Taking a puppy to work

[freshstart24]

We've sadly had to have our two very elderly cats put to sleep this month. We are heartbroken.

However, we have wanted a dog for a very long time. We didn't want to upset our cats in their twilight years, so waited until now to seriously consider it.

We have a lot of things to consider and I think I can reassure anyone reading this that we will not go ahead until we can be sure that we can do the right thing by a dog.

I currently work 9-3, 3 days a week. I work with family, in an office. I could bring dog to work with me and give a long walk at lunchtime and a couple of toilet breaks in the daytime. However, would this work with a puppy do you think?

We could have a crate in the office if this is likely to help.

I could also change my working pattern for a while and work less hours over more days.

Our preferred dog would be a lab. DH is adamant that he wants a puppy, he will not consider a rescue dog due to friends having a very bad experience.

Would it work to take puppy to work?

A few things to consider.....

The issue with a puppy is that you need to toilet train them so how will it work if they pee and poo in the office?

Sticking them in a crate at work will only work if they are already happy in the crate which means getting them used to it before you think about taking them into work otherwise it will impact you and others if it cries etc.

When the puppy has its mad moments where it wants to tear around will you be able to stop what you are doing to play with it?

Is the office puppy friendly? Mine would try and eat anything and everything at that age?

Do people visit the office and how would others feel about a jumping biting puppy because they will do that until you have trained them not to.

Thank you for your reply. Peeing and pooing in the office would be ok- not ideal, but ok. I could dash out as needed but this does involve 2 flights of stairs.

I need to research crate training as I thought the idea was that the puppy was content in the crate and felt safe there.

The office is not very dog friendly. There is nothing precious, furniture very old an battered. But there is a lot of paper and cardboard around- none of it so precious that chewing would cause a problem for the business, but it wouldn't be good for puppy.....

If we can't make it work we will not get a dog. I just thought that it may be doable.

Oh and other visiting office would. It be an issue.

um i would say no

they won't just sit in a crate for hours on end - puppies need lots of looking after
you need eyes in the back of your head :)

Dogs do feel safe and secure in their crate but it takes a bit of time to get them used to it. Some people build it up over a long time where they don't shut them in until they have adjusted to it. I put mine in for short periods with nice things but had to ignore the attention crying at times until he settled. Either method probably isn't good to try in an office where there are other people.

2 flights of stairs would be tricky as a young puppy will have peeded on you or the floor before you got out .

What you could do is to take time off work (I had a month at home although it took longer than that to be fully house trained) where you did toilet and crate training before thinking of taking him or her into the office. However there would still be all the other considerations to think about.

At 6 months old I think once the initial excitement had worn off mine probably would be ok in such an environment.

I can't see how it would work. An active puppy will not just sit in a pup from 9-3. When a pup needs a wee it needs one NOW!!! By the time you get down the stairs you will have a trail of wee!
Would DH consider a rescue if it came from a really good rescue who could give you a history and fostered their dogs rather than kennels them (so you know what it's really like.) black retriever x is ace.

I took my last pup into work with me for the first week young pups sleep a lot. He pretty much curled up on my coat under my desk the whole week.

Every time he stirred I scooped him up and took him out so he had zero accidents.

When he was awake I sat him on my lap with a nice stuffed Kong.

Thank you for your honest feedback.

I know lots of people who have had puppies whilst working, (although not taken them into work), and they have managed- I'm not sure how and tbf a couple of them aren't very well behaved.

This is my family business, so although I'm not at home it is similar to working from home and so I had hoped that I could make it work.

DH is adamant that he would like a puppy. It's a long story, and I do see the pros of a rescue, but I can't convince him.

Lilcamper- that sounds hopeful. What type of dog do you have?

I work in an office and at home. When in the office my dog goes into doggie day care. When I work at home I can always stop and pick up my work afterwards so although it was hard I l managed my work around the dog. Obviously now he is bigger I hardly know he is there and it is me bugging him to go for a walk.

I know at an early age mine would have caused a riot at work. I spent most of the early weeks in my kitchen with quick access to the outside and it has only really been from about 5 months old he had settled and now lounges about in any room in the house with me. All dogs are different but no I would not have taken him into a work environment as a young puppy.

There are ways of having a puppy whilst you work but in those very early weeks most people end up very stressed and tired focusing on the puppy (read the puppy survival thread on here to get a good feeling for the different experiences and challenges people have faced )

I'm aware that this is my stock response to anyone who is wondering about getting a dog, but really, really, OP, I can't think of anything better for you than a rescue greyhound. They'd be so damn happy snoozing alongside you every day, going for a walk at lunchtime, being with their person. They are truly excellent company.

I really recommend you research them and drag your OH along to visit a greyhound rescue.

