For anyone who's ever had a puppy - can you please explain how you're supposed to get your food shopping in?

[2sugars]

So, we collect our puppy this weekend, and presumably she will have had her first jab at 8 weeks (she'll be 9 when we get her). Given that our vet said wait 2 weeks after the first jab before the second, then another week after that before taking her out, how the effing hell are you supposed to do anything?

I will take her out, of course, holding her, but I can't see Marks and Sparks allowing me to pad round their food hall with a puppy tucked under my arm.

What on earth did you do? TIA

Um, leave the puppy behind in the house?

Sorry, I really don't understand this post.

Leave the puppy at home? for short periods only of course. But she'll have to get used to some time alone from the start, won't she?

Yes leave pup at home
Do you have a crate?

When she can go out you won't be able to take her either - she will get nicked if you tie her up outside m&s!

My dog has had a crate/cage since she first came home to us 4 years ago. That is her bed where she sleeps at night and where she goes when I go out. She is safe and comfortable and my house is safe from her.
If you are going to get one for your dog get it soon while she is still young as older dogs aren't keen.

we have a crate, it is a stainless steel wire cage. They are very good as you can keeps dogs in there and know they will be safe. Our dogs is quite old now (11) and so we do not use it but we have kept it for when we get another puppy or two.

Up to 4 hours to leave a dog is fine. NOT cruel. It is good practice to leave a puppy sometimes as then they will get used to it, rather than always being at home when pup is little then leaving her for hours as soon as she is bigger.

ROLF

You are not paris Hilton are you?
You don't have to always have them tucked in your handbag - it is a style choice.

Yes, def. get a crate. They are brilliant. Our dog loves his as a place of safety and refuge. I put a blanket over it, as well as bedding inside it, so it is cave-like and cosy.

If your pup resists being left alone for short periods and is not in a crate, you will be anxious about her hurting herself, or scratching paintwork, etc and you will give in to her distress. With a crate you know that nothing untoward will happen while she is learning to be alone for short periods. So you will be firm and she will learn more easily.

Yes, get a crate. My dogs love theirs and were fine with being introduced to them even as adult dogs (they're rescues).

when we used to leave pup at home he ate shoes. Never the knackered trainers or garden shoes - always always my best heels. And he would chew on to crap and then start on a new pair.
I think he was trainning me into flates for walkies

that would be 'flats'

And would that be ROLF Harris Pagwatch? Still stalking cute little animals.

Tesco.com

we shut our 2 year old dog in the kitchen by a stair gate. The thing jumps up and clears the gate but hasn't mastered the fact that he could clear it if he jumped forward as well. .

I wouldnt let him have free roam of the house, I'm not sure what state I'd come back too. I don't want to chanve it either.

Puppies, vets, rolf..
it all came together in my head in one moment of exquisite acronym-tastrophy

When I say 'Night, DH, I'm going to bed,' my dog gets up all excited and trots into his crate like he'd been waiting ages to be allowed in.

definitely leave her in a crate - the creative destruction of our last dog when left to her own devices as a puppy was incredible (ate pot plants, hard back books, kamikaze attraction to jumping in pond). Agree that good to leave them alone in secure environment but build up the time you do it - a tesco shop will be fine but I'd wait a while before doign the leave them for 4 hours bit.

tbh if crate is comfy, it'll probably just sleep anyway.

Thanks everyone. We have got a crate for her, I'm just wondering because for the first week or so you're supposed to leave them for no longer than an hour. It takes me at least 2 hours to get to and back from the local shops. Does that sound unreasonable?

I woulsd have thought that if you give her a couple of 'practice runs' of solitude (with you in garden or whatever) you could build up to a dash to the supermarket in the first week.

What kind of dog is she? Our Spinone was awful about being left alone, but our terrier frankly likes having the house to himself for a while.

DO NOT just hold her in your arms though - get her a collar and HOLD THAT with her in your arms...

I know someone who held their Retreiver pup (at about 10 weeks old) just in their arms; it jumped out after something it saw to chase and got it's tail caught under an on-coming car. Beautiful Retriever pup had to have it's tail docked

If you grip 2 fingers under the collar, you have more chance of anchoring them to stop random jumping out of your arms

She's an English Springer Spaniel, TW, the worst for destructing things, IME. LewisFan, that's so sad, thanks for that advice.

CD, I'm intrigued by what you said. People don't steal puppies, do they? I thought that was babies ......

Puppies (and dogs) do get stolen. Especially if they look 'well bred'

Leave the dog at home when you need to go out. They have little sense of time, so won't really be aware that you have been gone for more than 5 minutes.