Am I ever going to get any work done again (work at home, new pup)

[Dogownerwithoutacluebuttrying]

My puppy is 12 weeks and I work at home during school hours. Work not being a very accurate description at the moment!

We got him in the holidays as I knew the first bit would be distracting but I'm managing less than half the work I used to do.
He is crated but I don't want to turn it into a prison and put him in there too much.

Between frequent loo trips to the garden, mini walks in the garden (he isn't on proper ones for another week due to vaccination), extra chores, him wanting to play, watching he isn't chewing something he shouldn't (again) it is very distracting.

Any ideas? I don't want to sound naive but thought he would potter about and sleep between walks and then I could do training in the after school tie. Will it get better when he is on proper walks?
Am I being naive?!

Hi, snap! 12 week old puppy for us too! Now I knew it was going to be hard work but I didn't expect it to be as hard as it is! It's constant. I work part time so we have been crate training our pup too! She's actually really good in the crate when we leave her alone, but I'm finding that we're putting her in the crate what I feel is too much when we're home too just to keep her out of trouble.

At home today so trying to get her settle out of her crate in her little fluffy basket! I'd be really grateful if someone could tell me it get's easier too!

Mine is a troublemaker too. How much are you putting her in the crate?

Our trainer said that it can't really be too much within reason but I'm not comfortable with loads.

Carrying him out and about for socialisation purposes will wear really him out, as will clicker training.

He should be having regular naps, but they will probably be quite short and sweet, unless he's had to use his brain or plenty of exercise.

You will probably find he's far happier to settle and sleep for longer periods once he's going on lead walks - everything is just sooo new and exiciting, it really wears them out.

In the meantime, you could try a puppy playpen rather than a crate when you can't be watching him 100%, as he can have toys, kongs, chews etc in there and will have space to play.

Eric is 18 weeks and so different to how he was at twelve weeks so it's not longterm I don't think. He has three walks a day and sometimes four when he wants a pee first thing (he doesn't like to use the garden) so there's none of the going out into the garden on the off chance he needs to pee. He happily goes five hours without a pee during the day and eleven at night.
Outside of walks he potters about after me, sleeps on my feet or in the sun, we do a bit of training, he sometimes plays in the garden or with his toys inside and I talk to him a lot. He's never chewed anything so I don't feel the need to watch him constantly and we don't use a crate but can leave him for two hours and he is fine.
It will get easier, Eric knows our routines now and fits in with them.

Hi dogowner. She's crated at night in the lounge, from about 9pm till 5am when my hubby has to be up for work. He then lets her out feeds her breakfast and puts her back in her crate as hope that my 5 year old dd will sleep in past 5.30am which is very rare! I have to keep her in the crate when I'm getting us ready for work/school as she's just into absolutely everything and it wouldn't be possible to get us ready else! I'll take her for a wall then before I have to leave for work when she goes back in her crate for around 6.5 hrs. As I'm typing this I'm thinking god, that seems like a long time and quite crawl but I just don't see any other way. How long is your pup crated? Do you crate her at night? X

Insanityscatching I'm so pleased to hear that thank you!!

That sounds really reassuring!
I have a big work project and have to crack on so at least if in a few week's it's better that will help.

What about a dog flap so he can come and go?

Lowis, I don't want to make you feel bad as we are in this together but 6.5 hours does seem too long - everything I read says no more than 4 hours even for an older dog and more like 2 at this age. Can you perhaps get someone to come in and play with her for an hour in between or take her out for a walk?

Funnily enough have been looking at doggy daycare in my area this morning. I didn't even know such a thing existed! It's just the cost tho

Sorry lewis but what you posted implies that your dog is crated for at least 15 hours out if every 24 hrs. This is precisely the reason that most of us that don't use crates feel that they are open to abuse ,at 12 weeks old your puppy should be out and about getting life experience ,not spending the majority of its days in a cage .

Try Kong toys. We've got a big plastic one that we put dry food in. When our dog was a pup he would spend hours bashing it around the kitchen to get his food out. He still enjoys it now. We also use the rubber kongs for him to chew on with paste inside. Hopefully they will help to keep him occupied and will hopefully help him sleep .

Also try the inside of toilet rolls, any harmless cardboard boxes he can push around, plaited old jeans material for a chew, find the ball, honestly it is just like having a toddler - do stuff in small chunks with him, then suddenly he will keel over and sleep. Clicker training wears them out as well. Good luck, just like with toddlers it does not last forever, just different.

Like these ideas. Thank you.

Can those with older dogs tell me about how a typical day goes?

For Eric 6am I get up, I let him onto garden, he rarely pees and sometimes goes back to bed. If he brings me his harness he needs to poop so we go a walk around the block (15 mins) and then he goes back to bed.
7.45 dd is up and he has a crust off of her toast and then potters around until we leave for school run he stays at home. 9.20 if he hasn't been round the block at 6am we go for first walk now if he has we go an hour later.
First walk is usually on the trail so that he can run free in the fields on the way home. He has breakfast when we get home and then generally sleeps for an hour or more. He then potters round after me whilst I do chores, we play and do some training and he comes on the afternoon school run. Once dd is home she plays with him and the others start getting home so he gets more attention and more fuss as they arrive.
We eat around 5pm and Eric gets a bit of something that I have cooked (slice of meat some veg).
6pm Dh walks him sometimes on the country park or on the moor so he gets more time to run run free. He has dinner around 8,30. He then snoozes or cruises laps until about 10.30 when dh takes him a stroll around the block for last pee before bed.He settles down to sleep whenever the last person up goes to bed and sleeps either in his bed or on the sofa.

