't fancy carrying him though-should think he'll be quite heavy!

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mintchocchick · 05/09/2013 14:19

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I'll try mixture of taking/carrying him and leaving him - might leave him in the mornings and walk in the afternoon with him in a bag and the bus fare incase I need it.

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moosemama · 05/09/2013 20:20

My pup is 7.3 kg and although he's obviously pretty heavy and my arms do feel 6 inches longer than they used to be, we carry him everywhere for socialisation.

He is a rescue from a very bad start and has been quite poorly, so had his vaccinations delayed and only had his first one this week. Essentially this means we have another 4 weeks of carrying him until he can go down and walk.

I initially got him used to being left in a crate using the Dogmantics/Kikopup Home Alone Video method of clicker training and gradually built up the time.

He was 10 weeks when we brought him home and is now 13.5 weeks and I've just started getting him used to me leaving him for the school run.

I measure out his feeds into individual bags the evening (he is currently on 6-8 feeds a day because he has a lot of weight to gain) then use his feeds to stuff 2 kongs (one puppy kong and one medium adult kong) and at least one treat dispensing toy for him to have in his crate. I would use less toys, but he's a wimp and gives up quickly if the food is packed in too tightly - a more determined pup would probably chomp away on a well stuffed kong for much longer.

He has been on an exclusion diet of only cooked chicken, but we're currently transitioning him onto high-quality kibble, so we use a bit of both for kong stuffing and kibble in his treat toys.

This week my Mum has very kindly come and stayed in the house (but not necessarily in the room) with him while I'm school runs, so he gets used to me not being here, but he is still shut into his crate with his treat/food toys.

This morning I gave him his toys and shut the door at 8.40 and he finally looked up for the first time and asked to be let out at 9.35. He hadn't even noticed I'd gone - let alone that I'd come back! Hmm Grin

This is a pup that 3 weeks ago, would scream the place down if I so much as stepped out of the doorway while he was in his crate.

So yes, both leaving and taking him is perfectly doable with a bit of planning and a lot of patience and effort.

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mintchocchick · 05/09/2013 20:39

Thanks moose. So you don't give extra food as treats in a kong? You use the daily allowance of food? We have been told to soak the kibble in hot water before each feed so if I wanted to give Zebo his breakfast in a kong while I went off to school, would I pre soak it, then stuff the kong with the wet-ish food? Would that work?

The puppy kong we have has a quite wide opening so do you just stuff the wet stuff into the opening? I saw the other one you mentioned on another thread so going to order one of those.

Really going to have to hit the ground running as day 3 of having him home is first school run and there's sort of no way round it. What a great Mum you have!

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moosemama · 05/09/2013 21:36

Some extra treats won't do any harm, but a kong full would be too much. Overweight pups are at far greater risk of developing bone problems, so it's best to apportion out his regular food and feed some of it in a kong.

If you are feeding extra treast, in addition to his regular meals, boiled skinless chicken or cooked white fish are good options for kong stuffing and treats, because they're relatively low fat/cal, easily digestible and unlikely to cause upset stomachs.

If he's the type of dog that will really work at a kong then soaked kibble is ideal. You can even soak it, then freeze it to make it last even longer.

Yep, just stuff it in the big hole as it were! I use an old lolly stick to smoosh it right up to the far end.

The busy buddy is better for dried food really, although I have put small pieces of fresh chicken in there and if they're only just big enough to fall out the gap pups tend to keep at it for longer, because the smell is really tempting.

I know, I'm very luck to have my Mum - not least of all because she's actually allergic to dogs!

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mintchocchick · 05/09/2013 22:30

Thanks moose that's really helpful,

We have a friends crate set up, wicker basket in another room and cardboard box in another, all ready! Just have to cut up and stitch an old duvee into 4 pieces to line the various beds are we're done. II remember bringing home our rescue dog when I was a teenager - no matter where we put his 'proper' bed, he found his own favourite spot to snuggle down and sleep!

That is good of your Mum given her allergy what a star! My Mum offered to walk our dog on the odd occasion I'm out for the day but I'm not sure how she'd cope with a herding dog like the old English sheepdog who'll be big and strong fairly soon when she's 80 in a few months! Maybe a bit optimistic!

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SunnyL · 08/09/2013 09:18

Pate, peanut butter or cream cheese are great if you smear the inside of the kong. Keeps them amused for hours.

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