To not take excited 4 year old to his first lesson

[JustSaltPlease]

Arggg help me out. Meant to take son to first swimming lesson today, he's been asking about it for a while.

Problem number 1 is I have a heavy period, although this isn't a massive bother.

Problem 2 is my puppy sitter has let me down and my little pup isn't used to being alone yet, between school pick up and lesson I'd be gone around 1.5 to 2 hours. So please confirm that I have to let my son down!

Dp saying to leave puppy in kitchen but God knows what stress he will be under and subsequently what damage he will do!

Perfect solution. X

I wonder if most of the people saying just leave the puppy are also the kind who would be complaining that a neighbour has left a dog barking for hours!? You can’t just go from 15 minutes alone to 2 hours in one go especially at that age

First time I left my pup, I had to go to the vets to pick up some medication and run some errands. I got an indoor camera and kept checking he just went to sleep with no crying at all. I ended up being out for about 2 hours and he slept the entire time. If he’d of cried I’d of returned sooner but he was brilliant! Think he was glad of the peace and quiet lol x

I'd leave the puppy in a heartbeat over letting down an excited young child!

Which is why it’s probably good that you don’t have a puppy (hopefully). A lot of dogs have behavioural problems that stem from poor socialisation and treatment when they are puppies. People who think like you do and see them as just a disposable toy are part of a big problem.

Dogs can’t tell the time. All of mine would be left for 3-4 hours at that age, your making a rod for your own back IMO by not leaving it.

Well said. That’s why a lot of dogs end up being abandoned or rehomed when their owners can’t handle their behaviour issues.

I do wish this myth could die - whilst dogs do not perceive time passing in quite the same way we do, it doesn't mean that they know no different between 10 minutes or 2 hours. It can mean that 10 minutes feels like eternity!

The fact you've gotten away with this is down to luck, and potentially your dogs learning that objecting gets them nowhere and they've just shut down.

3 or 4 hours is a good two hours longer than the OP's puppy is likely to be able to go between toilet breaks.

And the science disagrees with you wildly - theres no basis in science and learning theory for leaving puppies alone early on. There is however plenty of science backing up creating a secure, confident pup and gradually introducing being left when they're ready.

This is what I do for a living, I deal with pretty much exclusively, puppy development, separation anxiety cases and preventing separation anxiety day in, day out. I am the person mopping up after people follow shitty advice like 'oh just leave them to get on with it from day 1/week 1'.

Good for you 👍

But I think OP knows her puppy best - and she says she's only had it three weeks and
it's never been left more than ten minutes.

I wonder if all the people saying "just leave it" would be the same people criticising her if she did leave it, then came on here saying the puppy had screamed for two hours and the neighbours had complained?

You've done the right thing. Either way, you've made your decision and this thread will probably descend in to more and more vitriol.

I'm absolutely gobsmacked that people would put a puppy before their own child. You might as well just tell your little one that he matters less than the dog, because that's the message he'll be internalising.

You know kids have feelings too right? Why would you book to start swimming lessons and get the child excited if you knew you couldn’t leave the puppy?

OP why did you bother posting? You’d already made your mind up and just got defensive towards anyone who said you weren’t being reasonable. Whats the point?

.

What does the puppy do overnight? Surely your puppy trainer has''nt advised that it sleeps with you?
As someone has already said, puppies can't tell the time - 2 minutes or 2 hours, its all the same to your puppy.

She had a puppy sitter who unexpectedly couldn't come.

Anyway, the OP and her DS should have just started their fun pool session.

Maybe this is me but I find this thread really sad. My husband is heavily involved in animal welfare but (although most will disagree with me) the needs of our children would come first.

As someone has already said, puppies can't tell the time - 2 minutes or 2 hours, its all the same to your puppy.

Why do people keep saying this? Dogs absolutely do know that they've been left for two hours rather than the usual ten minutes - they're not stupid.

A swimming lesson is not a "need" though, is it?

It's not like OP refused to take her child to hospital because she didn't want to leave the puppy

You're 'sad' because the OP was able to find a solution which was kind to the puppy and the child?

You can explain the situation to a child. A puppy is not going to understand.

Bloody hell I hope this thread doesn’t have many dog owners on it 😬

Do you see missing a swimming lesson and going to fun floaties instead as child abuse or something?

Dog trainer and a dog sitter - you must have more money than sense!

Serious increase in dog anxiety round here and I can see why.

Eh? Perfectly normal, and desirable, to have both a dog trainer (to train them!) and a dog sitter (for when you need to leave your dog along for extended periods). How would either of those things increase anxiety in a dog?