Sorry lowis but puppies are expensive - did you not think this through before you got him? How can he possibly learn about the world, about living with a family and basic things like toilet training if he's locked up every day while you go to work?

Sorry to sound harsh but imagine what you'd say to someone who shut their toddler up in a playpen on their own all day?

dogowner - dpup is 9 months old - he sleeps until about 7, I let him out into the garden for a wee and a poo. He has half his breakfast in a maze ball or busy buddy and I keep the other half back for quick bits of ad hoc training during breakfast (we're currently working on 'go to your bed' which is v useful at mealtimes)

On the way back from taking dd to school I usually take him for a 45min(ish) walk - today was different as we met a friend and her puppy for a big walk further afield

Then he usually potters around the garden and kitchen snoozing on and off. If I have to go out I give him a stuffed kong to keep him busy (for a few minutes at least). We have another walk either before or after getting dd from school. He has tea sometime between 5 and 6 and then potters again, the dc play with him, he'll go out for a wee etc

He'll start getting sleepy at about 8, I chuck him out in the garden for a last wee/poo opportunity at about 10 although he quite often just tries to go to sleep on the grass, then when he comes in he runs straight into his crate and lied down ready for his bedtime biscuit, then it's collar off, blanket over crate to make it nice and cosy and we don't hear a peep out of him until morning.

It's so much easier than when he was tiny and has even got easier in the last few weeks (he had a burst of hormones at about 6 months which was a little bit challenging for a while). He's very well-behaved both at home and out on walks and is a real joy to have around

Mine is now 8 months old and I no longer have to watch my every step and follow her around the whole time to check what she's wrecking. I miss that stage
She eats her breakfast at about 11am and will potter around with whoevers at home, looking out the window, playing with her toys, sniffing round the back yard. Mini walk near our house to sniff out treats in the grass.

Walkies of 40minutes, play and cuddles, dinner. She'll then sleep most of the evening but will want a fight before she goes to sleep.

It does get easier, quickly.
The other day I looked at a small cardboard box sitting unmolested on the floor and got all misty eyed about where my baby had gone.

Ah thank you both. That is so encouraging. I don't want to tempt fate but the last couple of days have been better. He is now on walks out and we took him to a cafe yesterday and he was calmer in between for sure.

Hopefully he will last longer overnight in a few weeks too as he can only go about 7 hours without a wee it seems at the moment.

It will get better quickly ! But it is worth putting in the time in the early weeks, especially with toilet training. I would say the early weeks were full on but she did toilet train quickly with our full attention.
Once I was able to walk ours I would take her out early and wear her out, then a couple of hours in the crate seemed fine. I am lucky though in that I have somewhere very close by to take her off lead where there are loads of dogs to chase around.
I still find rainy days harder ( she's 5 months ) but in warm weather she lies in the sun in the garden on her own lazing so I can get on with stuff.

Lowis. I cannot believe what I have read.

You have a young puppy which is crated all night and then again for 6.5 hours during the day while you are out at work? And just to top it off you put her back in the crate in the small window between breakfast at 0530 and going to school.

On what planet is that OK?

That is one of the most cruel things I have read on this board since I've been here and an utterly unacceptable amount of time both for a puppy to be alone AND for it to be crated. I am horrified that you think it is OK.

Please tell me I've misunderstood your post.

It IS a very long time overall. Also, at this age, the puppy needs to be socialised as much as possible. They need to be out and about getting used to noises - lorries, cars, motorbikes, other dogs, cats, small furry things, men with moustaches, means with turbans, ladies in sunglasses - you get the idea... It's a small window of opportunity so you need to take the time and put the work in. It's like that stage in babyhood when you need to get your baby used to things or they become afraid and over-clingy.

Are you thinking of going to puppy classes for training? Look around and see what's available locally. Vet surgeries also sometimes do "puppy parties" which can help with socialisation with other dogs as well.

This is one of many you can find on the internet www.thepuppyplan.com/the-science/summary#.U2aWyPldVHE

lowis 6.5 hours is way too long to leave a 12 week old puppy crated during the day. When I was housetraining our dog, he was being taken outside to wee/poo on the hour to learn where to do it - puppies only have tiny bladders at that age, and it's crucial that they get interaction and stimulation and training, as well as rest, during the very early months. Now he's fully grown, I don't leave him for more than 4 hours tops at home - dogs need company as well as loo breaks.

If your routine means your dog's always going to be left crated for 6.5 hours (more, if you get stuck in traffic, or need to go somewhere else?) then it might be worth considering the whole dog ownership thing, while the puppy's still young enough to be returned to the breeder.

Lowis unless your situation is changing wrt working time I really don't think you should have taken on a dog. You will be looking at all kinds of behavioural problems if the poor thing is left, confined for such long periods.

Lowis why oh why did you get a dog? :(

OP you've been given some fab advice. Pup will settle down soon and you'll be able to do more