I have a Lab puppy and I work from home. When we first got dp I have to be quite frank and tell you that my work schedule went completely to pot. I spent most of the time in and out for toileting purposes and mopping up... and of course taking a million photos

I had to make a file fort under my desk, as he lies here by my feet while I am at my desk. One day my computer just went blank, I looked under and he had chewed right through my power supply. He was right by my feet and I didn't even notice he was chewing it! So now all my cables are hidden in the file fort, which I will need rearrange on a daily basis, and make another plan and also all my files are chewed now.

Please do not underestimate how busy a puppy is... especially a Labrador. Yes they do sleep quite a bit at first, but by 3/4 months the sleeps are way less, and the naughtiness starts.

Thank you. Off to do more research- I feel like I am prepared for some hard work, but maybe I've underestimated how difficult a puppy could be. The thing is, once you've fallen in love with your puppy- is the hard work really that bad?

Fresh, there is a fairly long thread about having a new puppy on the board at the moment. I think most people from this thread have posted on there too.

Yes, you will fall in love instantly, but they are time consuming and you also do have to reschedule yourself around them somewhat. They are babies, in some ways no different to a normal baby.

I think it would work well. After some work at the outset with the toiletting, and s commitment to take it out for a few short walks every day. What a lovely life for a dog.

The 'Does anyone fancy a 'puppy survival' thread?' will give you a taster of the difficulties people face with a young puppy. What some people find easy others will find hard as they are all different and thus have different challenges.

I would not be without my dog but in the early days it was very very hard and I often wondered what I had taken on just like others have as well.

I never want to put anyone off having a puppy when they work because I have one and it can be done but if the only way you think it can work for you is to take your puppy into work with you then you need to think about all the possible issues. Also what would happen if someone at work was unknowingly allergic to dogs and you were told you could not bring them in again? Would you be happy finding alternative care such as dog day care etc?

People have bad experiences with puppies too. If your DH is really unpersuadable on rescues, it might be worth looking for an older dog from a breeder - more by accident than design, we got our current dog when he was 10 months (he'd been kept for show/stud but turned out he wasn't technically perfect, happily for us). He was fully housetrained and well socialised, so much easier than a pup. The thing about an older dog - whether by this sort of route or a rescue - is that apart from already being trained, you have a better idea of their character.

Thank you again. With regard to colleagues, there is only myself and my aunt in the office. She has previously bought 3 dogs to work, but has none at the moment. She has said she would be happy to have pup in office.

I am researching puppy sitting services locally.

Thank you for your thoughtful responses.

Maybe a lab is not the best choice. I adore them and want a dog that potentially could live with a cat- so terriers are out. Off to research.

I have had two puppies in office environments.

First one was a Lab and dead easy. She was fully house trained within about a week. She had a bed by the desk and was kept on a long lead attached to a radiator so she learned very quickly where her boundaries were and was soon able to stop having her on the lead. I could take her in the garden as many times a day as needed and used to walk her at lunch etc. A crate wouldn't have fitted in the office, and this was over 20 years ago now so before crate training became a 'thing'. My job then was 8.30-7.00 5 days a week and some weekends and involved some time out in the car as well, and she used to come out with me.

Dog 2 is not a Lab. She is a much more challenging personality/breed. I was on mat leave when we first got her. Again was fully house trained very quickly and she was crate trained. She used to go to my husband's office from about 4 months old but she is a terrible counter surfer and would get into drawers and help herself to lunches and various other misdemeanours as he used to forget to put her on a lead or colleagues would decide to let her off. It took much longer to get her settled in but I'm her defence, there were other dogs leading her astray, more people to distract her, DH was not consistent with her etc. It is much easier now I am home based (and she is no longer a pup!). She is lying looking out of my home office doors in a sunny patch right now.

Long post to say it depends on the individual pup and the set up you can achieve. It might be very easy, it might not. But it is certainly achievable, even more so if your colleagues are also onboard

Lil - intrigued to know what a stuffed Kong is

Please don't underestimate how much work a puppy can be. A friend has just got a Labrador pup and even having grown up around these dogs and prepared for the new arrival, she has been shocked at the sheer LIFE in these dogs.

I second the retired greyhound suggestion. They would be perfect for the situation you describe. Just check you get one that can do stairs! Why get a puppy when there are 100s of loving, gentle greyhounds needing a home?!

Ok so it sounds like your aunt would at least be on board with a dog in the office. Therefore I would just look at all the issues people have faced with their puppies and decide whether they would be a problem for you or not if you encounted similar ones. Remember the puppy stage does not last forever so once you have got past that stage then it becomes much easier assuming you have put the time into training etc.

You would get so little work done!
An 8 week old puppy will probably sleep quite a bit. Past that age, yes they will sleep in decent bursts, but when they are awake they need constant supervision and things to do.

With two flights of stairs I think toilet training would be your biggest issue and you would be going out so frequently. You also wouldn't really want to encourage a lab puppy to go and down stairs so much while so young, so you have to carry them.

Many older dogs would be very happy with your set up though..

A Kong is a hollow rubber toy you stuff with food.

My puppy was an EBT but I have a lab too.

Thanks for explaining Lil